Wednesday, February 21, 2007

AquaDad Tunes In

Somewhere under the sea with his ear in a conch shell...

AquaDad loves music. Here's the stuff he's been listening to lately (and quoted to us):

  • Silversun Pickups - Carnavas -- I really like the song Lazy Eye. It reminds me of something Sonic Youth might have done. I like how it builds up. The whole CD is a great listen. (AquaDad is not that articulate when describing listening experiences...oh well)
  • Lily Allen - All Right, Still -- Nice Ska-type/pop happy music, however, when you hear the lyrics, ouch!, they're very sharp and often completely opposite what's going on in the music. Great voice. She was on Saturday Night Live last month.
  • The Good, The Bad, and The Queen - (same name) -- This has Damon Albarn from Blur, the Clash's bassist, Paul Simonon, a guitarist from the Verve, and produced by Danger Mouse (Gorillaz 2nd album). Great stuff. If you like Blur and the Gorillaz, you ought to like this (You ought to, but don't have to).
  • Kasabian - Empire -- Good songs.
  • Radiohead - OK Computer -- I finally got this. It's certainly not new, but I just love Radiohead. When I listen to it, I hear some of my other favorite bands: Coldplay, Travis, People in Planes. Great stuff.

AquaDad indicated that the station that plays these bands is Southern California's Indy 103.1 fm.

AquaDad Returns

Beneath the sea, sitting on the sea floor, AquaDad thinks...

Hmmm...AquaDad wishes he would pursue meditation a little more. The effects of meditation are supposed to have a positive effect on the body. AquaDad usually falls asleep in the early stages of meditation. AquaDad noticed that when he attempts to focus on the simple inhalations/exhalations of his breath, a sudden anxiety about the breathing increases and AquaDad begins to panic and his breath becomes erratic. AquaDad feels it's probably best not to focus on the breathing and just let the subconscious take over and handle the important details of basic needs.

AquaDad finds that doodling can be quite meditative and relaxing. At the office, during a telephone conference, AquaDad reached a nice meditative level while doodling while the others talked. This may not have a positive effect on his production at work, but AquaDad feels really relaxed now.

In other waters...
AquaDad watched the movie Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang last night. He felt that it was a nice take on the L.A. Gumshoe story. The scenes where the main character talks to the audience as the narrator seemed fresh and funny. AquaDad particularily like the settings and use of lighting in the film. AquaDad recognized the hip L.A. hotel, The Standard, in the movie and reminisced about the time that he and the AquaWife stayed there. A dark blue night hovered above the surrounding walls of skyscrapers as AquaDad and wife walked around the aquamarine swimming pool that capped the roof of The Standard. Bright colored immense couches surrounded the pool and various bunches of L.A. hipsters talked about themselves as they drank themselves into the next night. AquaDad and AquaWife sipped there drinks and AquaDad wondered why he couldn't slip into the scene comfortably. Oh yeah, AquaDad wondered why he would want to slip into the scene at all. What was he doing there anyways? He sipped his drink some more. Oh how he wished he could slide right into the pool that beckoned to him. The pool called to him in vain. AquaDad let his drink nestle into a comfortable spot in his brain. He wouldn't jump in the pool. No. But he would daydream about a time in his youth when he could stay at the bottom of a pool and look up through the water to the sky above...he would daydream about his youth when there were exciting things to look forward to. But now, with the alcohol taking up residence in his skull, AquaDad forgot that many of those exciting things never materialized. The AquaWife summoned AquaDad from his dreamy meanderings. "Let's go." And AquaDad followed.

AquaDad sits at a cubicle and writes and dreams, has he ever awakened from his stupor? On his desk there are many doodlings, and he smiles, recovering some of his satisfaction...