it took me 3 days to compose this post (lousy work always getting in the way)

i got a haircut the other day. i like it, i'm just not sure if it's me or not. i dont know. check it out and let me know what you think.

jess got one too. she needed it badly. i think it compliments her sunglasses.

(this was the view out our back window at work the other day. it was pretty cool.)

we went to see Tilly & the Wall saturday night. the band that was to play before them got lost so Tilly went on early and we missed the first 3 songs. so that was dissapointing. the show was great though. they sounded fantastic. and i think we decided we like the exit/in. we'd never been there before. i like it. i like the setup (with tables and bar and whatnot). i can't wait to see Regina Spektor there.





look at their little tap dance platforms. i wonder if they have mics under them. for those of you who dont know them, tapdancing is their only percussion (for the most part).



this is from the other day. if my memory serves me correctly, it was a classic staredown for champion of the universe. as you can see, the competition was intense.



obviously, too intense for todd. as he looks off in shame, i continue my ever-piercing glare as if it wasn't even a competition in my mind; as if was for real; as if it were part of my life, part of who i am... and the way i roll. anyway, i think alison is cheering for me while looking upon todd; too embarassed to come to grips with what just took place.




just another day as josh.

i heard this in Akeelah and the Bee the other day and somehow came across it this morning. it's too beautiful not to share.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most
frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually,
who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your
playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing
enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't
feel insecure around you. We were born to make
manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not
just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our
own light shine, we unconsciously give others
permission to do the same. As we are liberated
from our own fear, our presence automatically
liberates others.

marianne williamson
a return to love

i drove from Nashville to Memphis and back on one tank of gas.

what did you do?



indeed, i've never driven 427mi on one tank of gas (14.67gal) (29mpg). this was especially impressive since i was averaging 90mph both ways in my V6 '91 Maxima. how did i do it? i dont know. i didn't have the AC running and the road from here to Memphis is relatively flat, but still, i'm thoroughly impressed. and it was rather exciting to see just how far it'd go before i had to refill.

it's a shame i didn't see this on an earlier leg of the trip. i could've been 100oz. happier for $2.



i drove down there ahead of scott and waited for him at the show. the show being Okkervil River. and memphis was the closest they were coming. i really expected there to be a ton more people, but actually the crowd was quite small (compared to what i had imagined). that just meant better seats for us. i meant some nice people from IL & KY while i was waiting outside. i hope to see them again at future shows in nashville.



i think i've developed a good strategy for ..."remembering" performances. because i dont want to look as though i'm obviously recording parts, i hold the camera up for 30sec or so like i'm taking a few pictures and then kind of lower it to my chest like i'm resting, but still plan on taking more pictures in a sec. all the while recording. and since i have a really good idea of what my camera is seeing even when i'm not looking through it, this technique works really well. ...it's almost too easy.





for further proof that my technique works, please, observe and enjoy my "videos." (i feel like that doesnt need quotes.)


(i didn't say my technique was perfect.)




also, this is pretty crazy. i especially like the top gun music in the background.

Asobi Seksu and Habitat for Humanity (not necessarily in that order)

Jess and i did Habitat this weekend with our church. although it was a long day, it w as a lot of fun. i think it's something i'd be interested in doing more in the future. i feel like i'm a fairly "handy" person when it comes to constructing and building/assembling, so this type of thing was right up my alley. and it's neat because i get a lot of energy doing stuff like this. i'm not sure why, i just, i get pumped about it and excited to help everyone. it's cool.

we had to get up at 5.5am and ended up working till 4ish(?) i think. we got done with our house (for that day) way earlier than anyone else, so a few of us went over and helped our neighbors with their deck. it was fun. and jess painted a LOT. right? she did.

(i took this the other day. it's 10 pictures put together. i think i might try getting it printed out big. what do you think?)

tuesday night todd and i saw the smallest asian adult girl we'd ever seen before. this is the tiny lead singer of Asobi Seksu...

(she's wearing heels there too)

the band was really good, but it was just too small of an area for that much sound. as much as i love the Basement, it's too small of a space for loud music. there's just no room for the sound to fill out and blend. everything past a certain volume is just pure loudness. and i'm not always down with that.

(they seemed a lot more... solid at the time)

here's a great clip from The Wizard. i especially like the Close Encounters of the Third Kind beep tones the glove produces. this was such an awesome movie... when i was a kid.



i was a stupid kid.

B&W from my 35mm

these dont look fantastic (here) because i scanned them in. i think the actual photographs came out nicely though. this first one is my favorite.

i love night photography

i just love the possibilities night and lights present. and a tripod really helps. jess and i went out last saturday around 11.5pm to go walk around and take pictures. well, jess went with me and i took pictures. but we did it together! it was cold, but a good night for pictures.

woxy is back.

and i couldn't be happier. it's so comforting to know they're back. the music is back.

Josh's List of Cool: Because You Don't Know Any Better

might as well start this thing off now since everybody keeps telling me to do so. i mean, if everybody wants it, what can i do?

Cool

1. Music:

The Killers - Sam's Town - i wasn't too crazy about it when i heard them on SNL, but after going through the CD a few times, i'm starting to dig it. he has an unusual voice that gets stuck in my head... in a good way, i think.

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife - it's different, i won't lie. and honestly, i havent gotten too far into it. however, if history has anything to say about the Decemberists, it's that they haven't let me down yet. so i have a feeling this needs more ...probing.

I'm From Barcelona - Let me Introduce My Friends - now, this one i have listened to a lot and totally enjoy it. i think todd(?) showed jesse the video and then me or something. i dont know, but at the time i thought it was a joke. not so. while i don't think this album is lyrically brilliant by any means, i think there's more to the words than initially meets the ear. the songs are all really playful and juvenile sounding but there's just something about them that gives me the feeling there's something a bit deeper there. and that's enough to keep me on it.

Beck - The Information - haven't listened to this too much yet. it's a bit dark and much slower paced than Guero. you might have to be the judge on this one.


2. Movies

honestly, i've been a little out of the movies field for a month or so. perhaps some of you one trick ponies out there could recommend something. in the mean time, here's the last good movie i saw.

Akeelah and the Bee - just a very uplifting movie. nobody dies or is sexually abused or anything like that to show the "realism" of life. just a... a good movie.

movies i can't wait to see: The Departed, The Prestige, Babel, and Borat.


3. Food

Cheesburger Lean Pockets - these things taste awesome. they even have ketchup in them!


4. TV

LOST - man, if you aren't in on LOST yet, you better get there, cause this is going to be one sweet ass season. after last night's season premiere i'm thrilled to see where they take us. it was a great season premiere. i dont think they could've opened the whole thing up any better. now, if i could just get my copy of season 2 that i ordered 2.5 weeks ago i'd be set. oh, and if you missed the "catchup" episode or, heaven forbid, last night's premiere, you can watch them on abc.com for free. and they're really good quality (practically commercial free too)!

Grey's Anatomy - i dont know what it is about this show. when it's over, i just feel emotionally "clean". i dont even know what that means, but it's weird. i mean, people die all the time and stuff happens, but it's just told so well. i'm sure this will be a great season; it's one of those that just doesn't let you down.

Possible good ones (that i've seen): 6°, Heroes, and What About Brian. I hear Studio 60 is good too. it's hard for us to get involved in more than 2-3 shows. we actually try and limit to that many simply because we dont have 1-2 hrs for TV every night. (i think billy could probably provided a better synopsis of the tv shows out than i.)


Not Cool

1. DCI
2. Scott
3. Stuff Scott Likes
4. People Scott Like
5. People who like Scott
6. Food Scott Eats
7. Music Scott listens to (that i have not recommended)
8. Movies Scott watches (see # 7 for clause)
9. Anything Scott touches or looks at
10. Ticketmaster
11. Grey's Anatomy - despite the fact that i love this show, thanks to scott, it now falls in the "not cool" category. i think scott may have brought this show to my attention and in order to not contradict myself, i had to move it down here. i'm sorry everyone. i guess there's always somebody who has to ruin a good thing for everybody.

well, i guess that about wraps it up for this week. on an unrelated note, i was stung 8 times by bees yesterday. that hurt a lot. seriously. however, i can now fully endorse AfterBite Xtra. it worked quite well. stupid bees costing me $4... and the whole pain thing. i didn't like that either.

Tunstall and what have you

this isnt a very favorable picture of me, but jess looks good in it.

we went to see KT Tunstall monday night. she was great. i didn't much care for City Hall, but the concert was good. the area around City Hall, however, was really nice looking. they're doing a great job. it's going to look good. ...i just dont even feel like writing. i did yesterday, but not anymore. i dont write anymore. i just put up pictures. what's that all about? i'm like, super absorbed in taking pictures and video nowadays. i dont even know what i'd write about. my daily life doesn't inspire much to write about (at least in the department that i think you'd be interested in reading about). i guess on the other hand i see things and the possible pictures of said things and that interests me pretty much all the time.

i guess i'll write when i feel like it. in the mean time, whatever.

the sun is getting lazier and lazier. it's barely up by 7am. i do enjoy being up for the sunrise. at about 7:15 or so, it shines through the windows at the Y and into the pool. it looks awesome. i think i'm gonna take my underwater camera up there. i wonder if they'd frown on that...




speaking of the Y, what is it that happens to a man around the age of 40 or 45 that makes him think walking around and brushing his teeth and talking, all while naked, is okay? is a towel that constricting? so much that you just can't bear to wear it for 5 min? and for that fact, where is their underwear?? is it more embarrasing to walk around in your underwear?? come on! this is what i deal with everyday and i just dont get it.

this is just too funny a video. i guess it's an Indian interpretation of MJ's Thriller.