New Days at the Home Office

New on the Range

Okay, Imma try this again tonight. I think it might work this time. Range Life's been in repeat mode for a good month+, and it's time to get back to it.

LOTS of great new stuff. So much that any attempt to throw it all at you will be a bit schizophrenic. So that's what we'll go with.

The Arcade Fire have a new album out, of course, and it's a sign of my daily schedule right now that I've yet to pick up a copy. But I'll hit the Record Exchange before showtime and come prepared.

Matthew Dear's new one is pretty amazing, and I've got an advance of that. What else? School of Seven Bells, Sin Ropas, Jon Hopkins, Mount Kimbie, To Rococo Rot, Department of Eagles, Pantha du Prince, and a whole lot more.

Tune in, 5 to 7, www.radioboise.org, and see if I can get myself out of the house and downtown for a few hours.

Sunday

The birthday ride.



The birthday tree.



The birthday pie.



Best gift ever.



Best birthday I can remember.

Happy Friday

The Arcade Fire played Madison Square Garden with Spoon opening. That would not have sucked. Thanks to PFork.

The Wife and Kid

Pretty nice, eh? Also, glad to see the boy seems comfortable in the kitchen.

The Claw Grip

Everyone needs some basic skills help once in a while. Cooking instructor Helen Rennie, on her blog Beyond Salmon (she had a former role as columnist for the awesome site Culinate), is producing videos to provide just that. This one is so basic most people don't think about it til it's too late.

Bath Time

Theo bath time again-in a tub this time from cathy fischer on Vimeo.

This is a long one, possibly of interest to grandma-types only. But it's pretty damn cute.

Lost Where I Belong

Andreya Triana's voice just kills me. Her debut album is out the end of this month, and if advance tracks are any indication it's gonna be something.



Here's Triana doing vocals on a track from Bonobo's newest, the first time I'd heard her voice (though her first big exposure was on a Flying Lotus EP that I missed at the time).

Staring at Babies

Before breakfast with Theo from Christopher Hess on Vimeo.

I don't see this stopping any time soon...

Good to be reminded now and then...

Andrew puts things in perspective. We are an impatient lot.

A Serious Hairbrushing

Theo getting hair brushed after bath from cathy fischer on Vimeo.

The Baby Haze

The hours and days just disappear.

We watch facial expressions change, watch eyelids twitch during sleep, listen to the changing sounds of his breathing.


For hours and days at a time.


A friend told us to enjoy the baby haze, and that's exactly what this is.

Real life intrudes next week as I return to work. I can hardly remember what work is like.

In Between Days

Superchunk covers The Cure

THIS is pretty cool.

Theodore Ray Hess

Meet our new son Theo. He arrived last Monday, 7/12/10, safe and sound.

Everything went well, and we all walked home from St. Luke's together on Wednesday afternoon.

Now we're at home getting to know each other. It's pretty great.










He's had his first bath, which we're pretty sure he didn't love so much.


We hang out and watch the Tour, usually between 2 and 6 am.


We eat and sleep a lot. We change a diaper now and then.



Theo likes his mom a whole lot.

Thanks for all the good will, everyone.

Lou, Lou, Lou, it's the beginning of a great adventure...

Oh My Goodness

Meet the new guy. He's pretty much perfect. Name to come.

Abbott Kicking It In Italy

That other European bike race is taking all the attention right now, but hey: Mara Abbott is working on becoming the first American to win the Giro Donne (the women's Giro d'Italia). She won the queen stage today up the Stelvio.

Sadly, Amber Neben crashed out, but not until after helping Abbott set up for the final climb.

Germany Gets Bronze

The German team acquited themselves with honor today, winning 3rd prize from a determined and dynamic Uruguay side. It was a hard-fought match played fairly and without distracting theatrics. Let's hope tomorrow is more of the same.

Surprisingly enough, I'll be cheering on the Spaniards tomorrow. Arjen Robben is too much for me to bear. Add Van Bommel's thuggery to the mix and, sure, they're effective, but there's just no way I could feel good about cheering for them. I don't need a team to play a game beautifully (I'm an American fan, after all), but I can't stand when it's played purely cynically.

Why didn't anyone tell me this record was so good?

I've been sitting on it for months. Finally listened to it loud and the whole way through. Cripes, this sh*t's brilliant. More to come.

All Quiet

Just in case anyone's checking in here for actual information, we're still standing by. Monday's the deadline, so cross your fingers for some excitement this weekend.

The Books

A new video from The Books.