I’m listening to a bunch of interesting new (to me) music these past couple of days: Sigur Ros, Low, and The Beta Band. Todd also brought in a copy of Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, which I haven’t heard in a looooong time. Good to git some old punk on for sure.

Tonight I was able to use the compound miter saw my sister gave me for Christmas for the first time to build the first of many picture frames I have planned. Oh, Mother of God, it is a holy thing. The cuts are clean, sharp, and precise. The angles are exact, the feel is solid. There is something transcendent about working with wood and tools after staring at a computer all day… I did some basic sanding, then put all four sections in the jig, glued and sanded them. The frame went together like a fresh jigsaw puzzle. Apart from some poor planning (the cuts I made in the sides to fit the glass are much too shallow), the frame is perfect. Thank you, Renie.

I got in touch with an old friend from high school last night, the guy whose floor I slept on probably more than my own (he lived much closer to town than I did.) He’s doing great, is engaged to marry this year, and is teaching a variety of music classes at my old school. I have to admit, I don’t know what surprised me more— the fact that he’s getting married or that my school installed a recording and mixing studio.