"So just wear your hair down low, don't let anybody know, that it's hard to live, it's hard to live in the city. Yes it's hard to live, so hard to live in the city." ~albert hammond jr.

I moved into my new apartment over the weekend. I don't really have that much to do here, though. I've done a lot of walking over the past few days. Like I'll walk 100+ blocks a day. I guess it's good for me. I've also been reading (I'm in the middle of Prozac Nation right now) and watching my DVDs. It's incredibly hot in my apartment, though; I've probably sweated off 5 pounds already. I've spent time with some friends, which has been nice. I had brunch with my friend Colin one day, and I've hung out with Nicole. Tonight I'm meeting up with a girl I know who's from Melbourne. I don't have the internet or TV in my apartment, and it's going to be really difficult for me to survive without those things. I looked into getting the internet set up in my room, but it's really expensive just to get hooked up and I don't think it's worth it. I'll probably only live here for 3 months before I find another place (that's what my initial lease is for, and I think I'll want to move on when that time is up). So it looks like I'll have to survive without TV and internet. When I start work it won't be so bad because I'll probably be able to go online at school, but for now it's annoying. There's a bench a block away where I get (spotty) wireless access, so I'll have to make do with that, but it's not exactly convenient to walk down 3 flights of stairs and a block away with my laptop just to check my email.

For a graduation present to myself I bought recording gear, and this week I recorded my first bootleg! It actually turned out very well considering it was my first time, I don't have the best equipment, and I wasn't even in the concert venue. The concert was The Decemberists at Central Park Summerstage. Nic and I go to the Summerstage concerts and sit outside; you don't have to pay, and you can hear everything just as well as if you were inside the venue (it's open air so the sound carries, and you can even see part of the stage). There are always hundreds of people sitting outside. It's fun; everyone still claps, and a bunch of people were dancing tonight. The only Summerstage concert I've paid for was The Killers, and that was definitely worth it (I ended up in the front row mere feet away from Brandon Flowers, and it was an amazing concert). But for other acts for which I don't want to shell out $40, it's perfect to sit outside and listen. Anyway, I'm very pleased with my recording. But Nic and I talked through the entire concert (we could because we were sitting outside), and our conversation is very audible on the recording. It's absolutely hilarious to listen to. I have the most obnoxious voice ever, though; on the recording I sound much different from what I sound like in my head. If that's how I sound to other people, I'm terribly sorry.
There is one song during which we don't talk at all, and it happens to be a really good song. Here's a link to download my recording of "Sons and Daughters." I converted it to an mp3 so it's a smaller file.
Give it a listen if you like; it's good (but the link expires within a week, so download it now if you want it).
Download "Sons and Daughters"

And here's a link to a good review of the concert.