music of the spheres?

So of course i'm sad that Life On Mars, the last show i watch anymore (besides The Office, of course), has been canceled. Nat and i watched the series finale last night, and it was... okay. As with Deadwood (an infinitely more tragic cancellation), i simply will not be satisfied with an abrupt ending. Boo, hiss, and all that.

Now, i don't want to give anything away, but i will say that now i have a strong desire to move to Spain with David Bowie and raise praying mantises...

~In other news, here are some breathtaking Hubble images for y'all. (OMFG, the Trifid Nebula!) My dad used to have a photo of the Horsehead Nebula that he'd clipped from a newspaper taped to his desk. i would stand on tiptoe (it was a tall drafting table) and stare at it for lengthy periods of time... definitely sort of an escape for me. Gazing at these formations now gives me an immense sense of peace and perspective.
However, may a pox be on the house of whoever opined that the Cone Nebula resembles "Jesus". Really, people? 'Cause it also sort of resembles this guy Dave that i used to know, so maybe we should pay him a vist and fall down at his feet with offerings of Heineken and Pall Malls. Should be a hoot. (But seriously: the Cone Nebula is basically giving birth to stars– how fucking amazing is that?!)


What else? Oh: Song of the Day. So, recently i found a CD that my best friend burned for me a long time ago that apparently i never listened to. For shame! It's Desire, by Bob Dylan, and boy is it a winner. Heavy on the stringed instruments and backing vocals. i love it! But the important part of this story is that not only does it contain the song "Hurricane" (which i happily downloaded recently after recalling it from a scene in Dazed and Confused), but it also has "Oh, Sister", which i have been dreaming of for months, ever since i saw a one Mr. Andrew Bird perform it live in October of last year. He had Haley Bonar on backup vocals, and the results were truly haunting. The entire audience was transfixed for the duration of the song... Now, i've gotta be honest: his version speaks to me a little more than Bobby D's does, but just to be fair i'm posting both versions, because without the original there would not be the (transcendent) cover. As an added bonus (well, for some), i'm putting on a different song of the same name as performed by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel. i know, i know: you either love them or you hate them. So listen at your own risk; but i've gotta say, his passion in this song swept me up with it.

Couldn't find one with Haley, but this is great, too. Also, you get to see how he sets up his songs. (Sorry for the sound quality, but hey– it's live):



And here's the Bob Dylan original (with the incomparable Emmylou Harris on backing vocals):



Finally, here's Jeffie, beltin' out his own tune: