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6 Notes

LRB · Hanging on to Mutti: Neal Ascherson in Berlin

This article in the London Review of Books is the single best thing I’ve read about the state of German politics in a long long while. Coming from across the channel, somewhat ironically.

It’s the most bizarre of times: A conceptually and morally vacuous chancellor enjoying record popularity, leading a party in steady federal and municipal decline to staggering national highs, and “…the worst government Germany has had since 1945” presiding over economic prosperity.

I’m somewhat less optimistic there’s “serious danger to Merkel” from the Greens or anybody else in the short- to mid-term, but I guess we’ll all find out soon enough.

If you’re at all interested in a primer on the upcoming general election—and due to its importance and implications for the European project you probably should be—, this is a brilliant pick.

(Obviously, you’re also always free to indulge in liberal use of my ask box.)

13 Notes

Look ma, I re-designed my (other) blog!
I hadn’t checked Google Analytics for OWOB in over a year, and in addition to learning the most popular search term for the site by far is “graduation” (I guess that’s just people really connecting with B Michael’s take on the Kanye discography), I also saw that now there are a bit more than – as back then – just three hundred or so people a day viewing the site outside of Tumblr. So I felt I had to make the blog a bit prettier and less broken for those (especially on mobile devices) and update a few of the sections while I’m at it. There’s a new “about” page, new blogroll, plus archives in chronological and alphabetical order now. Lots of love to Dave for letting me use some of his shots for the header.
I also learnt that the safest way to meltdown is to play a bit of Photoshop: How Hard Can It Be? and So You Think You Can CSS? while you watch your design break in random places as you try to tweak the text margins just a teensy bit.
The thing I was/am most unsure about is text width/line length. I’ve narrowed it down considerably from the theme’s original setting, but I’d wager it’s still a bit wider than internet average. I’m a little torn between thinking it reads/looks fine now, and feeling it could be narrower still. Let me know if you think so!?

Look ma, I re-designed my (other) blog!

I hadn’t checked Google Analytics for OWOB in over a year, and in addition to learning the most popular search term for the site by far is “graduation” (I guess that’s just people really connecting with B Michael’s take on the Kanye discography), I also saw that now there are a bit more than – as back then – just three hundred or so people a day viewing the site outside of Tumblr. So I felt I had to make the blog a bit prettier and less broken for those (especially on mobile devices) and update a few of the sections while I’m at it. There’s a new “about” page, new blogroll, plus archives in chronological and alphabetical order now. Lots of love to Dave for letting me use some of his shots for the header.

I also learnt that the safest way to meltdown is to play a bit of Photoshop: How Hard Can It Be? and So You Think You Can CSS? while you watch your design break in random places as you try to tweak the text margins just a teensy bit.

The thing I was/am most unsure about is text width/line length. I’ve narrowed it down considerably from the theme’s original setting, but I’d wager it’s still a bit wider than internet average. I’m a little torn between thinking it reads/looks fine now, and feeling it could be narrower still. Let me know if you think so!?

4 Notes

MS MR – Hurricane (CHVRCHES remix)

This is very funky, but my resentment grows every time I contemplate just typing Churches or going with the proper but silly capitalized V-version. Maybe we should just go with calling the band “Chvrches” from now on…

5 Notes

NYC Comrades!

Help a fella out… I’m not plotting my grand return just yet, but my sister’s flying over on Saturday for a bit.

What are some good places to shop / eat / see in Manhattan/Brooklyn for a 20-yr-old girl!? She’s been there before, so the obvious touristy bits are mostly off the table. Any super cool things happening next week, too?

21 Notes

Inside the Mad Men Writers' Room

  • "Okay guys, we have *so much* plot to go through in the sixth season, we need to distribute carefully."
  • Episode 1: Hold it with the plot development.
  • Episode 2: Hold it.
  • Episode 3: Steady.
  • Episode 4: Almost there.
  • Episode 5: Any moment now.
  • Episode 6: GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO! EVERYTHING MUST GO ALL OF THE THINGS HAPPEN ALL AT ONCE THIS IS NOT A DRILL GO GO GO IS THERE ANY PLOT LEFT IN THIS ROOM WE CAN THROW AT THIS COME ON GUYS KEEP PUSHING IT WE CAN DO THIS JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER NOW WHOAAAAAAA

1 Notes

14 plays

Rock and Roll

Liam Hayes & Plush

What an awful, awful film. What a wonderful soundtrack. What a waste.

680 Notes

22 Notes

unrequiredlistening:

Tom Waits - I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You

Well, it only took me 23 years, five months and 29 days to finally discover Tom Waits. This is off his first album, Closing Time, recorded in 1972. I guess it still does the trick 31 years later? It’s perfect.

True story: I sometimes listen to this song to get pumped-up before a date.

(Okay that wasn’t a true story.)

10 Notes

Annie - Heartbeat

Annie is back! Not sure how I feel about the new song yet, but anybody who’s been responsible for at least five of the best pop songs this side of the millennium gets a free pass forever.

I remember “Heartbeat” getting a rare five stars on Pitchfork’s track reviews back when they still gave out stars in track reviews. Another five-star recipient at around the same time was Antony & the Johnson’s heartbreaking “Hope There’s Someone”, and while the latter took ten listens to fully flourish, I was hooked on “Heartbeat” within ten seconds.

It’s such a rare and wonderful feeling to realize “oh god this is perfect” while a new song’s still playing, like a pop sugar rush you can’t (and don’t want to) shake off, and you go back to the beginning again and again and again. I still can’t think of many better songs than this.

5 Notes

Neil Young - Trasher

My favourite (Neil Young) song.

It was then I knew I’d had enough/ Burned my credit card for fuel/ Headed out to where the pavement turns to sand/ With a one-way ticket to the land of truth/ And my suitcase in my hand/ How I lost my friends I still don’t understand

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