Between school, work, and running miscellaneous errands, I drive at least 1.5-2.5 hours each day. I've long since grown bored with my CDs, and Public Radio is pretty bullshit/old person-oriented during the daytime. I've even retrieved and cycled through my ancient tape collection in an effort to keep myself entertained.
This winter, I decided that once I got a job and had enough money to procure such a thing, I would purchase a language tape/CD set so that I could instead spend my driving time learning or relearning a foreign language.
Has anyone ever used one of these things? Do they work? Keep in mind that I don’t expect to actually learn an entire language from such a basic source because I’m pretty certain that that’s an entirely ridiculous expectation. Vocabulary and some basic grammar and phrases would be just fine (though I’m really looking for the most thorough program available). I’ve had 3 or 4 years of Spanish and a semester of accelerated Russian in the past. I pick up accents very easily and can roll my “R”s and do the “hacking-up the phlegmball” thingy that seems to be so instrumental in so many languages.
Right now, I'm thinking May of next year. Does anyone know cool places to go, things to do, good ways to save money (other than staying in a hostel, which I plan on doing)?
I'm split releasing the new Searching For Chin CD with a Canadian label. The designer just sent me the mock-ups of the artwork. Tell me what you think.
I am in Memphis right now for a convention and have been here since Saturday and I just want to tell everyone that Memphis sucks!!! It is the most depressing city I have ever been in. Many of the downtown buildings are empty, including the big pyramid, and there are more condemned houses/projects/overall scumbags than I can count. We even encountered 3 crazy guys with knives last night a block from Bealle Street. Since it is a long story, I will simply say that I was with 6 other people and nobody got hurt or anything stolen. I can't wait to leave this shithole and I'll be leaving feeling sorry for Elvis who is buried at Graceland, across the street from urban sprawl. Poor Elvis.
I picked up this Razorlight CD a few weeks ago on a whim 'cuz it was pretty cheap and I'd heard some decent stuff about 'em. When I first listened to it I was quite thrilled by it in fact it kinda reminded me of the first time I heard the Strokes' Is This It.
That is meant to be read as both a compliment and an insult. What makes a band like Razorlight appealing is they really know what good pop music sounds like. They're just not particularly adept at making wholly original pop music. Say what you will about the Strokes they have a very specific notion of what they want to sound like. Razorlight, on the other hand, have a very specific notion of WHO they want to sound like.
I don't want to be too hard on the band 'cause I find myself listening to their debut Up All Night (a title that is undeniably Strokesian in and of itself) quite frequently because despite its derivativeness it's pretty freaking good (another Strokesian trait.) Hearing a band and album like this is actually a little refreshing because at the very least Razorlight have done the Strokes a favor by saving them from having to make their third album because they've done it for them!
I recommend Up All Night with the notion that you will absolutely not regret checking it out, yet if you go the rest of your life never hearing it you can rest assured you really won't be missing out on anything.
Excuse us Reggie but that's not really a strong recommendation.
I know, I know. Okay how about this:
Up All Night, it's the third album the Strokes no longer have to worry about making!
That's really not much better. C'mon man, convince us to shell out our hard earned cash!
Alright, uhm, how 'bout this:
Go buy Razorlight's sizzling debut Up All Night because hey, at least it's not Jet!!!
That's better, I think we're somewhat convinced. But can we just borrow yours and burn it?
