"Always the last to know..."

Del Amitri and Me. That is what my understanding is today; because, apparently someone issued a memo that says it is okay now to wear your pajamas whenever you want. Which is really sad to me--that I didn't get the memo I mean--because I love wearing pajamas. I mean, first off, who doesn't like to be comfortable all the time in loose fitting flannel pants. I know I sure do. But apparently, as evidenced by the jackhole in the Kennedy Plaza Bus Depot, they make pajama shorts that you can wear around out in public now too.

Ugh... Doomed.

I discovered a new site today--which means, naturally, that everybody else has known about it for ages. It is called Five Chapters, and it is a great online literature site. Look at some of the authors that have contributed:

1. Josh Emmons
   
2. Jennifer Egan
   
3. Aimee Bender
   
4. Anthony Swofford
   
5. Ben Greenman
   

It's like a who's-who of authors that I wish I could be--except for Anthony Swofford;who, I am sure, has seen shit that you just can't unsee and I don't need that. Anyway if you like reading and are into submitting writing then... WOW how can you not be excited about this site.

What they do is put up a short story in five serialized installments Monday through Friday. I read about six of them today, all of them were fantastic. Check it out.

I started working "banker's hours" this week and I have to come clean: I kind of hate it. I had been working Wednesday to Sunday, mostly in the evenings and usually two ten to twelve hour days and three six hour days and I loved it. Now I am Monday to Friday eight to four and I am already bored: it is day four. This is going to be a long arduous summer.

The good news: the theater where I work is starting to talk about some of the concepts for our shows next season and it is going to be very, very exciting. So at least I have something to which I can look forward.

So I am going to put up a list of books and albums that I am listening to so that people can keep track (or check them out if they are interested); I will also be giving an on-deck circle for books I will be starting when I am finished with the currently started book.

Right now I am reading two books. The first, is Good Omens, written by Neil Gaimen and Terry Pratchett. The Second is The Loss of Leon Mead, by Josh Emmons.

Now it may seem odd that I JUST DISCOVERED a website featuring Emmons' work and I am reading his book at the same time. If you are paying attention, you are probably saying, Shenanigans, V., SHE-NANIGANS! The truth is that Josh Emmons is a friend of a friend of mine and my friend has been NOT pushing the book on me nearly as hard he should have been because it is a brilliant piece of writing. (As it should be considering Josh's pedigree from the Iowa Writer's Workshop, a place that I will sadly never attend. Woe is I.)

My on-deck circle is currently occupied by The Golden Compass, by Phillip Pullman, which is going to be made into a movie soon.

I am a big fan of children's fantasy, and I am thrilled to say it all started with Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising. I know I do a lot of jaw boning about entire post about this or entire post about that, but I think the time is right for me to follow through and sit down and write an entire post about something meaningful, and this is it. So stay tuned, sometime this week.

Currently I am listening to Lovely Wife's Eighties mix that is on her iPod, but I spent my work today catching up on some Power Pop and Retro sounding stuff. I highly recommend the albumWelcome Interstate Managers to anybody. Fountains of Wayne has been one of my favorite bands since Radiation Vibe came out in the mid-nineties and in all honestly it helped get across the country in my first big move from New Mexico to Florida. The other album I was listening to is called Under The Influence Of Giants a self titled album by... well it is self-titled so figure it out. Great 80's sound to these guys, I literally had iTunes say you like [some band I don't remember] so you should check out this band and I did and I am thrilled with them.