H.O.T.( House of tarab)

I just spent last night recording and videotaping House of Tarab ( a Middle Eastern musical ensemble) with my colleagues Serge and Grayson. It was a fairly joyful evening. I have posted some photos at my flickr account, check it out.

on second thought

Maybe I'm better with an edge, maybe a little bitchin' makes it alright.

There's certainly enough things in this world to get pissed at. The important thing is a dedication to changing those things.

Wake up and live! Here's to piss and vinegar!

Cover your Wheaties I feel a whiz coming on.

TLF (the Terrance Liberation Front)

Why, when God's world is so big,
did you fall asleep in a prison
of all places?
Rumi

I've been trying to blog unsucessfully for about the last week. Each time that I attemt to post, I find my words full of negativity and I delete them before they can enter the ether. It feels like I'm jailed in my own bad attitude. I really hope if I persist with my attempts that I will escape and embrace the beauty of experience again . Life is way too short to just bitch. Let me free, let me free.

The Spiritual Dimensions of Psychology

"The best thing is not to hate anyone, only to love. That is the only way out of it. As soon as you have forgiven those whom you hate, you have gotten rid of them. Then you have no reason to hate them; you just forget.

Hazrat Inayat Khan

enjoy the silence

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
Abraham Lincoln

sense of doubt

To believe with certainty we must begin with doubting.
Stanislaw Leszczynski

morning dew

“A warrior acts as if he knows what he is doing, when in effect he knows nothing.”

CARLOS CASTANEDA

Drums & Guns

Let me start post by saying that I am delighted with many of the new musical releases this year. So far, it has been great and there look to be many more. I have hope again for the recording arts . Modest Mouse and !!! have put out good records and Wilco looks to be poised with one, as well. Hope is here for a jaded old fuck like myself and that is an essence rare, indeed.

The main point of this post is telling you all about the new Low record. It's called "Drums and Guns" and it delights me. I have had a very love hate relationship with this ensemble. I found last years outing terrible and have hated their live show more than once over the years, but this new CD is a pleasure. It is textural and slow moving, kind of like watching the paint dry but hypnotic. It'll suck you in and slay you. The paper packaging is very nice, a work of art in it's own right. I won't bug you with excessive verbiage, just try it. I think you might like it. I certainly did.

thaiku

I am certainly a lover of the Thai dish, Phad See Iew(Pan-fried wide rice noodles with egg in soy sauce , broccoli and your choice of meat). I like it with chicken. I find it far more fulfilling than Phad Thai. The wide noodles are a flavor sponge for the sweet soy sauce.

On Sunday, I stumbled across thaiku in old Ballard. They have great decor, courteous service and really good Phad See Iew.They make a simple version with just noodles, meat, sauce, egg, wide noodles and sliced Chinese Broccoli. It is perfection amongst many mediocre Phad See Iew. You should try it.

new day rising

Awhile ago, I reported that my new Leica Camera had had an unforunate accident. It made me quite sad. I'm happy to report that it is now working again. The nice people at Leica fixed it without a charge , other than shipping it to them.I can now take photographs with the little camera that I love.