i love these friends of mine

So last summer I decided I would, on a regular basis (ha!), dedicate a post to a downloadable song that I'm particularly fond of. Many of you enjoyed the Jonathan Coulton track (see below), and I hope you've been visiting his website, where you can find his Things of the Week. These are musical musings that he posts on, yes, a weekly basis. My favorites have been "W's Duty" and his cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back."

One song that I listened to over and over last year--and which made its way onto a number of mix cd's I made for friends--is Marianne Faithfull's "My Friends Have" off her 2005 release, Before the Poison. The album is very solid; she collaborates with the likes of PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Damon Albarn, and Jon Brion. "My Friends Have" is a work penned by PJ Harvey, who accompanies Faithfull on this track. Yet, even though this is unmistakably a Harvey composition, Faithfull makes it all her own, infusing the lyrics with her trademark rasp. The lyrics are surprisingly upbeat for a song that, I believe, is written in a minor key. "You're a friend of mine / I love these friends of mine," Faithfull sings. But listen to the way that Faithful enunciates the words "friend" and "friends": she growls the word, allowing her lips and teeth to tear into the letters "fr" with a sensibility that may suggest desperation, gusto, or irony. But then, at nearly the two minute mark, the drums, bass, and backing vocals subside, Faithfull shifts up a register, and, with a strained fragility, she acknowledges that "my friends have / always been there / to help me change my / crooked features." Her voice perfectly sets off the edgy, gravelly guitar which strums its two chord refrain throughout the song. Meanwhile Harvey's rich backing vocals provide a heartfelt backdrop and, at times, a soaring sense of gratitude and hope. This is a song which convinces you of the importance of friendship, even as it complicates this notion through the roughing up friendship receives from Faithfull and Harvey's unusual treatment of the topic. This is no greeting card doggerel on the virtues of companionship; this is a consideration of friendship in all its complexity.

You can download the song here, off the Anti- label website. You can learn more about Faithfull and her latest release here.

on the radio

Today was my radio day. Not all of you know this, but for the past several months I've been a DJ for the CSU Fresno radio station, KFSR. My monker is DJ Prof, and I'm on from noon to three on Wednesdays. This afternoon I blessed my listeners with a handpicked 2005 retrospective, playing some of the bestest tunes of this past year. Head over to the website and check out my playlists. (OK, you can look at the other DJ's playlists to, if you want.) You can also stream the show live and listen to me over your tinny little computer speakers. Want to make a request? Call your pilot of the airwaves at 559-278-4082. But remember, when you hear me on the air, I'm not so likely to pick up the phone and start chatting. Call me at the beginning of a song.

false alarm

OK, so maybe the good luck did set in. The blue-screen-of-death scare that I wrote about yesterday has dissipated. My old laptop is working properly, but just to be sure I'm backing up all my files--including the 30 gigs worth of music I have on my hard drive. Turns out that it had to do with my very temperamental wireless card. I just popped it out of the one card slot and stuck it in the other, and--voila!--no blue screen of death. This isn't to say that I don't need a new computer. I always need brand new, shiny electronics, so I'll take your advice, lecram, and troll tiger direct.

This afternoon John and I went to see the new Harry Potter flick. Not the least bit disappointing, although the poor actress who plays Hermione is still struggling with her furrowed brows and fed up harrumphs. The boys who play Harry and Ron are really getting good, however. I think my favorite scene was the one in which Moaning Myrtle joins Harry for a bubble bath. And did anyone guess that that was Jarvis Cocker heading up the band at the ball?

my stupid laptop

Well, the Hoppin' John tasted good, but I'm not sure it had the desired effect. All evening my laptop has been victim to the formidable blue screen of death. And this problem cycles in a loop, for just as the icons on my desktop begin to appear after starting up my computer, a blue screen with a lot of text--important information, I presume--appears for a split second, and then the computer begins rebooting itself. This loop would go on endlessly if I didn't intervene with the mighty F8 key. It's this sort of behavior that makes me loath Windows and Dell and Intel and anything remotely associated with the PC. I then yearn for an apple computer--like the one that John has and that I'm using to create this very post--a computer with a reputation for working properly, a computer that isn't prone to incessant crashes, a computer that has no idea what a blue screen of death is. And while it is true that I need to send the old lapdog off to its final reward, I can't afford any sort of computer, much less the ever pricey apple brands. I've flirted with going apple before, but whenever I seriously begin to contemplate the change, I just can't get beyond my petit bourgeois sensibilities, and I tell myself that I can get so much more computer for so much less if I stick with wintel. This is an ongoing dilemma; just ask John. But now it's off to pricing ultra-lite laptops with ultra-huge hard drives.

i'm back!

Yes, it's been an eternity, but here's to new year's resolutions! I'm trying to be a better blogger, even when my needy students tempt me into holding office hours, preparing for class, and grading papers. First things first, and I'm numero uno these days!

Today is the first of the new year, and in our family, that means making Hoppin' John. Hoppin' john is a traditional southern dish consisting of, at a minimum, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and corn bread. I grew up on beans made with a ham hock, but in a vegetarian kitchen, that's not a possibility, so I make Deborah Madison's vegetarian version, a recipe I'm happy to reproduce for you right here:

Southern Style Black-Eyed Peas

2 Tbsp. safflower or olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, diced
1 small green pepper, finely diced
1 celery rib, finely diced
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chile or red-pepper flakes
2 cups fresh or 1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1 quart water or vegetable stock
Salt

Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, pepper, celery, bay leaves, thyme, and garlic. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add allspice and chile and cook for a few minutes more. Add the peas and water. bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered for 40 minutes. Add 2 tsps. salt and cook for 20 minutes more or until peas are tender. Serve with or without the broth.

--from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Eating this dish on the first day of the year is suppoosed to bring you good luck throughout the year. And now I'm off to make it. Happy New Year, everyone!