Five things I dig this week : Sea of Bees, Red Rising, and more.

1a. Angelo Badalementi's timeless, haunting title composition for David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Never grow weary of it.

1b. Sea of Bees doing an ultra-catchy, life-affirming cover of Jason "Grandaddy" Lytle's Get Up And Go. Breathtaking, and lyrically, a bit of what I needed: get up and go / you can do it / everything's gonna be alright.

3c. I have a dream. A dream that someday Billy Idol is going to blow my mind with an unbelievably fantastic entire album. As opposed to an unbelievably fantastic single like Rebel Yell or Cradle of Love every fifteen years. I have a dream. In the midnight hour.

2. Red Rising. Pierce Brown's debut novel is a wondrous romp that has drawn references to Ender's Game, Hunger Games, and some accolades from notables in the sci-fi world. The premise isn't earth shattering: man-boy rises from the slave pits of Mars to seek vengeance, then justice on the Society that controls the universe and executed his wife.

The bang comes from all the details, relationships, and plot turns that turn what could have been a generic story into a completely captivating joyparade of shifting alliances and strategic maneuvering, all set against a futuristic neo-Greek & Roman inspired civilization that thrives on order, control, obedience, and honor. It wasn't until the last chapter that I realised it was the first in a trilogy...and the second book isn't out until 2015. Aah!

Side note: Pierce Brown's mom is the first female board member of American Apparel. As Instagram buddies, I know this.

2b. It still boggles my mind that public libraries are REAL. Places you can go, find books (and lots more) you like, scan a card, and voila! Yours to keep. For free. For a while. How can you not utilize something so amazing...and FREE?!

Fort Vancouver Library System, you rock. Seriously. And the crew at the Washougal Community Library? Just double their salaries now, please. Seriously. Jewels.

3. Somebody said this week:

"Joseph, you're looking trim!"

At first, I thought she was talking about my freshly shaved face from a week ago, but then I realised she meant my figure. I started to accept the intended compliment, but then realised I was wearing a baseball hat, which was pushing my hair down on the sides, which in turn was flattening out the side of my body and perpetuating the illusion I was more trim than I am. So I had to, with regret, decline the compliment. But it was a nice thought, and now I'm toying with the idea of getting trim sometime.

But it makes me a little nervous to make any deep life changing commitments to myself this far from New Years, so...yeah, I'm going to wait on adding in exercisey stuff into my life for the moment.

3b.On the one hand, ventriloquists terrify me. On the other hand, I'm ready to turn it into a career, cold turkey. How do you get started? The children are not impressed with my early efforts. Also, how in the world do you get around those P's and B's without closing your lips? Kinda feel like a dummy.

4.
Daddy,
he said, laying in bed.
I'm scared, because I always have nightmares.

I'm sorry buddy.
I said, patting his arm.
Are you okay? Let's come up with something happy for you to think about while you're falling asleep. Okay?

Okay,
he said.
So will you tell me a story? A story about a minotaur with a battle axe, and a snake that's trying to sneak up on him, and there's robbers who are trying to get them and they have poison...

4b.
What are you doing?
I asked them.

We're building a gate.
They said.

Oh.
I said.
Why are you building a gate across our driveway?

Because.
they said.
We're building a gate across the driveway so Mama can't leave. We don't ever want her to leave.

That is...really sweet.
I said.
But how am I going to get out for work?

It's okay,
They said.
We'll make sure you can get out.

5. There are people who like Jerry Lewis movies. And people who don't. And sadly, many who have no idea who he is or was.

I will tell you my new favourite Jerry Lewis film, one that had somehow slid under my radar until recently: 1957's The Delicate Delinquent. Plenty of his cringeworthy manic mumbling, non-sentence finishing and slapstick physical humor...but also a surprisingly prescient, thoughtful, and all-ages accessible narrative dealing with cops, criminals/juvenile delinquents, and rehabilitation. Archaic on the surface (cops walking beats, 50s juvenile gang cliches, gender pigeonholing), but some tenderness and moments of provoking thought as well. And, plenty of scenes the kids were laughing at loud really loud (LOLRL) at. Good flick.

5b.
You know what I feel like doing tonight?
I asked my wife; our smiles a little road weary after a long week.
I just feel like watching some television. Just laying on the couch and...watching television. If I could choose something to do, that would probably be it.

In like a diving peregrine, she swooped; her voice reminiscent of jet engine in front of a giant megaphone; the guilt and betrayal screeched into every syllable: