Things I learned from 80/35 in Des Moines

80/35 was a festival highlighted by its surprising local acts and, of course, The Flaming Lips and The Roots. A lot, however, went on, and these are the things I learned from an altogether pleasant festival-going experience:

• The Flaming Lips still put on the funnest show in the world.
• Festivals always seem to attract its fair share of hippies.
• Jakob Dylan drinks as if he were still relevant.
• Yonder Mountain String Band drinks like they know they should.
• Des Moines has some impressive DJ talent, as evidenced not by one, not by two, but by three separate occasions (more on this in some ensuing posts).
• Des Moines drinks, and it drinks well (more on this later as well).
• Des Moines appreciates typography as much as I do.

Check out the whole flickr set here. FULL POST

long weekends and the midwestern lifestyle

I'm back from my first ever trip to Des Moines, and am more impressed than I thought I'd be. The city's got the paradoxical juxtaposition of cleanliness and major city infrastructure not unlike Salt Lake City, for those who have been. I was very impressed with how nice everyone was, eager to befriend those who shared similar interests. It seems there is quite a good DJ scene as well, something I've longed to see in the area which I live. Not to mention some pretty good BBQ that takes advantage of Iowa's major hog supply. But I digress--I realize the apparent lack of excitement to the rest of the world that talking about Iowa can conjure--it's just that I feel the city deserves some recognition, and if you're ever passing through, maybe take some time to have a beer or two at Court Avenue Brew Pub, and then head over to Vaudeville Mews to see some impressive DJ sets.

Once I've properly relaxed and received adequate time, I will write up some stuff about some music you've heard of, some you haven't, a delicious stout from a local micro-brewery, and other various snippets of things I feel are worth showing to the rest of the world. Stay tuned for a flickr set as well. FULL POST

happy birthday, you!

Happy Birthday, America. In your honor, I am celebrating this occasion by doing something truly American: I'm going to guzzle the shit out of some gasoline. That's right, I'm taking myself and my car roughly 300 miles north to the wonderful state of Iowa. And then, of course, another 300 back the way I came, only adding to my already overloaded patriotism. What brings me away from my natural habitat? Well, a certain little lady whom I call girlfriend, a music festival featuring The Flaming Lips and The Roots, and, though this wasn't always an intention or a reason for going, an intriguing micro-brewed stout that sounds delicious.

The weekend should be full of some good times, even for reasons not listed, and hopefully the events will breed some enjoyable posts for you all to read. Hope everyone has a great weekend and, please, feel free to share what you plan on doing to celebrate the 4th.

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The Minimalist Approach to Travel

On the eve of my volunteer spring break trip, packing is a pressing dilemma. With very limited space in the vans that we will be using, packing light is a must. However, I often struggle over this because I want to include all possible scenarios that may come up in the least amount of items. I become the MacGuyver of packing, inevitably putting way too much time and effort into The Perfect Pack. What if it gets cold? What if we go out for a nicer dinner? What if we're going to be doing something active? What toiletries do I need? These are all important questions, agreed, but with the comfort of others in mind, I needed to try a fresh approach that didn't make me think so much.

Quite by accident, I came across Zen Habits' great article, "36 Tips for Keeping Travel as Simple as Possible." It didn't take me long to get an idea of what I needed to bring, contrary to my previous thought processes. For the past few days I went back and forth, thinking, "Well, I definitely need a pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts, swim shorts, a couple t-shirts, maybe a couple nicer shirts. Oh, and socks. Definitely need socks. Damnit, I don't even own a pair of flip-flops. Who the hell doesn't own a pair of flip flops? No, that's okay, I can just buy them down there. But what if there aren't any stores down there? I've never been there before, who am I to think that they have stores?"

That is only an excerpt of the internal dialog I faced for the past few days. However, Zenhabits alleviates this problem, giving you wonderful tips on minimalist travel that won't leave you wishing you hadn't forgot that ever so important extra pair of underwear. Because that would be awful.

Some tips I especially enjoyed:

• Tip for quick drying: roll a towel over wet fabric,and squeeze tightly.
• Put everything you want to bring in a pile and slowly strip away things that aren’t necessary.
• Pack just a few clothes with only a couple complimentary, solid colors — no patterns. Black is a good idea if you need to be able to dress up and be casual.
• Take time for naps. Seriously.

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Erase borders

If you're planning on going anywhere outside the country, or, even if you just want to go away, nothing makes you feel like it's going to happen like getting your passport. It is one more thing you can check off your travel checklist and not have to think about. It, as much as anything else, makes travel possible. It was weird, as soon as I got mine I immediately felt like I could go anywhere. If tomorrow I want to go to Mexico City, it's possible. If tonight I see that the Holiday Inn in Dubai is hiring, I could apply. It's a huge world, don't limit yourself. FULL POST