A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Trailer

Over the past few weeks, I have legit cried several times while watching this trailer. I loved watching Mister Rogers growing up. LOL, I still remember being in awe of how crayons were made, and will freely admit that when I found out that the aforementioned episode was available to stream on Amazon Prime, immediately found it and watched it.

There's very few individuals that you can say lived up to their hype, but Mister Rogers is certainly one of them. What you see is what you got. And what we saw was an incredibly kind man, who genuinely cared about his fellow humans. An almost perfect example of loving your neighbors. I for one can't wait to see this film. And I may re-watch the "How Crayons are Made" episode right along with it.

Since March....

Looking at my postings for 2019, I can't help but feel disappointed in myself. The neglect I've show to this blog is evident. The truth is, I've been writing rather frequently in a couple of physical journals. I've actually quite fallen in love with writing in my journal. The whole experience of putting my thoughts to page has allowed me to gain a whole new perspective, and the ability to better sort out my thoughts and feelings.

Which leads me to this blog. I'm not sure what to do with it? I'm actually think it might be a good idea to start a formal website, where I can host all of my podcasts, CV, writings, and the link. A one stop shop for all things Pete. I could also see a new site enabling me to pursue a new creative outlets.

At the same time, I'm a very sentimental person, and shutting down this blog would have an effective on me. For over ten years, it has been one of my main creative outlets. If memory serves, I created this blog to get into better writing shape, as I prepared to enter Grad School. Memories. I was so young back then.

Anyways, I think I should set a goal for myself. For the month of August, I want to post at least 10 more times. 28 days left to accomplish this.

99% Invisible and An Episode on Sand

Over the past few months, 99% Invisible has been killing it with excellent episodes. It started with their show on social infrastructure and continue onto their most recent show I listened to. You would think that an episode on sand would be the most boring, dull, and useless episode ever created, right? 

Well, we were both wrong. This episode is captivating, insightful, and one of the most important episodes we collectively as a society should listen to. It perfectly illustrates how we and nature are so interconnected. If you wonder why we are experiencing so many environmental catastrophes, this is a perfect example. I cannot recommend this episode enough. 

Listen Here

The Rolling Stones Setlist for June 21st

I totally forgot, but here's the setlist for the Stones.

• Street Fighting Man
• Let's Spend the Night Together
• Tumbling dice
• Sad Sad Sad
• You Got Me Rocking
• You Can't Always Get What You Want
• Angie
• Dead Flowers
• Sympathy for the Devil
• Honky Tonk Women
• You Got the Silver
• Before They Make Me Run
• Miss You 
• Paint It Black 
• Midnight Rambler
• Start Me Up
• Jumpin' Jack Flash
• Brown Sugar

Encore:

• Gimme Shelter
• (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction 

Seeing the Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones performing "Angie".
Photo Credit: Peter Kreten

Any future hearing loss I may experience, I fully blame on Keith Richards. That being said, it was an utterly amazing experience seeing the Rolling Stones live at Solider Field on June 21st. When I see Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr, its incredible but it's not the Beatles. I SAW the Rolling Stones, and I totally get the band now.

I still and will always prefer the Beatles to the Stones, but the Stones personify a rock n' roll band. At one point, my friend Michelle leaned over to me and said that she thought Mick Jagger just got her pregnant. I replied "Me too."

It was a total bucket list experience, and one that will stay with me for a lifetime.

My Favorite Albums of 2019...So Far

In full disclosure, 2019 has been a slow musical year for me. There has been some very good music released, but personally there have only been few albums that I've locked onto. Fingers crossed that this trend changes over the second half of the year, but until then, here's my favorites of 2019.

Vampire Weekend: Father of the Bride 

This is a fun double album. Double albums are sometimes tricky, but I think Vampire Weekend were able to pull off a very interesting album that is both poppy and reflective. It showcases the "new" sound of the band since the departure of Rostam Batmanglij. However, this is definitely worth your time to check out.

Andrew Bird: My Finest Work Yet



I really like this album. I find Andrew Bird's music to be incredibly interesting. There's this real artistic sense to it, that very few artists have. The combination of modern indie rock and classical create a sound that is unlike most modern music.  And this album may be his finest work yet.

The National: I am Easy to Find



Holy cow! Have the National been on a role as of yet. The follow up to 'Sleep Well Beast' may be their most ambitious record yet. The incorporation of guest vocalists on the album had a wonderful quality to the music. In fact this album, may be my favorite album by The National.

Esperanza Spalding: 12 Little Spells



I feel somewhat guilty putting this album on my 2019 list. It was technically released in late 2018, but it wasn't physically released until May 2019. So I'm one of those weird people who believe that an album isn't officially released until it is released on physical media. Anyways, this album is great. Spalding is exploring the physical sensations of the human body. It's wonderful, and is another fine example of how she is growing into an important voice of modern music.

Rhiannon Giddens: There is No Other



It's difficult for me to put into words how much this album has touched me. I first heard it on a "First Listen" stream from NPR, and I've been hooked ever since. Giddens has an incredible sound. She incorporates American roots, Arabica beats, and Eastern European folk all into this unique sound that demands your attention. I really love it, and I need to further explore her discography. If you are only going to listen to one album from this list, this is the one to listen to. 

New Music of 2019

It's been a tradition on this blog to do a mid-year favorite albums of the year listing. And this is the first year, in a very long time that I am having an incredibly hard time coming up with favorite albums of the year. As of right now, I only have about five albums, and even those I wouldn't say that I'm fully prepared to write about each and every one of them.

I do have two stand out records that I am enjoy very much that I could write about. But even those have come out within the last month or so, and I am still "digesting" them. I'm hoping to have the next post here be my next list.