Weeknotes: June 2–6, 2025
Monday, June 2
Monday morning, raring to go. Raring. I say it a few times to myself until it fractures into semantic satiation. Raring is defined as: very enthusiastic and eager to do something. Am I raring? To work? To write? To run?
In my dream I trekked through some hilly country — crystalline landscapes of thin ice beneath which shallow tributaries flowed. It was springtime and things were starting to turn muddy. Matt Jones was there with a horse and they were pacing back and forth to dig a channel in the rich black earth which quickly filled with natural spring water. They were building a moat so Matt could enjoy swimming laps like Roger Deakin. Later, in this same frosty spring country, I was attending a photography conference. I wandered naked into an old windowless farm shed and tried to take a self portrait, but the room was too dark. Next I tried to navigate a trail completely covered with a thick slab of ice. I was clothed again. Slowly and clumsily, I caught up with another photographer I'd seen skating along it earlier and began to flirt with her. She was still wearing her skates, but I slipped all over the place.
I'm woken by Islay, whining for her breakfast in the other room. I'm only slightly disappointed to be interrupted, because soon I will be raring.
Tuesday, June 3
Finally, a bit of heat comes to Southeast Michigan. Anticipating this, I take care of my seven mile run in the A.M. I listen to Amy Poehler's interview with Seth Meyers which is funny and sweet. Amid the heaps of content out there, I remain comforted by podcasts where funny friends talk and laugh with each other. I listen to Smartless for the same reason, but it's hit or miss. It has too many hosts. Marc Maron's WTF was the OG and got me through some rough years, but now it's ending. His podcast, I mean. I'll probably have more rough years, but right now I'm feeling pretty good. I'm ready to enjoy summer.
Back at the house I eat cold watermelon and take care of a couple domestic tasks I thought of while I was out running. Then it's back to work editing the Doobie Brothers' profile. I get a company-wide email promoting our Pride Month celebrations. I work for a big tech corporation based in San Jose that has offices around the world. During a time when many similar companies are rolling back diversity efforts and inclusive language, I feel grateful that we haven't caved to the anti-woke bullying. We have some nice diversity programs and a welcoming culture, and that's no small feat right now. I don't talk about my employer much here, but let me take a moment to recognize Xperi for showing up.
Later I drive up to Brighton to visit my parents. I heave the two 40lb bags of rock salt out of their old Ford Escape and bring them down to the basement to pour into the water softener. Then I replace a small decorative fence post in my mom's garden using the post hole digger which we now call the PhD. I help my dad patch his tractor mower's flat tire, then he helps me refill the freon in my car's air conditioner. All the while a mist of yellow pollen descends from the towering pines on either side of the driveway.
Wednesday, June 4
Morning Glory Update:
The Heavenly Blues are the first to climb their way to the wires I've strung up the back fence. The Grandpa Otts are in hot pursuit with the other three strains having yet to find their zeal. The race is on.
In other news, the Lee coveralls I ordered finally arrived after a meandering two week journey through multiple FedEx hubs in North Carolina and Indiana. I was cautiously optimistic, but they are clearly made for someone with a 900ft torso. Tomorrow they will resume their journey in hopes of finding a taller man.
Thursday, June 5
The new Turnstile album is really good. I submit my review to the copy editors, then spend an hour or two sampling other new music. I'm excited about the Brìghde Chaimbeul (Scottish piper) album coming out later this month and was delighted to find a new Lido Pimienta (Columbian-Canadian singer) orchestral album that came out a few weeks ago. I loved her last one.
So far, 2025 has been kind of a mixed bag for new releases. A lot of albums I thought I'd be more into just didn't grab me. Some trusted artists have put out interesting releases, that I maybe haven’t been in the mood for. There are plenty of standouts, but also a lot of stuff I can't quite crack. Mostly, I've been listening to Discovery Zone, an artist I stumbled into a few months ago. Whenever I'm not listening to a Tigers game or my A–Z vinyl project, I'm probably listening to the expanded version of her 2024 album, Quantum Web. That and Bernice's Cruisin' were almost all I listened to while driving through Iceland. Discovery Zone is the solo project of JJ Weihl from the Berlin-based psych-pop band Fenster. Her strain of retro-futuristic art-pop is right in my wheelhouse. I can't get enough of "Mall of Luv" — I've listened to it probably more than any other song this year. I found it not long after watching the Secret Mall Apartment documentary and it complemented the bout of mall nostalgia I’d fallen into.
Friday, June 6
The Michigan skies remain smoky from the wildfires burning across northern Canada. The air quality alert that was put in a place remains in effect and for the second day in a row I have to postpone my training run. Yesterday I saw a photo of the Mackinac Bridge disappearing into a pink haze. What can you do when the air is bad?