NYC and Love, Not Hate

I forgot how the heat encompasses you during a summer in New York City, but it certainly could not be ignored as I walked out of Penn Station  into the busy streams of pedestrians coming from all sides last month. I lived in NYC for just one summer, and it was long enough and short enough for me to still feel romantic about it- all the food, the lights, the people, the seemingly endless mass of neighborhoods and boroughs. Play Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "New York" in the background... 

During this visit, I had a chance to visit the 9-11 Memorial. I'm not sure how to put this- I'm not someone who was personally impacted by this event, just someone who was struck and saddened by the tragedy like any other American. I am patriotic in the sense that I love and acknowledge the freedom and privileges that most in our country can enjoy, and believe that the U.S. still has a lot of people who believe in being a force for good and have the ability to come together in strife. But I'm not someone who wears red, white and blue or will have flags in my yard. All this is to say that despite all that, I saw the reflection pools and all I could say was a breathless, "Whoa." The two pools sit where the twin towers were. The vastness of the pools, seemingly bottomless, quietly expresses a mutely deep grief over the loss of so many innocent lives. And maybe a mourning for the pre-911 America. It seems like so much has changed since then (or am I just older and wiser now?)- it's unleashed a blind "patriotism" and a vitriol that maybe was always simmering under the surface. Maybe it's just fear. But in honor of the day, this week I choose to remember the times when the country came together and were kind to each other, and hope that memories of those days will sustain us and lead the way in the decades to come.

On a lighter note...

Didn't know Mr. Ban Ki Moon had my email address! Found in my spam and made me laugh out loud:

Thoughts on a Tragedy

I woke up this morning to the news of the horrible shooting at the Aurora, CO movie theater. It feels so heavy, not just because Denver has such a special place in my heart, but because senseless violence like this is so hard to reconcile. There will be a heated debate, again, about gun control and gun rights. There will be finger pointing about who is responsible, rhetoric about what should have been done and what needs to be done to prevent this kind of thing again.

Lost in the mix will be the truth of the matter: this is an unspeakable tragedy to those killed, injured, and affected. Lost in the mix will be the fact that we cannot prevent every violent anomaly from taking place, and that no amount of tightened security or concealed weapons will stop unpredictable and random violence.

I hope this means, at least for me and those I love, that we appreciate each other that much more and cherish life. I hope it means that I remember to be kind to everyone I encounter, because who knows what sort of on-going internal anger this young man has had towards his fellow human beings and all the small and great actions that contributed to the terrible decision he made.

There really are not words to encapsulate this- so I'll leave it at that.

Letter to the Enquirer: Learn to Edit

Dear Cincinnati.com,

Would you like to pay me to edit your online articles? This is one of many sloppily released stories that no one bothered to give a good read over. So, instead, you have partial bits of notes and a lot of repetition. It's really pretty pathetic that it takes a bunch of Facebook comments about how poorly written an article is before you fix it. Seriously. If you can't afford editors, then teach your reporters to write. 

Exhibit B:

Sincerely,

A

Summer Love- Cincinnati

The few brief rains this weekend has brought a steamy sort of relief to the hot Midwest summer. It's cooler than our week of 100+ heat, but the rain has just evaporated into the trademark Ohio humidity. Sticky.

Despite the heat, the summer has deepened my love for Cincinnati. So many amazing things going on in the city: reopening of Washington Park, Bunbury Music Festival, the World Choir Games, and on and on. Beyond the bigger events, you have baseball, the river for boating, and the many neighborhood monthly activities like the Hyde Park Farmer's Market, Oakley After Hours, Second Sundays on Main, Final Fridays in OTR, and City Flea. Hey, Cincinnatians, did you know that your urban core is this vibrant and beautiful? I hope so. Before I became a Cincinnatian, I took those who called this city the "Nasty Nati" at their word, but the city as I know it now is nothing of the sort. From the beautiful hills, gorgeous historic architecture, and distinct history and culture, this is a unique city. Yes, there is a certain uber-conservative, anti-progressive contingency here that turns me off and scares me, but honestly, it seems these days that you'd be hard pressed to find a city that does not have that element when the country has become this polarized. (Not to say there isn't a difference in concentration.) This is all to say, I love this city and I love showing it off to people and changing their minds about it. It's not Denver or San Francisco or NYC, but it's home and it's special.

Okay, off my soapbox. To make up for my crimes of listening to terrible pop, here are my more recent real musical finds:

1. Bad Veins: A band of Cincinnati natives, Bad Veins has really captured my interest with their two-man show and the fact that they play off a tape deck. And the lead singer sings into a phone sometimes. Lead Benjamin Davis has a nicely unique voice and the latest album, "The Mess We've Made" is a great mixture of drama and upbeat melodies. Look, I'm not a music writer, so just try it out if you like indie rock. They were super endearing at the Bunbury Festival, too.
2. Regina Spektor: I love her. Her new album, "What We Saw from the Cheap Seats," doesn't disappoint. Always quirky but never failing to deliver in her powerful, tremendous voice and classical piano prowess. 
3. Belle Histoire: Another Cincinnati band that is creeping into the scene! They just released their latest album, "Dreamers," on July 17.  I'm not sure if this will become a favorite, but the vocals are good and it's easy to listen to.
4. The Deep Dark Woods: I am a sucker for deep male vocals. The lead singer of this band has a voice reminiscent of one of my favorites, the National. The instrumentals and beat tend to have a bit of a country twang, but much more folky and a little haunting.
5. Of Monsters and Men: Reminiscent of Stars, I first saw this Icelandic band playing "Little Talks" randomly on a music video channel. There is a lead male/female duo: male vocalist think cross between the Weakerthan's, Decemberists and Ben Gibbard. Female vocalist: Feist/Regina Spektor/Bjork. 

instagram taken on stage by bad veins (I'm way up in the back)