Urban decay is probably my favorite photography subject. I'm also fond of doors. Worn out, weathered doors? Perfect.

Good thing that traffic cone is there to warn you.

Near my house there's an old beauty salon that's been closed up for awhile. Letters on the roof once spelled out "BEAUTY SALON," but the T and N fell down, making it "BEAU Y SALO."

The first time I saw this, I hoped that "beau y salo" meant something in French. I hurried home and feverishly searched online, but alas, it means nothing.

It's very nearly "the beauty of salt," but not quite.

I added percussion to metaphorest's song

As soon as I played this song, I started clapping and adding general hand percussion - something my brother and I both have this habit of doing with any music we hear. I was surprised to see that no one had yet added anything to this adorable song. The time to hesitate is through!

I wanted to add more (tried jingling my keys, kazoo, triangle, etc), but I decided to leave that to other hitRECorders. I tried to add some additional harmony to the end bit as well, but my voice is shot at the moment and it wasn't blending well with Metaphorest's liquid warblings. Someone else should give it a shot!

Let me know if you want to remix this and would like the isolated percussion track.

Mercy, Truth, and Cash

Saw this while getting a ride home from a coworker today. I like that "ATM INSIDE" is larger than anything else on the sign.

It's an interesting image but it also raises questions: why have an ATM in a church? Convenience for their members? Then why advertise it on the sign? A source of revenue, or a way to get people in the door? If it's the latter, do they really expect people to come in for cash and find Jesus?

Curiouser and curiouser...

These public art installments have been showing up all around Ballard (a Northern neighborhood of Seattle). Various different kinds of shoes, always a pair, with poems or words written on them in paint, then stapled to telephone poles. Curious.

I wrote lyrics for this song for Dan's birthday in 2008, but never wrote the music or recorded it. When I heard the news today...I couldn't think of anything else to do.

Sorry it's out of tune, but I'm not very patient with tuning at the best of times. And I mispronounced Geisel.

G
Dan's the boy who's burning bright
C
he's lighting poi on fire at night
G
and lighting up our lives with
D
more and more and more and more is more

G
Burning Dan
D
he's lighting up the world
C G D
he's burning up your eyes with colored light and fire bright
G
crazy hair falls in his eyes
C
"more is more" that is his cry
D
watermelons fly right by
C D G
Dan is burning bright as bright

G
In the world of Dan there's light and sound
D
Teafaerie's glad that he's around
C
he's flowing round and up and down
G D
he's taking you out on the town
G
he knows who Geisel used to be
D
rum punch - quite satisfactory
C
wanders the world from sea to sea
D G
and speaks French much better than me