Nice Apartment

Psst. Did you guys know I'm in grad school now? No? You're not alone. Most people don't know what happened. Including me. In the past month I have:

• applied for grad school kind of on a whim
• been offered a graduate assistantship
• signed up for and took the GRE without time for studying
• moved into my first apartment
• started working toward a master's in journalism

Remember in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy's house is tossing and turning through the air during the twister? Well my life has been kind of a whirlwind lately, too, and I also have landed in a new technicolor dreamworld, not counting a hellish load of homework from textbooks the size of Oxford English.

I'm rather pleased with how my apartment is shaping up, so let me show you around.

Here's my green wall. I've been eyeing that green chair at an antique store for months but only finally had a need for it two weeks ago. I found that floral upholstery fabric at a garage sale for a couple bucks, but it's saving me paint money now.

When I first moved in, I had no furniture, save for an air mattress and a folding lawn chair. So I set about making the new apartment feel like home by covering the walls with scarves. And maps. I've always wanted to do that. High-five, Koko.

This young chap is a Very Nice Thing that constitutes his own long-overdue post. His charcoal and pastel portrait was the only thing I truly wanted from my grandparents' house when they moved out, and the family graciously complied. He looks as bored with his new view as he did with his last, but maybe he'll reflect on prettier things after I fix up that corner the next time I am procrastinating on a 10-page book report.

Finally, here is my favorite of three bicycles currently hanging around the apartment. I got a deal on a Craigslist bike rack so I could be a better commuter. But what I saved on the rack I quickly realized will end up costing me more as I conveniently pick up every vintage bike at every yard sale I see. This one was a mere $40.

I'll sell the other two so I can buy more textbooks next semester!

Two Owls

Two nights ago, while scooting, I noticed a large owl perched on a stop sign. Directly following, I noticed another large owl--similar in color and markings--across the street perched on a grill installed in a small corner park.

Alone, this is a nice thing. But it was twice as nice.

The Thread

Oh, hello! It would seem that the Real Idealists have been overwhelmed by so many nice things lately that we haven't even had time to write about them!

Here is just one of those nice things that I love today.

At the risk of this turning into a (rarely updated) music blog instead of just a general loveliness blog, I'll spare you the exciting (to me) info about who is in this band. You can read about that here if you are into that sort of thing. Otherwise, just enjoy the pretty music.

Burying the Lede (Tyler James to tour with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros)

Great news! A while back Nathan posted about Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and I promptly fell head over heels for them. "Home" has been my #1 heartsong for months. Especially after I bought the album and saw this news.

I even made my mother listen to "Home" and a couple other songs on a road trip.

Me: Wasn't that great? Didn't you just love that? Oh my gosh. I love that.
Mom: I guess.
Me: You guess? Could you not understand the words?
Mom: No. I heard the part about "Home is wherever we're together," but the rest just sounded like mumbling.

Moms. I love mine. She hasn't loved many musicians since Bobby Sherman, though. We had all day on the road, so I made her listen again while I clearly enunciated every line before Alex Ebert and Jade Castrinos sang it. (At another in-car listening party, my dad loved it. He thinks Jade channels Janis Joplin, a highly rare and admirable quality, he said. He waxed nostalgic for a moment, and then we listened to it again.)

The band has been my biggest collective friend-crush ever since that night on Letterman. So if one of my friends actually got to be friends with them, I would die of happiness, obviously. Or blog about it, at least. It would be a very nice thing.

Well, the time has come, the frontman said. Tyler James is about to tour with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

I met Tyler James when he played at my college in Searcy, Ark., a couple times. Here is a picture I took in 2005 where Tyler (left) looks just like my friend Jairus (right).

Neat!

So obviously we are B.F.F. now. (I wish. Tyler James is the bomb.) According to that Cream article, verified via Tyler's Facebook profile, he will "assume duties as a touring keyboardist for a jaunt that will take him from festivals such as Bonnaroo and Coachella, to destinations as far reaching as Australia." So way to go, Tyler James! You've come so far since performing at Harding, being named Paste's Artist of the Year, touring with Ten out of Tenn... The Zeros are lucky to have you.

And his new album comes out tomorrow. Order it today!

All Things Anniversary

My good friend and co-writer reminded me that, after 31 posts, we have been online for a whole year! While this in itself is an accomplishment (disregarding the past month's lack of activity), I would like to point out the fact that I am currently listening to The Anniversary to celebrate. Is this an accomplishment? No, not really. Did I pull up The Anniversary primarily because of the seeming relevance associated with the name? Yes, yes I did. Shamelessly.

But really, The Anniversary is one of my favorite bands, especially of yesterhighschoolandalittleintocollegeyear and days past. I consistently prove this to myself by never seeming to be able to exclude a track from them on any mix cd I try to make. They mean that much to me, or something.

Here's a popular track of pure early-aughts genius:

What bands or songs do you always go back to in making mix cds or maneuvering through milestones?

And Randy is my father's name.

Next Blog

Just so you know, this is what I got when I used the "Next Blog" function at the top of the page, and I wanted to share it with you. ITP, no doubt!

watch a weigh my sense

This morning at church a young lady I hardly know was baptized. I’d been upstairs helping out with the kids’ class, but we all headed back to the auditorium to watch. We crowded in at the front of the auditorium, and I had one kid on my lap and more all around me.

Just as the Chloe’s father was about to immerse her in the water, usually a quietly profound and moving moment for the congregation, the eight-year-old boy next to me leaned in and whispered, “Did you know she plays the bagpipes and she’s only in the second grade?”

“Really? That’s cool,” I said admiringly. Then she went under and then she came up clean. We all clapped and rejoiced.

After service, I ran into her as she and her mom were leaving. Her hair was still wet when I hugged her and congratulated her on becoming a Christian.

Then I said, “I hear you play the bagpipes.”

She looked at me the way most kids would look at me if I handed them a set of bagpipes.

Then her mother, who I’d also never spoken to before, caught wind of our conversation and said, “What?”

“Bagpipes,” I repeated, looking back and forth between Chloe and her mother. “Don’t you play the bagpipes? Jack Henderson told me you play the bagpipes…”

She shook her head and her mother laughed. “Oh, Jack. He just made that up.”

I babysit Jack a lot. He’s one of my favorites, so somehow I found myself defending him even in this preposterous situation. “He doesn’t usually lie,” I said, as if I believed there must have been some occasion when Chloe had at least pretended to play the bagpipes and Jack remembered it. I pictured her playing a Scot in a school play, kilted and winded. "You know, Jack Henderson, age eight, reliable source."

They both laughed. I blushed for having believed that a little girl could play pipes that take the air out of full-grown men, and for this being my very first conversation with Chloe or her mother. I suppose it was a good ice breaker.

I told her that next time I see Jack, I will tell him all about how much I enjoyed her recent bagpipe recital.