Couching Tigers

Very sore neck today from falling asleep on the floor last night watching Monty Python. My friend Jeff and I tried to move my couch downstairs but it was a no-go due to the high back of it. So it's now on the balcony awaiting when I can get two guys together to try to lower it to the street. Then I'll just put it in my garage and try to sell it or donate it.

All this was because today I had a new couch and loveseat delivered. Dark brown leather. They came this morning but I had the couch sent back because it came with a scratch on the front. So the replacement came tonight and in trying to get it up the stairs they put three much worse scrapes into the center cushion. The cushions are attached so I can't just flip it over or anything. Pain in the ass. I'll have to arrange for a technician to come out but not sure what he'll do. I don't think the brown pen will be quite good enough; maybe they'll have to send a third one.

Saturday my son had a baseball game and it was a really good one, very close and everyone playing pretty well. He caught a line drive at shortstop and in the bottom of the sixth (games only go this long at this level) he got a three run inside-the-park home run to tie the game, which is how it ended because we didn't score anymore and they don't break ties. Very cool. Then we had the team party (we have two make-up games left, but whatever), and that was all right, though I was the only single parent there.

I've been enjoying Grand Theft Auto IV a lot--looks great, good story, not too hard yet. As with pretty much every videogame, I'm sure I'll come to a mission I'm unable to pass without devoting my life to it, but so far all is well.

Music - as far as current stuff that's holding up to repeated listens it's mainly the veterans like the latest from R.E.M., Radiohead, The Breeders, and now Portishead and Elvis Costello's newest are grabbing me. Very much looking forward to the new Death Cab and preordered it from iTunes because it comes with some extra demos and videos. Also downloaded the latest from a band called Augustana that I saw a good review of. It's like a softer Jayhawks or an American Travis. Sounds good but kind of slides right out of your head. Of more current bands, Vampire Weekend and Dengue Fever impress me.

I have a lot of work left to do before tomorrow, as well as laundry and maybe making some pasta, so...later.