The difficulty of blogging is finding a correct balance between retelling simple, day to day events, and finding deeper reflections from one's day. Since I last blogged I have done a lot of plain and typical things that just don't seem blog worthy. I did enjoy the last few days, but it just seems like they had nothing remarkably special to set them apart from any other time.
Yesterday two friends and I worked tirelessly to create a nice 'bro's pad' under a deck. It is complete with a mini fridge, massage chair, grill, lights, and music. This morning I had to be back at my house before 8, so I walked the two miles, just as the sun was poking through the fog. It's easy to forget how beautiful a peaceful silence punctuated only by birdsong, the rustling of trees, and the occasional car can be. As I was walking up a steep hill I saw a huge crow perched on a giant tree, preening itself. For some reason I was convinced it was smiling, and in any case it was the happiest looking crow I have come across. At the surprise party tonight there were some good parts, but I sometimes feel kind of awkward at parties where I am not close to some of the people. Awkward is not the word, but I guess sometimes I convince myself to feel a little out of place. It really bugged me how some guys keep bringing up the fact that I shoplifted stuff once. I felt ashamed and didn't know what to say or do other than go along with all of them. I hope Emily had a very pleasurable time though! This blog is slightly more rubbishy today than usual, and the song for now is All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix.

Tonight I went to Cafe Dolce. Earlier in the afternoon my parents and sister decided to abandon me. It was kind of unusual as they didn't even mention where they going or how long they would be gone (as of 11:53 they still aren't home). When they were gone I blasted music throughout the house and thoroughly cleaned my room, both satisfying tasks. In the evening Emily and Bryan came by to pick me up, and checked out my pad. At Dolce the waiter was really strange, but oddly comical at the same time. It cracked me up how he kept basically shitting on all the deserts even though he worked there. Sitting in the cafe and talking was good, but I enjoyed the car ride back just as much. I love car rides for some reason, especially when its dark outside. It felt like how a summer night should be to me, with the loud songs on the car's stereo, raindrops on the windshield, and the company of the two fine people I was with. For the next few hours I plan on reading Barack Obama's Dreams of My Father. I never make time to read during the school year, and its something I truly miss.
The song for the day, Music at Night by The Coral, sounds a bit cliché after writing this post, but its a brilliant song. Go find it in my playlist.

Long and hot summer days when you just sit at home and unwind are wondrous things. I hadn't been at my house since wednesday, and there is always a primordial feeling of comfort when you return home. I loved the thunderstorms of the afternoon, as I just sat on my porch and tried to take pictures of the rain. Tonight I have been working on (and just finished) a playlist, but it's a playlist with a twist. I tried thinking of as many bands that I like and I could only choose ONE song to represent them. It was really enjoyable actually, as it gave me an excuse to listen to music for the last three hours. http://songza.com/jhersh It's quite good I think.
This was my best day of summer so far, and ironically it was the day I've done the least. My mood can be summed up by the song Chicago by Sufjan Stevens. Now I am going to watch The Reader until late into the night.

I feel like such an asshole. Yesterday I didn't go to my sister's 8th grade graduation because she told me she would rather have me go out and have fun with friends on the first day of summer, rather than be tortured by her graduation. Surprised by her kindness I went out with some people and didn't do anything particularly fun yesterday. It was a kind of disappointing first day of summer. Still, the feeling of being free from school is a nice one right now. But back to my sister, 8th grade graduation is a joke, everyone knows it, but it was obviously still an important evening for her. Even though she is fine that I didn't go, my mum told me that at one point in the night she was really sad I wasn't there. I felt so ashamed when I heard that, and even though she had a great time yesterday, I would still consider myself for the worst brother of the day. She won the same scholarship award (Elsie Vaun Award) that Emily Friedman (shout outtt!) and I won, and I could tell she was so proud. There were good parts of yesterday too though, like swimming carelessly in a pool for hours. The song of the day is ABC by the Jackson Five, because it was before he went weird. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYx3BR2aJA4
Also please look at the picture of my sister in full size.

For the first time this month, the prospect of summer has started to sink in, and right now it seems so wild and filled with possibility. The best part of today was my bio final. I never expected to say that. I'm not sure why I enjoyed it, but it was extremely fun sitting there, clueless, filling in random answers. I am certain I didn't do well on it at all but it was great knowing that with each question I answered I was that much closer to being done with the class forever. I hated bio so much this year, and on my teacher evaluation sheet I most definitely let her know! I told her she's the worst teacher, she's boring, that I will walk away with nothing from the year (it was particularly pleasant underlining the 'nothing' several times), and my only advice being to 'drastically change your teaching style, as this year was an awful waste'. I was in quite the vindictive mood. It will be kind of odd tomorrow with sun and heat, a huge dose of compressed summer all at once after these meteorologically-curious past weeks. I cannot wait for lazy days by swimming pools and resuming my regular sleeping habits. The song of today is You, Me and the Bourgeoisie by the Submarines.

It's time to be so brutally honest about
The way we know we long for something fine
When we pine for higher ceilings
And bourgeois happy feelings

Finals are brutal. I just want to make them go away into hiding in the nothernmost caves of some distant island and for this day to draw to a close. The plus side is that instead of studying for bio I started making a really good playlist. I put more energy into that playlist than the combined effort put into my finals. I really need to (and will) change my work ethic/habits next year.
I think the problem with finals on the last week is that one has no enthusiasm at all, compared to the beginning of the year when you are excited to learn, which is the point of school in my opinion. I've been listening to Airbag by Radiohead constantly and I'm going to stop writing now because this blog is lacking today. I look forward to getting some sleep!
The picture today was taken a few days ago of this kid who was a master-backflipper and it reminds me of summer.

This is my cat, Mister Fred. Today when I got home from school, I thought my house had turned into a mental institution. As soon as I walked in the door, blaring music met my ears. In the living room my Dad was watching an exercise video at full volume and was following the steps with great gusto. The funny thing was that it was a exercises based on Bollywood movies, Indian movies with lively songs, ridiculous dance moves not meant for fifty year old men, and recycled plots. A little confused, I went upstairs to find Mister Fred exactly as he is in this picture. He conveyed a cattish shrug to me as if he was saying "I don't know what your dad is doing, maybe he is finally lost his mind". And then he rolled over and went to bed. I pictured him talking in a very dry, sardonic voice. I sound like the crazy one now, but cats are very expressive, especially when you are in the lethargic mood I was in today. I am not looking forward to taking my first final tomorrow which I haven't studied for. Oh well. Today I was listening to the song Mondayze by this band that I adore called The Reels. Give it a listen though, especially on a Monday. http://www.myspace.com/thereelsband

I do like the rain, just not when I am torturing my brain for inconsequential tidbits of information that I supposedly learned months ago. And when was the last time the sun was out? Honestly! I haven't blogged about last night yet. I went to Providence to see Ted Leo at a small gallery/club, my true intention being to get some good photographs. The AS220 Gallery was crowded with all sorts of unique looking people. There was a mob of tattooed skin and bizarre piercings. Upon arriving I discovered that Titus Andronicus was opening and I was thrilled since they are a great band. Anyways the gig was scheduled to start at 9 but a massive gay pride parade delayed the show by an hour. The streets were so full. When the band started playing I was conveniently perched on some steps to the left of the stage and was about 6 feet from the lead singer, Patrick who had an incredibly large and black beard. After the show I saw him by a van smoking a cigarette. I approached him and we started talking briefly. He told me that his middle name was Joseph. I felt so cool standing with him. But back to the show, they had a great energy and it was fun being in such an intimate setting. Due to the delay I only got to see a little of Ted Leo but it was a successful evening nonetheless. If it was any other weekend I would be raving about the show, but after Andrew Bird, no show can quite compare. Still, I was happy to have quite the musical weekend. P.S. listen to Graveyard Girl by M83 or Titus Andronicus by Titus Andronicus.
Today was filled with me attempting (unsuccessfully) to study. I just can't focus and I don't even have a final tomorrow. I felt like studying was going to be a waste from the get-go which can't have helped matters. The best moment of the day was when I decided to go for a run in the heavy rain. I jumped in every puddle and then climbed onto my roof. I sat there for 15 minutes letting the rain hit me. This weekend has been superb. Or at least Friday was.

Yesterday was one of the best days.
On the train going to South Station the sky was covered in gray and had this gritty look that I think was really one of the most beautiful things. There is something about trains, they are all so battered looking inside. When I try to recreate the scene of the train in my head I see a grainy image of light flashing by the smudged windows, with the soft voice of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side serving as the soundtrack.
I love how open we were on the train and I felt such closeness and it was one of those experiences that makes you value people. I felt happier and more alive than I had been for weeks yesterday. I know this is on another blog but I wouldn't feel this post is complete unless I added it here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu-wd_5Pp24. The lightness and freedom in the video shows how we all felt, I can safely say.
We arrived into Boston at about 6:00 and since the show didn't start until seven we decided to wonder around, specifically for dinner and a trip to urban outfitters. This wasn't our original plan, but the the independence, and our spontaneous tendencies of the afternoon of just getting up and going somewhere was so gratifying. The truth is I really miss living in a city. The bustle, the smells, and the raw life of cities is so refreshing. After a successful bite to eat and visit to urban, the sun came out and we enjoyed blue skies. Walking around a place you don't know is always an adventure. After a brisk walk along the harbor, with a light and refreshing breeze, we reached a giant tent. There were hundreds of people swarming around it and it is so fascinating to look at people you don't know and picture what they are like or what they dream about in life. When the warm-up band finished (they were nondescript), Nina arrived! The night would not have been the same if anyone else was there apart from her and the four of us sitting there was marvelous. Then Andrew Bird came on. He is the best live performer I have ever seen. His voice is stunning when you hear it in person and his violin flies through the air, so strikingly. He sounds completely very different live than recorded, and his music has such a depth too it that seems to sweep you up with it. During his first few songs all the things that have been stressing me out recently were gone and I became totally immersed in the music. It reminded me of when you are listening to a song over and over again on a long car ride, its raining, and your eyes start to close. Limitless Bliss. Every song had different emotion to it but they were all moving in different ways. He is probably one of the most dynamic musicians. His whistling, so piercing, gave me the image of a hawk flying in a clear sky, above a series of mountains. Just flying. Flying for the sake of flying. I think time became less important during the show, or at least Andrew Bird seemed to control it, embarking on songs that felt unbounded by any ticking clocks. One thing that stays in my mind is when he was talking to the crowd. He told us the most quirky little things, like that we should all imagine the 'feelings of bread' before we toast it or eat it. I laughed and felt invigorated that I had got the chance to really be myself during the day. I didn't have to fake anything or feel the pressure of being judged. That's why when the girls started shouting random names at guys when they walked by I felt like they all knew exactly how I felt. It was effortless being with them and I love them all. Concerts can really being transformational events. I guess what I mean by that is that they can really make you look inside yourself and appreciate the things like friendship, happiness, joy, music, and love that make life worth living. I'm not sure where I am going with that, but it's true. The encores during the concert where something else. I vividly remember one moment after we had moved up closer to the stage, where I felt so connected to my friends, the music, and just at peace with the world. It was the greatest concert I could imagine, and every aspect of the day was perfect. I wish it hadn't ended, and right now, as I listen to Andrew Bird on my computer, I know that last nigh is already one the great memories that will stay with me.


The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up...

Andrew Bird was brilliant. As I type, there is this peculiar sound that keeps repeating in my head. At first I simply could not figure out what it was, until a sudden spark made me realize it was a high whistling note of Scythian Empires from this evening, reoccurring over and over again.
five day forecast bring black tar rains and hellfire
while handpicked handler's kid gloves tear at the inseams
Today day was amazing. Everything about it. To steal from The Perks of Being a Wallflower, it felt infinite. I will write a much fuller and more descriptive blog later as the night isn't getting any younger.

For the past few months I have kept telling myself to start a blog. I tried in December when I visited Africa but I wrote the most boring things, along the lines of, "Today I went to the beach. It was warm out..." So this is my second attempt. Better late than never I guess. I also felt discouraged to start because I thought I would have nothing that interesting to write about, making it a waste of time. Then I thought it might be useful to write about my days so that I could reflect more in my life. I already don't like the sound of this post to be honest but maybe that's just because I am unsatisfied with this day as a whole. Right now raindrops are hitting my window. This evening I am planning on watching an old movie Some Like It Hot. It made me laugh when I was ten and it still does. It is one of my favorites.
Oh and for the past few days I have been listening to the song With a Girl Like You - by Dave Sitek, nonstop. There is something about it I just love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXBOvCACN_Q