I noticed today, as I walked through the aisles of Whole Foods on my weekly grocery shopping trip, that half the people in the place were wondering around like zombies with iPods attached to their heads. Now, I'll admit to owning an iPod and using it frequently, especially when riding Metro to work and when I'm sitting at my desk. I love the thing and can't remember what I did without it. Yet, it seems to me that some among us have begun to isolate themselves in the extreme by slapping the bud headphones into their ears and going about their business, ignoring the rest of us.

To the short fat man who blocked the pasta aisle and took away part of my Sunday while jamming to Cher's "Believe", and to everyone who seems so put off by the rest of us that they can't live with the traumatic noise levels inside the grocery stores, WAKE UP! Living in this city (and most cities) means interacting with your fellow human beings. I moved here because I like being around a lot of people. If you really can't handle being part of the community while picking out organic arugula, then I know a few sparsely populated towns in western Ohio that would love to have you. Groceries are much cheaper there, anyway.

Marty's August Album of the Month

Yeah, two posts in one day. I have a lot of non-blogged time to make up for...

I'm going to now institute Marty's Album of the Month, an award given to an artist's collection of songs that somehow penetrated my impressive lack of attention and made me a fan. For the month of August 2005, my pick is "The Understanding" by Royksopp. Rhapsody describes them as a "Norwegian electronica duo" with a "divine mix of bouncy beats and sample-based downtempo." I'm a fan of big music that uses the whole frequency range, includes symphonious vocals, and makes me want to dance...and I found that with this album. I hope you take some time to find it, enjoy it, and let me know what you think.

So why does one blog?

There are many answers to that question, depending on what you're trying to accomplish. Some use blogging as a way to communicate with the world in a way that they are unable to do when face-to-face with those important to them. Yet others blog as a way to register their lives with the world in a way thought unimaginable only 15 years ago, archived in a world that is searched by hundreds of millions every day.

I've started my blog as a way to share with the world what I hope are interesting bits of life that would otherwise fade into the background of our greater reality. So, don't expect to see the extreme ups or downs of my life here, or anything you would expect to hear when asking the question "How're you doing?". What you will get is a look into the way that I see the world (scary, right) and maybe an opinion or two along the way. Oh yeah, I'd like some comments too. :)

The Beginning (or End) of an Era

I've decided to join my brothers and sisters in cyberspace to make sure that the world is not denied the odd and strange things in which I seem to become involved on a regular basis.

Look for more to come soon. You'll have to wait a little while. Come on! It's a Friday!

I see you...