1/5/02
Thanks to everyone who got dim sum with me today and investigated the weird movement games at the Mott St. arcade and traded sips of bubble tea at Saint's Alp and gave me PRESENTS!! I tried to be a good host, but mostly I just sat back and watched my friends chatting and eating dim sum. (And anyone who's planning some kind of get-together for between 12 and 18 or so people in NYC should really think about Vegetarian Paradise 3; we had 18 people, I think, pointed at the "appetizers" section and said "bring us one of each of these to start with and then keep bringing us stuff until we start slowing down," got everyone very stuffed, and ended up with a total tab of $93. That's for everything everyone ate and drank, including tax.) Seeing people who didn't know each other an hour ago but are both my friends erupting into laughter is always a good sight.
I have to say, as an addendum to the Top Ten project, that there were more records I liked this year that didn't make my list than in any other year in recent memory. I mean, any year where The Argumentand Vespertine are both also-rans is a good year. Also, lately Lisa has been playing the ...Native Hipsters record, which is one of those albums that starts off as an amusing little curio and has gradually been occupying more space in the "no, actually it's just good art" part of my brain. Plus: Life Without Buildings, whose next album I can't wait to hear (though they'll have to e.g. record it first).
Note to self: next time I do a recording project, the varispeed control is off-limits.