Gabe Kruis

Tickets for friends.

Werner Herzog put out a documentary about the Cave of Chauvet, which has human art from over 50,000 years ago. Some beautiful photography and interesting interviews. The overall effect of the 3D was good, though there were times in which it was unnecessary; being as you can turn the 3D off, I wish Herzog would have done it some times. My only other problem with the documentary is that they insinuate that no one may ever film in these caves again. Don't get me wrong, Herzog is amazing, but if this is the only filmic document out there of this amazing place, I'll be a little disappointed. Herzog's personality dominates the inquiry and it isn't as fact based as I would like. Herzog is endearing, clever, and spiritual in a way that few other filmmakers are, but I would like to get a less lyrical look at the cave as well. Attenborough would do just fine.

15 bux for 30 bux worth of loose tea from a store in Manhattan. I've got plenty of puerh, oolong, and black, but I'm running out of green. I drink a lot of tea. This deal was like providence to my poor ass.

I got my teeth cleaned and an exam for 50 bones!

Then I found out I have an impacted wisdom tooth, I need an extraction, root canal, and a tooth reconstructed... for 3,550 bones. I will be poor for the rest of my life.

But I guess it's better than being poor and jawless.

Another Groupon for more books. My poetry collection is growing...

My friends and are are going to a John Vanderslice and Damien Jurado show at the Mercury Lounge. Damien Jurado is one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters and Vanderslice has some killer songs. Here's a video for Jurado's "Caskets," be warned, it's intense: http://bit.ly/151N8b

And here's a video of the first and only time I saw Jurado 6 years ago: http://bit.ly/1u8SQz

And finally here is my favorite song by the Slice: http://bit.ly/9JhEch

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Update: Went to the show last night and Damien Jurado blew my mind. The last song he played was entirely captivating, intense, and beautiful. I don't think that it's on any of his albums, but I would pay the whole price just to see him do that song again.

Vanderslice is such a personable entertainer that it's impossible not to love him. It was just him and a drummer for most of the show, but the drummer was incredible. He played synth and glockenspiel while keeping a strong beat on the kit. Watching him get a full band sound between the two of them was definitely a highlight. Vanderslice also invited several friends up on stage to play with him, including a Jurado for the last few songs, which they played from the middle of the crowd. This was a perfect way to end such an intimate show; rather than the normal bullshit performance of going off-stage and coming out for an encore, Jurado and Vanderslice led a sing-along, so when the lights went down they were right there in the middle of everyone dancing when the house music played.

Probably the best show I've seen in NYC so far - and that's up against Blonde Redhead, Josh Ritter, Sufjan Stevens, TV on the Radio, and Bob Dylan, to name a few.

A 3 week trip to Grand Rapids, a little more than I wanted to stay, but my cousin is getting married and two weeks later my grandparents are celebrating 60 years of marriage. So much matrimonial bliss...

I've been looking into buying a pair of boots for a while and I've always really liked the look of Clarks Desert Boots. They came in a few days ago and I am pleased as all get out by them. I was surprised at how immediately comfortable they were. I prefer a shoe you can just slip on and go, and these are perfect for that. They have an open mouth, but are snug, and they look good enough that I can wear them to almost anything. Highly recommended.

I'm getting my NYS driver's license! I won't be driving much, but hopefully this'll aid in getting me in-state tuition, and 65 bones for that is a bargain, lemme tell you.

One of three all-poetry bookstores in America. Another win for Boulder! They have two weekly readings and are expanding, adding a reservable table for study groups and book clubs. I spent two days working here, reading poetry, and drinking tea. I'd highly recommend stopping in if you're in the area. The room is filled with natural light and on either side the walls are stacked with books. Better than most cafes, in my opinion. The service is good, the folks are friendly, and the store itself is beautiful. I bought a book of Ancient Indian poetry called, "Dropping the Bow," translated by Andrew Schelling and I love it. A lot of it is pretty steamy poetry about the love life of villagers, but it's all very atmospheric and imagistic. Here's a less spicy taste from the book:

Rain slants steadily
through the night-bound
toddy-palm forest.
Concealed by huge fronds
the elephants,
eyes half-open,
trunks slung over their tusk-tips,
listen to the unbroken
downpour.

-Hastipaka

Needless to say, both the book and the cafe come at the highest recommendation.

I bought some linen pants for the summer. Super-airy, super-comfy, & pretty cheap. I like this store, generally. The clothes fit nice and there's no better place to pick up the basics: color t's, boxer briefs, and socks. They all come at the right price.

Student loans, student loans.

Bike lights for night rides!

I was in Colorado a few weeks back and they are obsessed with marijuana there. This was just a salad and wrap joint, but they still had to pun with the pot references. The menu and the art. It's a little cheesy, but if you have reservations about medical marijuana or pot decriminalization, go to Boulder. It's a bizarro utopia in which weed is semi-legal and everyone is super, super friendly. Plus there are beautiful mountains nearby and a lot of great beers on their taps.

This may have been for purchasing a domain name for my blog, www.peopleherd.com

Found a great price online for some Allen Edmonds shoes. Burgundy, pretty comfortable for dress shoes, too.

A tie, narrow, squared. Nice to have a few ties around for when I'm out and about.

My handwriting was pretty bad so I bought this program to help improve it. I'm impressed with the results. It takes practice, but I've completely changed my style of writing now. It's also kind of fun. Just listening to some music or a podcast and running through the exercise.

Great app. Favorite listening: Classic Hip-hop. Found a number of killer tracks I've never heard there. The guy who thought this up is a genius.

Never played it. My iPod Touch died.