Ornamental Screws

So I'm reading this Middlesex book by Jeffrey Eugenides (also the author of The Virgin Suicides). I liked this little two word combination on page 403 - ornamental screws. He didn't write it in a sex way, but that works too. "Ornamental Screws" is right up there with "Decorative Balls". I recommend this book, just in case you are not one of the millions of readers who hasn't read it yet. Or if you're a hermaphrodite. It is nicely lyrical without being weighed down. However, don't expect a Vonnegut-like quick read. It took until page 300 or so for me to really get into it. thematically, it is very similar to Orlando, but less surreal, more science based. But don't think that the writing is anything like Woolf's. It is actually written in the style of J.D. Salinger. In fact, you could read Catcher in the Rye and Orlando back to back and you wouldn't need Middlesex. Ah well.

In other news, Ray's Vast Basement is a stellar band out of San Francisco. I learned of them through www.epitonic.com, which I have spent hours clicking through the Similar Artist suggestions and downloading great mp3s. I found M.Ward through here as well, and he is one of my favorites ever. What especially gets me about Ray's Vast Basement is that all their songs (two albums so far) are based on characters and locations in a mythical Northern California town of Drakesville centered on a large cave. The fictional history is really imaginative and detailed, like Phish's Gamehendge but more relevant, less silly. Check them out if you like Tom Waits, My Morning Jacket, or Pinetop Seven.

This year Christmas is proving that old adage, "You know, they say that the highest suicide rate is at Christmas." I am stressing out over what to get for people who are perpetually difficult to shop for - parents. God! Why do they have to be that way? Chtttt! Why can't they be more materialistic? I know that my love and respect for them means a lot, but it means squat for Christmas. The "thought" in "It's the thought that counts" has to be wrapped around something and then tied with ribbon. But it is now the weekend before Christmas and I still am lost for what to do.