What I'm Up To

What I'm wearing: It's starting to warm up now, but I wore the shit out of my jean jacket this Spring. My Chuck Taylors that were new last Spring are falling apart this year. Got to look for something to fill that void. I've been wearing a lot of workout stuff (previous 2 posts). I got a pair of cheap jeans from H&M that are fantastic. Much better than the more expensive pairs I've purchased recently. Buying jeans seems like a crap shoot to me. And of course T-shirts, t-shirts, t-shirts.

What I'm listening to: The Hard Lessons. There are a lot of things I don't miss about Michigan (roads, weather, driving distance), but I do miss the music. Detroit has a vibrant music scene and always has. The Hard Lessons are just my latest favorite band from Detroit. They play music that has a soul. Most music today, in my own personal opinion, is soulless, or has "fake soul". The Hard Lessons are the real deal. I also learned that the organist/vocalist went to my high school and college. A full decade and a half after I went, but still.

What I'm working on: Still finishing up a few things at my house but spending time looking for my next rehab project. I'm hoping to find something smaller that I can turn around quicker than previous projects. Some little piece of crap in a great neighborhood. That's what I need. Along with every other rehabber in this city!

What I'm eating: Lots of grilled chicken breasts and whole wheat pita with some Paul Newman Lite Honey Mustard salad dressing. Makes for a quick and healthy lunch.

What I'm watching: American Idol (Chris Daughtry seems to be the favorite), the Office, My Name is Earl, Survivor, Lost and a lot more children's programming than I thought I'd be watching with a 6 month old. Nate's favorites include Dora the Explorer, Go Diego Go and Wonder Pets.

What I'm not watching: Another David Cronenberg film. Ever!

What I'm reading: Lots of magazines. Dwell, Metropolitan Home, Modernism, Paste, Giant, Inspired House, Domino, Readymade

What I'm hoping for:

Workout Guy II

I am enjoying the gym. It's rather difficult for me to believe, but it's true. I always thought that joining a gym was a waste of money. I've got 2 feet, a pair of shoes and the street. Why not just go running to get in shape? It's free for crying out loud. At the gym though they have these sophisticated machines that tell you how many calories you're burning and your heart rate among other things. It really motivates you. Running on a treadmill on a nice day seemed like a thing for idiots to do, but it's different than walking in the park.

I've also been hitting the weights more than I thought I would. I have to be careful because I was born with bulky genes. The last thing I want is a thick neck. But I've been able to build muscle in the last 2 weeks. I always thought my legs were one of my best features and couldn't improve much. I've actually toned them up quite a bit.

It's an interesting place too. It's a gym in the city on Hampton and has a more city-looking crowd. Varied races, level of tattoos, age and lifestyle. I swear that if I ever start wearing tank tops to the gym though they should take away my membership. Guys that wear wife beaters are just trying to impress with their muscles and tattoos and those are things that should be left for your home. There are a couple of guys that pose a lot in the gym. Do they know that everyone is laughing at them? I'm glad you work hard and feel confident but maybe you should join Gold's Gym if you want to get in a pose off with a bunch of wankers.

One of the funny things that I've noticed is the large number of bald men. Being a bald man myself I notice these things. Out of 9 guys in the gym the other morning 5 were bald. And that doesn't include the old guy with the Friar Tuck look. That was just the 5 guys that are clean shaven like myself. I guess I'm not the only one trying to compensate for the things out of my control. And, to be clear, by compensate I'm referring to my hairline.

I'm sure before long I'll plateau and then burn out, but in the meantime I'm taking advatage of the motivation. This feels good. Surprisingly good.

Workout Guy

I saw this thing on TV (20/20 maybe?) about game theory and losing weight. They had people on there who agreed to either lose a pre-determined amount of weight or have their picture shown on national television in a speedo/bikini. I'm not about to post a picture of me in a speedo, but I have decided to join a gym and thought that posting my results here may encourage me to work harder.

My reasons for trying to get in better shape vary. Being a dad and husband I want to stay healthy and live a long time for my wife and son. I am also an older new dad (I'll be 38 this year) and want to be able to throw a football around with my son when he's a teenager (whether he wants to throw a football around with me when he's a teenager is an entirely different animal). I generally feel pretty lousy too. I'm sore often. Feel really thick in the middle. My doctor said I should weigh about 170 and I'm closer to 185 on a good day and 188 on a bad one.

2006 would also be the year of my 20th high school reunion. I don't know if we'll actually have one. I haven't heard anything and my class was never really tight the way others were. But if I do get an announcement I want to look my best. I have often said that I don't want to be "fat and bald". Since I can't help being bald I had better take care of the one thing I have more control over.

Tommorow, April 4th, is day 1. Let's see if I can go 30 days and get my money's worth at this gym.

You mean I'm not just a plain ol' loser?

http://newyorkmetro.com/news/features/16529/index.html
Just when you think you've grown out of labels they invent a new one. The Grup. This was actually a pretty interesting article to me. Having been a retail buyer/marketer (my corporate gig) I learned all about predicting behavior. You had to have the right mix of product at the right time for the right person. It was amazing how predictable people really were. It was my first introduction to trendspotting on a macro level. And as it turns out leaving the corporate job was part of a trend as well.

Here's a small sample of how it works. You hear a song on the radio and say to yourself, "That sounds different and unique and like someone I'd like to hear more of. That Norah Jones really appeals to me. I'm going to go to the store and see if they've heard of her." You get to the store and there is an endcap featuring her that month. The radio station (one of hundreds owned by the same company) is playing her cd all over the country at the same moment. To you it is a very personal connection with an artist. To a record store employee you are a drone coming in just like dozens of others that day asking if you've heard of this jazzy female singer named Norah Jones or something like that.

We all think we are special in our world that we have created and we make decisions on our own that shape who we are. Then we wake up one day and find that we are one of millions just like us. Enough so that they create a name that describes us. I guess it's kind of comforting knowing that so many of us are heading in the same direction and are not alone. What the hell is 40 going to look like? 50? Impossible to imagine! But we're going to get there as a group like good little drones wearing our uniform of Echo and the Bunnymen t-shirts and Chuck Taylor All Stars. Just don't expect us too early in the morning. We like to sleep in a little.

photographic updates

It's still very much a work in progress but here are a couple of shots of where we stand with the house/project.

We built some shelves into the living room to add character and seperate it from the dining room.

Here's a shot from the family room through the dining room and into the flex room which is off of the kitchen.

One thing we did was open this doorway up wider and add French doors. It gives us the choice of closing off the back of the house or opening it up. We like choices. That's probably why we have so many lights on dimmers.

A Revolution by the People

Urban areas of the country have been experiencing a boom over the last decade. My guess is it's cyclical. People like myself had parents that grew up in the city and moved to the suburbs for all the usual reasons that I don't intend to go into. Their offspring grew up in safe environments with good schools and not much to do. We couldn't walk anywhere worthwhile. It was too far to ride our bikes to anything enjoyable. Now that we are old enough and able to live where we want we've decided to move back to the cities.

Suburban areas are feeling the new vibe of urban living as well. Many older suburbs are reviving their Main Street and building urban style housing. Subdivisions are being built with sidewalks, streetlamps, center courtyards and thankfully garages in the rear off of alleys.

The great thing about St. Louis' rebirth in particular is that it has been instituted by individuals. People, couples, families moved back into the city for reasonably priced housing stock. They renovated houses and brought back streets and neighborhoods that had been written off for dead.

Big time developers followed the little guys. They came in and took on high profile projects. Turning old warehouses into lofts, and former offices into high end dining. These guys get the press. These guys get a pat on the back from the mayor and their day in the sun for being so forward thinking and "saving" our city.

I wish I could post a picture of who actually is saving this city. The picture would be a group shot of thousands of regular people. They'd be wearing their weekend work clothes and holding their power tools and smiling. Smiling because they are proud of the work they've done.

All things being cyclical (including this blog) I just hope that the flight to the suburbs will be a little less harsh the next time around. If we can put into practice some of the truths we've learned about urban living in the last few decades maybe people will have a more difficult time deciding where to live because they have so many great options.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I went to St. Patrick's school for 8 years as a child. The girls had to wear green polyester pants or skirts and a green vest with a white shirt. The boys were more fortunate in that we had a choice of wearing blue, brown or green slacks in solid colors and a solid color shirt. I went to a University whose colors were green and white also. I sort of burned out on the color scheme. It's taken me some time to get over my fear of "the wearin' o' the green". I'm over it now and my Irish Grandmother would be proud. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Barack Obama for President

I realize that people think he's too young and that he is just in his first term as a Senator, but then again people voted for George W. Bush proving that "people" can't be trusted. It's time for Obama Americans. It's time!

Collecting is the new Betamax

I came to the realization today (millions came to it eons ago I'm sure, but I'm a little slow) that collecting hasn't been fun since the internet took off. There used to be great fun in hunting. Maybe it filled a primal need. The hunt is dead. eBay was the killer.

The most obscure item can be Googled in seconds and is for sale by someone somewhere. It's not fun because everyone can be so easily educated on collectibles that you can't find that secret treasure. Oh you like to collect funiture from mid century designers. Well that little junk store has some but they know the value because they saw them on eBay. A few years ago you could pick up that chair for $25. Today you have to pay $500. You want to pick up some Blue Note jazz records at that dusty old record shop. Well the owner sold them all on eBay for a fortune to a collector in Hong Kong. Little old me is now competing with industry moguls in Tokyo for that cowboy Pez and I can't afford what they can pay. It's not fun I tell you.

Other than that the goddamn interweb rules. Where else can I download 15 live versions of Barrel of a Gun by Guster?

quirky?

I have a few quirks. I don't think I'm in need of medication, but there are a couple of things that seem fairly unique about me. One of those things is that I notice Michigan license plates. I moved from Michigan to STL in October of 2001, but I still spot Michigan plates on cars from a mile away. I saw 4 today. 1 this afternoon and 3 within 10 minutes this evening. Somebody tell me the connection. It's not like it's a State that Borders Missouri. In the summer I see many Michigan plates on I-44 going east and west. Usually older people with an RV going to Branson. But who are the others? What are you doing in my neighborhood? Students? At SLU or Wash U? Is there a big recruiting element that travels north and brings us Michiganders down here? I want to chat with each one and find out their story. Now that behavior would require medication.

We're in!

We are now living in our new house. It isn't finished. I hope to have it finished soon and not drag it out too long, but we love it anyway. We still need kitchen counters, and until we have counters we can't install our sink and until we install our sink we can't install our dishwasher and until we install our dishwasher we have to wash dishes in the bathroom sink. Not that great.

I also need to tile the master shower (about 300 sq feet of tile). So until that is completed we are using the guest bath which has a clawfoot tub/shower and a small sink. Again, not exactly ideal, but in a month or so all of these things will be completed and we'll forget the hardships we first endured.

Other than that those couple of things we are thrilled to be in. The plan put together and modified oh so many times over the last year came together nicely in the end. I struggled with the monochromatic color pallette, but love the sense of calm it gives. I had a hard time choosing to paint the doors black (we loved our stripped and refinished doors in the old place), but the black (kind of ebony really) gives weight to the doors in a lovely way making them seem heavier and thicker than they even are. The removal of walls, widening of doorways and addition of double french doors gives balance between the modern desire to have open floor plans and ability to comparmentalize and hide my stuff.

We are very happy with our new neighbors/buyers of our former home. We couldn't have handpicked people any better. It was such a concern for us but just proves that you shouldn't worry about things out of your control. It will work out.

As rooms are decorated and arranged I'll be sure to post photos.

Baby Nathan

2005 Favorites

I like to make compilation cd's each year for my friends of my favorite songs of the previous year. Unfortunately the whole burning, creating artwork, buying envelopes, mailing the mix thing slows me down and I rarely get many mailed off. Especially this year since I'm reahabbing our new house, selling our old house (we close on 2/28/06!), takingcare of a baby and moving. It just didn't seem like it was going to happen.So this year I have done something different. I've uploaded all of the songs that I would have put on a cd so that you can download them to your computers if you like.

All you have to do is go to this link:http://www.megaupload.com/?d=38LHE9XC In about 45 seconds it'll ask you where you want to download the file. You'll want to download it to wherever you keep your other MP3's (MyMusic folder perhaps?). It takes a little while to download depending on the speed of your connection. It takes far less time than going to your local music store though. I believe the file will be actively stored on that website for 30 days.

The drawback to doing it this way is that I can't control the order in which you hear the songs or give you the full experience with the liner notes and cover art so, I'm making a list of the order in which I would have burned the mix.

2005 Favorites: Year of the Baby
1. Spoon - My Mathematical Mind
2. Calexico/Iron & Wine - A History of Lovers
3. Beck - Black Tambourine
4. the White Stripes - Denial Twist
5. Tilly & the Wall - Bessa
6. the Sights - Scratch My Name in Sin
7. the Mountain Goats - Pale Green Things
8. Love as Laughter - Every Midnight Song
9. Fruit Bats - Born in the 70's
10. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
11. Bright Eyes - Old Soul Song
12. Low - When I Go Deaf
13. Andrew Bird - Skin Is, My
14. Brendan Benson - Cold Hands (Warm Heart)
15. Weezer - Perfect Situation
16. Calexico/Iron & Wine - Red Dust
17. Spoon - I Turn My Camera On
18. Danny Barnes - Rat's Ass

As a Wannabe

I can't quite call myself a Modernist. It's just too expensive to be a full fledged Modernist today. However, I am a fan of the Modernist aesthetic and strive to achieve it in whatever I do. The reason I may seem apologetic for my leanings is because I live in a city that has not embraced the future in a long time. St. Louis has a glorious past and rests on its laurels far too often. It tries to replicate its golden age rather than update its look for today. St. Louis boomed at the turn of the 20th century. The clay deposits found in St. Louis allowed it to build itself out of brick. Given these 2 elements St. Louis is a brick city with a Victorian look.

To call yourself a Modernist in St. Louis is to move beyond this red brick past. It is a term misunderstood by most everyone in this Midwestern city. People assume that you are one of those people in favor of tearing down the Century building to put in a parking garage. That you would rip the "character" out of a historic home and replace it with suburban blandness.

On the contrary, I want to respect the past by not trying to duplicate it. I don't want to see a single brick building torn down. It's just that if there is an empty lot why should you build something that tries to replicate a days-gone-by look? Build something from this century to tell a tale to future generations of who we were and what we were capable of doing. Putting a modern home, and I don't mean post-modern nothingness of vinyl siding and fake columns, but a real modern home next to a historic home shows one how valuable the historic home is and that we should preserve it.

Vibrant cities that have either stayed current (London) or revived themselves (Toronto) know how important it is to stay contemporary. They build modern adjacent to historic and know that this is part of the urban landscape that is interesting to people.

Maybe one day I will be able to proudly call myself a Modernist in a Victorian city and not be hurled insults?

Retrogressive

I've learned a new term that describes everything that I tried to convey in my post about the new Busch Stadium and other new structures in St. Louis and around the country. The term is "retrogressive". I read it in an article in Modernism magazine about the demolition of the Morton May House in Ladue. The May house was a beautiful modern home in the International style built in 1942 and designed by architect Samuel Marx. Unfortunately consequent owners didn't maintain it properly and it was on 9 beautiful acres in the most prestigeous metro St. Louis area. Ripe for the picking by redevelopers and politicians. The May house was torn down last summer. The lots will be parcelled off and sold. Something bland will be put in it's place and the world will go on more boring than it was.
The former Morton May house at 2222 S Warson Rd.

My Top Albums of 2005

I need to say that many of my favorite cds that came out in 2005 I have yet to discover. Some of the joy in being a music fan is finding out about the things you missed and going back to pick up some back catalog. This list is simply a list of things that I did discover and liked.

The Sights - The Sights
This Detroit group has a funky rock sound driven by a Hammond organ. Not very common today. Individually I like many of the songs, but the album itself may just be too intense to enjoy as a comprehensive unit. Favorite tracks include Scratch My Name in Sin and I'm Gonna Live the Life I Sing About.

Low - The Great Destroyer
One of the most brilliant albums I've heard in a very long time. It was a huge departure for them and I hope they don't go back. In the past they've had such a muted sound that the brilliance seems to have been tuned down as well. This album includes beautiful harmonic crescendos and lyrically scary depths (the lead singer has suffered with depression his whole life). I'm curious to see what they do as a follow up. Favorite tracks include When I Go Deaf and anything on the cd really.

the White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
While I don't think that this is the best the White Stripes have to offer I have enjoyed it quite a bit. I am honestly shocked that Jack and Meg are as widely accepted as they are. I guess that's because I love stripped down music but rarely find that others do too. I am curious to see what kind of music Jack makes 10, 20 and 30 years from now and how many marriages he has over the years. Favorite tracks include Denial Twist and Instinct Blues.

Calexico/Iron and Wine - In the Reins
Match made in heaven! Sam Beam is a lovely songwriter, but is probably the quietest "pop" musician ever. Calexico punches up his music a little and adds some interesting instrumentation. The resulting tracks are perfection. Favorite Tracks are A History of Lovers, Red Dust, oh and Sixteen, Maybe Less and...

Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Spoon has a really great sound on this recording. It's a mature indie rock sound. It appeals to me as a guy in my 30's without trying to appeal to me. Favorite tracks include My Mathematical Mind and I Turn My Camera On

Love as Laughter - Laughter's Fifth
I have to admit that I wasn't familiar with Love as Laughter before this album. I saw it on a listening post in Vintage Vinyl and was certain I would hate it based on the cover art. The first track, In Amber, reminded me of the best the Jayhawks had to offer. Favorite tracks include Every Midnight Song and Makeshift Heart.

Beck - Guero
Can this guy be a more unlikely musical genius? Seriously? He's probably making music closer to Soul than anyone else. I love the fact that it has a completely contemporary and classic sound all at once. You would be very hard pressed to find anyone who would have predicted his career in the music industry would have been this long and fruitful. Favorite tracks include Black Tambourine and Earthquake Weather

Other favorite recordings released in 2005 include:
Fruit Bats, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tilly and the Wall (thanks Lisa), the Mountain Goats, Bright Eyes, Andrew Bird, Brendan Benson, Lucero and Weezer

In 2006 I'm looking forward to listening to Sun Kil Moon (out), Broken Social Scene (out), Athlete (out), Smoosh (recording), Brendan Benson/Jack White (yet to be released), Kings of Leon (hopefully).

The most exciting thing is that my favorite recording of 2006 may be by someone I've never heard of or something that hasn't yet been recorded. I can't wait.

3 months

Nate is 3 months old. He is now going to daycare 4 days a week. I miss him everyday and nearly cry everytime I drop him off. The good news is that he's starting to become the baby that we always hoped he would be. He's had some difficult times in his short life. He was diagnosed with acid reflux. The acid burned his esophogus and eating became a chore for him and stressful for us. He'd spit up and cry while trying to eat. It affected his ability to sleep which caused him to be overtired and crabby. He had many moments of being the cutest baby in the world, but even those few scattered moments were stressful for us as parents waiting for them to turn bad.

We've got him on some liquid medicine that took awhile to help, but seems to have done the trick. His formula intake has increased to where it should be. He hasn't spit up in weeks. He's taking long naps during the day and sleeping longer stretches at night.

Part of this turn around is due to the medication, but we've spoken to other parents who are just now telling us that the first 12 weeks are the most difficult. NOW you are telling me this??? You don't think that this would have been useful information before we decided that we were failures as parents? They say they didn't want to worry us. Knowing that this was normal would have been a big help and eliminated a lot of worry. Thanks for the heads up folks and thank you baby Nate for being the sweetest baby in the world even when you weren't.

Simplify

It's about to be 2006. I really like the idea of starting the New Year with a clean slate. I would love to pare down to the bare essentials every New Year and simplify my life. The problem is that I have many pack rat tendencies. I can't seem to part with my stuff. I have reason to believe this year may be different though. Our house has been on the market for 3 months and there is finally some real interest. If either of these interested parties works out we'll probably be moving into our new project in January or February. Moving is a great time to clean things out and start fresh. Moving at the beginning of the year may just allow me the opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. And that diet starts tomorrow too....

Gift list

Coming up with a Christmas gift list at my age is a real pain. I rarely have appropriately priced gift items that others can get for me. I don't really have hobbies. I don't golf, or collect Hummels or anything. If I go too generic (ex. sweater) I never know what I'll get. Gift cards are great but not a whole lot of fun to watch someone open. Same goes for magazine subscriptions. The things I want are either big ticket items (HDTV would look good in my living room) or so obscure that I wouldn't know how to direct a family member to it (so the last time I was in Chinatown I saw this cookie jar...) or else they are tasks that I would love to have someone else do. So I thought I'd jot down what I would want for Christmas in a perfect world. The second list wouldn't cost anyone a thing.

1.) Buy me a new kitchen from Ikea (about $3,000 in cabinets should do it)
2.) Fix my vintage motorcycle (find a repair man, transport it, pay for it, thanx)
3.) Sell/buy my house (my house has been on the market for nearly 3 months now with no offers)
4.) Pay off my credit card (I'll do it myself when my house sells, but see #3)
5.) Finish my rehab project (c'mon, you know you want to)

Or if you are short on cash...
1.) pull my weeds for the summer
2.) do my taxes
3.) teach my neighbor how to parallel park so he doesn't screw up the street for everyone everytime
4.) organize my life (just give me a system that works for me)
5.) help me move

This is not easy!

I underestimated how hard having a baby would be. I've heard a million times from parents that it's difficult, but I kind of thought they were exaggerating. In retrospect I think they were probably lowballing the amount of effort in an attempt to trick the childless into their group. Either that or they lost their minds and had forgotten how much effort it takes. I thought it was simply a matter of maintenance (feed, change, wash, repeat). You get a good schedule going and it practically takes care of itself. Effortless.

What people don't express is all the stress involved. It's not just the feeding but worrying about when they are going to eat, are they getting enough, too much, are they going to spew it out this time, etc. Changing is much easier, unless of course you start changing them before they are done. That can get messy. I think certain aspects get easier as the child grows. There is more decision making that needs to be done (Can they spend the night at a friends house that you've never met?), but at a certain point they can do a lot of things for themselves. They become less fragile.

One thing this experience has done is made me more sympathetic to single parent families. I think Jen and are doing a pretty good job of working together and sharing the load. She's up with him more often at night during the week since I have to work, but I'm up with him 3 nights a week (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). I can't imagine how you could do it on your own. I guess that's why people bring their extended families into the mix. Share the burden or go insane seems to be the 2 choices.

We do love him. How could you not? But we are anxious for him to grow up a little. Talking and walking are going to be really fun. Or am I being overly optimistic again?