living in a cave.
albeit it's a cave with good music.

everyday, i'm faced with a simple challenge. listen to a CD, or listen to NPR. i have to choose to either enrich my commute with fabulous music, or enrich my mind. the last few days, the rainfall in san diego has pushed me to listen to brooding, deep, beautiful music in the car. i've gone through Elbow's "Asleep in the Back," Over the Rhine's "Good Dog Bad Dog," the "Lost in Translation" soundtrack, Air's "The Virgin Suicides: Original Motion Picture Score," and Radiohead's "Hail to the Thief.

every so often, i'll barter with myself. "okay, after this song finishes, i'll switch to All Things Considered and see what's going on in the world." but then something like "Scattered Black and Whites" or "Poughkeepsie" comes on and i'm hooked for at least another four minutes.

last night, erik and i sat down with dinner and the News Hour With Jim Lehrer, and what's this? strife in haiti? going on for three days now?! i had no idea!

i had Jeff Buckley's "Grace" in my car from the ride home on september 10th, 2001 until the ride home on the 11th. i walked into the office in a state of complete ignorance of what had happened that morning, with "it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift" running through my head.

still, i listened to more radiohead in the car today. i didn't feel like hearing any news about people proposing amendments that promote inequality, almost rendering insignificant the last century spent fighting just that and rewriting antiquated laws. i just didn't feel like hearing any bad news.

thom yorke's lyrics, of course, are all sunshine and daisies.