Monday, November 29, 2004

comrade napoleon

i finished george orwell's animal farm last night, and it was exciting in more ways than one. first reason being that this is the first book i've finished out of the seventeen or so that i've started since my birthday. second reason being that reading it this time around i captured the bigger picture of the story, rather than thinking it was about a bunch of not-smart animals doing farm things (which is all i got out of it when i read it in fifth or sixth grade). and third it's about pigs which my fat ass can relate to. anyhoo it's a good one that i recomend. i also called to wish a happy 25th to peter, the ol' bastard. and i put a call in to the talbots to say hi to derek and josh (no more font colors to piss josh off) and talk about our disneyland family merry-making plans of '04. it was really good to hear from them but it made me hate the fact that we all live so far apart. all of us in different towns, blogging to keep in touch, and maybe calling here and there. we say it all the time but we need to start an animal farm of our own. a commune where we are all equal, all together all the time. location suggestions? it would be a fantastic time you know. think about it.

p.s. our friend lindsay is in l.a. for the week, meaning amber wants to go visit with her on thursday evening, meaning i may have an extra ticket to owen. i believe dirty was looking for one so he gets dibs, but if not it's up for grabs. let me know.

Friday, November 26, 2004

give thanks


turkey
Originally uploaded by mattamberpool.
...for this beautiful american day with abounding food and wine, wonderful family and unexpected best friends.

Sunday, November 21, 2004

books, check em' out

i am reading a book right now that you all have to read. especially all of my musician friends. it is called Lady Sings the Blues; it's billie holiday's autobiography. even if you aren't a fan of her you will love her story, tragic as it is, and will find her telling of jazz and blues in the 30s/40s very cool. if you don't want to buy it just let me know and i will lend it to you.
here is a little taste:
"Everyone's got to be different. You can't copy anybody and end up with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. And without feeling, whatever you do amounts to nothing.
No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music.
I never forget this wonderful old Spainiard, Pablo Casals, who played the cello once on TV. When he finished some Bach he was interviewed by some American chick. 'Every time you play, it's different,' she gushed.
'It must be different,' said Casals. 'How can it be otherwise? Nature is so. And we are nature.'
So there you are. You can't even be like you once were yourself, let alone somebody else."
-a

winter


winter
Originally uploaded by mattamberpool.
got a fresh foot this morning. i'm waxing my snowblades so call me when you want to go.

Saturday, November 20, 2004

onthebrain


onthebrain
Originally uploaded by mattamberpool.

i need more than words

this is the first time i have posted anything on here. i am doubtful that i can convey what i am feeling. in order to understand you have to see the look of ectasy on my face. i smiled for so long last night that i went to bed with a headache. but it was well worth it. i am, of course, talking about last night's wilco show at the wiltern. they put me in rapture, my friends, rapture. they opened with "the late greats" (matt's favorite off that album) and did not stop rocking all night. each song flowed into the next, interrupted occasionally by jeff tweedy being funny and making the experience all the more intimate. at the beginning of every song matt and i would shake each other and exlaim "i love this song. i'm so glad they're playing this one." i confess that i may have done a bit more of the shaking and exlaiming than matt. but even if their set list had been different the result would have been the same because every song of theirs is fabulous and they played so so well. (if i knew how to italicize on this thing the words so so would be in italics) they did two encores with at least four songs each. they even played a song off of mermaid avenue. they ended (why did it have to end?) with a cover of blue oyster cult's "don't fear the reaper"; it was amazing and my mom would have loved it.
so as you can tell, it was a perfect show. i haven't been that giddy since my wedding day.
i will end with some equalities. wilco=disneyland=ice cream=buttefly-tingly joy! -a

inspiration renewed

it's nearing 3:00 am. fresh in from los angeles after being born again at the wiltern. before wilco took the stage (and when i say took i mean pillaged) it was as if musical expression was not yet in existence. jeff tweedy was the creator, the rest of the band his heavanly host, and the instruments his supply. his vocal chords breathed life into the art form as we gazed in wonder, our heads stirring to and fro, our beers budding with jealousy at this sudden lack of affection. bla bla bla... longstoryshort, the show was simply fascinating, and completely redeeming. there is always the fresh excitement when parting from any performance, but this one was individual and unique. wilco now consists of six, but they function as one, and they played so well. very happy evening. i will stop there and let amber (wilco's biggest and baddest fan, she owns every record, not to mention the book and the movie) take it (above). frankly, her excitment put mine to shame.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

hansens


hansens
Originally uploaded by mattamberpool.
a cool photo of some of where i came from. my grandma pool is the little girl second from the left, who looks like she's about to shoot lightning from her eyes. beside the squinting, she really doesn't look any different. i love her.
does anyone ever get the feeling that alot of things suck?

Friday, November 12, 2004

but the shape we meant to make is gone

love is a tired symphony you hum when you're awake, love is a crying baby mama warned you not to shake, love is the best sensation hiding in the lion's mane

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

crap tv shows

first it was felicity, now it's smallville. amber gets fixed on these middle of the afternoon shows and i start out teasing her about it. a week or two later i find myself stopping to watch for a minute as i'm walking by, and not long after that i'm positively flipping out when noel doesn't make a move, or when lex and clark almost come to punches. it's lame but i love it. everyone has their little thing, in fact if you read this and should choose to comment, please share with the world what your "little thing" might be. i.e. derek - harry potter

Thursday, November 04, 2004

out with the new

saw death cab last night, and encountered an assortmant of different emotions. seeing anyone in san diego is a mistake, that town breeds some stupid young o.c. watching people. although the sound was good and they played very well, i was growing weary of the new stuff. then i was distracted by the sound of someones mexican grandma clapping and singing ba-ba to sound of settling. it was at that moment i felt i may never see them again. having seen them so many times, both josh and i were struggling to suppress feelings of elitism and snobbery, which wasn't hard if i just thought about when i first saw them, i was clueless. nonetheless it was different, kind of a bummer. i'm sure wilco will be more redeeming.

please comment on the above if you wish, but the following may be more tempting...

if you could visit any one of the following three for one week, where would it be and why:
a) middle earth
b) hogwarts
c) narnia

p.s. only answer if you're not cool, because i'm not

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

the johns flushed

a happy day for people who do like america. yesterday i got up, got ready, grabbed some starbucks, and then had my say in the election of thee most powerful person on thee planet. pretty amazing. i'm happy, we're happy, if your not happy, maybe move to haiti, you might like it better.


Monday, November 01, 2004

newborns

trying to figure this all out, someone please say hello