library quiet

somehow in the last god-knows-how-long i've become oblivious to how noisy life is. now that the tv is off, i find such solace in the silence. i went to the library in springfield today, and library quiet is a-whole-nother kind of quiet. it's so peaceful, especially surrounded by so many rad books. i brought home several, though there's no way i'll read them all by the time they're due back. i guess i was overeager. Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, Trust Me by Updike, To The Lighthouse by Woolf and The Rum Diary by HST. i love library books because the pages are crinkly and worn and dog-eared and smell like an old closet. i even like the noisy protective vinyl jackets, hinged with packing tape and littered with labels and barcodes. there's a feeling of solidarity knowing that hundreds of hands have held each page and turned them one by one. perhaps this is revealing too much, but i like to smooth each page softly with the palm of my hand before i read it. it's a creepy display of tenderness for an inanimate object, but whatever, it makes me happy.

now that i have all this time on my hands...

So, I got rid of my TV. I mean, it's still there, but when you turn it on, nothing happens. I can still watch DVDs, but I have liberated myself from reality shows, cable news nightmares and those godforsaken advertisements. It's only been a couple days, but I feel so much better already. I didn't really realize how infrequently I create a quiet space for myself. There is always some noise -- but now that the TV is off, I am enjoying much more silence than I did before. And while things are growing quieter (is that a word?) they are by no means completely silent. I am listening to a lot more music, and of course, making lists. Because the Mandy that everyone knows and loves would be up shit-creek without her lists. Also, as most of you know, my tastes change with the weather, so currently, here's the musical spectrum. I may look back on July of 2008 one day and say to myself, "What the hell was I thinking?" but for now, these are my faves (it's a long list, but my 'desert island' picks are at the top).

JULY 2008
Emjay’s Musical State of the Union

TOP FIVE ARTISTS (desert island):
Ryan Adams
Van Morrison
Stevie Wonder
The Beatles
Tori Amos

TOP FIVE ALBUMS (desert island):
Heartbreaker (2000) Ryan Adams
Astral Weeks (1968) Van Morrison
Stevie Wonder (1976) Songs in the Key of Life
The Beatles (1968) White Album
Tori Amos (1996) Boys for Pele

OTHER FAVORITE ARTISTS/GROUPS INCLUDE (in alphabetical order):
Aimee Mann
Ani DiFranco
Aqualung
Arcade Fire
Band of Horses
The Beach Boys
Beck
Ben Folds
Billy Joel
Bjork
BRMC
Bob Dylan
Bright Eyes
Bruce Springsteen
Calexico
Cat Power
The Clash
Coldplay
Colin Hay
Cursive
Damien Rice
DMB
David Bowie
David Gray
Death Cab for Cutie
Elliott Smith
Elvis Costello
Emmylou Harris
The Faint
Feist
Gorillaz
Guster
Howie Day
Imogen Heap
Indigo Girls
Iron & Wine
It’s Over!
James Taylor
Jane’s Addiction
Jay Clifford
Jeff Buckley
Jump, Little Children
Jeremy Enigk
Jimmy Eat World
Joanna Newsome
Joe Cocker
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros
John Denver
John Mayer
John Vanderslice
Joni Mitchell
Jurassic 5
The Killers
Lauryn Hill
Le Tigre
Liam Finn
Live
The Long Winters
Manic Street Preachers
Marvelous 3
MC5
MGMT
M.I.A.
Modest Mouse
The Mooney Suzuki
Mountain Goats
Nat King Cole
Neko Case
New Pornographers
Nick Drake
Nikka Costa
Nina Nastasia
Nine Inch Nails
Nirvana
Oasis
Pavement
Pearl Jam
People in Planes
Pete Yorn
Pink Floyd
Pixies
PJ Harvey
The Police
Portishead
Radiohead
Rage Against the Machine
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Regina Spektor
REM
Rod Stewart
The Rolling Stones
The Roots
Rufus Wainwright
The Shins
Simon & Garfunkel
Sleater-Kinney
Sondre Lerche
Spoon
Sting
The Strokes
Sublime
Sufjan Stevens
Sunny Day Real Estate
Tom Petty
Tom Waits
Tracy Bonham
Travis
U2
Velvet Underground
Weezer
The White Stripes
Wilco
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yo La Tengo