Day Nine

you have internet today! yaaaaaaaaaay! (like Special Ed from Crank Yankers). i love you, yaaaaaaaaaaaay! can you reading me now?

i'll keep this short and sweet, like a midget selling lollipops. the Flying Lotus and Madlib show was last weekend, not New Year's Eve, unfortunately. but still in the spirit of LA music, here's a tripped out video from FlyLo, a song that sounds a lot like Yesterday's New Quintet.

LRV, b



Flying Lotus: "MmmHmm"

Day Eight

it's been a full week now. some of your things are still where you left them. and some of your laundry made it into mine. as i was sorting it, i thought "it'll be a while before she needs this again", and just tossed the items into a pile on the floor. (kidding).

happy to hear things are settling down and you're starting to find your way around your new spaces. so maybe this week we should listen to some LA music, get you some local flavor. the first song that pops into my head when i think "LA" is this one, which should totally be Song of the Year, if the music industry had any sense. it really hits all the marks: catchy, fun, a little strange; the kinda thing you could just drive around the city listening to, discovering new things around every corner.

you should treat yourself to a joyride or a movie or something this weekend. it's been a hectic week. you deserve it.

LRV, b



Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: "Round and Round"

Day Seven

gloomy here today. gray and windy, but at least it's temperate; 50s. made me think of this song, which i find kinda cheesy but i know you love it, and that's why i like it. you put it on the first mix cd you made me, (and "Anniversary" too). have you found this to be true? Nicole says it's pretty accurate, but when it does rain, it pours. and then it floods. and then the mud starts shifting and taking whole houses off mountains, or sinking neighborhoods into ditches. anyway, hope it stays sunny outside and in yr beautiful mind. no mud slide doodoo rides for you.

LRV, b



Tony! Toni! Tone!: "It Never Rains (In Southern California")

Day Six

here's how i knew you were the girl for me: of course, we talked about music on the night we met. you said you were into the Dead Kennedys, which immediately said "she rocks" to my brain. and then you asked me, i repeat YOU asked ME, if i had heard of Stereolab. "she's awesome!" my brain screamed. a girl that loves Stereolab as much as i do, you don't lose her number. you call it the next day. and i did.

today, i'm thinking "Ping Pong", because Dots & Loops is your favorite Stereolab record (i still claim Sound Dust), and because it's about the nature of struggle; not losing yourself in the face of adversity, and taking things with a grain of salt. well, it's about war and economics, specifically, but the aforementioned big-picture still holds up. also, it's a cool video.

LRV, b



Stereolab: "Ping Pong"

Day Five

first days are always difficult. there's no getting around it. no matter where you are, what industry you're in, there will always be new ways of doing things, procedures you're unfamiliar with, and new people to navigate. but if it was all gravy from the get-go, then it wouldn't be rewarding at all. you'd learn nothing. the monotony and brainless-ness would eat you alive throughout your tenure, and you'd be looking for ways out immediately. you don't want that.

with all that in mind, take a step back and review: where do you need the most help, how can you prepare for each new challenge (even if they seem to spring up at random), and most of all what steps can you take to ensure your progress.

i would be worried if there was no challenge. but i know you, your tenacity, your desire to excel, and your resilience. it's a little overwhelming now, but you'll progress ten-fold before you know it.

the best advice i can give for today is best sung by Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, in one of my all-time favorite songs...

LRV, b




The Impressions: "Keep On Pushin'"

Day Four

today is the day you embark on your journey for real; your first day of work. will it be fun? will there be unbearable politics among staff rankings, catty gossips or frigid bitches who make new fish's lives the pits? which patients will you really connect with? will the administration help you when you have questions? ...

but i know you too well. even when you get flustered or frustrated, you keep your chin up. you take the sage advice from our most eloquent friend, "Don't let it get you down." i'm sure our phone convo tonight will be full of light and we'll both feel like we're in this for life, you and me, together in love, 3000 miles apart yet connect through the heart. awww, i just watched this video twice and i guess Ghost's voice is still ringing in my head.

anyway, in honor of your first day, some inspirational words from MJ: "no matter how hard that times may seem, don't give up your plans, don't give up your dreams."

you're gonna be great, and they'll love you almost as much as i do. i'm sure of it.

LRV, b



Ghostface, Method Man, Raekwon: "Our Dreams"

Day Three

so it's kinda sinking in.... you won't be home for a while. at first the idea seemed manageable: while yr gone, i can spend unlimited time working on music, leave the toilet seat up, move in to a couple dresser drawers.... but the realization that even though i'm surrounded by you --your clothes, your things, your pictures-- you're not here, and won't be for months, just rains on my soul. the reality is slightly devastating. but in theory, i suppose it works.

your new job starts tomorrow and i hope it is challenging and enjoyable. i know you'll do great. there will be an adjustment period, but you'll find your groove soon enough. stay sharp, keep your cool. i have endless faith in you.

but i hate that your apartment has such bad phone reception. it's an awful tease to hear your voice only to have the call drop out mid-sentence. sucks that they moved you into one of the only places in the country, (and our phone service provider is the supposed "leader" in coverage), that's a dead zone. some might read an ominous omen in the midst, i say it's a minor setback. nothing we can't overcome.

and you have yet to find an internet hub, which means you haven't gotten any of these transmissions yet. but that's okay. they're here, in the ether, and they'll be here when you can come around. the vibrations will still reach you. sad as i am growing, i still radiate love to you. and until you come back i will be here,
in our home, building imaginary pyramids for you.

with Hieroglyphics (aka: Souls of Mischief) and one of many songs i'm eternally thankful to you for enlightening me.


LRV, b




Hieroglyphics, "Cab Fare"