joshspace

My name is Josh and on occasion I like to express my thoughts and findings.
Wed Jul 23
This pic was taken a couple months ago during a weekend away in New Orleans. That was a really fun 20 hours in the Big Easy, it started Friday night when my girlfriend asked me to go with her and her friends. I hesitated, but called her back and was gone by 8pm. We stayed at the Hilton on Bourbon Street, where we walked around that night while drinking at a bunch of different places. The next morning we slept in and watched TV before going to eat at The Court of Two Sisters, where this photo was taken. Afterwards, we walked to the French Market where we bought a couple of souvenirs. On our way out of the city later that afternoon, we drove to Metairie to have coffee with Sneha, one of my best friends. The weather was pleasant as we drove back across Lake Pontchartrain, and I was glad to have decided to go.  
This pic was taken a couple months ago during a weekend away in New Orleans. That was a really fun 20 hours in the Big Easy, it started Friday night when my girlfriend asked me to go with her and her friends. I hesitated, but called her back and was gone by 8pm. We stayed at the Hilton on Bourbon Street, where we walked around that night while drinking at a bunch of different places. The next morning we slept in and watched TV before going to eat at The Court of Two Sisters, where this photo was taken. Afterwards, we walked to the French Market where we bought a couple of souvenirs. On our way out of the city later that afternoon, we drove to Metairie to have coffee with Sneha, one of my best friends. The weather was pleasant as we drove back across Lake Pontchartrain, and I was glad to have decided to go.  
Sun Jul 20

If you haven't already done it...

Go see The Dark Knight. It’s worth the price of admission, my friends. 
Fri Jun 27
“ The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous, and likable. In three days no one could stand him. This quote from Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is taken from the first chapter, which I read this evening. I love the constant use of irony on the part of the characters, of which this quote is but one of many. I was supposed to have read this novel as a high school senior, but I ended up reading just the first half or so before putting it down. A decade later, I don’t remember many details, so rereading the first half should hold a few surprises as I chug my way into the second half. Obviously I’ve decided that this is how I’m going to spend my time preparing for the GMAT. I’ve got the verbal section covered, mate! 
This pic of me and my best friend Rachel, both in costume, was taken last Halloween and reminds me of how much fun I had then! I’m hoping that this Halloween will be a blast too. 
This pic of me and my best friend Rachel, both in costume, was taken last Halloween and reminds me of how much fun I had then! I’m hoping that this Halloween will be a blast too. 
Thu Jun 26

A few things I hate

I’m sure some of my coworkers have picked up on the fact that I am quite open about many of my extreme dislikes. In an effort to be funny, and whether this effort succeeds or not, I will list some of them below:

10) Carrots

9)   Ayn Rand

8)   Spiders

7)   Computer problems that I can’t troubleshoot

6)   Automobiles

5)   Bad teeth (because I’m very self-conscious about my own)

4)   M. Night Shyalaman 

3)   The state of Missouri

2)   Obesity (my belly is getting bigger!)

1)   Standardized exams. 

-I’ve begun preparing for the GMAT but I’ve always had trouble studying for these kinds of exams. I’ve taken the GRE twice and only improved my score by 20 points the 2nd time. I didn’t take the LSAT because I never finished studying for it at all. And I am experiencing the same reactions to the math section questions of the GMAT that Pavlov’s dogs had when they got annoyed with their conditioning: anger, frustration, and violent urges to bite people. Geez, I can’t wait until July 19 comes and goes!

Sat Jun 21
Pitchfork Gives Music 6.8 | The Onion - America's Finest News Source
For those of you who know what Pitchfork Media is and also know that its critics are notorious for giving pretentiously bad reviews to good albums, last year The Onion posted this hilarious article in which Pitchfork reviews music in general… and gives it a rather poor grade.
Fri Jun 20
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III, and the Afronaut invasion. - By Jonah Weiner - Slate Magazine
It makes sense, but I guess it never occurred to me before! 

Josh the Ripper

I’ve told a few of you that I’ve been ripping a heck of a lot of music lately, much of it from Goodwood Library but some of it from friends and coworkers. Goodwood has a surprisingly good collection, I’ve found a few albums I’ve wanted to hear for a long time now, such as Can’s Tago Mago (I’m a big Krautrock fan). As things currently stand, I have music in my iTunes collection that I will not get around to listening to for days, if not weeks. The collection now stands at 56.04 gigs. It will continue to grow, however, as I make a few more trips to the library and as I continue buying music from the iTunes store. Yes, I do still buy music. In fact, I just bought two albums, a recording of Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians (1978) and the album This Nations’s Saving Grace (1985) by the post-punk outfit The Fall.

I suspect that some of you may not be familiar with all or even any of these artists, so let me explain my primary musical interests. Although I am not a musician (I’ve dabbled with the guitar, drums, and piano, but never kept up with any of those instruments), I do consider myself something of an amateur musicologist. My particular areas of interest are 20th century classical music (the works of French composer Olivier Messiaen, for example); punk rock, especially post-punk; and electronica. The following, in no particular order, are a few of my favorite albums or works:

-Unknown Pleasures (1979) by Joy Division

-Disintegration (1989) by The Cure

-The Rite of Spring (1913) by Igor Stravinsky

-Revolver (1966) by The Beatles

-Kid A (2000) by Radiohead

-Ken Burns Jazz: Charlie Parker compilation

There are more, but these are a few that I can think of off the top of my head. I have been listening to some of these for many years now.

The new music I’ve been importing onto my laptop and listening to little by little is allowing me to explore new genres and artists, which is something I love to do. For example, I’ve been listening to some old-school hip-hop lately, such as Run D.M.C and Nas. I’ve been listening to so much new music lately, in fact, that I borrowed a good friend’s acoustic guitar with the intention to start playing a little again in my spare time. Now I haven’t really played anything in several years, but I’m still looking forward to trying my hand at an old interest. Only time will tell how things turn out!

Tue Jun 17
BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Oldest' computer music unveiled
It’s not Aphex Twin or Kid A, but it’s still an historic milestone that may be of interest to you, dear reader. 
Wed Jun 4
Me, me, me. And me. 
Me, me, me. And me.