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In a twist, our land lord coughed up a bank check for our rent plus interest. Kate's just going to push him for the gas bill... He'll get a nasty letter today requesting the 2x settlement. (We mailed it so it would arrive in time to move forward). Oh well. He actually did something right. I'm shocked. I guess he is really afraid of litigation (and blowing open the tax evasion scheme).
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:27 AM

 


Thursday evening, I joined Kate, cBenc and his lady friend Erin for Grace Potter's free performance in Copley Sq. I don't have a setlist, but it was definitely an enjoyable show. The PA was a bit crunchy, so they stayed away from a lot of their blues pieces and focused more on loud, distorted rockers with hints of soul. Bassist Brian Dondero's upright wasn't even on stage. He just played his electrics. Grace spent a lot more time with a guitar than behind her organ.

It was fun. Grace even busted out a flying V. The former film student's flair for visuals can add a nice touch. Those things sound awful, but rock oh so well.

edit8/1/06: Setlist
Nothing But The water
Arms Length
Treat Me Right
Over Again
Meantime
Stop the Bus
Big white Gate
Every Mile- Delta
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:44 PM

 
It's time to rage against the land lord.

Before our 4th of July break, he said that we could renew the lease in July. He took a vacation in mid July, and set up a meeting on his return to sign the lease. Less than a day before the meeting, he decided to inform us of changes in the lease (a $180/month price increase and a pet ban). Needless to say we are not happy.

Since we've sicced the inspectors on him, he has no legal ground to raise the rent. MA automatically equates this to illegal retaliation if done within 6 months of contact with the authorities. (the last inspection was in July).

Our land lord has fraudulently listed his mothers apartment as his address, while he maintains a residence in Providence. He has illegally deposited our last month and security deposit into an account in an out of state bank and failed to issue receipts or a statement of conditions (requirements of the state, which if not met in 30 days result in the forfeit of the sec. deposit). At this point he is liable for 3x damages (security deposit + 3x deposit = mad scrillas). We've mailed a nasty attempt to settle without the courts for a 2x deposit.

I'm very tempted to start reporting him for tax fraud in MA, RI and to the FEDs with form 3949 A.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 3:50 PM

 
Umphrey's McGee 07/18/06 Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH
Galactic opened
Set I: Walletsworth, Professor Wormbog, Utopian Fir> Meeting In The Aisle1> Utopian Fir> Liquid> Push the Pig, Panama
Set II: Tribute to the Spinal Shaft> Women Wine and Song2, Morning Song, All in Time, Words, Resolution3
Encore: The Triple Wide4

1 First Time Played (Radiohead)
2 Ben Ellman (Galactic) on harmonica
3 'Norwegian Wood' Jam
4 'Rhiannon' and 'Stranglehold' teases

I really like the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom. I've only seen two shows there, but there's something about the room, the cool sea breeze, and an audience that contains a bunch of people who took some or all of the day to relax on the beach. the vibe is excellent. I knew going in that it was the type of venue that UM would enjoy playing. Couple that with a Tuesday night, a snoozer on the tour schedule, caught between Atlantic City and Northampton and there's a recipe for greatness. Umphrey's didn't disappoint.

Galactic's opening set was enjoyable, but couldn't help but make me feel that Galactic is only impressive to people who haven't seen drummer Stanton Moore in a solo or other configuration. He's much better than the band needs him to be.

The UM sets were excellent, with a loose and energetic approach. They ripped when they wanted to rock. They were mellow and introspective. They covered an obscure Radiohead tune in a set with a bar-band-esque take on Van Halen's biggest, and most annoying hit.

Despite some monitor mixing issues, and mic problems, the band had a great time and brought that out in their music. It was a great time.
posted by Ben at (1) comments 8:01 PM

 
One of the things I really enjoy about summer is using it, and the heat as an excuse to slow or stall time. I take to the lakes for kayaking, fishing and the like, and also for sitting on a chair and reading a book. This summer I've read some good books, and some bad books that were supposed to be good.

Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
This book is highly visible on book lists, in promo displays. Hosseini's first novel is certainly well marketted. It's popular. People on the Umphrey's bort have even recomended it as a good read. I picked it up expecting an interesting read with some tidbits of afgani culture.

Unfortunately, Khaled Hosseini's didn't intend to tell a story of afghani culture, to paint (as his publishers marketing team suggests) a portrait of modern Afghanistan. In stead he strings together vignettes of a boyhood in Afghanistan, and teenage years and adulthood in the states, with the obligatory return to pre-9/11 Afghanistan. While some of these vignettes are occasionally compelling, and suspenseful the writing is heavy handed, and pounds its ideas of theme and character into your head. It begs for analysis, and provides its answers quickly and conveniently. Kite runner is the perfect novel for a lit student who is too busy to read the assigned novels, and can only afford to skim them before crafting an essay. The answers are plain as day... unfortunately Hosseini spends too much time telling you what you should think about the events unfolding to actually make his characters dynamic, or even achieve the thematic turns he so promises.

I don't want to spoil the ending for any innocent reader.... but I will say this book is too bland and over written to really be bad. It is forgettable drivel. A waste of pulp and ink.

The Devil in the White City - Eric Larson
I finally got my hands on a copy of Larson's tale of the Chicago Worlds Fair. I'd been meaning to read this since my history of technology in America class but after years of listing it on birthday and Christmas wish lists (and seldom buying novels myself) the book arrived and I jumped in.

One of the fundamental themes of this History class was the idea of the technological sublime (yes, we even read David Nye's text on the subject). I love how in early America innovative technology was a pop culture thrill. It wasn't just geeks getting giggity glaven about a new gadget. Technology changed the way Americans perceived their world.

As interesting as the time and the history are, the impressive thing about Larson's book is the way that it crafts suspense both interns of deadlines, logistics, and finding an Eiffel tower beating something, as well as the suspense in the devilish serial killer plot.

In all fairness, I could have done without that whole sub plot and would have been thrilled with the book but I can imagine that there are reader's who would like to see less talk of landscaping, architecture, and engineering.

Master and Commander - Patrick O'Brien
I saw the film amalgam of this novel and Far Side of The World. I thought it was excellent. Kate didn't. O’Brien is a highly praised author, so I thought I'd give his first Aubrey/Mautin novel a try.

While the book maintains the balance of aristocratic class, naval maneuvering, and scientific discourse that made the film delightful, and doubtlessly sustains the novels' broad fan base I couldn’t help but be bogged down in the incredible detail of the prose. From the names of the sails, to the dimensions of the boat, the decks, the quarters no specification was left unnoted. At times this depth was excruciating, and impeded my enjoyment of the story. But I must admit, a part of me wants to see if after a book or two O'Brien had expressed enough detail to demonstrate his incredible knowledge of the subject and focus more on story telling.

Wild Brews: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition - Jeff Sparrow
This home brewers guide focuses on the spontaneously fermented beers of Belgium, particularly lambics and Flanders Reds/Browns. It blends technical depth, graphs, and charts with romantic story telling and history. There are equal parts micro biology and romance. It's already started influencing my brewing habits and goals.

In all fairness, I should point out that there are a number of minor technical error and omissions in this book that seem to indicate hasty composition and editing. A second, revised edition will seem much more credible.

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The literature of postmodern writes tends to forsake character and story to wallow in the formalistic limits of reader-response theory. Fortunately, Gladwell has figured out a way to weave interesting narratives while constantly reminding readers that they are reading a book and should think about it as such.

Cloud Atlas ran the risk of being a pretentious portfolio of writing styles, forcing attention and praise onto the author's ability to write in different voices, styles, and tones. Fortunately, Cloud Atlas in thematically unified and explores weighty themes while allowing it's characters room to grow and explore. It is a study in story telling as well as a treatise on the human condition: particularly the drives to innovate, to succeed, and to be free.

It is a thoughtful and inspiring novel.

The Tipping Point - Malcom Gladwell
I'm a bit late to the party, But I can say that i enjoyed the tipping point. Not because the notion of "tipping points" is really a novel or complex idea. I enjoyed reading about the examples he used to typify his theory. There were great chapters about the efficacy of Pual Revere's ride, designing children’s television shows, and even cigarette and drug use. The diverse case studies made the book worthwhile. That and its astute observations about mavens and connectors.

posted by Ben at (1) comments 10:39 AM