Strangely, Alex also just discovered Elliot Smith, and notes that it's "like me to discover [him] after he's dead."

Thing is, I could have said that too.

You see, it sometimes seems that Alex and I share an eerie, preternatural ability to do the same things at the same time, without knowing we're doing the same thing at the same time.

Who knew that the two of us, scavengers of music, shouldn't have known Smith at all, and that we should coincidentally both have gotten hipped to him in the same week, moreover, by dint of accident or gift?

Am I making something out of nothing?

Yes.

Fuck it. It's December 31, 2003. Where are your cows?

I resolve to not let the dishes pile up in my sink for five days before I put them in the dishwasher.

That is my sole resolution for 2004. I shall make no other.

Happily, my resolution has teeth: I started early. I started two days ago. So far, I'm sticking to it.

...

Lists!

A couple of days ago I also resolved in an unofficial, small-r, 2003 capacity to round up the year.

Looks like that isn't going to happen.

No wait...let's try; quickly now:

Worked consistently for the first half of the year. Money=good. Time=bad.

Wrote too few new pieces of music. Bad.

Still didn't finish second album. Bad.

Put out too few new singles. Bad.

Signed a flurry of last-minute singles of mostly older material at the end of the year. Good.

Worked like an endangered monkey on crack building the studio. Good/bad.

Essentially finished the studio, just beating the 2003 cutoff. Good.

Girlfriend and I broke up half way through the year. Bad/necessary.

Six months later stopped pretending I'm not in love with her anymore. Good/bad.

Finally took the road trip across America I've dreamed of. Good/best.

Figured out that despite the best attempts of Robert Cray last decade, good blues is still being recorded. Good.

Finally--after three to four years--got my house upstairs nearly arranged as a home, not a temporary warehouse/workspace. Good.

Started going out a little again to see actual bands. Good.

Started seeing movies again. Good.

Didn't read enough books. Bad.

Was acquired by a cat. Good.

Trying and failing thus far to figure out how to advance my stupid career in the enturtaynmunt bizniss. Bad.

Spent the second half of the year mostly very anxious about money. Bad.

Noticed that despite how busy and/or creative I ever might have been, that I, somehow, a lot of the time, wasn't feeling too hot about the world, nor my prospects in it. Bad.

This blog: Good/bad.

Overall? Let's do a tally:

Bad=12
Good=12

Hmm. That sounds about right.

Have a very happy and safe new year monkeys. See you on the other side.