It was a very good year...

December 31. An excellent day to look back on the year that has almost come to an end. And to speak with Frank Sinatra: it was a very good year.

I had a great job, moved to the city to live on my own, made new friends, discoveried loads of beautiful music, got to know and like myself much better, started this funny weblog, watched wonderful movies and read some amazing novels, won a prize and a nomination with my thesis, started to write again, and so much more.

I hope 2006 will be as happy as this year, though I have some important New Year's resolutions, which are find the love of my life, find a new job and find a new room... Well, that gives me something nice to do, doesn't it?

My favorite records of this year:

Jason Mraz - Mr. A-Z
Josh Kelley - Almost honest
Over The Rhine - Drunkard's prayer
The Juliana Theory - Deadbeat sweetheartbeat
Josh Rouse - Nashville
Kathleen Edwards - Back to me
Rob Thomas - ...something to be
Switchfoot - Nothing is sound
Tristan Prettyman - Twentythree
Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright
Emiliana Torrini - Fisherman's woman
Kate Bush - Aerial


My greatest musical discovery: Joe Firstman! It remains a mystery to me why this brilliant young artist is not much more known than he is right now... The War of Women is probably the best record I bought this year. Anyone who likes the Counting Crows, Josh Kelley, John Mayer and other artists like that will most likely love this record!

The best concert I saw was that of Gavin DeGraw in Amsterdam. Elvis Costello was great as well.

The most beautiful movie I saw for the first time this year was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, followed closely by Lost in Translation.

The book that made the biggest impression on me this year is To kill a mocking bird by Harper Lee, followed very close by Henry James' Daisy Miller and The Bostonians, Michael Chabon's Wonder boys, and Willa Cather's One of ours.

Everyone a happy new year and see you again in 2006!

If you were coming in the fall...

Yesterday, I bought this very nice Everyman's Library pocket called Love Songs and Sonnets and there I found this beautiful poem by Emily Dickenson:

If you were coming in the fall,

I'd brush the summer by

With half a smile and half a spurn,

As housewives do a fly.

If I could see you in a year,

I'd wind the months in balls,

And put them each in separate drawers,

Until their time befalls.

If only centuries delayed,

I'd count them on my hand,

Subtracting till my fingers dropped

Into Van Diemen's land.

If certain, when this life was out,

That yours and mine should be,

I'd toss it yonder like a rind,

And taste eternity.

But now, all ignorant of the length

Of time's uncertain wing,

It goads me, like the goblin bee,

That will not state its sting.

How to stop worrying and start living!

Good evening! I just returned from a visit to Amsterdam with a friend. Buying books and cd's with the gift certificates I had been giving at my farewell party...

First of all, I bought very nice cd's by Mazzy Star, Pearl Jam, Buffalo Tom, The Waterboys and Nelly Furtado!

And then I bought this extremely cool book by Dale Carnegie called How to stop worrying and start living! That guy is really hilarious. This book brings you seven ways to cultivate peace and happiness and it shows you how to eliminate 50% of your business worries immediately! Sounds exactly like the book I've got to read now that I'm out of work... ;-)




Another book I bought is Fairy tales by Hans Andersen. I really love to read fairtytales and as a child I've heard most of these, but I think it will be fun to read them again. Other books I got myself were Washington Square and The American by Henry James, My Antonia by Willa Cather and The complete works of Oscar Wilde. Seems like I've got a lot to read in the new year... ;-)




And when I got home I found this dvd in the mail. It's one of the best comedies I know, so I will watch it again tomorrow night. Look forward to that, cause this movie somehow means a lot to me, though I don't really know why... Ain't that mysterious? ;-)

Well, gotta go again. By the way, that Pearl Jam cd (Vitalogy) souds very good! Why did it take me so long to realize how good this band really is?!!

John Mayer Trio

A few weeks ago I had to write a review of the new John Mayer record. At that time, I didn't quite know what to think of Try! I could hear that was good, but it sounded so different from Room for squares and Heavier things that are among my most favorite records...

But today I finally got an original copy of the record (I know, that's the great thing about this job, getting cd's for free! ;-) and I have just decided that I'm starting to really like it! Especially that groovy song called Vultures.

Ok, got to go again and write a review of the new Default record. It doesn't sound bad!

The return of the native

Today was my last day at work, so I guess I may call myself jobless now... :s Well, I suppose I will find something else soon. In the meantime I will have more time to write which is a good thing, but I don't think I will write more in this weblog. I like to scribble a bit about what books I'm reading, music I listen to, and so on, but I don't really see the point of keeping a weblog for other purposes, though I like to read those of others. Not that I do that very often, by the way...

Anyway, I liked A Christmas carol a lot. I finished it last night, so tonight I will start with The return of the native. It's been a long time since I read anything by Thomas Hardy, so I'm curious if I still like his work as much as I used to do...

Oh, and don't worry about my health. That I write so much about books here, doesn't necessarily mean that I spent all my time reading... It's just that I don't care to much about writing about other things I do. ;-)

Bye!

A christmas carol

So this is Christmas and what have I done? Well, my Christmas was not very spectaculair, but I spent the weekend at my parent's which was very nice. I finished Persuasion in the train on the way home and now I am reading A Christmas carol while listening to The Connells. I can think of better ways of spending this Christmas evening, but I can also imagine a lot of worse ways. ;-)

Ok, gotta get back to Scrooge and his ghosts...

Home for Christmas

Went home to my parents today to celebrate Christmas. Traded some cd's on the way here and got me some nice new once: compilations of Patsy Cline, Al Green, James Carr and Toto and albums by Ocean Colour Scene, The Bees, Tom Petty and Pearl Jam.

Wow, it seems as if my weblog is only about the things I am buying all the time... Maybe I should change that, because I'd like to think I'm not that materialistic...

I don't really feel like Christmas. Maybe it will come in church tonight. Well anyway, I brought me a book of poetry and Jane Austen's Persuasion, and I've got my last.fm radio, so when I want to escape from my family for a little time, I won't be bored. ;-)

Girl with a pearl earring

This morning I finished reading The Bostonians. Although I didn't really like the ending, I think it's one of the most powerful novels I have ever read. I think it will stay with me for a very long time. The only character I really liked was that of Verena, but the others were really fascinating as well. Sympathatic and annoying at the same time. I look forward to reading the next novel by Henry James. I think it will be The portrait of a lady.

Yesterday I had a small farewell party at my work... It's kind of weird to say goodbye after almost six years...
But anyway, they gave me some gift certificates and today I spent one of them on the dvd Girl with a pearl earring. I bought it just because Scarlett Johannson plays a mayor role... With her in it, it can't be a bad movie.

But I have to go again. I want to start with Jane Austen's Persuasion. I think it will be a nice novel to read over Christmas.

A good woman

Yesterday, me and a friend went to A good woman, a movie with what has become my favorite actress: Scarlett Johannson. It was by accident that we ended up going to this movie, but we both liked it very much.

While searching for a nice picture to upload to this blog, I came across some reviews by Dutch critics and they thought this movie was totally irrelevant...

I get so tired of Dutch critics. They just don't know how to enjoy a good movie or a good record that is not innovative in their opinion.
Well, I have decided to give them up. That also counts for music critics.

Had I already told you that I quit posting on this forum that I have visited for one and a half year? I talked there a lot with other people about music, movies and other stuff, but they were as worse as the critics, so it was no use anymore. It had not been for a long time... I found that it had become just an addiction... So I just quit. ;-)
It would be nice to find a forum where I can chat with people who do enjoy the same things as I. This blog doesn't seem the right place for that, since nobody ever posts something here. ;-)

Maybe I should advertise it more, but I just don't care enough. ;-)

Well, gotta read The Bostonians again and listen to Ben Harper & The Blind Boys of Alabama and to Sam Cooke!

See ya later.

The Bostonians

The more books I read by Henry James, the more I like him! He's definitely one of the greatest American writers ever.
The Bostonians is really fun to read! Though I wonder what his position on feminism and equality exactly is...

Listening to Ray Charles now. Great artist.

And I just discovered this young singer named Brandi Carlile. She has an amazing voice. I hope they will release her cd here as well, so I can review it. ;-)

Another last.fm update

My most played artists since July 3 2005:

1 Jason Mraz 532
2 Josh Kelley 372
3 Train 341
4 Goo Goo Dolls 305
5 Switchfoot 302
6 matchbox twenty 293
7 Over the Rhine 288
8 The Juliana Theory 280
9 Jude 274
10 Josh Rouse 266

And tracks:

1 Jason Mraz - Life Is Wonderful 56
2 Goo Goo Dolls - Name 48
3 matchbox twenty - Bent 39
4 Jude - I Know 38
5 Train - Lincoln Avenue 36
6 Jason Mraz - Bella Luna 35
6 Josh Kelley - Almost Honest 35
8 Fastball - Falling Upstairs 34
9 Fastball - Our Misunderstanding 33
10 Jason Mraz - The Remedy (I Won't Worry) 32

Portishead

Wow, hadn't listened to Roseland NYC live for a while, but it still blows me away!

Yesterday I finished this novel called The death of sweet mister by Daniel Woodrell. It was one of the most horrifying stories I have read in some time. It's about a Southern boy from a white trash family. It's about the dark side of life and it will not make you happy, but it sure is fascinating. Just like Woe to live on, one of Woodrell's other novels.

Broken flowers

Yesterday me and a friend went to Broken flowers, the new movie with Bill Murray. I already liked him very much after seeing Groundhog day and Lost in translation, but now I know for sure that this guy is brilliant! I liked the movie almost as much as the other two and it has this wonderful song by Holly Golightly.

This morning I started reading in what seems to be another beautiful novel by Henry James: The Bostonians.

And I made another radiostation. ;-)

www.last.fm/user/marco78train

Captivated

Tonight I watched another great movie. And I made myself a radiostation in last.fm that only plays my favorite artists...

Life is good to me.

The man who

Hi there! Listening to another record I wouldn't want to live without. I always forget how beautiful this record really is...

Had a nice day of not doing very much, after over a week of much work.

Oh, and yesterday I biked home the long way again. How I love that part of the country!

Well, going to a party tonight, so see you later!

La la la la la la life is wonderful!

Guess what, I ordered this amazingly cool t-shirt and today it arrived with the mail! It is so cool!

*dances round his room* ;-)

It's a pretty good day

Wow, how I love that last.fm. I can listen to all this music I like and all that music I don't know yet and today I discovered this band called Luce. I had never heard of them before, but this song keeps sticking in my head:

Well I wake up to a sky so blue
With my girlfriend in the other room
Got the coffee on and the pancakes done
I can't sleep
I'm outside in the sun
The tv sings its morning blues
And it's all the same with all the news
But she walks up, smiles and kisses me
And says your coffee's done.
And starts singing.
Yeah yeah yeah
She is singing.
Well it's a pretty good day.
I'm lookin' forward to tomorrow
We'll have a pretty good day.
Yeah yeah yeah
Well it's a pretty good day
I'm looking forward to tomorrow
We'll have a pretty good day
Yeah we'll have a good day.
So I lace my boots up and step outside
Catch a cup of ???
And I go to work with my friend Dan
Paintin' houses the best we can
On my way back home I try and mix it up
Walk halfway then take a bus
And as it pulls up and the doors open
I hear the bus driver say step up please
Step up.
And I'm singing
Yeah yeah yeah
And I'm singing yeah yeah yeah yeah
Some guy looks over and says how ya doin'?'
I say
Well it's a pretty good day
I'm looking forward to tomorrow
I'll have a pretty good day
Yeah yeah yeah
Well it's a pretty good day
I'm looking forward to tomorrow
I'll have a pretty good day
Yeah I'll have a good day
And through the window
There's a whole world
And I'm watching all the people
All the faces and the places I have yet to go
And the sunshine now it's fading
And my girlfriend she's waiting
And I bet that she's outside
Sleeping in the shade
Cause it's a pretty good day
I'm looking forward to tomorrow
I'll have a pretty good day
Yeah yeah yeah
Well it's a pretty good day
I'm looking forward to tomorrow
I'll have a pretty good day
Yeah, I'll have a good day
It's a good day
Yeah
yeah
It's a good day

I think I want to buy this cd! ;-)

The 10 records I could definitely not live without

I think it's time to list my most favorite records. ;-)

Train - My private nation
Matchbox Twenty - Mad season
Jason Mraz - Waiting for my rocket to come
Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy up the girl
Train - Drops of Jupiter
Josh Kelley - For the ride home
Something Corporate - Leaving through the window
Cranberries - No need to argue
Kathleen Edwards - Failer
Howie Day - Stop all the world now

They need not necessarily be the best records in my collection, but they are certainly the ones I love most and the ones that mean most to me.

Lost in translation

Yesterday I watched this amazingly beautiful movie for the first time. It did not really know what to expect, but I had heard so many good stories about it that I just wanted to see it.

I loved it! And I really adore Scarlett Johannson, she has such a lovely smile... *closes his eyes and dreams away...*

But of course, Bill Murray was also great. I think I'm going to watch his new movie Broken flowers in the cinema, soon...

Poem of the day

While reading in one of my new poetrybooks I came upon this beautiful line from In memory of W.B. Yeats by W.H. Auden:

The death of the poet was kept from his poems.

Great discovery!

Today I discovered my last.fm radio! This is a great invention! Right now I'm listening to my own marco78train radio and keeps out pouring tracks I like. You can also listen to your neighbours' radiostations or to stations with music similar to your favorite artists...

Check www.last.fm!

No Direction Home

Yesterday I had to watch No Direction Home, Martin Scorcese's documentary about Bob Dylan, for my work. I didn't have time to watch all, but it was very, very interesting. It was not just a portrait of a great artist, it was also a document of times gone by. It records Bob's youth in Minnesota, his influences and his move to New York City in the early sixties. It contains loads of beautiful music from the 1940's and '50's and also wonderful pieces of film from that era. You should really go see it if you're interested in music and history!

Anyways, this documentary made me want to listen to old music again, so I went to my favorite record store today, but I couldn't find the records by Woody Guthrie, The Carter Family or Hank Williams that I wanted. So instead I bought No Depression by Uncle Tupelo... It's great! I can easily understand why there's even a magazine named after it.

What's more, on the market I found two very cheap books with poetry. One of them (The Faber Book of Modern Verse) has some poems by Dylan Thomas, the poet Bob Dylan took his name from. I don't know whether I will like his poetry, but in No direction home it sounded very powerful. The other book is called The American Poets 1800-1900 and contains of course a number of poems by Emily Dickinson, whom I like very much, because she has such a beautiful way with words, though I always have a hard time understanding what she means with them... ;-)

Mystified

Today I took the long way home after work. Biking through the mist on a road surrounded by endless waters... It was so beautiful. Though I was never far from the civilized world it sometimes felt like I had ended up in ancient times. Fog can be so mystifying. But it made me feel lonely too...

Music music music

Little over three years ago I thought I had heard most music out there. I thought music should be original so I didn't want to waste my money on music that was not meant to last forever.

But then everything changed when somebody showed me, probably without knowing, that music is all about beauty and emotion. It doesn't matter who makes the music, the only think that is important is that is speaks to your heart or your head or your feet ;-)

Well anyways, what made me think of this was that today I realised again how much music means to me. And then I shuffeled through my cd-collection and found this great record by Sloan that I bought earlier this year. Such a great band, but hardly anybody in Holland knows them and I think that's a shame. Another thing the person that I mentioned earlier taught me is that you should not talk to much about music. She was right. Music is meant to be listened too, not to be put in words. Still, I write reviews, because I always like to tell other people about the music that I love...

Okay, so much for my incoherent babble. ;-) Just go out and see if you can find yourself a copy of Twice removed to listen too...

Important announcement

Today is the day that I have to admit to myself that my Magical Quest has become a failure. The quest itself was quite enjoying, but I just do not have the time to tell you all about it. And since nobody seems to be reading this blog anyway, I have decided to change it completely...
However, it does not feel like a defeat, but as a new beginning!

And I start right away, while listening to this amazing record by Fastball. I like all of their cd's very much, but this one is definitily my favorite!

Quote of the day

A few months ago I found this book called The Book of New York Wisdom which is full of beautiful and interesting quotes.

I really like this one:

"The trick is growing up without growing old"

Casey Stengel

Sinterklaas!

So yesterday I went home to my parents to celebrate the famous Dutch Sinterklaasfeest! But before that, I traded some cd's that I have reviewed for some very good cd's and dvd's. I'm really looking forward to see Lost in translation, because I have read so many good things about it. I also got Forrest Gump, which is one of my all time favorites...
Furthermore, I got me some nice cd's by Elliott Smith and Sade and the soundtrack of Vanilla sky. Oh yes, I know I had said that I wouldn't buy any cd's for some time... Well, I didn't exactly buy them, so I guess it's ok... Lastly, I got singles from John Mayer and Matchbox Twenty.

And then the party. Sinterklaas is something like Santa Claus, with the presents and so on, but then not with Christas, but officially at December 5. But your may celibrate it whenever you want, so we decided to do it yesterday. ;-) We always write poems (well, it's not exactly poetry though) with the presents. so it was a fun evening. I got lots of different tools, so I can help myself in case my bike would break down again. ;-)

By the way, listening to Matchbox Twenty now.

And now I'm going to read Hemingway.

Lost my credibility!

Well, I guess this is really the end of my credibility as a serious music lover... I spent money on a Robbie Williams cd. It was only $5, but still... I spent money on a Robbie Williams cd. And I like it! Though I have mixed feelings about it for this cd has three songs that always pop up in my life: Feel, Sexed up and Something Beautiful. And only the last one makes me really happy.

Anyway, right now I'm listening to Rob Thomas! According to my Audioscrobbler, he will be the 50th artist to be played more than a 100 times in the past few months. Isn't that something? In fact, he did it twice, since Matchbox Twenty is already way beyond 200 plays as you can see here.

Well, so much for this totally non-interesting update. I have to pack my presents for the Sinterklaas (something like Santa Claus) party of tomorrow!

The Aspern Papers

Reading this wonderful short novel by Henry James who is more and more becoming one of my favorite writers! I wish I could write like that... Today I went to the library and got me a copy of The Bostonians.

Listening to this beautiful record by Over The Rhine. I think this band is definitively my greatest musical discovery of this year...

Oh, and I think I will change the title of this blog soon. I just don't have the time to fullfill it's promises. ;-)