Illinois

Ever since my brother Sasha gave it to me for Christmas, I have been listening to this album several times a day. My plane ride between Vancouver and Ottawa consisted of drifting in and out of sleep, to its accompaniment.

It generally takes me a really long time to understand and appreciate music that is both complex and intuitively appealing to me (the best example of this trend in the past being the months I spent getting acquainted with Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood). I have an active policy of ignoring everything about musical artists aside from their music (avoiding interviews, books, etc). Musicians are virtually always dramatically less interesting as people than as creators of sounds. These Sufjan Stevens sounds are the most intriguing I have found to wander about in recently.

P.S. Today’s photo is a neat visual demonstration of Newtonian dynamics – taken during a game of pool between Emily and Neal, during my last night in Vancouver.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. In the fall of 2005, I began reading for an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. Outside school, I am very interested in photography, writing, and the outdoors. I am writing this blog to keep in touch with friends and family around the world, provide a more personal view of graduate student life in Oxford, and pass on some lessons I've learned here. View all posts by Milan