The Walking Architect

Sunset Hearts New Album: Haunted Cloud

2011-10-02T10:36:00.000-04:00

My good friend, Jesse, has been in a band for a YEAR now called Sunset Hearts. Sasha and I first saw them at Slainte sometime last year, and we were immediately won over and excited! This is good music that is very well put together!

Last night was the CD release party of the first Sunset Hearts CD, and they put on a great show!

They are also on the front of this weeks Portland Phoenix, in a article that reviews the new album. (see article)

&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sunsethearts.bandcamp.com/album/haunted-cloud"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Haunted Cloud by Sunset Hearts&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;

World Dance Class (by my mom!)

2011-09-08T16:12:00.000-04:00

My mom is going to be teaching this International Folk Dancing Class. She is a great teacher, and the dances are athletic and fun to learn. You can expect to learn a bit about the culture surrounding each dance as well!

WORLD DANCE/WORLD MUSIC

Enjoy the fun, exercise, and challenge of learning traditional dances from diverse world cultures.

Learn dances from Greece, Croatia, Armenia, Israel, Bolivia and more!Experience unique rhythms, engaging music, and a wide variety ofdance styles, and formations. Dances range from energetic to calming;contemporary to ancient.

Each week you'll learn new dances, step-by-step, and review dances already learned. These traditional dances are for both men and women, are multi-generational (ages 14 and up), and do not require a partner or prior dance experience. Dress comfortably (you will sweat) and bring non-street shoes to change into.

WHERE: Avant Dance Event Center, 865 Spring St, Westbrook, ME
(easy access from Rts 95 & 295)
WHEN: Thursdays 7:00-8:00 PM for 4 weeks, starting 9-15-11, Second 4 week session starts 10-20-11
COST: $35 for 4 classes (if paid at first class) OR $10 drop-in
CONTACTS:
WEB: www.avantmaine.com
E-MAIL: kcarroll2@gmail.com
PHONE: Kathleen Carroll, instructor, at 856-6415

Information Overload!

2011-08-17T15:41:00.000-04:00

I just was shown three very interesting things all at once!

The proportions of Porches! Walking and socially interacting with people spontaneously is just the kind of thing that helps us to trust the world around us. Trusting our world decreases anxiety, fear and suspicion. that's my take on it anyway.

MEAT Just read it. You'll enjoy it.

Federated Properties This is a HUGE project planned for Portland. I'm curious to see if it happens. I'll save my commentary for another day.

What do I live for?

2011-06-21T12:33:00.003-04:00

I wrote this on May 12th but didn't feel comfortable posting it. Please consider reading the blog of my brother-in-law, Bogart. He inspired this entry.

On my most motivated days I live for a chance to make the world a better place where humanity can coexist with nature.
On my least motivated days I live for a home cooked meal and a cold beer in the back yard.

When I'm feeling loved I live for the chance to have and raise my own children with Sasha.
When I'm feeling unloved I live for moment when I can sag into loving arms and just belong.

Every day I live for the change of the seasons.
I live to experience the brisk wind and the warm sun in the Fall.
I live for the warm Summer nights that smell like an amusement park.
I live for the blooming of lilacs, peonies and lillys-of-the-valley in Spring.
I live clear snowy nights under a full moon.

I live for every family member, every person and everything that has made me who I am.
However much time I have, I hope that I'm making the most of what has made me.
I am too specific to be an accident, as we all are.

I live for the chance to do something better today than I did yesterday.
When I don't succeed at this, I live because I'll have another chance tomorrow.

I live for those exquisite moments of bliss in listening to music.
I live for the chance to create something beautiful.

I live for the adrenaline of competition.
I live for the comradery of being on a team.

I live for the confidence that being married has given me.
I live for the chance to be the boost that Sasha needs.

I live to make my place in the world, however I do it.

I hope that by my living I can be an example.
I aspire to live like those I most respect.

I live because I can overcome all.
I live because I am nothing, and yet by living I can become something.

I live because I cannot wait.

I live because I must let it be.

I live because then there will be a story to tell.

Portland Mayor: Questions from an Architect

2011-05-03T09:39:00.001-04:00

As Portland moves closer to the "Portland Mayoral Choose-Fest" I'm putting on my professional hat and thinking about questions that need answering.

Do you believe that increased regional planning can benefit the business climate or health and wellbeing for the businesses and residents of Portland? Why or why not?
As mayor, how much power will you have to increase efficiencies in the many permitting processes that new and existing businesses face in Portland? How will you use your given powers for the maximum effect?
Portland is a city that depends heavily on its image to attract a complex group of tourists from art critics to foodies to leaf peepers. How does the built environment contribute to this image? Does the city benefit from contemporary architecture?
What can architects and contractors do to help you and your goals for Portland?
Are there creative solutions for filling all the empty commercial lease spaces in Portland?
What is one way that the city and the creative economy can work together TODAY to help promote Portland to the world at large?
Portland is a mixed use city. Where is this working well and where is it NOT working well?
How does Portland continue on a path of economic development without making the city too expensive for its residents?
What is your vision for how the streets of Portland might look different in 20 years? In 50 years?

Do you have any questions for our future mayor? Post them here!

Killer Joe and Architalx

2011-04-03T17:16:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday Sasha and I went to two great events, and YOU all still have a chance to experience them!

First, we went to Architalx. If you've never been, it happens on Thursdays all April, and it's likely to be our only chance (in Portland) to hear "famous" architects talk about their work each year.

On Thursday we heard from Alan Organschi, who does fantastically fluid work with wood. I loved the Firehouse. It was a tough program with a wonderful solution that transcends the word "solution."

Our second event of the evening was Killer Joe, a play that is showing at Space during April. If I see no other theater this year, I will be happy that I saw Killer Joe. Space is an intimate venue that has led me to feel quite spoiled about seeing live theater. No audience member is more than 20 feet from the stage.

The script is a black comedy that takes no mercy. Watch what a "desperate" family will do for extra cash and how wrong it can all go.

The cast did an excellent job, with a return to Portland acting by Christopher Reiling, who was last seen on the Space stage for Speech and Debate. Chris's brings another character to life with a caricature that is too human to be dismissed as JUST a caricature. I was also excited to see a performance by Brian Chamberlain again. I last saw him on the screen in A Very Careful Man done by my friends David Miller and Charlie Simmons. Brian, the villain, is riveting. It's hard to hate him, and yet, he is evil.

I would encourage anyone who thinks they have perspective on humanity to see this play!

MAST, the ZOOM Bus, and LD 673

2011-03-09T14:59:00.002-05:00

I've been working with other members of MAST to promote LD 673, submitted by Representative Bradley Moulton of the York, Maine area. This bill would offer a significant improvement to the regional transportation infrastructure of Southern Maine.

In a nutshell, this bill would: (click here to read the bill)

Expand the existing ZOOM Bus route to go from York, to Augusta.
Require the MTA to turn over 3% of its operating revenue for use on non-turnpike Maine roads.
Fund the installation of wifi on all ZOOM buses to encourage transit use as a more productive way to travel.

I made this poster to be used to promote the bill:

You can download the poster here.

Some thoughts from others on LD 673:

Tux Terkel of the Portland Press Herald wrote this on the proposal.
Christian Milneil wrote this great op.ed. on the subject
The Conservation Law Foundation has posted this blog on the proposal.

Please consider telling your Maine legislator to support this bill!

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PSA Featured Member

2011-03-09T14:02:00.001-05:00

I have been enjoying my involvement on the Portland Society of Architects Advocacy Committee. Recently as part of being on that committee I was able to be the facilitator for an informal chat on contracts and project delivery methods used in the construction industry. It was a great experience and I learned quite a bit.

Even more recently than that, I was chosen to be the PSA featured member. Here's the write-up:

Evan Carroll grew up in Westbrook, Maine and attended Roger Williams University, receiving a BArch in 2006. At RWU Evan was a radio DJ, ultimate (Frizbee) player and a capella singer. Evan minored in music, studied abroad in Florence, and worked with professors as a tutor and on a statewide wind energy study.

While attending RWU Evan summered at home in Westbrook and took the bus into Portland for jobs with Pizzagalli Construction, the Portland Museum of Art, and Port City Architecture. The positive experiences with summer jobs and desire to be near family brought Evan back to Maine after graduation.

Evan is now married to Sasha Salzberg, and they live with their two cats and a dog in a house they own in East Bayside. To entertain themselves Evan and Sasha write, make art, do photography, dance, enjoy the outdoors, are music scenesters, and interfere with local politics.

Recently, Evan has been on the Westbrook Planning Board, the Executive Board for Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Maine (HOBY Maine), the Steering Committee for the Maine Alliance for Sustainable Transportation (MAST), the Pecha Kucha Board, and the PSA Advocacy Committee. Evan has just completed his AREs and is now officially a Maine Licensed Architect.

Evan and Sasha have high hopes for their involvement in the future of Portland. They love the creative, collaborative atmosphere fostered in Portland and see many opportunities for the city as a creative Mecca in the future.

Evan hopes to help Portland become a more livable city by continuing to advocate for thoughtful transportation planning on all scales as an integral part of the built environment. Evan believes that his role as an architect is to look inward at how spaces shape peoples’ lives and outward at how the built environment shapes society.

You can see the write-up on the PSA website here.

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Pecha Kucha

2011-03-09T11:11:00.001-05:00

Sasha and I have now been on the Pecha Kucha Portland Board for a few months, and I have to say that Pecha Kucha is one of the best creative forums that there IS right now. If you're not in the Portland area, look Pecha Kucha up, as there is probably one near you.

The goal of Pecha Kucha is to get a lot of creative people together to share their ideas and images. Its set up in a super condensed format where there are TEN presenters in an evening, and each only gets 6 minutes and 40 seconds (20 slides for 20s each).

The event is truly a blast and its been an honor for us to help with the curating process. Below are the images that Sasha and I presented when we were emcees for the Portland Pecha Kucha this past Fall. There is no audio for this one, so it might not make a lot of sense.

Sasha and I also presented at PK last winter about Food Art! (This one has audio!)

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Flowers. . . in review.

2011-03-09T10:29:00.001-05:00

I recently was talking to a friend about flower pictures, and thought I would show some!

Maine Music and Humor

2011-01-23T22:29:00.001-05:00

There are two sites that I'm pretty psyched about:

Maine.fm is excellent!
This site is all Music from Maine recording artists all the time! I was skeptical at first, but there really IS enough music to do this! I've heard some great new artists and recognized plenty of my local favorites.
I have high hopes for this site as a place that organizes the Maine music scene, and ultimately results in the first Portland Music festival! Yes all roads lead to the Portland Music Festival!

Hyperbole and a Half is a riot!
That's what I think. . . go see for yourself.

Maine Licensed Architect

2011-01-15T09:37:00.001-05:00

I just received a letter with this crest on it.

It also contained this table.

The end result. . . I am licensed to practice architecture in Maine!

The ten years of hazing are over, and I'm now in the fraternity.

Seeing Italy. . . . finally

2011-01-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

Seeing Italy from Evan Carroll on Vimeo.

I made this narrated slideshow in the winter of 2005 after spending a semester in Florence Italy during the fall of 2004.

All photography is mine except for a small number of images of the Iraq war.

The music is not mine but is credited at the end.

A Mayor for Portland!

2011-01-10T21:09:00.004-05:00

Next year, Portland will have an elected mayor for the first time in eighty years. The Mayor will be granted limited political powers allowing him or her to lead and organize the City Council, hire the City Manager, veto the municipal budget, and represent the city to the world beyond.

While the new Mayor will certainly face the serious logistical challenges of educating our children, maintaining services, and balancing the budget, the Mayor must also be expected to be kind of person who can bring Portland forward.

The “first” Mayor of Portland should be a person with the optimism to inspire pride and motivation within the city, the charisma to sell Portland’s image to vacationers and prospective businesses, and the dexterity to negotiate stronger regional agreements between the municipalities of Greater Portland.

The way in which the new Mayor performs his or her duties will set a precedent for how a mayor in Portland should act and what a mayor’s responsibilities will be for decades to come. The “first” elected mayor of Portland should look beyond written policy to provide an atmosphere of collaboration and consider these suggestions:

- Thank local organizations. Portland is a diverse city and will benefit from the continued diversity of services. The new Mayor should be prepared to work with, promote, and support local non-profits already providing civic services that the city does not have to supply.

- Enable local businesses. The movement to keep business local is strong, but survival for a small business in Portland is always precarious. The new Mayor must review city procedures to ensure that permitting and licensing processes are prompt and predictable for all business ventures.

- Support local farmers. The farmers’ markets in Portland have been very successful. The new Mayor will need to be part of a regional dialogue about land use to ensure that local food and natural resources are both available for years to come.

- Praise local artists. Portland will continue to be a vacation destination, and the presence of street art vendors, galleries, and an artistic culture create the kind of excitement that tourists expect. A strong relationship between the city and all artists will help Portland continue to be a tourist destination.

- Encourage local music venues and musicians. Portland is a hotbed for original music and musical performance, but has the venue infrastructure of a much larger city. The new Mayor should consider ways to create events or festivals that would bring new attention to Portland as a musical destination.

- Recognize Portland’s residents. Portland rests on the shoulders of its residents who choose to live here. A mayor for Portland must be a community organizer who will encourage neighborhood, community and city-wide events such as clean-up days, crime watch meetings, and neighborhood meet-and-greets.

The “first” elected Mayor of Portland must have the discipline to handle the daily challenges of running the city, but must also recognize that Portland is a city of willpower that continues to thrive because it is something to believe in.

GIFs!!!!

2010-12-03T15:09:00.000-05:00

Last year when in Somerville we made these silly GIF files. I never figured out how to put GIFs on my blog, so i remade the images into this video.

It is what it is. . .

Fall Photography 2010

2010-11-29T07:12:00.002-05:00

I had the opportunity to take some great pictures this fall.

It feels good to be back in to it for a change.

Chilili - Folk Dance (. . . LEGOS!)

2010-11-28T23:07:00.002-05:00

My fantastic wedding and marriage to Sasha did not receive quite enough blog attention.

One of the best parts of our reception was doing a few international folk dances with all the guests, led by my mom. More recently than the wedding Sasha, my sister, Jesse and I recreated one of the dances with Legos.

International folk dance is a great mix of history, anthropology and (you guessed it) DANCING.
I intended to include a picture of the dancing from the wedding reception but we don't have one that really captures it.

Here's what the dance really looks like:

And here's how to do it yourself:
http://www.folkdancecamp.org/07syllabus/Chilili%20(2007SFDC)%20E.pdf

Election Fall-out

2010-11-03T18:03:00.000-04:00

I would like to draw attention to a previous post of mine:
http://evancarroll.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-will-i-think-of-next.html

I think of our government system as on a continuum of evolution. It will either flourish, or become extinct.

Our national government is really quite young and there is no reason that it won't become extinct. Monarchies have lasted much longer. Dictatorships have lasted much longer. Smaller, social governing or self ruling methods of indigenous peoples have lasted the longest.

The reason we like (the U.S. of) America is because of its aspirations. It's an amazing concept. . . give every person the same chance at life, liberty and happiness. The question of course is how to deliver on this promise. . .

I am officially fed up with the crucifixion of the incumbent. . . unless of course you see the two major parties collectively as the incumbent. If you see it that way then I'm with you. . . let's get out our torches and pitchforks!

It's becoming more and more obvious that we are in a bi-partisan stagnation. Whatever happens in elections two years from now will surely be reversed in four years.

(This has officially been a rant.)All that I am trying to say is that unless we find a way to alter the two party system then I'm not going to expect much.

Right now instant-runoff voting sounds pretty good to me. It would allow people to vote for their favorite candidate without concern for political strategy. Americans have become too political. Politics - literally - are about maneuvering and manipulating, and that is simply not a positive way of thinking about things.

That is my stance: I'm not interested in politics; i'm interested in DOING things. I (perhaps naively) think that a country could be run this way. Give me my instant-runoff voting, and let us all vote for what we believe in.

Thank you hillytown!!!!!

2010-10-20T12:41:00.000-04:00

The more I visit hillytown.com the more I wonder how I ever did without it. If you want to see local bands in Portland, it's the place to go and learn your $hit.

I also want to share my love for the phrase "Hilly Town." It's a great song by the Ponys (now Phantom Buffalo) and here's the story of how I first heard it.

My good friend Toph and I were in our first year of college, and home from school for some holiday. Our typical gig was to wander around Portland until something happened to us. This method generally worked out and this particular eve was no exception. I had never even heard of Space Gallery, as I think they were in their first year.

As we walked down the best part of Congress, some kickin' music spilled out of a shop-front I had never noticed before. We went inside Space for the first time, and heard the Pony's for the first time. They were fantastic. I still love to hear the medley from the beginning of Shishimumu played live. It gives me chills and sends me back to that moment. We danced like crazy (we may have even started the dancing) and I even bought the vinyl EP with the Necktie song.

Here's where the story gets good. When the lights came up, we realized that we were at a wedding reception. We crashed a wedding to see the Ponys! I can't think of a more bad-ass way to be introduced to the Space or the Ponys. I would love to know who's wedding this was. It was in 2001 or 2002. Anyone have any info on this one?

Once again, thanks to everyone who makes seeing live music in this hilly town so awesome.

The "Transportation Issue"

2010-10-10T15:28:00.003-04:00

My friend and fellow MAST memeber Christian Milneil wrote a great Op-Ed for the Press Herald about MAST's new Zoom Proposal. The Press Herald wrote short editorial in support of the idea. Christian did a great job outlining a path to improved public transportation.

I think that building a stronger public transportation system must be a top priority in the future, and while strong proposals are important, so is a strong rational. I would like to share my own rational for promoting public transportation.

The reason we need public transportation is simply that not everyone can get around by car. For the last 70 years we (as Americans) have primarily been promoting car-centric development, but these development patterns leave out those too young to drive, those who can't afford to drive, and those who have disabilities that prevent them from driving.

Our communities invested in public transportation in that past but as cars grew in popularity, support for public transportation wained. In the 50s my mom and her brothers would take a bus from Main Street Cumberland into Portland to go to the movies. Now, my grandmother still lives in the same family house but cannot drive or take a bus anywhere. We need to get the old transportation systems back.

We all know the regular reasons to improve public transportation: reduced car emissions, reduced congestion in cities, improved health (if people walk or bike) and even reduced sprawl as development centralizes around transportation systems, but I see personal independence as the reason at the heart of the need for better public transportation. People need to feel self sufficient and able to meet their basic needs on their own, but it is hard to feel that way if there is no alternative to driving.

As the baby-boomers age more and more people will be prevented from driving because of age related disabilities. As my parents get older (and believe me, they are not there yet) they will at some point have to decide not to drive. The prospect of losing such an integral mode of independence can be paralyzing to even think about. We need to start thinking about how they will be getting around now.

In the Portland area we currently have a system to address this issue called RTP. This is a by-request-only pick-up service and people must apply to receive the service. While the RTP clearly helps many people, it does not not offer it's services to teens who are too young to drive, and it does not provide the personal independence that a frequent and dependable public transit system could provide.

It is time again to make public transportation improvements as an investment in our communities, just as the interstate system was made an investment in the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 and the railway system was made an investment in the Pacific Railway Act of 1862.

The car has played out its course as the "only way" to travel, and it is time for us to reintroduce the kinds of public transportation that used to be essential to our cities. Our current road infrastructure will be sufficient for a long time if we just focus on not having SO many cars.

The needs of our diverse populations are many, and we need a diverse transportation infrastructure to allow all of us personal independence in our modern world.

Toni's Writing Cottage

2010-10-08T09:16:00.000-04:00

This is a great short documentary about my friend Toni Buzzeo's new writing cottage.
Photo and production help by Toph and Sasha.

Narratives

2010-09-30T02:47:00.000-04:00

I recently heard on NPR a theory that all we are (our identity) is a narrative. We are a story, that we have created about ourselves. I can see how this might feel like a negative concept. It can seem scary to be nothing more that a story you tell yourself over and over again. I think I am inspired by the idea though. It would suggest that I am in complete control of myself and what I aspire to be.

I think the idea of the "story" can explain all our constructs. When we learn history in school we are really learning the narrative of time that we tell ourselves as a society and that we feel best explains our society.

The reason we can understand abstract concepts like LOVE is because we connect a whole life's catalog of experiences, memories and feelings to the word. We create very complex narratives to explain all sorts of things in our lives and then somehow, we condense them into this gut feeling or image or moment that can be recalled almost instantaneously. That instantaneous recollection becomes meaning, but it's really just a super condensed narrative.

Why am I thinking about all of this at 2:30 in the morning? Well it has something to do with how I don't seem to have the stomach for politics. I think that for me at least, the pace of politics, policy, and advocacy etc. is faster than I can form meaningful stories to justify my involvement.

I am beginning to think for me to satisfy my desire to make the world a better place I should create and export my own narratives. Choosing this path would couple well with my naive optimism that most people out there are just trying to do the best that they can with the information that they have. It would then follow that if I could create a narrative about an issue that was important to me, say as a video or slide-show, I could then help others understand how it was important.

The aspiration to teach and communicate, condense and reformulate, and shape concepts into a pearl of meaning has been a passion of mine for quite some time. But it has not been part of my identity lately.

How do we make our mark on the world? In my personal narrative I will be making a mark somehow, and I just keep rewriting the details.

$50 dollars for the shirt

2010-04-27T09:34:00.000-04:00

I'm raising money to become an icon.

First Annual Portland Music Festival

2010-04-21T09:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm starting to get frustrated with the music venue owners here in town. There are many (too many) venues and y'all need to work t'gether y'hear.

Here's the simple one: Start coordinating more with the First Friday Art Walk. First Friday shows should be great lineups, they should start a bit earlier, and everyone should know about them.

Here's the hard one: We need a music festival. Start with say, two nights. Friday and Saturday. Every venue in town brings in a couple hot out of town acts (to draw out of town crowds) and all the openers are the many Portland bands that totally rock and need more exposure. Someone (with a tiny bit of guts and capital) puts it all in one easy to use schedule that people can walk around with. Then there's advertising.

My point is just that we have great venues and we have great bands. We just don't have enough people to support them. BRING MORE PEOPLE!

Hadestown by Anais Mitchell (WOW!!!!!!)

2010-03-25T09:40:00.004-04:00

Well, I'm no good at reviews, as you might know if you had read my previous ones. That however will not stop me from trying to share TOTALLY AWSOME music!

I think that "totally awesome" is exactly what we have on our hands with Hadestown by Anais Mitchell. It is a Folk Opera that has apparently been in process for a long time, and is recorded in collaboration with a great group of artists. To name a few, Greg Brown, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Ben Knox Miller (Low Anthem) and Ani DiFranco.

I really love all of these songs!

Way Down Hadestown - is a perfect use of a folk standard.

Wait for Me - Is beautiful, spooky and dark.

Why We Build the Wall - is written in an ask-and-answer format that sucks you in and sends the listener's thoughts way beyond the plot of the story.

Epic (1 and 2) - are beautiful narrations.

Lover's Desire - is on my list for most beautiful melodies!

Listen to this album-story-commentary and enjoy!

Hadestown - Anais Mitchell

The Liberetto

Finally FooDart!

2010-03-10T20:51:00.004-05:00

Well, we now have the audio to our Pecha Kucha presentation! It's not like being there, but at least people can at least hear what we said. I hope you all enjoy this. It's a product of many weird evenings.

First Run

2010-03-07T15:37:00.004-05:00

I went for my first run of the year.

It seems to be a spring thing for me.

I never seem to hold out doing it all summer.

It was great to enjoy the weather and sun though. I think I may have a sunburn.

It's amazing to walk out my front door and go for a run on the water and almost entirely without cars.

View running in a larger map

FooDart

2010-02-26T22:20:00.004-05:00

Last night Sash and I presented our FooDart at Pecha Kucha Portland. We had a blast being hams. I am hoping to get the sound file of our speaking to add to the slide presentation. Will post that soon. For now, this is just the stop-motion fashion show portion.

Boston Harmony

2010-02-22T14:22:00.003-05:00

This weekend I went to Boston with Sash and my mom to see my sister sing in Boston Harmony. This is a fantastic group, and I find it incredibly inspiring to hear. Here are two of my favorite songs from the concert.

This first one is from Corsica. It was sung by just four people, perfectly in pitch. I'm am currently listening to it over and over again.

A Violetta - VOCE DI CORSICA

This song is from Bulgaria. The harmonies and melodies are traditional, but you can tell that it's a contemporary arrangement. I find the arrangement distracting at points, but it hardly matters with such a beautiful song.

Ergen Deda (feat. Bulgarian Na...

2010-02-18T09:32:00.002-05:00

I haven't listened to "Want One" in months. This is a really good album. It has a bit of show-tune flavor to it. Just now my coworker thought I was listening to "Kid A," and I can totally hear it. I never would have thought to compare Rufus Wainwright to Radiohead.

Want One - Rufus Wainwright

Music: a backlog

2010-02-16T16:51:00.008-05:00

I think I am going to start talking about music more often. I've been listening to more new albums lately than I have in years. This is a list of tracks that I've already posted on Facebook, but never posted here.

Facebook History

Colin Macintyre is the main guy in Mull Historical Society. His new album I've been listening to a bunch today, and I am definitely enjoying it. The music is good, and there's much more in the lyrics than I have yet appreciated.

"The Supermarket Strikes Back" is both musically and thematically similar to Arcade Fire. Great song!

My friend Jesse played "A Little Lost" for me the other night, and as a result I've been listening quite a bit to the whole Another Thought album. Authur Russel is a bit weirder than the other music on this list.

"Little Secrets" is certainly where my love for pop can be found these days. I can't think of a song that better delivers what one wants to hear. This song was also a lasting theme through summer 2009.

(By the way I got married to Sasha last August 2009! It was a fantastic wedding! We planned it all ourselves, and loved doing it together. That made me feel good. I think that if we can collaborate well on a wedding then will will certainly be rolling out more creative exploits. We also bought a house. We live in a fixer-upper in Portland, and I walk to work every day. This has been yet another product of our collaboration, and I should post some pictures of it.)

"I think Ur a Contra" is by far my favorite track from the new Vampire Weekend album. I've listened to it on repeat for longer than I should.

The newest Yeah Yeah Yeahs is very good. "Skeletons" is one of my fav. tracks.

My friend John had me listen to Hockey. There are a lot of different sounds on this album, but if it makes any sense, I like the attitude of it. "Four Holy Photos" could easily be a mockery of religion, but somehow it isn't.

2010-01-27T10:57:00.001-05:00

Post by phone?

Carroll Family

2009-12-11T09:05:00.003-05:00

This is a great picture of my father's family when they lived in Cape Elizabeth.

Sasha's Modeling Shoot

2009-06-16T22:38:00.003-04:00

Sasha and I went out to her secret spot for taking portraits, and we did a photo shoot of her. Taking modeling pictures was an eye opening experience for me, but I love the results. She's so beautiful!

Some of my favorites are right here, but at the bottom you can also see a slideshow with all of them.

From Photo Shoot of Sasha

HOBY Maine Program Book and Videos

2009-06-16T22:22:00.004-04:00

We just had the 2009 HOBY Maine Seminar a few weeks ago, and it was another great one. This year I did not have my own group of students, but instead was more of a coordinator for the whole seminar. (At least from the kids' perspectives.) Beth did the seminar planning again this year and did a great job!

This year I was the Director of Publicity for the Board, and among my responsibilities was the website and the Seminar Program Book. You can look at the Program book PDF here.

HOBY Maine 2009 Seminar Program Book

For the website I made two simple videos to better explain what HOBY is to the parents and students. This first one talks generally about what HOBY is, and why a person should donate.

This second video tells prospective seminar students a bit more about what to expect at the HOBY Seminar.

Please check out our HOBY Maine Website and consider donating.

Unbuilt Architecture Awards

2009-05-29T15:53:00.023-04:00

Here in Portland, Maine we have a Portland Society of Architects, just like Boston has the BSA. Now of course we're not as big scale here, but it's a great organization from my experience. This Spring I entered my thesis from 2006 in the PSA's Unbuilt Architecture Awards Competition in the "Intern" category. . . and I won!

I didn't make the award ceremony because I was volunteering for HOBY, but the board I submitted will be on display this coming Friday, June 5th at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies which is now at 561 Congress Street.

I haven't seen any of the competition entries, but I'm sure there will be lots of good ones on display. Here's the board of mine that you will see if you're there. (Click here for the full PDF.)

I am excited to have my thesis on display. It will be during the First Friday Art Walk so there are sure to be tons of people walking around. The Salt Institute is also a fantastic institution, so it will be great to be able to hang out there for an evening. It will hopefully be a warm summer evening full of art and conversation.

I am looking forward rubbing elbows with friends, family and colleagues all night, and I will have something of my own to talk about for a change. I invite anyone interested to come!

6pm, Friday, June 5th, 2009 at Salt (561 Congress Street)

Urban Contra Dancing

2009-05-01T12:43:00.005-04:00

This is not my video, but a friend made it for her film class. It was fun to be part of, and the Empire Contra Dance really is awesome!

House and Bride

2009-04-28T12:37:00.005-04:00

I'm getting married! This was the image on the save-the-date postcard:

It is my future bride running to her parents house, where the ceremony will be held. Her and I had a great time coming up with the idea and making it happen.

The composition was oddly familiar. . .

. . . ah yes. . .

No idea is totally original I guess.

Rings

2009-03-25T21:48:00.004-04:00

I just finished taking a creative writing class. We spend just an hour writing in each class and then share our writing immediately. That leave the writing unpolished but very fresh. This story, based on things my grandfather recently told me, is probably true but I took a few liberties to make it cohesive.

My Grandfather's story has been substantiated only by him. I have yet to question other parties involved, but it does help explain many things. Like his right ear that no longer hears, why the wedding rings he gave me are not just any-old-rings, and perhaps, just perhaps, his story could explain why in Portland it is illegal for men to tickle women under the chin with feather dusters. (The feather dusters part is a shameless insertion of that week's writing prompt which was a list of odd laws.)

My grandfather is a Portlander and his mother is a Portlander and father and I, we are all Portlanders. It is important to understand that. Important to understand that I could, if I could just nail down a few more facts, visit the place he was married, where he had his first kiss, and where his mother first lost her wedding ring.

The details, as I mentioned, are a bit lacking and I find myself more reluctant than expected to fill them in fictitiously. I will start with my grandfather the signaler. In World War II he enlisted, went to the Pacific, and grew up the quick way.

He learned the skill of flagging. Two short, red and white squares. Not even a flag. Rigid works better, communicates better. Hold one in each hand at abrupt angles. One o'clock and nine o'clock, three and eleven o'clock, snap snap snap. Saying "Yes, bring the boats in. Unload. Hold up, still unpacking. All set here. Go to the next camp."

On the final landing at Iwo Jima my grandfather, like the rest, was just taking orders, waiting or reacting. Even so he was an orchestrator. Someone with the ability to make things happen at a time and place. Close to the higher-ups by necessity meant that he collected the beer rations for him and his fellows. An essential task of course. Two of them didn't drink. No matter, more for the rest.

Finishing beers was certainly a worthwhile pass time with no motivation to explore the nearby fauna. The beach was wide open, without surprises, full of friends, food and beer. The jungle surely hid the enemy. Stragglers, either unwilling or unable to retreat. Unable to retreat was not the same as unable to fire.

The beach without surprises. The thing about surprises is that they are not expected. Those who cannot retreat have little to live for. Those who have time and beer give up other things. My grandfather suspects that someone in the jungle got to their ammunition dump. What he knows is that he came to awareness wandering the jungle. His hearing compromised, but his life was not. His mother's wedding ring, still on his right hand, would be returning to her yet again, against the odds, with her son.

A returned soldier is a hero, a catch, proven, desired material. At least in his own eyes. In reality it becomes tiresome to say "Speak to my other ear," to explain again and again that the ring is on the RIGHT hand. And besides, who's really asking about the ring anyway? Certainly not Ethel Peru (name changed), spotted a few rows ahead in Church and far more interesting than the father and his words. She became the spoon-full-of-sugar that accompanied his mother's orders to attend church again upon returning from the war. This Ethel was going to take some work.

I now know that for pizza, real pizza with the wonderful smell, without the edgy doughs and topping combinations, can be found at Pizza Villa. Pizza built on tradition. Oddly, the perfect place for father, son and grandson who haven't stood together in years to share some beers, eat, and talk.

It is an event. Three generations brought together for the exchange of rings. Once one ring, then formed into two on the hands of Ethel and the soldier, now passed to me, bound by a purple twist-tie, with shaking hands.

My faith (TED Talks, Barry Schwartz)

2009-02-17T14:01:00.003-05:00

When asked if I believe in God I hestitate to say "no" because while God is a word I would never use, I do have blind, unfounded faith. I believe that people are good. This is the basis of this TED Talk by Barry Schwartz. I hope you enjoy it as I did.

Whoosh. . . bump.

2009-02-14T17:40:00.001-05:00

This is pulled out from the archives. . . . ice sledding in PDX.

Writing Workshop

2009-02-13T08:47:00.008-05:00

I'm taking a writing workshop right now. The main focus is on creative writing, and others in the class do great stuff with their characters. I seem to be hovering between prose fiction and autobiographical poetry. Here's something I wrote last night.

A stone wall warmed by the sun, in a feild of hay, is the best sort for walking on top of. And barefoot of course, is the best way to do it. Barefoot and with a friend, on a summer's day, and the smell of hay, all around.

Most of the stone walls I know have not smelled the scent of hay in a long time. They can be found aged in a forest, beneath the trees, resting. Less glamour, but no less dignity. A stroll on these walls may be less carefree, but more thoughtful. There is awe to be felt in these walls' age and experience. Seeing carefull tending, progress and yeild, now seeing unbridled growth, nature and peace.

Aging with respect. That's what we deserve. Don't move the wall, don't rebuild it, don't mimick it, don't forget it, but DO visit it. Remember with the wall, what IT was. Remember with them, who THEY were. The secret to eternal youth is hope for the future. If not for ourselves then for those who visit.

An old post never posted:

2009-02-12T11:59:00.000-05:00

This is an old post from 10/19/07 that I never posted:

Live more Consciously

If you get nothing else from this entry, just go to this game:

A late night conversation, a short email exchange and a lead on an interesting Internet game, and suddenly I feel that I must do a blog entry.

A couple of nights ago Sasha and I were talking and I was telling her how I think that public transportation MUST have a come-back soon. I was making the argument that it needs to happen because we can't simply just keep making all our roads bigger. I had a few other points, but I wasn't doing a very good job at explaining myself. She was saying that it sounded like I was arguing that we return to a more primitive state of existence. I admitted that I kind of was, and we left it alone.

The game at the link above puts my point much more elegantly. You play by answering questions about your daily living habits. The site uses this information to calculate roughly how much of the world's resources you use. The next step that the game takes is very clever, and I like it. It tells you how many earths worth of resources would be needed if everyone in the world used as much "stuff" as you do. My number was somewhere around 3.5 Earths, and I don't even have a car!

This game shows in a very straightforward manner why we're going to need to trade our personal cars for buses and trains and start doing things more close to home. It also begs a big question: What are we all going to do if all the "underdeveloped" nations become "commercialized"? I imagine a seesaw: We (in America) are on the high end right now. We've got all kinds of stuff when and where we want it. If we want to bring quality of life up in other places we're going to have to cut back BIG TIME on how much we use and dispose of. We're going to have to "come down" off our high horses a bit.

Also in the last few days I sent Toph an email saying that I felt our economy was based too much on the continuous increase in population. I was saying that it seems investors are frequently putting their hopes in greater demand for products, services and land. This type of investing encourages and hopes for more people who need and use more stuff. Toph added that at the same time we seem to be automating more and more processes. This cuts jobs and undercuts the above investing plan. Basically, it's a messed paradigm.

Updated HOBY Website

2009-02-10T12:17:00.014-05:00

I have been on the HOBY Maine Executive Board for over a year and a half now. My latest project for HOBY has been to update our website. (Most of the pictures on the site were taken by Sasha.) Check it out!

HOBY is a great organization. Please consider donating while you look at the site.

Pecha Kucha (on Thesis and Italy)

2008-11-09T16:35:00.005-05:00

The slides below are from the talk I did for Pecha Kucha on 1/17/2008. It was a great experience that the slides below can't convey.

Picnic: Music & Arts Festival

2008-09-08T10:19:00.004-04:00

I'm going to be selling photography prints this weekend in Portland. Please see the info and website below!

PICNIC Music + Arts Festival
Saturday September 13, 2008
Rain or Shine
Free! All ages! 11am to 6pm
Lincoln Park at Congress St and Franklin Arterial
Portland ME
70 vendors / live music / djs
picnicportland.wordpress.com

Thanks!

Evan

Scientific theory

2008-08-21T22:09:00.006-04:00

A recent spilling of mine:
I never quite finished this thought on the page. My point was to try to restate evolution to fit humanity's new reality. To again make scientific theory jive with our needs and goals. Our new goals being that we have to tone down our energy use and resource consumption if we want to survive. We have to hearken back to the days of old when we actually fit our natural niche better. De-evolution is the new evolution!

I guess I'm liberal

2008-03-28T08:55:00.004-04:00

Over the last month I have accumulated a few things that I thought were cool and interesting. There is no hiding my leanings though. the things I will show here are as follows:
-Really cool art about American consumerism.
-The Barack Obama speech on race in America.
-The feature from PBS's Frontline called "Bush's War."

The art:
http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=7
When my mom sent me this link i just thought these pieces were fantastic. I would love for this artist to come to Portland, so that I could stand next to them and look at them. I think that is were they really become art. . . when you experience the scale for yourself. . . theoretically. . . seeing as I haven't.

The Speech :
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88478467
I am already an Obama supporter, but I really feel this was a great speech! I appreciate that Obama doesn't answer complicated questions with simple answers. I worry that much of America is not as impressed with this approach as I am, but I am happy to feel like I don't have to compromise on finding a candidate I like. I really feel that Obama is the right guy.

The Program:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/bushswar/
This program on the Iraq War is well done. It actually had me dreaming about Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. Not pleasant, but it says a lot about the influence it had on me. I have not even finished watching it.

I hope any or all of you get something from these links. They really stand out from other things I've seen in the last few months.

Sasha Updated her Website!

2008-03-04T12:21:00.005-05:00

Sasha's website is updated and looking good. Her brother designed the site back in the day, and he just showed her how to put up new pictures. I didn't help with too much, but I did help with the front page arrangement (below). If you need wedding photography, this is the way to go!

Yoga. . . .

2007-06-26T07:49:00.001-04:00

Here is the video that I talked about last time. It was more fun for me to make than it will be to see.

Evening at Home

2007-06-20T21:19:00.000-04:00

I did some yoga this evening to a great song from the Lost in Translation Soundtrack called "Alone in Kyoto." I enjoyed this enough to have spent the last few hours trying to choreograph what I saw while doing yoga, with the song. While that task was all encompassing, interesting, and possibly rewarding, I was interrupted by something much cooler: The sounds of fiddle, clapping and singing coming from somewhere in my neighborhood! I just walked around the block to try to see the players, and while I am confident that I have located them, I could not see them. The sound of fiddle echoing through space takes me back to my childhood when I would fall asleep at my father's band's contra dances, and that feeling is a pleasure.

I would like to share my yoga experience as well. I recommend watching this full screen, in the dark, with headphones.

(video to come. . . sorry)

Granny's Burritos

2007-06-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

I joined the Portland Ultimate League this summer, and I'm happy to say we had our first WIN last night! This win comes after three tough losses, so I think we (the whole team) are very happy. We really played solidly: few drops, few thrown away passes, excellent ZONE defense. If you want to keep tabs on our progress you can go here, and feel free to come and watch some games if you so desire.

http://portlandultimate.com/portlandultimate/team.do?teamID=2&tourneyId=12

Also, Sasha has taken some great pictures of us playing, and I hope to put a few of those up at some point.

New Camera

2007-06-13T22:25:00.002-04:00

There's a few more pics here: (on my main blog)
http://evancarroll.blogspot.com/2007/06/share-art.html

Share Art

2007-06-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

I have a new camera.

It is much more versatile than my old one, and I've been learning its workings all week.

Photography is a special art form for me as I am able to enjoy it intuitively. Intuitiveness is my goal for any art form but I have only been able to achieve it in photography. To me, a photographer should be able to walk about, see things, frame them and capture them without consciously analyzing them. With each additional moment spent taking pictures the goal is to become more and more relaxed and focused. It should be almost meditative.

Sasha and I have gone on frequent "photo-walks" this week and have been able to strive for this experience together. Sometimes one or both of us is "in the zone" and other times we talk a lot and discuss shots. Sasha has a very good knowledge of photography and will always give me pointers if I need them. I think helping me helps her get excited about challenging herself to find more shots to capture. While we are both trying to find shots for ourselves we're also helping each other be inspired.

And that is what is so great about art: it is both intuitive and intellectual, both internally and externally influenced. Every artist wants to create in their own way, but an artist can learn new techniques, perspectives and styles by looking to others. The artist creates something that will be enjoyed a second time through when they share it with others.

Art is a cycle of learning, executing, and sharing. Learning to prepare for an new challenge, executing for self fulfillment and sharing to present a finished work or receive feedback.

I feel that photography is (at least for now) really coming back to me because Sasha and I are going through this cycle together. I hope we keep it up, but even if we move on to other obsessions/interests it's great to be here right now.

If you've got some art that needs sharing, please do. It's great to have this feeling back. I don't think I've had it much since school.

See more pics here:
http://evancarrollphography.blogspot.com/2007/06/new-camera.html

New Apartment!

2007-05-02T08:26:00.000-04:00

I have now spent one night in my new place on Munjoy hill! I just walked to work. . . and I am now just a little TEN MINUTE walk from work! I am floored! I was figuring at lease fifteen. And there were lots of other people walking down from the hill to work too! Awesome. . . that's fantastic! On the down-side. . . Sasha and I slept awfully on our inflatable mattresses. We have no actual furniture yet, as we won't be moving 'till Saturday.

On another note. . . this: http://www.portlandmaine.tv/index.php
I haven't really had a chance to look at it yet, but I'm sure it's cool!
(thanks toni)

What about Barack?

2007-03-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

I'm going to re-establish the use of my once famous site, "Truth Crusader." I have a new issue to discuss, because I'm looking to get involved. I want to know what people know and think about Barack Obama. Please check-out what I have to say, make your own comments, and read the comments of others HERE.

Sedona Pictures!

2007-03-20T22:50:00.001-04:00

I'm finally posting some pictures from my vacation in Sedona Arizona. Hope you like them!

Arizona (Sedona, Grand Canyon etc.)

2007-03-20T22:05:00.001-04:00

This was a fabulous vacation. These pictures are in chronological order.

Sasha in action!

This picture is from the hike Sasha, Ken and I did to find a geo-cache. It was the best view of the Sedona Valley that I saw all week. Looking back over all my pictures though, I realize that it was evidently very hard to represent the beauty of the place on film. At least it must have been for me, because there were far fewer pictures that I really liked than I expected to find. On the other hand, I got some great pictures with people in them, which in the past has not been a strong point for me.

John kept telling me to get closer to him to get this shot. . . he was right.

Nice one of Ken.

You can just barely see Sasha!

Classic. . . Kyle was a real trooper though.

I did not expect to see hooked cacti.

Fathers, Mothers, Women, Men and Parents

2007-02-13T20:57:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,
I'm not writing about an easy topic tonight. At least for me anyway. I want to talk about my parents, what their relationship was like, and how it has effected me. I am interested in this as a young man who wants to become a good man. I want to try to imagine how I will deal with life, marriage and kids. I guess I am really interested in fathers, and I'm interested in your input. I will most likely be a partner, husband or father, but I'm not sure what that will mean.

I am asking for comments, stories and feelings about parents, partners and their roles. You can respond with your name or anonymously by clicking on "comments" below.

The first comment is by me. It focuses on fathers more than mothers because that is what I'm thinking about.

Please consider writing something as long or short as you see fit, and if you don't want to write at all that's fine too.

Thank you.

Westbrook Metro

2007-01-22T20:14:00.000-05:00

I've got another thing to be excited about. (I use "excited" in a way only I could use it.) I went to a meeting today about making changes to the schedule of the bus (#4) that I ride every day. I got to talk to some cool bus-supporting, bus-riding people, and of course give some input. And I came out of it with a job that needs doing: I need to convince Westbrook city councilors to spend just a little more money on the Metro than they do already. I hear that convincing people to spend is not always easy. . . perfect! Sounds like fun.

Metro Website

Cars and Erin McKeown

2007-01-19T08:32:00.000-05:00

Last night I watched Cars (the Disney movie) and went to an Erin McKeown show at Space Gallery. I need to talk about both. Erin, I have to say, is awesome! She has a amazing voice, she's a great guitar player, she has stage presence, a sense of humor and a great band! I love her lyrics and her music. And seeing her at a small (but full) place like the Space is perfect. It was just an awesome show!
But yeah, Cars. . . I was surprised by the movie a bit. For being a movie completely about cars, it managed to be pretty successful at slamming "life in the fast lane." There was this whole part where it talked about the demise of towns on Route 66 after the building of the new interstate. It talked about the joy of travel and not just getting to your destination. To me it seemed to kind of be making a plug for "the new urbanism" while at the same time letting me see the "New Deal" in a whole new light.
Oh yeah, the movie was entertaining too.

peace

Humanism

2007-01-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

That's right. . . humanism. Toph informed me awhile ago that I was probably a humanist. He sent me this link:
http://www.iheu.org/adamdecl.htm
I have to say I basically agree with most of it. One thing that annoys me though: the site capitalizes "humanism." Enough said. It is a creed, and that annoys me, even if I agree with it. I have yet to read the Wikipedia article on it.

Brrr

2007-01-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

It was around 0 degrees when I left my house this morning. Thats the kind of temp that makes your nostrils freeze closed. The bus was warm though. . . and the Sappi Mill was in rare form!

New Book!

2007-01-15T08:30:00.000-05:00

I am still in the introduction of this book: Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, and already I am excited. I am going to be reading this book on my bus ride to and from work everyday, and so reading it straight through is not the goal. I am hoping to digest the whole thing at a casual, thoughtful, pace.
I have already been given two new acronyms that will be fun to use. One, I know I have heard before, but had forgotten about. That is NIMBY, not in my back-yard. And the new one is BANANA, build absolutely nothing near anything! I like that second one because it is clearly not being reasonable, and yet I totally understand it.
I just finished a paragraph that prompted me to get out the laptop and type. The final sentence of the paragraph was, "A higher standard of living has somehow failed to result in a better quality of life." Now in a lot of ways this sounds sort of like a hippyish, back to the earth way of thinking, and it just may be so. I find though that it is so clearly stated that it's a little bit scary. I am resisting the urge to talk about "how people should live," and I will just say this: We all have too much shit to keep track of and think about.

***

I think I want to work on a new term. The first version is "Sociophysical Conservative." Basically it would mean that the physical structure of older cities is better for society.

So what is the opposite of ego-centric? It would be "ego-_____." That's the format I want to see it in anyway.

Books that I think are cool:
Cradle to Cradle, I read it this summer. Great!
Suburban Nation..., Just started it. Essential.
The Regional City, read part of it last Spring, and just ordered it on-line. Very interesting.

Purging Physical Things

2007-01-14T15:31:00.000-05:00

My thing for this month is cleaning out my room. Not that it is dirty. I am doing the kind of cleaning the only precedes moving, which I figure I will be doing within the next six months. Last week I determined that I was finally satisfied that my things in the garage can stay in the garage. I don't need them now, and I will need them later. Stay in the garage they will do. Today I am looking through the many rolls of paper that are the evidence that I attended architecture school. Tons of plans, diagrams, sections elevations etc, and most of it I can get rid of.
Here is what struck me while re-examining all this stuff though. Almost every project left me feeling unfulfilled at the end. There are very few (if any) projects at school the I really felt I had completed at the end. Most of them had loose ends, and many had gaping holes that I wished to fill. That leaves me wondering, if I never felt I had enough time to finish. . . if I always wanted to do more, was I being held back? Was I getting too involved in details and missing the whole point of the exercises? I can't help wondering from time to time what education does for people. How many people feel they don't quite fit with the program of learning? How many people never get a chance because they don't believe in or understand the system? I have been lucky in that my only "issue" with "the system" is that it never seems to probe issues enough. That doesn't inhibit my ability to do work. It just leaves me unsatisfied.

Our Driveway Christmas Eve, 2006

2007-01-12T19:46:00.001-05:00

Years ago we did these in our driveway. . . luminaries I believe is the spelling. My sister thought we should do it again this year! My mom had all the supplies ready, and we spent a good part of Christmas Eve setting them up. It was completely worth it, as I hope you agree. I figure we'll keep doing now, and maybe for other holidays too. Enjoy!

Planning Board Ward 3, Westbrook, Maine

2007-01-12T19:36:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. I put this page here to allow people in Westbrook to post comments about Planning Board matters.
-Please realize that there is a good chance that I will have to disclose any comments made here to the Planning Board at the next meeting.

At this time I am not sure what to use this for, but I figured it would be a good idea to have this here for later use. It would allow people to leave comments that others could read publicly.

Holiday Aftermath

2007-01-12T17:08:00.001-05:00

As all of my frequent readers must know, it has been a long time since I have posted anything at all. For this I apologize and will make up for it with an onslaught of information. Let's see. . . all kinds of stuff. . .

I got new shoes! I had always wanted golf shoes. . . but the spikes are not very "indoorish." When I saw these I fell in love, except they were too much. (money that is) I shortly discovered the magic of a really big sale. . . they're mine now

Updates to thesis stuff
I have been meaning to try to put my Sketchup thesis model on Google Warehouse for awhile. . . well it's done now! I also got a video of a walk-through of the model on to YouTube.
If you're interested in my thesis in general go HERE.

I'm on the Westbrook Planning Board!
This isn't an elected position, but one appointed by the Mayor. I am the representative for Ward Three. So far I have been to three meetings and I still have a lot to learn. I am never sure which issues are going to cause controversy, and which will take no time at all. as a result I often feel that I have prepared for the wrong things. Anyway, I have made a blog page for people to leave comments about the planning board, but I don't have any intention of using is yet. I'm also on the Westbrook website. . . a true celebrity.

This year we did Luminaries on Christmas Eve. I was very happy with how they came out. . . here are some pictures.

Some other Picture from this Fall:

Woods near Sasha's

Portland Shots

Again, I just want to apologize for how this entry is all business. I like to ramble too sometimes, but not this time I guess. Just two more things:

This girl's video of a Smiths song is really cool, and all the backdrops are in portland.

Lastly, I finally put a simple sort of resume on here. . . so I can refer people to it at some point in the future.

***

Reflection

2006-10-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

I don't usually comment directly on the news, but something came to my attention today that I want to comment on. It is about the shooting in the Amish school house. I cannot imagine what something like that can do to such a closely knit community. It must hurt so much. My mom mentioned to me today that apparently the families of the girls even on the night of the disaster were concerned for the family of the shooter. They were making plans to bring food to his family. I think I can certainly learn something about forgiveness from this. I think we all can. Our country could learn from this.

The mention of concern for the family is at the end of the audio clip.

School "Cube House" Project

2006-10-01T17:27:00.001-04:00

This was the only house I designed in school. The assignment was to use the 20' x 20' x 20' cube. . . assumed to be rigid. I like the feel of it. We also tried to encorporate passive heating and cooling. The water side of the building is North, which made things more difficult.

Note to self. . .

2006-09-24T20:57:00.000-04:00

I need to remember now much of an impact experience can have. I need to remember how good it feels to really connect with people. I need to remember how important it is to use my hands to do things, and where my food comes from and who my neighbors are, and what beautiful fall day is like and how good it feels to swim, and what it feels like to share a moment with someone, and what it feels like to sing even if its just noises, and how good a hug can be and that people have incredible ability. This weekend just had a lot of very raw experiences. And I am grateful for that.
This evening I just hosted a vocal improv group at my house, and as a fellow signer there said. . . "Thank you source!"

All in good fun

2006-09-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

OK! If you're serious about having fun with this entry. . . then you'll have to follow my intructions exactly. Otherwise, you will have fun, but only in a limited way. Here goes:

1. Get Edy's vanilla ice cream
2. Get Gritty McDuffs Best Brown Ale
3. Eat and drink. It's just a great flavor combo! No, I have not actually made a beer float yet. That's why you should!
4. Watch this great dance while you enjoy the food. It was sent to me by Toph Cyll.
Tread Mill Dance

5. Read the following email that was forwarded to me:
(This is adult humor, no laughing allowed!)

The Washington Post runs a weekly contest in its Style section called
the "Style Invitational". The requirements this week were to use the
two words Lewinsky (The Intern) and Kaczynski (the Unabomber) in the
same limerick. The following winning entries, remember, were printed
in the newspaper.
---

Third place:
There once was a gal named Lewinsky
Who played on a flute like Stravinsky
'Twas "Hail to the Chief"
On this flute made of beef
That stole the front page from Kaczynski.

Second place:
Said Clinton to young Ms. Lewinsky,
We don't want to leave clues like Kaczynski,
Since you made such a mess,
Use the hem of your dress
And please wipe that stuff off of your chinsky."

And the winning entry:
Lewinsky and Clinton have shown
What Kaczynski must surely have known
That an intern is better
Than a bomb in a letter
When deciding how best to be blown

6. Now, if that wasn't too much for you I tried writing my own:

I just need to ask you one question.
Is Kaczynski a man of affection?
If Lewinsky were there?
And He in Bill's chair?
No silly, that's just an erection.

I hope you had fun. Have a great day!

Greater Portland Photography

2006-09-05T21:07:00.000-04:00

Sappi Mill in Westbrook. . . I took the picture from the bus. It was around zero degrees, and I think that's what makes the smoke/steam so sharply defined.
Sometime this past Summer (2006) I took this pic in monument square. I am not the first to get something that looks like this, but at least I've done it now!

One afternoon this Fall I stopped by the front of the Portland Museum of Art for a bit. . .

Yesterday Sasha and I went out with her new camera! It was very cool! She was a good coach. These are pictures that I took while we were in the Old Port.

This is leaving westbrook towards Gorham on Rt. 25.
This is a night picture of the back door to Saccarappa Elementary School in Westbrook.
This one was taken looking over a building between Congress and Cumberland in Portland.
This is a Parking Garage in Auburn.
This is the side gate to the McKlellan House behing the Portland Museum of Art.

Wind Energy Survey

2006-08-31T17:34:00.001-04:00

I have been meaning to post this for awhile!
Wind Energy Project

Wind Energy Survey

2006-08-31T17:24:00.000-04:00

Last spring I was lucky enough to be able to help my professor with a survey on wind energy. The goal was to get a set of statistics about what factors are important to people when considering wind energy. With this knowledge supporters of wind farms would have a better idea of how to educate communities. I work on this project a bit a year ago, on specific slides, and again this spring. This spring I did the recording of the audio tracks for the automated survey. I then edited down the audio and added it to the powerpoint presentation. This presentation was later converted to the PDF that you can download here:

Survey with audio (large file, but worth it)
(I would recommend right clicking and doing "save link as."_

Thesis Document

2006-08-30T21:17:00.003-04:00

My Thesis Document is Done!!!!

Here are the first five pages of my document, including the contents page so you know what you're missing. I you would like the whole document feel free to email me for the full size PDF. I would love to have people read it if they are interested.

Click the pages to be able to read them.

PS The full PDF is now available for download here.

Many, Many Things

2006-08-30T19:42:00.000-04:00

I have many things to note and talk about, and even though this is always true, what is different about today is that I am doing it. Yes, there is a reason:
During my lunch break today I went to One City Center in Portland and joined a crowd of people who supported Net Neutrality. We listened to three speakers and then delivered a petition of over 4000 signatures to Olympia Snowe's office. The whole this was quite interesting to me despite the fact that I don't really know how to "keep the network neutral." I certainly fear an internet where some people get more exposure to their sites by paying a price, while others get very little. I don't like the idea of that at all. That said I have no idea what the solution would be and how it would be legislated etc. If you have any doubts on the complexity of the issue there is tons of stuff on wikipedia.
Like I said though, the event was very interesting. I met a number of very active and motivated people, including Eli Pariser, the head person for moveon.org. Eli has recently moved to Portland! (of all places) and is 25 years old. Needless to say, I am at least a little inspired by him and what he has done.

In other news, I have in general been trying to switch gears this week. For the last 18 years of my life I would see this as a time to return to self-enriching endeavors, and I figure I can still try to use that model. Specifically this means that I am now reading the Land Use Ordinances of the City of Westbrook and I will be at my first Westbrook Planning Board meeting next Tuesday the 5th. I discovered in downloading documents from Westbrook that Michael Foley is a Councilor at Large! He is the little brother of a friend of mine! At least I will have one person to talk to if I start going to council meetings too.
Here is the link to the zoning map. . . why? Because for some reason I could look at that thing for hours. . . you might not get that pleasure though if you don't live in Westbrook.

I am adding a bunch of links to the MISC par of my site, so I'll just cue people into them now:
Another friend with a site: myninjaplease
More funny stuff!
Another good site: Portland Buy Local

I think that is it for this entry. . . good!

Grade A Day!

2006-08-08T12:54:00.000-04:00

An exclamation. . . today was really nice! (Really nice is just a silly phrase to me. . . so I'm laughing at myself.) Seriously, fall has arrived. Hot, not too hot, clear, high clouds, windy. . . awesome! Made better by the fact that I got two Erin Mckeown CDs last night and Winterpills CD today. (updates on the music part of my blog to come) These CDs were happily purchased with a gift certificate I earned for house hitting last week with 3 cats. (never mind the beer that was stashed in the fridge for my leisure) There, good things recorded.
In other news:
I complete my thesis this weekend back at RDub. That's keeping me a little busy this week.

A little vacation. . . a lot to think about.

2006-07-25T08:28:00.000-04:00

What a weekend! Falcon Ridge Folk Festival from Thursday to Sunday. It may have rained most of that time, but it didn't seem to bother anyone there. There were barefooted people running through the mud everywhere!

Lots of thoughts:
Can Al Gore run in the presidential campaign as pres or vice pres again? I sort of think he is one of the few people who could rally the left right now. (As the result of his movie.) I think rallying the 'left" is important because it hasn't been done in many years (for one thing) and for another, there is no point in competing with McCain for the "moderates" if he indeed runs as all think he will. That all said, I think the Al should run with Hillary, although I am not yet sure who should be running for president. Probably Hillary, although I support Gore more. Hillary has potential for new across the board support.
These suggestions for candidates represent a new thinking for me: I now admit that this is just politics. There are very likely better people positioned to run, but in my opinion these two would be the most likely to win combo for the Democrats. And right now, winning is extremely important. VERY VERY important. For world opinion, for global warming, for the Supreme Court balance.

Continuing thoughts: Why returning to Portland, was a great decision:
1. I am near my grandparents
2. I can bike into the country side.
3. I can bike into Portland.
4. I can bus into Portland.
5. I can bus to Boston.
6. I have a job with good people and a very fair boss.
7. I can have lunch on the wharf.
8. The head of moveon.org just moved to town. (he's 24 years old)
9. I see people who I used to know all the time, and I'm reconnecting with them.
10. Westbrook and Portland are definitely up-and-coming cities.
11. I get to swim in the Saco River and in the ocean.
12. I can contra dance as much as a want.
13. I get to do a cappella improvisational singing once a month.
14. I get to much people who are homeless on the bus.
15. I can easily get involved in Westbrook and Portland politics.
16. My home (at my mom's house for now) has an amazing yard, with a screen house and a campfire ring.
17. The Old Port on Summer weekends.
18. Friends from high school are around and still great to see.
eighteen is a good number I guess.

More thoughts:
It occurred to me that there should be a website with a title something like "wikilaw." The site would have laws and explanations, and implications of these laws. It turns out the is a "wikilaw" but there is hardly anything there. Maybe it will get better. We all need a good place to turn to understand our countries policy. Does anyone know a good place?

I am thinking that when I have time, my "truth crusader" site still has a ton of potential. It should really be a site that links and organizes sources of information that help people make decisions. Basically, it would make "truths" more accessible. It could link "wikilaw." It could link that site that shows ownership trees of corporations. It could link sites that breakdown that health aspects of materials in our homes.

that's it for now. . . although there could be more. . .

Its been awhile

2006-06-24T16:36:00.001-04:00

I have not been holding up my end of the bargain as the producer of interesting updates. For this I apologize. I have however been having a great time back here in Portland and in Westbrook. For this I do not apologize! It is my right to have fun darn it! And no-one's gonna stop ME! Anyway, as an indicator that I have actually done things I have added a few new links to the "Misc." section of my page. There's new music stuff, a new "supported link" about Westbrook (created by John Morgan, WHS 2001) and the personal website for my good friend Joe Pollack. Joes has some great music on his music link. . . don't miss it!

In other news, I'm looking for an apartment on Portland, Maine if anyone has anything to offer.

That's enough for today I guess. At least it's something.

Here's me being caught unaware by a phone cam in JavaNet on exchange street. . . . I love this city!

TC Wear

2006-05-25T00:46:00.000-04:00

I may have just graduated. I agree, that IS important. There is more though! I am finally selling "TCWear"! I have been meaning to make Truth Crusader apparel for awhile, and I have made one t-shirt now. This leaves much to be done. For example I have to make a strong statement declaring what it means to be in "TCWear." I would hate for people to get the wrong idea about it. (Seeing as I will make no profit from these sales.)

Just a warning though. The uploaded image for that shirt isn't very good. So don't get all excited and buy it yet. Hold your horses, the time will come! This is the image you would get to see on the site!

It is also important to have a nice looking dude show how cool the shirt could look if I didn't put my lousy image on it:

NARMO

2006-04-26T02:00:00.000-04:00

May is
National Album Recording MOnth.

I have signed up.
I'm screwed.
But it will be fun.

You can keep track of my progress.

New Project

2006-04-24T15:48:00.000-04:00

My new project. . . if it works. . . out is:
http://truth-crusader.blogspot.com/
Check it out.

Beaux Arts 2006

2006-04-24T13:13:00.000-04:00

The Truth Crusader Strikes. . . . (not again. . . . yet)
I'm not going to say alot about Beaux Arts, except that it was awesome! It is the annual costume dance put on by AIAS at the architecture school. The theme this year was "If I wasn't an architect I would be a(an)_______.
I was a "Truth Crusader."
Here is another good photo page:
These are Erika's pictures.

Funny Stuff

2006-04-14T15:04:00.000-04:00

What's funny is that I can still only find one thing that is funny anough to put here!
This song it NOT for immature ears. Oh who I am kidding, I listen to it. Still. . . no kids!
http://www.ericschwartz.com/ClintonBJ.mp3

I have passed "Gate!"

2006-04-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

Let life continue. For the small price of some sleep I have passed the "gate" part of my thesis sequence! This means a few things: One, I will have time to "blog" more. Two, I get to start work as scheduled this summer at Port City Architecture. Three, I may stop being tired at some point here.

So if you are wondering what "gate" is I will explain: I am in my last year of architecture school. And all of us do an architectural "thesis." In this case the thesis is the design of a building. Yesterday was a sort of cut off day, where I had to put all my design ideas to date on a wall and my teachers looked at it and all my classmates' work while we were gone. They then decided if we were on track to finish by graduation in May. I am on track!

My presentation was really not very good, but in my defense I wasn't trying to have a good presentation, I was just trying to convey a lot of information. I am excited to have a "killer" presentation in May.

Here is a picture of my project:
Related links:
Thesis
Thesis Proposal

Robert Thomas Has Gone Superweb!

2006-04-01T22:38:00.000-05:00

My good friend Robert has a website! As of today I think.
Go see!

Google

2006-03-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

This site shows up on Google now! Just search for "Evan Carroll."

Yearbook done!

2006-03-30T15:38:00.000-05:00

We're selling the books now! And the final draft will be printed tomorrow.

For more info, go here.

Florence!

2006-03-27T15:04:00.000-05:00

I put up a new set of pictures of people in Florence.
Check it out!

People: Piazza Uffizi, Florence

2006-03-27T14:29:00.001-05:00

This series is the most fun I have ever had photographing people. Between the tourists, the street vendors, and the locals there was just so much happening. The pictures are in the order that I took them.

Ode to Robert Thomas!

2006-03-26T01:21:00.000-05:00

This is the perfect stencil:

Laura Bush: RWU 2006

2006-03-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

Laura Bush is going to be the Keynote Speaker during my graduation ceremony on May 20, 2006.* I have been thinking on this information for a few days now, and I object! I realize that Bush herself was not elected, and that she is not the creator of the policies of the President. She is however, where ever she goes, a defendant of these policies. She has to be. By having Bush here this school declares its tacit consent to the President's policies. That most certainly does not reflect my sentiments nor can it reflect the sentiments of all those connected with this school.

The question arises, "Why is Laura Bush coming to our school?" It is mostly likely the result of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women which was founded by Paula Nirschel, the wife of RWU President Roy Nirschel. This May, the first Afghan women who were sponsored by the Initiative will be graduating, and Laura Bush has spoken in support of the Initiative a couple of times.** The Initiative has been very successful for the the three Afghan women who will be graduating, but having Laura Bush speak at our graduation is foolishly taking advantage of their presence.

I am saying that this is foolish because Roger Williams has already been misrepresented too often in the past. Let us say that a person wants to find out about RWU, so they "google" "Roger Williams University." Results 9 and 10 (on the first page of results) are the RWU College Republicans, and the Wikipedia article on RWU which features the "White Scholarship Controversy." Basically, besides education, it is this controversy that RWU is know for, even though it is not at all a representation of the sentiments of the students or staff. I do not want Laura Bush, someone so closely tied to President Bush's policy, to bring more media attention to our school in this way. It does not look good for me as a future graduate who disagrees with many of the President's decisions, and it will not make me proud to invite my friends and family to watch me graduate.

Roger Williams University seems to be playing the "name game." Bringing Laura Bush to a graduation is indeed impressive but it misses the point. The Keynote Speaker at a graduation is supposed to be a person who inspires all the graduates to do something in the world. Laura Bush simply cannot do that for everyone.

*I have been told by a number of different people now that Laura Bush is going to be the main speaker at my graduation ceremony on May 20, 2006. I went to ask about it at RWU President Roy Nirschel's office and the secretary was clearly surprised and set off balance by my question. Then she wouldn't answer. Currently, I do not have official confirmation that Mrs. Bush will be coming but I have COMPLETE non-official confirmation. I have been told that she is coming by a teacher and a number of trustworthy classmates. One of the classmates has actually been to meet Mrs. Bush with Mrs. Nirschel as she is one of the participants in the IEAW.
** Here are the two documented speeches where Laura Bush has spoken about the IEAW:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/02/20050228-4.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/06/20040609-21.html

Hot Sextet

2006-03-19T23:53:00.001-05:00

These guys aren't really a band anymore, but they're all still around. It was really fun following them around and taking pictures last year. One day I'll have a better camera. My point and shoot (with a few other minor adjusters) really doesn't cut it in concert situations, but its all I have for now. Anyway lets see the pictures!

I lived with Tony Hollums last year. He is one of the most energetic capable musicians I know. He's doing cool stuff in the Boston area now.

Tony C. is still here at SAAHP. Great sax player! I'm not sure what next year will be for him.

Heather was the last addition to the band, but her trumpet style was a great addition.
Here's Liam, one of the two guitar players. I never got a good picture of the other guitar player.

This shot is from the cafeteria at our school.

Self Proclaimed Graduation Speech

2006-03-14T13:22:00.001-05:00

A few months ago I wrote this. I don't think there is even a time when I would have an opportunity to make this speech, because I don't think that the architecture majors really have a separate ceremony. At any rate, this is what I would like to say, given the opportunity.

Speech

Self Proclaimed Graduation Speech

2006-03-14T13:13:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone. I am an architecture student. We are soon to be architecture graduates. Proud to have succeeded in one of the most rigorous academic programs in any undergraduate school anywhere. We are soon to become architects. How did we get here though? And where do we go from here? The two most cliche big questions, and yet quite obviously the ones I should at least try to answer.

I dare say we got here in a bubble, and we are about to enter a bigger bubble. We have been at this school, not even that though, we have been in this building for five years, and we are about to enter the world for the rest of our lives. I think I just made another cliche statement, but to us it means something, because we, our charge is to work in space. We have spent 12 years sheltered and shaped at this school and now. . . The world is our pallet. Nothing short of that. We work with spaces, and out there is plenty of space. Maybe in our lifetimes our pallet increases beyond our gravitational boarders even.

We need to think about this though. The world is our pallet, what are we going to do with it? We may have gone to school for architecture, but I can assure all of you, we are not the only ones with opinions about this great canvas we have to work with. Ask my mom, she likes the town next to mine, where every commercial building must be colonial. Ask my friends, who are concerned about how much driving we all do. Ask you grandparents who really don't want to go to a nursing home, and I don't blame them. Ask the mayors who don't know how to handle the homeless. Ask the terrorists, they have an opinion too.

We have, so far, only occasionally chosen to ask any of these people anything, but I'm sure each of us have become increasingly aware of these "opinions" every time we say "I'm in architecture school." Every time I say "I'm going to be an architect," I get two comments. The first we all know and laugh at, and I'm sure many of us have stopped trying to explain that we are probably not going to be rich. There is the second comment though, it's not characterized exactly, but always the same sort of thing: the inevitable suggestion, opinion, or comment. Things like, "Well I bet you're never gonna build a sky scraper now." or "What do you think of that ugly new building on main street?" We have a tendency, at least I do, to want to dismiss this stuff saying, "I have an education in architecture, and you can't possible see things the way I do." I can't continue doing that though. We definitely cannot continue doing that. We are about to enter that society where everyone has an opinion, and everyone is a potential client. What are we gonna do then?

We're not going to go around dismissing what everyone says. Some of us will swallow our pride, others will try to convince them to see things our way, others of us will just keep on walking till someone says what we want to here. These people, everyone, their comments and their idea will be our world whether we like it or not. And its time we stop sniffling about it.

What I'm trying to say here is this. We can, if we so chose, dive into the fray. The built environment, you could say, is a hot topic but even THAT would be a huge understatement. It deals with identity of communities, it deals with personal pride, national identity. Cities, and this is no news to us, have created a new kind of living environment that we still don't fully understand, love, or hate. There is so much to be learned about how we box ourselves in. And basically, that's what we do, and when said that way, "we box ourselves in," It makes me want to do it right. And "doing it right," is not a known thing, it's more of a question. What is the right way to build boxes for ourselves? Some people say "not a box." If they are right, then we have a hundred years of boxes to correct. That's just one example.

Dive into the fray though. We need to. We need to better understand why we don't communicate so well with the rest of the world. It's not something to be shrugged off. We need to start making changes. If we believe codes suck, then dammit we need to quit saying "codes suck" to our peers when we go out for coffee, and we need to walk into city hall and say, "codes suck, and hers why!" We have an education. That does not make us separate from the rest of the world, it makes us responsible. If people do not understand us we need to teach them. Some of us will teach our clients one by one. Some of us will choose not to teach at all. I for one, intend to teach the people who make the rules, and I don't want to be alone. We can all do little things in this respect. There are planning boards, and we should all try to be on one. There are redevelopment committees, and we should know what they are up to. There are conferences on codes across the country, and we should go to them.

If this sounds boring, or way out of line for an architect, fine. If you don't want to get involved, fine. You've just never been into politics, fine. If you are saying these things and not listening to me then you're missing the point. Listen to me now. We will build things. We will effect communities with the buildings we design. We will make enemies and friends. We will have to defend ourselves sometimes. We will have to back off and just make people happy sometimes. If that is not politics, if that is not being involved then I don't know what is. We are about to embark on a new great journey. When we graduate today we will be stepping for the first time on our rightful canvas, this world. Its our canvas, but we're not the only ones holding the brush. When its done we won't be hanging our paintings in the living room, we will be putting them on a billboard on the freeway. That's all I have to say. I guess I ended with a funny metaphor. Our work has only just begun.

Misc.

2006-03-14T11:07:00.000-05:00

FYI: The "Misc." section of my site is becoming as much a resource for me as for other people. I'm just loading it up with links and info I need so that I can always get to it. Don't worry, none of it will be TOO personal.

Music

2006-03-13T23:24:00.001-05:00

Joe Pollack
I was just going to list this site as one of my friends, because I consider Joe friend after all, but that doesn't do it justice. I think that Joe mixes music like with best (although I admit I don't know alot about that scene). At any rate, I think these songs are awesome!
I like "50 Suite" because it is truely whitty music. They're all good though.

Joe's Music Link

Phantom Buffalo
I always knew these guys as the "Ponys," but I guess they changed their name. I also got to see them live recently and they are half way through a tour of the US. Please checkout this great stuff too!

Phantom Buffalo Myspace

Asian Mae
I was lucky enough to stumble upon this live performance in the little shop called Strange Maine on Congress Street in Portland. She is ahuntingly beautiful! There is music on her myspace page, so listen to it!!!!

Asian Mae's Myspace

Satellite Lot
Those of you who know me well should know these guys already. Jesse Hautala's bother Aaron is in the band. Here you will find a few songs. Listen to at least a bit of all of them. . . they're all different.

The Satellite Lot media page.

Imogen Heap
Imogen is on the Garden State Soundtrack as part of Fru Fru (i think thats the band name). Anyway, this interview is great! Good music, good info.

Its from World Cafe (NPR)

Joanna Newsom
I should be sleeping right now, but I listened to this CD by Joanna Newsom (Milk-Eyed Mender) and decided to look her up. I have been listening to this CD before bed off and on for the last few weeks, and I really like it. Most of the songs are just voice and harp (played by her) and I dare say her voice is something to get used to. I am not sure why it (her voice) doesn't bother me, but it doesn't. What I'm trying to say here is that I think this CD is awesome.

If you go to this link be sure to listen to "Book of Right On."

If you go to this link be sure to watch "The Sprout and the Bean."

Important Dates

2006-03-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

I have no important dates at this time. (lame huh?)

Joanna Newsom

2006-03-13T23:13:00.000-05:00

I should be sleeping right now, but I listened to this CD by Joanna Newsom (Milk-Eyed Mender) and decided to look her up. I have been listening to this CD before bed off and on for the last few weeks, and I really like it. Most of the songs are just voice and harp (played by her) and I dare say her voice is something to get used to. I am not sure why it (her voice) doesn't bother me, but it doesn't. What I'm trying to say here is that I think this CD is awesome.

If you go to this link be sure to listen to "Book of Right On."

If you go to this link be sure to watch "The Sprout and the Bean."