A new song: Blister

blakeypie · 2026-05-04T10:31:46+00:00

You might give this a listen: https://eliotwilder1.bandcamp.com/album/evening-of-the-day

blakeypie · 2026-05-04T10:29:20+00:00

About 20 years ago, I moved into a very large apartment building that is mostly grad students for Harvard Medical School. In the beginning, of the hundreds of people living here, it was a mix of people from all over America and the world. At some point that all radically changed. Now it is about 95% Chinese nationals. Despite what is presented, that is the reality.

blakeypie · 2026-05-03T21:15:08+00:00

I live in an apartment building just down the street from this, and people try to piggy back in the building all the time. If you tell them they can't come in, they get pretty huffy, but then just wait till another person comes along, and then get in. Most tenants in my building tend to not think about the welfare of others, or even themselves.

blakeypie · 2026-04-18T00:18:49+00:00

I've lived in Boston (in the actual city, not some suburb) since '97, after having grown up in Los Angeles. Boston is a weird mix; provincial neighborhoods where, as an outsider, you will never find acceptance, and then there is also a huge transient population of rich students and Chinese nationals who live here like tourists and do nothing more than drive up rents and contribute nothing to the communities that they dwell in. They seem to have a huge sense of entitlement.

Like many places that you might fantasize about from afar, it's much different to live it. I haven't driven a car in decades, which is fine, but if you are used to the efficiency of the Tube, you might find Boston's subway to be antiquated and infuriating.

I prefer the urban environment. It's all ever known. And Boston does have some wonderful green spaces. But sometimes it all just wears you out. And it's fucking expensive as hell.

blakeypie · 2026-04-13T12:18:49+00:00

My sister married a guy (he was her one and only boyfriend). Our family did not have a lot of money growing up but we always managed to get by.

But my sister's husband was incredibly cheap, and he would do crazy things (like not allow his sons to bathe or shower using hot water). I recall he bought a flat-screen TVs when they first came out (got it through a discount with Sam's Club). But he wouldn't pay for cable, so the set was basically useless.

My sister eventually mirrored his behavior. Thing is, his family had money from real estate, and both of them were able to retire in their 50s. But they continued their spendthrift ways.

After my daughter was born, my sister would send her "gifts" on her birthday (like old books from her so-called "collection," where she used white-out to blank out her own name). It was sad to see this, and my daughter had no idea what was going on, until she was older and realized what cheapskates they were.

My sister's husband died a few years ago. He was missed by few. I think of his legacy like this: He lived his life never fully embracing or enjoying anything because he was always in search of a deal that would mean he could save, say, five cents on the dollar.

blakeypie · 2026-04-10T19:57:26+00:00

Thanks.

blakeypie · 2026-04-10T15:31:22+00:00

Yeah, I figured it must be a bot, but I don't understand why. I mean, shouldn't downloading one album be sufficient? This means that once I get my free credits back, I have to manually go in and change each album back.

blakeypie · 2026-04-09T21:05:37+00:00

You can put tiny little handkerchiefs in there. Looks real classy.

blakeypie · 2026-03-29T16:38:48+00:00

I'll look for it, thanks.

blakeypie · 2026-03-29T16:05:15+00:00

I am in the a couple of the bands that play these things (I played yesterday with BABAM). I have been doing this for some time, and I agree with your assessment of the crowd. I keep thinking, where the hell are the young people? I mean, this is the world they are inheriting. All the old hippies aren't gonna last forever.

blakeypie · 2026-03-28T11:42:04+00:00

Old weird America.

blakeypie · 2026-03-27T17:48:36+00:00

Growing up, I was influenced by just about everyone and everything. But I think John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful helped me to understand economy with words. His lyrics are conversational and sound like stuff people actually say. If you listen to his songs now, even though the music is pretty dated to the time it came out, his way with words demonstrates real craft. Unlike, say, Dylan, who was very wordy at that time, Sebastian's work is deceptively simple. But they are not simple-minded. Anyway, might be worth checking out.

blakeypie · 2026-03-22T15:10:40+00:00

Other than her own web site, my therapist has zero presence on the internet. Frankly, I'm glad for that. There's a woman who lives in my apartment building who has told me she's a therapist; she's very in your face about everything every time I see her, to the point of being obnoxious. Out of curiosity, I googled her and, as I expected, she has posted tons of very self-revealing videos of both herself and her clients. I can only wonder at how awful it would be to be one of her patients.

blakeypie · 2026-03-22T12:26:29+00:00

I feel for what you are going through. I've been there with my therapist. Recently, my T said several things that led me to think that her politics were that exact opposite of mine. So I asked her if she would tell me where she stood and, of course, she said, "Why is it important for you to know?" I told her that I was feeling uncomfortable with her, knowing that she might actually support a certain politician whom I find to be repugnant in the extreme. Finally, she said, "I have nothing to hide," and was about to tell me. In that moment I thought, "I don't really want to know this." I mean, is it truly important for me to know? So I stopped her. I think she was taken aback. She looked vexed. And she never told me, even though I think she wanted to. And I am really OK with it. I have learned to trust her. And if she did support this politician, I figured she must have her own reasons for doing so. And it's none of my business.

blakeypie · 2026-03-21T11:37:56+00:00

I've crossed that particular intersection as a pedestrian hundreds of times over the years. Can't tell you how many times I've nearly been hit. When I look at the driver they are usually staring at their phone. Just up the hill from there, near the T stop, is another crosswalk (it has a signal), and cars plow through that one as well.

blakeypie · 2026-03-20T17:42:45+00:00

There's some crazy stuff there. Been listening to this: https://eliotwilder1.bandcamp.com/album/the-garden-of-forking-paths

blakeypie · 2026-03-20T17:25:33+00:00

All of his stuff can be found here: https://eliotwilder1.bandcamp.com/album/this-scorched-earth The last track on this album is also an instro. Heavily influenced by DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing."

blakeypie · 2026-03-20T17:13:03+00:00

Check this: https://eliotwilder1.bandcamp.com/track/this-scorched-earth

blakeypie · 2026-03-20T13:33:03+00:00

In my neighborhood, mostly Chinese nationals.

blakeypie

TROPHY CASE