When I step into your cab, I have a priority. It is to reach Point-B from whichever Point-A that you find me. Not once in my DC taxi experiences have any of you lot uttered the words “no problem” when I tell you I am going to my destination unless I chartered you on a website or phone appointment. All I hear is how you are only going to Virginia…or how you won’t get a return fare on the way back into the city on Rhode Island Avenue. I feel you internally complaining and hear you let loose the not-so-subtle vocal utterances. One of you, after my statement of how it’s the law that you comply with destination requests, actually said “fuck the law” quite loudly and sped off. 20 of you in a row have refused me in a single try to get home. And ya know what? This is why you are going metered. Because of your bad apples, we’re finally regulating your applesauce. I hope you’re happy. You have driven this decision. You thought getting good air-conditioning made you gods that could refuse 70 year old ladies a ride 2 miles in length, all for the sake of the multiple city fares you could knock out in the same length of time. Yeah…I have watched you say no to generations who have done more for you than anyone ever has and ever will. I have watched you snub the disabled and the pregnant, even in bad weather, for coffee-toting yuppy-wannabies who could do much better to walk that 7 blocks instead of lazily spending the 8 bux you magically turn into 12. I hope you’re happy. I hope one day we don’t need you at all.

There is a bit much going on at the moment, so while I encourage you to stay tuned I just don’t a have full awareness of when I’ll be posting again. This is quite temporary.  Keep hope alive, as it were. ;-|

This self-titled release from the Lemongrassmusic label is great. I can already tell you it is going to clean up in its genre, even if only for a little while. “Sansura“, while mostly absent of vocals, is turning into another album I will play repeatedly like I did with “Little Dragon“. Very soon you might even expect a list of self-titled albums I think everyone should own.

In this section of Subway State Focus, we take a look at the remix work of Hot Chip, a British band that started back in 2000. I got to see them when they came to the 930 Club in Washington, DC with Guest Room alum Chemistry Lad and our pal Scott. I was very impressed. They were most recently recognized with Mixmag’s Album of the Month January 2008 for their most recent release “Made In The Dark”…which is a great album in itself. Enjoy!

Click one of the pictures (or here) to preview or purchase this list.
Please note that the link requires iTunes to function properly.

Ian: My favorite quote from the [Washington Post] this morning regarding [the] DC Public School system firings and school closures: “I don’t agree with what Rhee and the mayor did,” said Regina Marr, who has a son at Benning Elementary. “I’m going to put him in a charter school. I don’t want to have no more parts of D.C. Public Schools.“

I put the interesting part in purple….

I really dont know why
I continue to be surprised
That two scheduled stops later
The G8 bus is STILL NOT HERE

“Freedom is a funny word because when we think we’re free, we’re not really. I think freedom is quite illusory….  When I stop thinking about myself all the time and put other people before me on a regular basis, that’s real freedom.  When I can love unconditionally…then that’s real freedom. So it’s something to strive for, but I’m not free.”  -Madonna

How true, those words.   How true for many of us.

People on the DC subway are just RUDE when they are on their way to work.  Just rude.  See picture.  Even Happy Bunny hides his face.