The Bait Shop

Red Bull

2012-02-19T20:14:00.000-06:00

Every time this Red Bull commercial comes on I stop and watch. Something deep inside me longs for the thrill of the adventure those athletes must experience. If you like the song in the commercial, it's called "Outro" by M83.

- Joel

Bon Iver

2012-02-19T15:07:00.000-06:00

Check out this stripped-down (only pianos and vocals) performance from Bon Iver. Or I should say Grammy award winner Bon Iver.

- Joel

2012-02-18T15:01:00.001-06:00

To answer their question, Oklahoma Joe's is the best barbeque in Kansas City...

- Joel

Kansas City - City of Entrepreneurs

2012-02-18T14:56:00.002-06:00

Living in Texas, I find myself defending my hometown quite often. Here's another great reason to be proud of Kansas City - the Kauffman Foundation.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2012-02-15T10:14:00.002-06:00

Tim Barber.

Tennis - "Origins"

2012-02-13T10:15:00.003-06:00

The Denver band Tennis dropped their sophomore album, Young and Old, today. I have yet to listen to a substantial portion of the album, but I do like the song "Origins."

Enjoy.

- Joel

Tennis - "Origins"

Lin-sanity

2012-02-11T16:04:00.003-06:00

My dad and I watched the Lakers-Knicks game last night. What we witnessed was the validation of Lin-sanity, aka Jeremy Lin. Lin, an undrafted guard from Harvard, dropped 38 points and dished out 7 assists as led the Knicks to their fourth straight win. Lin's rags-to-riches story, combined with his persistent humility, have made him the toast of New York and the entire NBA.

I read a great article today in the New York Times exploring Lin's newfound fame from the perspective of an Asian-American. Check it out at the link below.

- Joel

Michael Luo - "Lin's Appeal: Faith, Pride, and Points"

Allen Fieldhouse

2012-02-09T09:14:00.003-06:00

I came across this video about the "Allen Fieldhouse Experience." As a diehard fan of the Kansas Jayhawks, it got me pretty excited. If you like the music in the video, check out the band Alcove in the widget below.

- Joel

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://alcovemusic.bandcamp.com/album/sing-to-me-softly-my-sweet-millennial"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Sing To Me Softly, My Sweet Millennial by Alcove&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Memoryhouse - "Walk With Me"

2012-02-01T14:38:00.000-06:00

Here's a chill new track from Memoryhouse's new album The Slideshow Effect. I think the lead guitar makes the song.

- Joel

Memoryhouse - "Walk With Me"

Frank Fairfield

2012-02-01T10:32:00.001-06:00

Here's a fun mini-documentary on folk musician Frank Fairfield. The man can get nasty with a banjo, fiddle, or guitar.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

2012-01-31T22:43:00.004-06:00

I sat in McDonald's today drinking a Dr. Pepper, doing homework for school, and watching two girls make out in the corner. While I'm unashamed of my moral convictions that run contrary to what I witnessed, I'm embarrassed by some of the condescending thoughts that ran through my head. I want to be someone whose first instinct is love and grace. My struggle reminded me of this quote I read in East of Eden last night:

"You are one of those rare people who can separate your observation from your preconception. You see what is, where most people see what they expect."

- Joel

Chairlift - "I Belong in Your Arms"

2012-01-31T22:10:00.003-06:00

You might remember the band Chairlift from this iPod commercial. They've got a new album out this month and I really like the track "I Belong in Your Arms." Check it out below.

- Joel

Chairlift - "I Belong in Your Arms"

Kansas City

2012-01-31T09:04:00.000-06:00

No place like home.

- Joel

Kyle Steed

2012-01-30T08:50:00.000-06:00

I really like Kyle Steed's hand lettering.

- Joel

Happy Birthday Kansas

2012-01-29T20:59:00.002-06:00

BORN: January 29, 1861

First Aid Kit

2012-01-29T19:50:00.003-06:00

I had a great time last night chatting with my friend Steve Miller about everything from the 2006 NBA Finals to the latest and greatest music. He clued me in on a new-to-me band First Aid Kit. They sounds surprisingly twangy considering they are two sisters from Sweden. But I like their sound.

- Joel

First Aid Kit - "The Lion's Roar"

First Aid Kit - "Emmylou"

Quote of the Day

2012-01-28T13:10:00.004-06:00

Lonesome Dove begins with this epigraph from T.K. Whipple. It seems to sum up my heart for the West, the wilderness, and traveling back in time.

- Joel

"All America lies at the end of the wilderness road, and our past is not a dead past, but still lives in us. Our forefathers had civilization inside themselves, the wild outside. We live in the civilization they created, but within us the wilderness still lingers. What they dreamed, we live, and what they lived, we dream."

- T.K. Whipple, Study Out the Land

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

2012-01-27T09:10:00.003-06:00

I came across this animated short film yesterday and really enjoyed it. The film has been nominated for an academy award. According to it's production studio, "'Morris Lessmore' is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor." As a book lover myself, I enjoyed this creative take on the value of books.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2012-01-25T21:09:00.005-06:00

Allison V. Smith. I'll never get tired of her photographs from Marfa, Texas.

- Joel

Baldwin

2012-01-25T12:00:00.002-06:00

My friend Daniel helps run a denim/fashion brand called Baldwin Denim. I like their hometown pride, as you can see by the poster above.

- Joel

Yosemite

2012-01-24T13:41:00.002-06:00

Here's a cool time lapse video of Yosemite National Park. One of my lifetime goals is to visit every national park. Yosemite is one I have yet to visit.

- Joel

Pitchfork

2012-01-22T16:21:00.006-06:00

I first heard about Pitchfork.com from my friend Daniel back in 2005. My musical tastes had begun to expand in 2002 when my brother Kyle compelled me to listen to Radiohead's "Amenesiac" and Beck's "Sea Change." By 2005, a large part of my identity came from the music I listed to and, more importantly, the fact that not a lot of other people listened to the same music. Thus, Pitchfork was the perfect website for someone like me who used music to feel cooler than other people. It told me what to listen to. It told me what was cool. And the music it recommended was not what everyone else was listening to.

I still read Pitchfork on a daily basis, but these days it makes me tired. I'm disenchanted with the idea of using music, or books, or clothes to be cool - because you aren't really cool unless you are cooler than someone else, are you? I struggle with the pride that I see at the core of a lot of self-expression. I don't know if I feel that way because I'm growing older and more mature. Or maybe I feel that way because I'm growing older and more out of touch; maybe it's a self-serving perspective for someone out of touch to discount as immature and vain those who live on the pulse of popular culture. Either way, I'm growing tired of the effort it takes to be cool, and Pitchfork reminds me of my fatigue.

I say all this because this afternoon I read an insightful, yet extremely long, article on the history of Pitchfork.com. Buried within the article is a subtle, and at times not-so-subtle, critique of a website that prides itself, though not openly, on establishing "cultural capital" - aka what is/isn't cool. Richard Beck writes, "Pitchfork and indie rock are currently run by people who behave as though the endless effort to perfect the habits of cultural consumption is the whole experience of life." Maybe I'm old and mature, or maybe I'm just not cool anymore, but "perfecting [my] habits of cultural consumption" just doesn't seem worth it anymore. I'm tired of being what I should be, when it comes to culture/art/fashion. I am what I am.

- Joel

Read the article "Pitchfork, 1995-Present" here.

The Staves

2012-01-20T00:02:00.002-06:00

Tonight I went to see The Civil Wars in concert, but it was the opening act, The Staves, that blew me away. These three sisters from England have yet to release a full length album (one is due this year), but their EPs are strong. Check out a few songs below and jump on the bandwagon before everyone else.

- Joel

The Staves - "Facing West"

The Staves - "Mexico"

Surprise

2012-01-17T21:21:00.002-06:00

I have the best sister. Awhile back I posted about this map I loved (see above). I come home today and guess what the mailman brought? The map! It was a complete surprise.

Thanks Abby! I love you.

- Joel

Canon Blue

2012-01-17T11:56:00.000-06:00

My brother told me about the band Canon Blue last week. I'm just now getting around to listening to their album Rumspringa. I like what I hear. Check out a track below.

- Joel

Canon Blue - "Indian Summer (Des Moines)"

Photographer of the Day

2012-01-16T11:02:00.000-06:00

Jim Richardson. Richardson is a photographer for National Geographic and has taken many photographs of his (and mine!) home state, Kansas. I've had the debate about Kansas and its beauty with many skeptical friends. Most people only see the state as they drive across I-70 on the way to and from Colorado. However, the I-70 corridor amounts less than 1% of Kansas' square milage. There is so much else to see, and, as you might notice from the photographs, so much of it is beautiful. Forgive my indulgence in posting so many of his photographs.

- Joel

MLK

2012-01-16T08:32:00.000-06:00

As a Christian, I'm inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr's radical devotion to Jesus. Yet no matter one's religious belief/disbelief, King's message of love and sacrifice are admirable. In honor of MLK Day, here are a few quotes from Dr. King.

- Joel

"Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase.”

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

"Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness."

Steinbeck on Love

2012-01-15T22:47:00.004-06:00

A friend tweeted a link to this letter written by author John Steinbeck (Of Mice And Men, East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath) to his son Thom on the topic of love. I found it to be delicately insightful, especially the last line: "Don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."

- Joel

New York
November 10, 1958

Dear Thom:

We had your letter this morning. I will answer it from my point of view and of course Elaine will from hers.

First — if you are in love — that’s a good thing — that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you.

Second — There are several kinds of love. One is a selfish, mean, grasping, egotistical thing which uses love for self-importance. This is the ugly and crippling kind. The other is an outpouring of everything good in you — of kindness and consideration and respect — not only the social respect of manners but the greater respect which is recognition of another person as unique and valuable. The first kind can make you sick and small and weak but the second can release in you strength, and courage and goodness and even wisdom you didn’t know you had.

You say this is not puppy love. If you feel so deeply — of course it isn’t puppy love.

But I don’t think you were asking me what you feel. You know better than anyone. What you wanted me to help you with is what to do about it — and that I can tell you.

Glory in it for one thing and be very glad and grateful for it.

The object of love is the best and most beautiful. Try to live up to it.

If you love someone — there is no possible harm in saying so — only you must remember that some people are very shy and sometimes the saying must take that shyness into consideration.

Girls have a way of knowing or feeling what you feel, but they usually like to hear it also.

It sometimes happens that what you feel is not returned for one reason or another — but that does not make your feeling less valuable and good.

Lastly, I know your feeling because I have it and I’m glad you have it.

We will be glad to meet Susan. She will be very welcome. But Elaine will make all such arrangements because that is her province and she will be very glad to. She knows about love too and maybe she can give you more help than I can.

And don’t worry about losing. If it is right, it happens — The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away.

Love,

Fa

Nicolas Jaar - "And I Say"

2012-01-15T22:42:00.004-06:00

I haven't found much new music to my liking lately. I'm sure part of the reason is I don't have as much time to devote to musical exploration. Here's an interesting song I heard last week. The female vocals are from Scout LaRue, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore.

Also, I took the picture above on a trip to Fredericksburg, Texas this weekend - a fun hill-country destination in Texas.

- Joel

Nicolas Jaar - "And I Say (feat. Scout LaRue and Will Epstein)

Curiosity

2012-01-13T00:30:00.002-06:00

I resonate with this video on curiosity though I find myself lacking in that department far too often. Maybe I need to be less concerned with having all the answers. Or I need to be more concerned with having all the answers - aka curiously exploring the answers to many questions. If you're curious, the video was created by Garrett Johnson.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

2012-01-12T14:28:00.003-06:00

I've been meaning to post this quote for awhile. It comes from Chuck Klosterman's book "The Visible Man." What an interesting take on technological advances.

- Joel

“Everything science gives us immediately becomes normative. To an eighty-year-old man, a computer is this amazing device that creates instantaneous access to limitless information. He can’t get his head around it. But to a twenty-year-old man, the computer is a limited machine that costs too much and always needs to be faster. Because human live finite lives, all technological advances immediately feel banal to whatever generation inherits their benefits. Any advance can be appreciated only by the handful of people who happen to exist within the same time period of that specific technology’s introduction. You follow my meaning? Those are the only people who notice the difference. To a seven-year-old, a computer doesn’t even qualify as technology. It’s like a crowbar. Everything magical is temporary. So the idea that science makes our life ‘better’ is kind of an ephemeral illusion. Take vulcanization, for example. That’s a manifestation of science that seems to improve everything about modernity. Right? Of course it is. We wouldn’t drive without it, or at least not the way we drive now. But if vulcanization wasn’t possible, would we miss it? No. Of course not. We wouldn’t miss it at all. We’d find a way around it, or we’d effortlessly live without it. We wouldn’t even have the capacity to miss it. Vulcanization seems to make life better only because we already know it exists. We wouldn’t miss rubber tires if they had never been invented, in the same way we don’t miss cows that taste like lobster or shoes made out of glass or sexual time machines or anything else that science can’t create. Over time, the net benefit of technology is always going to be zero. Children born into Amish communities don’t miss TV until they discover such contraptions exist, right? There’s just no real evidence that proves people in the fifteenth century were less happy than people are now, just as there’s no reason to think people in the twenty-fifth century will have happier, better lives than you or me. This is a strange notion to accept, but it’s true. And once I accepted that truth, it forced me to reevaluate everything I did as an intellectual.”

Y__, The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman.

Photographer of the Day

2012-01-11T13:27:00.000-06:00

Joe Tomcho. I've been vigorously reading Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove in an attempt to finish it before the new semester begins next Tuesday. With horses on the brain, the photograph above jumped out at me.

- Joel

Walk Off The Earth

2012-01-10T22:29:00.002-06:00

Here's a pretty cool cover by a Canadian band called Walk Off The Earth. The original version is by Gotye, whose album containing the song just dropped last month. You can listen to/download both versions below. Be sure to watch the video - all five members of the band play on one guitar. Impressive.

- Joel

Walk Off The Earth - "Somebody That I Used to Know"

Gotye - "Somebody That I Used To Know"

Photographer of the Day

2012-01-10T13:09:00.003-06:00

Laura D'Art. Laura is a Nashville based photographer. I wonder if she knows the Rectors...

- Joel

The Joy of Quiet

2012-01-05T20:43:00.004-06:00

This article from the New York Times scratches me where I itch. The author, Pico Iyer, explores our need for quiet and rest and the difficult task it is to find that in today's world. I have been contemplating quiet time lately, craving time away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. I'm not even busy, but this break from school makes me realize how much I need to make time to rest.

- Joel

Pico Iyer - "The Joy of Quiet"

Photographer of the Day

2012-01-05T14:49:00.000-06:00

Joe Nigel Coleman. I've been itching to go camping lately. I've been missing the mountains. I love these photographs.

- Joel

Caleb Everitt

2012-01-04T17:30:00.000-06:00

I love the design work by Caleb Everitt. Check out more here.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2012-01-04T14:21:00.003-06:00

Jerome Lautre.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T22:10:00.000-06:00

A wonderful reminder of the meaning of Christmas.

- Joel

Maps

2011-12-24T12:30:00.001-06:00

I'm a sucker for maps. I took this in a gas station on the drive from Austin to Kansas City. Speaking of maps, I should have asked for the map below, from Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co., for Christmas.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2011-12-24T08:39:00.000-06:00

Akos Major.

Yukon Blonde

2011-12-23T21:11:00.002-06:00

I'm digging this song from Canadian trio Yukon Blonde.

- Joel

Yukon Blonde - "Choices"

Goldmund

2011-12-23T20:05:00.003-06:00

Last year I stumbled upon composer Keith Kenniff, aka Goldmund. His album Famous Places, an instrumental piano album, became a fixture in my headphones. Goldmund released a new album this year, All Will Prosper, a collection of Civil-war era folk songs. After a few listens, it sounds pretty good. Check out a few tracks below.

- Joel

Goldmund - "Amazing Grace"

Goldmund - "Shenandoah"

Balmorhea

2011-12-19T19:53:00.005-06:00

My sister and I were talking about Balmorhea tonight, so I decided to check out their website. Little did I know they had recently recorded a performance for SerialBox. Check it out a video or download the audio below.

- Joel

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://audio.serialboxpresents.com/album/serialbox-presents-balmorhea"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;SerialBox Presents: Balmorhea by SerialBox Presents&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Quote of the Day

2011-12-13T15:34:00.001-06:00

I watched a documentary about Mike Tyson over the weekend and found myself struck by something his long-time trainer, Cus D'Amato, said. D'Amato was speaking about his passion for identifying the strengths of young boxers. Yet his approach seems like a good disposition of the heart towards people in everyday life.

- Joel

"What I do is discover and uncover."

- Cus D'Amato

The Beatles on iTunes

2011-12-12T12:08:00.002-06:00

What an incredible advertisement. Whoever did the animation deserves a lot of money.

- Joel

JT

2011-12-12T10:21:00.003-06:00

Remember when Justin Timberlake was the coolest guy on the planet? This song is providing the soundtrack for my last day of studying this semester. Hopefully the people around me at Austin Java don't mind my feet tapping to the beat.

- Joel

Young Whale Design

2011-12-11T12:21:00.004-06:00

I saw this print yesterday from Craig Moan, aka Young Whale Design, of Nashville. It made me think of the protection I need during law school finals.

- Joel

Andrew Ripp

2011-12-08T15:41:00.001-06:00

Another performance from Andrew Ripp. The guy can sing.

- Joel

Klosterman on Tebow

2011-12-08T13:27:00.003-06:00

As usual, Chuck Klosterman brings intellect and nuance to a popular culture phenomenon. Tim Tebow is 6-1 as a starting quarterback this season and has led the Denver Broncos to five straight wins. He is also the most polarizing figure in professional sports, even more polarizing than LeBron James. The issue here, and the subject of Klosterman's most recent piece, is why Tebow is so polarizing. He seems to be a genuinely nice guy who rubs a lot of people the wrong way. If I'm honest, it's only been in the last month that I've given up my skepticism of Tebow and taken him at face value. On what grounds do I have to question him? I know nothing about him. What I appreciate about Klosterman's article is his ability to decipher the root of the issue. Klosterman writes:

The crux here, the issue driving this whole "Tebow Thing," is the matter of faith. It's the ongoing choice between embracing a warm feeling that makes no sense or a cold pragmatism that's probably true. And with Tebow, that illogical warm feeling keeps working out. It pays off. The upside to secular thinking is that — in theory — your skepticism will prove correct. Your rightness might be emotionally unsatisfying, but it confirms a stable understanding of the universe.

Though I sincerely disagree with his ultimate conclusion about secularism, I sincerely agree that Tebow is the personification of the battle between faith and reason. (I'd still argue that faith and reason are not antonyms) Check out the article at the link below.

- Joel

Chuck Klosterman - "The People Who Hate Tim Tebow"

Marcel the Shell

2011-12-06T15:34:00.000-06:00

Here's some comic relief in honor of completing my very first law school exam.

- Joel

Sufjan Stevens - "Sister Winter"

2011-12-05T16:52:00.000-06:00

Here's one of my favorite Sufjan Christmas originals from his collection of Christmas albums. It starts out low-key but builds up to full holiday cheer. Christmas has me thinking about Kansas City and The Plaza lights. I'm not sure who painted the picture above, but it looks similar to a picture I have hanging on my wall here in Austin.

- Joel

Sufjan Stevens - "Sister Winter"

Andrew Ripp - "Joy to the World"

2011-12-05T15:29:00.004-06:00

It's pretty bad that I've let law school get in the way of blogging. I need to get my priorities straight. But now that it's finals season, I'll let blogging be my study break. I saw this guy - Andrew Ripp - in Austin a month ago. He's got legit vocal ability. I'm normally not a fan of non-traditional takes on Christmas carols, but I'll give Andrew Ripp a pass because of his mad pipes.

Enjoy.

- Joel

Look Up, Get Lost

2011-11-08T23:01:00.001-06:00

I appreciate the sentiment of this picture. I've found myself staring at the sky a lot lately on my daily walk to class. We live in a beautiful world.

- Joel

A Year In New York

2011-11-07T17:02:00.002-06:00

Here's a fun video shot by a guy documenting a year of his life in New York. It captures the mystique of the most intriguing place in the world while giving the city a human element as well. The James Vincent McMorrow song which accompanies the video is a great choice as well.

- Joel

A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.

2011-11-04T19:20:00.003-05:00

I want your life filling and stirring me. I want your happiness beneath my heart and your sorrows in my eyes and your peace in the fingers of my hand.

- Malcolm Lowry - Under the Volcano

2011-11-03T11:15:00.002-05:00

I look at this photograph every once in awhile for motivation. At one point I knew the details behind the cyclist's ride up the mountain but have since forgotten. I'm sure he's famous. And there's no doubt he's one bad man.

- Joel

Jon Contino

2011-11-02T17:06:00.003-05:00

I ran across the illustrations of Jon Contino as I was detoxing from a long day of class today. You can see more of his work here.

- Joel

The Black Keys

2011-10-26T22:13:00.003-05:00

Here's a new track from The Black Keys from their upcoming album, El Camino. Check out the dance moves in the promotional video for the song below. I'm taking notes from that guy.

- Joel

The Black Keys - "Lonely Boy"

Road Not Taken

2011-10-26T16:22:00.002-05:00

I proudly own three books of poetry, one being the complete collection of Robert Frost. I've thought a lot lately about the events that led to my move to Austin. At the time, choosing Austin in light of other options was a bit counterintuitive. After three months here, I couldn't imagine any other road to take. That just so happens to remind me of my second favorite Frost poem...

- Joel

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Quote of the Day

2011-10-22T20:15:00.001-05:00

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
- Albert Einstein

Youth Lagoon

2011-10-18T20:02:00.004-05:00

Thanks to a friend's recommendation I've been listening through the recently released Youth Lagoon album. If you can acclimate your ears to the guy's voice, I think it's a pretty incredible listen. Check out one of the tracks below and a music video for another below that.

- Joel

Youth Lagoon - "Afternoon"

Batcow

2011-10-18T10:16:00.001-05:00

Photograph by Jay B. Sauceda

Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Between 750,000 and 1.5 million bats, depending on who you ask, live beneath the Congress Avenue bridge spanning Town Lake. A few weeks ago, accompanied by two of my siblings and my cousin, I had the opportunity to watch this colony make their nightly emergence at dusk in search of food. It's quite a sight to see.

Austin is also the current home of the CowParade, an art exhibit of nearly 100 uniquely decorated cows spread throughout the city. One such cow is decorated as a bat and hangs beneath the Congress Avenue bridge. You can read more about this particular cow here. As you can see above, the Batcow has gained enough attention to warrant its own poster. If you look closely you can see the bats flying out from beneath the bridge.

Long live Batcow.

- Joel

Failure

2011-10-17T18:25:00.003-05:00

For most of my life, I've been driven by the fear of failure. I created unrealistic expectations for myself and was terrified at the idea of falling short. I most motivated not by the opportunity to succeed but from the terror of failure. What a terrible thing, I used to think, for everyone to realize I was anything less than perfect? How ridiculous that sounds now. Failure is such a fundamental part of the human experience.

I read an op-ed in the Washington Post today that discussed the benefits of failure. The author pointed to Steve Jobs as a prime example. Before the MacBook and the iPhone became worldwide successes, Jobs bounced from couch to couch in an effort to make ends meet financially. At one point he was even fired from Apple, the company he co-founded. How humiliating.

It got me thinking about how many other influential figures have failed miserably. Abraham Lincoln's run to public offic began with a nervous breakdown and one election defeat after another. Reigning Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers began his college football career in junior college. He was invited to the NFL Draft festivities in Madison Square Garden only to sit alone in the waiting room hours after every other player had been drafted. Walt Disney had difficulty finding work as a newspaper artist and was even fired once because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."

The article (link below) I read discusses how the American obsession with success, and fear of failure, has trickled down to affect people of all ages. Yet, in reality, so much of the world's greatest successes were products of profound failure. Failure isn't something to be afraid of but to embrace. It's a lesson I'm learning ever so slowly.

- Joel

Kathleen Parker - "How We Succeed By Failing"

Allah-Las

2011-10-14T21:26:00.003-05:00

Here's another modern band with a retro sound, Allah-Las. Check out a song below and watch the vintage music video below that if you'd like.

- Joel

Allah-Las - "Catamarans"

Nick Waterhouse

2011-10-13T22:28:00.004-05:00

I snagged an EP this evening from Nick Waterhouse. If I didn't know better, I would think I was listening to something straight out of the 1950's. Check out the opening track below. I'm a sucker for the old school sound.

- Joel

Is That Clear by Nick Waterhouse.

Tennis - "Tell Her No"

2011-10-13T10:29:00.003-05:00

I'm a sucker for oldies tunes. I'm also a sucker for modern covers of oldies songs...unless it's a Beatles song. Those are off limits in my opinion. They are perfect as originally written. Check out Tennis covering a track from The Zombies below. You can also hear the original below that.

- Joel

Tennis - "Tell Her No (The Zombies cover)"

Death Cab For Cutie Remix

2011-10-11T21:20:00.003-05:00

I really like Cut Copy's remix of the Death Cab song "Doors Unlocked and Open." The song, for me at least, seems to pick up steam as it progresses.

- Joel

Death Cab For Cutie - "Doors Unlocked and Open (Cut Copy Remix)"

Photographer of the Day

2011-10-10T21:58:00.002-05:00

Troy Moth. These photographs make me miss the mountains (except for the one of the ocean).

- Joel

Cameras - "Defeatist"

2011-10-09T18:12:00.003-05:00

I heard this song today and enjoyed the band's sound. Cameras' debut album drops later this month.

Also, shout out to my blogger friend Brittany Price, who introduced herself on Friday evening in Waco. Thanks for making my night.

- Joel

Cameras - "Defeatist"

The Visible Man

2011-10-07T08:36:00.000-05:00

I've never pre-ordered a book...until now. Today I'll receive my copy of Chuck Klosterman's The Visible Man. Apparently the novel is set in Austin, Texas, which is a fun coincidence. Klosterman will be in Austin for a book discussion in two weeks. I'm going to do my best to finish the book and attend the discussion. This will be the first book I've read since starting law school - other than my case books - which is a sad fact.

If you're interested in a preview of the book, go here to read one of the chapters. Also, making book trailers is apparently the new thing to do. You can check out the trailer for the book below. Watching it actually makes the book seem a little creepy. But Klosterman always makes me think, so I'm betting there's more to the book than the trailer lets on.

- Joel

Quote of the Day

2011-10-06T17:50:00.004-05:00

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

– Steve Jobs

Feist - Metals

2011-10-06T08:45:00.000-05:00

This week Feist released the follow up to her blockbuster album The Reminder. The new album, Metals, reminds me a lot of some of the more raw cuts from her previous effort - "Intuition" and "The Water" most especially. It has a choral element reminiscent of Ryan Gosling's band Dead Man's Bones. Yet Feist puts her own unique fingerprints on the dusky folk/rock sound. These songs may not wind up on an iPod commercial, but they are great to study to. Check out the album's opener below.

- Joel

Feist - "The Bad In Each Other"

Jerry West

2011-10-05T20:15:00.005-05:00

Yesterday my co-ed flag football team lost 6-0. We had the ball on the 2 yard line with one play remaining and couldn't score. I hate losing. I have the annoying tendency to wrap my identity into the task presently at hand - even if that task is co-ed flag football. Thus losing is more than losing; it is a mini-identity crisis. It took some some heartbreak a few years ago to realize just how crippling this tendency can be. Slowly I'm learning a better way to live, and I think I'm finally becoming an enjoyable person to be around.

Yet it's good to know that I'm not alone. I just read this article on Jerry West, and we seem to have a lot in common. I wish we shared the same athletic prowess, but alas we share the same dysfunction - perfectionism. In spite of unparalleled respect in NBA circles, West says, "Self-esteem is something I still battle. People look at me and say you've got fame, you've got admiration, you've done this, you've done that. As far as I'm concerned, I haven't done anything." In spite of 14 All-Star appearances, 7 appearances in the NBA Finals, and 1 NBA Championship, West says, "All I did was learn how to lose... Go in that other locker room and see what it's like. It's the worst feeling in the world. You feel like you're lost. You hate yourself. You can't stand yourself, and we praise the winners."

The article is a fascinating, surprisingly honest take on one of the NBA's greatest stars. It reminded me of the pitfalls of defining myself by my performance. But beyond the psychology, it's a great read.

- Joel

Jonathan Abrams - "The Winter of Jerry West"

Mute Math - "Odd Soul"

2011-10-04T11:15:00.003-05:00

My favorite album so far this year is Mute Math's Odd Soul, which officially drops today. My brother gave me a leaked copy last week and it's been on repeat since then. To me, the album's sound bears fingerprints of 70's funk and classic rock. It's certainly a different sound than Mute Math has produced in the past, and I am enjoying their evolution. Check out the title track below. Surprisingly and much to my chagrin, the band doesn't have a show scheduled in Austin.

- Joel

Mute Math - "Odd Soul"

Mina Tindle

2011-10-04T08:35:00.000-05:00

French songstress Mina Tindle released a self-titled EP yesterday. This song is the highlight from what I can tell. If she was shooting jumpers rather than dancing around the basketball court in her video, then she'd be the perfect girl...other than the fact that she's French.

- Joel

Dustin Farrell - Landscapes

2011-10-03T21:28:00.003-05:00

This is a pretty incredible video. I'm sure there is some metaphor to be made about how life mimics nature - things are happening all around us but we rarely have the patience to be still and recognize what is happening. Anyway, I think you'll like the video.

- Joel

Florence and The Machine

2011-10-03T18:19:00.002-05:00

Check out the anthemic new track from Florence and The Machine. Can you imagine a stadium of people singing "Shake it out, shake it out!" I can.

- Joel

Florence and The Machine - "Shake It Out"

Photographer of the Day

2011-10-02T21:28:00.002-05:00

Justin Fantl. I had to throw in the mini-golf photo in honor of my family's undying love for the "sport."

- Joel

Gladwell on the Nets

2011-09-27T19:02:00.003-05:00

I'm always excited to read new articles by Malcolm Gladwell. He's written two articles for Grantland.com, the second of which landed yesterday. I must say that I completely disagree with his assertion that NBA franchises are not businesses but works of art. I also generally disagree with his take on NBA owners. Still, Gladwell always makes me think, and that's one of my favorite things to do, nerd that I am. Check out the article on the Brooklyn Nets at the link below.

- Joel

Malcolm Gladwell - "The Nets and NBA Economics"

Gauntlet Hair

2011-09-20T21:13:00.005-05:00

Gauntlet Hair has a strange band name. Their music isn't necessarily that accessible. But there's something about the way they groove that I really like. Here's a new one from them, and in addition a track I've posted in the past. The picture above of the Texas state capital is unrelated to the music, in case you were wondering.

- Joel

Gauntlet Hair - "Keep Time"
Gauntlet Hair - "Top Bunk"

Robyn - "Call Your Girlfriend"

2011-09-17T19:00:00.003-05:00

I heard this song by Robyn for the first time last night at a friend's birthday part. I'll be jamming to it for the rest of the weekend.

- Joel

Robyn - "Call Your Girlfriend"

Ready, Steady, Bang!

2011-09-17T18:49:00.003-05:00

I just read about a new Western-style shootout game for the iPhone called Ready Steady Bang. After watching this humorously morbid video to introduce to game, I think I'll be spending $0.99 to try it out for myself.

- Joel

Happy Birthday UT

2011-09-16T15:13:00.005-05:00

Yesterday the University of Texas at Austin turned 128 years old. That's pretty old. Austin photographer Casey Dunn took the photograph above as part of a book on the history of the university. The building in the photograph is called the Main Building - clever name.

UT turned 128 which means it was founded in 1883. I wondered how that compared to the universities where I grew up (Kansas and Missouri), so to Wikipedia I went. I was surprised to learn that the University of Missouri was founded in 1839 and was the very first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River. The University of Kansas is pretty old too - founded in 1865, four years after the state was admitted to the Union.

Happy Birthday UT. And congratulations for being older and wiser KU and MU.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2011-09-15T13:30:00.004-05:00

William Rugen. One day I'm going to take a few months off and do nothing but travel the American West. States I still need to see: Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington...

- Joel

Elliot Brood

2011-09-14T22:08:00.003-05:00

I watched a short film called "No Deal" tonight. This song from Elliot Brood, a Canadian folk/rock trio, ran during the credits and caught me by surprise. I really like it.

- Joel

Elliot Brood - "Write It All Down For You"

9/11

2011-09-13T10:08:00.001-05:00

I was a freshman in college when 9/11 happened. I can remember getting dressed in my dorm room and hearing my neighbors through the walls talking about a plane hitting a building in New York City. I can vividly remember thinking, "What kind of idiot pilot would run into a building like that?" It wasn't until after I returned from my 8am Psychology class that I realized what was happening. I had no cell phone back then, and I can remember calling my dad with a calling card from my dorm room phone.

The video below reminds me of what it was like to be 18 and to attempt to comprehend the seismic shift that occurred in our world that day. However, I'm also a Christian, so the video below resonates me in a unique way. Nevertheless, regardless of your disposition toward faith, I think you'll resonate in some way with Sujo's experience at Ground Zero on 9/11. It's 9 minutes long, but I found it worth every minute.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2011-09-12T20:47:00.003-05:00

I had the foresight to move to Texas in the midst of one of the longest droughts and hottest summers in the state's history. I've lived here for more than six weeks and Austin has yet to have any measurable rainfall. Jay Janner, of the Austin American-Statesman, has documented the drought with her camera. You can see more here.

- Joel

Boy & Bear

2011-09-11T22:03:00.005-05:00

My roommate introduced me to the band Boy & Bear this evening. He explained their sound as, "It's like Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons had a really cool kid..." I find that to be pretty accurate. Take a listen.

- Joel

Boy & Bear - "Feeding Line"

Boy & Bear - "Lordy May"

Franklin Barbecue

2011-09-10T14:11:00.004-05:00

I spent two and half hours waiting in line for Austin's Franklin Barbecue yesterday. After debating with classmates over the past few days about who possesses the superior barbeque (Texas or Kansas City), I was persuaded to give Franklin a try. Bon Appetit magazine ran this article making the claim, "Today, his bricks-and-mortar restaurant serves what we're calling the best BBQ in Texas, if not America. Let the debates begin." My Texas friends quickly jumped on the bandwagon saying, "Bon Appetit called Franklin the best barbeque in America!" Unfortunately, that statement is false. Bon Appetit wrote, "the best BBQ in Texas, if not America." The phrase "if not America" means that they claim it might be the best barbeque in America. They were not confident enough to claim that it is actually the best barbeque in America.

With all that being said, here are some thoughts about Franklin Barbeque.

1. It was good barbeque.

2. It's not worth waiting over two hours to eat it.

3. I spoke with the owner, Aaron Franklin, and he claimed, "Kansas City overcooks it's barbeque." I sincerely disagree.

4. Franklin spells barbeque wrong. It's not spelled with a "c", it's spelled with a "q". Since when did you ever see barbeque abbreviated "BBC"? It's abbreviated "BBQ" because it's spelled with a "q".

5. Texas barbeque is very different from Kansas City barbeque. They hardly use seasoning on the meat which makes it taste more like what you'd find at a church potluck. They do an excellent job cooking the meat to the right tenderness, but it lacks the flavor that you'd find in Kansas City.

I honestly don't believe any Texas restaurant can beat the Z-Man Sandwich or the burnt ends at LC's, but I'm willing to try out the best restaurants in Texas. My next stop on the Tour de Texas BBQ will take me to Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas. Hopefully it will live up to the hype.

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2011-09-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

Allison V. Smith. I love this photo that Allison took while "summering" in Maine. It reminded me so much of this photo by Robert Frank.

- Joel

James Vincent McMorrow

2011-09-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

I really like this laid-back cover of Steve Winwood's "Higher Love" as performed by James Vincent McMorrow. He sounds a lot like Bon Iver to me.

- Joel

James Vincent McMorrow - "Higher Love (Steve Winwood cover)"

Bon Iver

2011-09-05T17:10:00.002-05:00

Here's a stripped-down piano version of Bon Iver's "Beth/Rest" as performed for NPR's "New World Cafe".

- Joel

Bon Iver - "Beth/Rest (Piano Version)

Youth Lagoon

2011-08-29T09:02:00.000-05:00

Here's a new band called Youth Lagoon. You can download a few of their tracks for free from Bandcamp (use the widget below). The second of the two tracks available, "Cannons", is my favorite, especially when the lead guitar kicks in 50 seconds in the song.

- Joel

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://youthlagoon.bandcamp.com/album/july-cannons-free-download"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;july + cannons (free download) by YOUTH LAGOON&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Photographer of the Day

2011-08-28T16:53:00.004-05:00

Charles Bergquist. These images come from his "Everyday" project, a new photograph added everyday for a year.

- Joel

Pepper Rabbit

2011-08-27T19:30:00.003-05:00

Looks like the first week of law school wrecked my blogging consistency. Pepper Rabbit is a band I came across today. They have a funny name, but I like their sound.

- Joel

Pepper Rabbit - "Rose Mary Stretch"

Pepper Rabbit - "Murder Room"

The Help

2011-08-22T22:59:00.007-05:00

I flew back to Kansas City this past weekend to celebrate my family's August birthdays, most importantly my mom and sister's birthdays. Fulfilling a promise we'd made after reading the book, my mom and I went to see The Help last Friday, my dad graciously tagging along. The film is one I'd highly recommend to anyone who has a heart not made from stone. I found The Help to be equally emotional and thought provoking. Here is one thought I had while sitting in the theater:

I'm amazed and devastated by human kind's willingness to submit one another to such degradation. Racism is a terrible thing and I'm fascinated that we would treat one another in such a fashion. Yet I noticed while watching the film my tendency to be disgusted by "them" - Southerners and other racists. It's very easy to observe such filthy treatment from afar, pointing my finger at other people without examining my own life with an equally critical eye. And if that is what I do, get angry at the South or angry at racists in general, while leaving myself out of the picture, I miss the entire lesson of the film. The lesson is, I think, that we are by nature selfish people, quick to treat others as means to an end. In so doing we embody the opposite of love, racism being one such manifestation. Using a biblical analogy, I'll miss this lesson in the film if I focus my attention solely on the "speck" of racism (though clearly racism is exponentially more than just some small speck) and forget about the "plank" in my own life.

I believe I have a healthy appreciation for people of all races. I'm not racist, at least as far as I can tell. But I'm missing the point of The Help if I think that only racists are "on the hook". In the end, The Help challenged me to critically examine how I treat others, with love or with selfishness. I want to continue to grow into a person who makes fewer selfish choices and more sacrificially loving choices. I'm not there yet, but I want to be.

- Joel

Danny MacAskill

2011-08-20T11:39:00.000-05:00

This is the problem of the internet. I get stuck watching videos like this when I should be reading. But seriously, how can someone do those kinds of things on a bike?

- Joel

Photographer of the Day

2011-08-19T10:23:00.000-05:00

Todd McLellan. These photographs blew my mind. I'm not sure what impresses me more - the engineering to assemble such a mechanism or the creativity and ability to disassemble and photograph such a thing. It's worth clicking to enlarge the images and see the intricate parts and display.

- Joel

Lana Del Rey

2011-08-19T10:03:00.003-05:00

I officially have homework again. Only in law school do you have homework before school even starts. Lana Del Rey, the new Jeff Bridges album, and the new mixtape from The Weeknd are providing the soundtrack as I dive into my Day 1 reading assignments. Check out a track from Lana Del Rey below.

- Joel

Lana Del Rey - "Video Games"