These are the Daves I know…

May 30, 2006

Well, I guess I’d better get to welcoming the new kid on the block — an old friend and former FuncoLand manager, Dave. No, not that Dave… a different Dave. Thanks to him, I’ve been reintroduced to hip hop, and thanks to him I’ve found last.fm.

Here’s his new blog — it’s about indie rock, hip hop, television, etc. — you know, that media type stuff: When I Look At the World.

And, from now on, if you want to see what the iTunes on my computer has been playing, you can go here: What Corey’s Been Listening To. Keep up to date with my music, and feed the need for more Steinbeck On Random, straight from the source. It’ll always be there on the right side. Have fun.

And if it doesn’t work, check back later — it’s always updating, and often it’s backed up. Oh well, eh? Thanks last.fm.

Tags: Music, Friends |

1 Comment

Cabin fever

May 30, 2006

Please – someone tell me I’m not the only person who, at the age of 27, is thinking seriously ahead about what they want to do once they retire and decide to sell the family home.

It’s truly been on my mind. Not in any seriousness, granted, as I know I’m still 35 years from finishing my career and settling down with my Mac Uberchip and writing the memoirs of my long illustrious life, but the thought’s been sitting there, slowly gaining a calcium crust and creating a niche for itself in my head. With all of my luck, something will dislodge this thought and sent it hurtling down towards my bladder. And I don’t want to pass this one.

Here’s the story. Kerrie and I spent all of Memorial Day weekend sitting around at Lake Herman, our favorite South Dakota campground. We braved the choppy water of Lake Herman in our two-person kayak. We lounged in chairs and read half a book a piece. We drove into Madison twice to buy beers and ice because, after three summers of camping, we still can’t manage to gauge how much alcohol we’ll drink over a three-day weekend. We enjoyed ourselves beyond belief, and with a heavy heart managed to pack up and return home in time to do laundry and get ourselves prepared for another week of work.

Over the weekend I came to the realization, along with Kerrie, that I could easily get used to the camping life. I could see the two of us, with children or dogs or whatever sort of hangers-on we develop over the years, camping for the rest of our lives, wasting away every weekend at some state park. We’ll be pulling RV’s before too long. And we’ll be buying a lake cabin as soon as we can afford it.

Yes. That’s it. My dream in life is to retire, sell our house, and move to a lake cabin. The parents of one of a close friend just did that. I’m jealous to say the least. Imagine that: every weekend, you’re going to the beach. During the summer, you’ve got water and boats and fun and sun, and during the winter, you’ve got a sheet of ice and a pack of frozen rabbits.

I’m late to the game with this. I’d never really experienced cabin life until the past couple of years. But I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I latched on; how little time it took me to gain sea legs and feel content sitting and floating in some larger body of water and then getting out only to sit on a lawn chair in front of a roaring fire. Camping is great. And it would be better if it included a small house to retire to when it rained – a shower, a stove, the basic luxuries of home life that makes sitting around a fire and grilling and boating and playing Frisbee golf and lazing around with no agenda whatsoever so appealing.

Yeah, I know. My dream in life is to be lazy at a cabin on a lake. It’s not original. But it’s a goal, and for now, it’s mine.

That is, until next week, when I’ll be working towards that London flat with a porch overlooking Hyde Park.

Tags: Vilhauer, Outdoors |

1 Comment

The Believer, part two

May 29, 2006

I forgot to post this earlier, so it’s going onto auto post.

I want to make a slight retraction – the people at McSweeney’s are sending back our check and seem truly sorry about what happened. They asked if I wanted my subscription, and I begrudgingly said no. So they’re sending the money to my mother, and they’re sending a best of The Believer gift for our troubles.

I’m happy with that, for now. I’m still a little wary to get any sort of subscription from them, but as I said in a return e-mail, “time heals all wounds.” Give me a year – I’ll probably have forgotten all about this and will end up getting the subscription as a gift or on my own. I can’t imagine this would happen twice.

McSweeney’s – messed up subscription, followed up with decent customer service and positive PR. I can’t keep Eggers’ company down for too long, regardless of what everyone else thinks of him.

Tags: Books, Literature, Annoyances |

1 Comment

Gone camping

May 27, 2006

We’ve sat through the dropping of leaves, through the shoveling, the plowing, the cold wind that comes from living in South Dakota. We’ve watched the coming of spring with anticipation, longing for the day we can leave the yard behind and join the masses at a state sponsored campground, grouping together with other like minded fools as we sit around a fire ring and prophesize about our futures over an opened beer can.

We’ve prepared our car, picked up new equipment, and chosen our meals wisely. We’ve justified ditching out on a cabin weekend on the lake with a good friend. We’ve filled Steinbeck with camping friendly tunes.

So when you read this, you’ll know where we are: Lake Herman, South Dakota, at our favorite site (nestled back in the trees on it’s own short road, packaged in solitude and blocked from the view of a park full of RVs). We’re prepared for, well, nothing. As in, we’re going to go camping, and we’re going to do nothing. I will relax. I will boat. I will read books, eat camp food, and start drinking at four in the afternoon. I’ll bask in the solitude that comes from getting away from life. I’ll realize the true meaning of a vacation.

Kerrie, Becket, and I will get back to you later. We’re too busy enjoying ourselves. Sorry.

Tags: Outdoors |

2 Comments

#31 vs. NYC

May 26, 2006

In honor of these wonderful NBA Playoffs — three semi-final series going to seven games, the Mavs and Suns fighting for the Western Conference Championship and guaranteeing me a team to root for until the Finals are over, and the Pistons already losing a game at home — I bring you the best moment in my short lived Pacers fandom: the domination of Reggie Miller and the meltdown of the New York Knicks.

Of course, the comments for this movie on YouTube say a lot about Knicks fans: it was a clear foul call, apparently. Well, from this video, it looks like the guy slips, not that he was pushed. Of course, I’m the wrong person to say anything — Reggie could have decked John Starks and I would have considered it a ticky tack foul call.

Anyway, enjoy that. I’ll be camping — expect an auto-post sometime this weekend.

Tags: Sports, Random YouTube, Basketball, Indiana Pacers |