Sunday, December 14, 2008

Weekend Update

One week to go till I attempt to evacuate the island. Can you believe it? Christmas is here?
Musical Artist of the Week: I make one musical suggestion for you all every week. And I'm pretty sure that most of the time it doesn't challenge anyone enough to actually cause them to take the 30 seconds to go on to iTunes and buy it. But if you were ever going to listen to me, now is the time, because the album I'm about to recommend comes with a guarantee. If you buy it and don't like it, I guarantee that you have no taste in music.

Dennis Wilson's"Pacific Ocean Blue & Bambu (Deluxe Legacy Edition)" Dennis Wilson was the drummer and lesser known Wilson brother in the Beach Boys (Most people know Brian). Dennis also owned the studio where they recorded and when the Beach Boys weren't on tour or recording he was in the studio making these albums (Bambu named for the rolling papers, was never released till lately). Basically these two albums showcase all of the parts of the Beach Boys sound that I enjoy from albums like Pet Sounds but also have a distinctly Dr. Dog, My Morning Jacket and The Band feel the them. The songs flow up and down from rompous blues melodies to meditative ethereal chants to symphonic and epic soundscape harmonies and all orchestrated or played by Dennis himself. Please Please Please give it a try I promise it won't let you down, and worst case scenario you get a photo of what my little brother will look like when he's 45 (assuming he'll ever be able to grow a beard).

Old Person Phrase of the Week: Suckerin' Suckatash. Simply put, I have no idea what the f*** this means or why you would ever want to say it, but it is something an old fart would say so if you ever hear it, question the wrinkly grammar perp right then and there and report back to me immediately.

Weather on Nunivak: This week last year I learned more about weather than I ever thought I would as I anxiously checked all possible sites for updates as I tried to get home for the holidays. Some of the most helpful websites are kusko.net and the NOAA site for Mekoryuk. Between these two sites I can track wind patterns, pressure fronts, temp changes, and visibility forecasts. In order to get off the island I need less than 30 mph wind in both Mekoryuk and Bethel, I need +1 mile of visibility in both, and I need a complete absence of freezing fog/rain. Right now with 44mph gusts outside, dropping barometric pressure, and precipitation, this wouldn't be a day I would get a flight. I'm just hoping the Bering Sea blows itself out now and will be nice for friday/saturday. But as an old Eskimo woman once told me, the plane will only come if "God Wills It." As scientifically ridiculous as that sounds to me it has a sizable nugget of truth, no amount of checking the weather will actually have an effect on whether or not I get a plane, but since I don't pray this is what I can do, research and interpret data. We'll see how it goes...

Personal Art Update: Obviously the Art Show was a great success, I decided to keep my art out of the show and make it student centered. I have been practicing about 10 songs every day and should be all ready to perform at various gatherings of friends and family over break, which I'm very excited about.

Fitness Update: I played open gym basketball twice last week and did yoga twice, in other words I was a sore puppy come the end of the week. Unfortunately people keep sending and giving me candy and goodies and since I'm completely out of groceries I can't seem to stop eating them. The big test will be over break to see if I can avoid some habits I have quit since last time I was down south. Damn you holidays and your tricks.

Next to Lastly But Not Leastly: A special thank you to all the amazing people who sent me birthday gifts great and small, it made my birthday very very special. I got a hand made hat, and some socks and chocolate from Katie (thanks baby!), some birthday cards from Erin, Angie and Sadie in Bethel, The My Morning Jacket and Sufjan Stevens christmas albums from my brother, some various cookies and other yummynesses from my nunivakian friends, and an iPod from my parents.

The iPod is the second time my family has forced me into the modern age. I was officially the last person in the state of washington to get a cell phone (another gift from the fam), and once again with this gift I enter a new age of technology, the iPod world. Its not just an iPod though, its got my name on it and 120 gigs of memory making it a badass iPod. I put everything I own on it and only took up 11 gigs. Why do I resist giving into things that in the end will make my life better (in the short term, I may still get a brain tumor from both). Regardless having the iPod has made my sleeping a little more comfortable as I no longer have to truck my laptop into bed with me to listen to music on my headphones when I fall asleep. The only thing I don't like about cell phones and iPods is that they are one more thing to keep track of and worry about losing. Oh well...I love the gift, thanks mom and dad.

Lastly But Most Importantly: A very proud congratulations must go out to my Little brother Hal for his staggering accomplishment of graduating from Washington State University in a clean and very dignified 4 years. If you've ever been to Pullman, known graduates, or seen the difficulties that go along with living in this Olympic quality drinking town you would know that graduating from there in 4 years is something to be very very proud of (most people stay 5 plus years for a 4 year degree). Also, he never got arrested which is also extremely difficult to do as well and I'm very very very proud of the man he is becoming. I'm so sorry Hal for missing your High School and College graduations, not very big brotherly I know, but every time you graduate I'm in a foreign country far away and who's fault is that?...oh yea mine...excuuuuuuuuse me. I'm also really excited that he is going to be a teacher too! This just ups the chances of one day being able to teach with my brother.

After Christmas break he will be doing his student teaching on for a Department of Defense base in England. We will be meeting up at the end of May and doing the Mediterranean Coast for a month or so before returning home to Washington for good!

Congratulations Hal! I love you brother, you are turning into an even great er person every day, I am so proud of you and I can't wait to see you for break!

Have a great week everybody and check out the art show below!!!

2 comments:

Hal Iverson said...

Thanks for the post bro! A couple of things...
-Do you really think I look like Dennis Wilson? Thank guy is a bad ass, if I could grow that beard-then my life would be complete.
-for your b-day, I also got you a subscription to Relix magazine, which has consistently influenced me to buy about 1 or 2 albums per magazine...you will thank me for this later.
-to be fair, I graduated in 4.5 years. And I am proud to be a super senior.
-Cant wait to be in Europa with you! bought my plane ticket today!
-Love you brother!

Kale Iverson said...

Yes you look like Dennis Wilson

Drinking lots of coffee grows beard hairs

I forgot to mention the Relix subscription, sorry buddy

Hey you were getting a teaching degree so a little leeway is granted and you still never got arrested

I can't wait till we are maxin and relaxin on the fine sunny shores of Europe myself.

Love you too hal!


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