I was going to put the contents of my CD changer, as usual....but it would be useless because all I've been listening to recently is The Decemberists. Literally, the CD 'Picaresque' has not left my changer or my head for over a week. That CD is incredible...every song on the album is so well crafted and written. It's a love song to the art of making music. How does crap like Britney Spears and Fallout Boy get on the radio and popular while beautiful, sad, and deep music like this goes unnoticed? Do that many people not care at all about the music they listen to? Regardless, The Decemberists have captured me and drawn me in. For those of you who have no idea (as I was up till a little bit ago...more on that later), imagine if Belle & Sebastian and Neutral Milk Hotel got together, learned how to play accordian, and went back in time about 200 years....yeah it's as good as it sounds. It's amazing the musical changes I've gone through in the past year or so, last summer I wouldn't have listened to anything like The Decemberists...now I can't get enough of indie folk goodness. I still love my heavier distorted indie rock (Cursive forever....) but I've really come to enjoy the more acoustic and....storytelling type of music. Special thanks to Bethany (for getting me interested in them) and Tracy (for burning ALL of The Decemberist albums for me). Spasiba bolshoi!

So I was in Gander Mtn. (one of those 'trendy' sports/outdoors stores...) when I happened to pass by the 'Children's Camo' section. As if seeing that sign was not disturbing enough, directly next to it was a child-sized mannequin wearing camo and holding a RIFLE! I was so mesmerized by this that I had to take a picture with my cell phone. Jeez I've got no problem with people owning guns if they want to, but am I the only one that thinks it's a bit much to see a mannequin the size of a ten year old holding a rifle?