Strangechord

So much to say and I’m too exhausted to say it all! It was good to hang out with my mama. I had to work today and all the rest of this week and much of next week to make up for lost hours while I was away. I start Spring term next week too.

I have so many memories in Fairfield. I spent most of my childhood there - ages 7-17 and then returned when I was 19-21. So there are two sets of memories, really - the ones of growing up and the ones of my gothic / heavily romantic early adult years. I drove around in my mom’s car on Sunday taking photos of some of the old haunts, including spots on M.U.M. campus, the abandoned Iowa Malleable Factory, various friends’ houses, etc. I’ll post the pics this weekend with commentary. I’ve been stuck in nostalgia since I returned and not quite feeling the here and now if you know what I mean.

While there, I spent a fantastic evening with my friend, Rachael, and her new guy, Scott. I see her every few years. She and I are always on the same wavelength musically (back in the day I introduced her to Lycia, she introduced me to The Smiths, I introduced her to cranes, she introduced me to Siouxsie and so on), so we traded “newly discovered” listens for hours. I played them some of what I had on my iPod - Boards of Canada (which I knew she’d love), Neutral Milk Hotel, Mary Timony, Lamb, the new Creatures album, and she played me The Flaming Lips, Make-Up, and Avg. Fellow (a genius Fairfield ambient guy who went to the same school as we did).

Portland’s spring has come a good two months ahead of Iowa. It is completely gorgeous here - full of color and blooms - I can’t get over it. Flying over the Cascades the other day, it all looked fake, like Technicolor world after spending a week in the tired-out browns and yellows of Iowa. I’ll be getting back into regular blogging now. Sorry for the absence; I am so touched some of you missed me!