tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55050812011-04-21T17:28:50.310-05:00Mike Appelstein's life in St. Louis, MO. MP3s posted <a href="http://djearlybird.blogspot.com/search/label/mp3">here</a>. <p><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/hoh" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">rss subscribe</a></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.comBlogger872125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-70233095053950699322008-08-12T20:49:00.003-05:002008-08-12T20:50:34.985-05:002008-08-12T20:50:34.985-05:00

OK, folks. I have pretty much put together the new blog, and you can find it here. It's still a work in progress, but it's presentable enough to begin using it as the main blog site. Please update all links, RSS feeds, etc.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-10394767428208110142008-08-09T20:41:00.004-05:002008-08-09T21:17:08.610-05:002008-08-09T21:17:08.610-05:00

OK, folks, here's a (probably) futile effort to find a band that, as far as I can tell, has never actually released a single track. But I'll ask anyway. If my two decades of Young Marble Giants scholardom have taught me anything, it's that being a pest pays off. Sometimes.I have an old fanzine in my possession entitled Rorschach Testing. It's a slick publication that seems to have been based

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-17400987046431681052008-08-07T21:17:00.005-05:002008-08-07T21:31:38.687-05:002008-08-07T21:31:38.687-05:00

On my way home from work today, I was listening Kumari's How To Pop, How To Punk cassette and reminiscing about the late-1990s Japanese indiepop scene. I miss it. I miss Beikoku-Ongaku, which in its prime was the world's best music magazine. I miss Catch That Beat! I miss Nobi and Tomomi playing shows in my cramped Hoboken apartment. Most of all, I miss the mail: elaborate handmade letters

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-38317820999161192932008-08-07T20:54:00.003-05:002008-08-07T21:01:08.297-05:002008-08-07T21:01:08.297-05:00

Thanks for your advice, everyone. WordPress appears to be the unanimous favorite, so I checked my SiteAdmin and saw that my web host now offers WordPress 2.6 for automatic download. (Last I checked they had an old, obsolete version. Thankfully they've upgraded.) I have installed it and am hoping to set up a blog as soon as I can. Right now the plan is to make the front page of appelstein.com

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-84378230258655771682008-08-02T23:13:00.002-05:002008-08-02T23:33:56.889-05:002008-08-02T23:33:56.889-05:00

* Congrats to Chris and Arianne of Indiepages on the arrival of their son, Calvin Edward McFarlane. I had no idea they were even expecting until today! Best wishes to the proud parents. Some hard-won advice: get a lock for your CD room. Otherwise, wee Calvin is going to be pulling CDs off the shelves, breaking the jewelboxes and throwing the discs around the room like frisbees. (Or was that

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-17950441614179982472008-07-31T20:03:00.003-05:002008-07-31T21:01:12.798-05:002008-07-31T21:01:12.798-05:00

"So, Mike, how did it go?"I went to the testing site the night before. I'd driven two hours to Jefferson City, stopping on the way at the roadside nostalgia shop with the corny signs. (It was every bit as tacky as I expected, and not in a cool way.) I pulled into town, threw my luggage into the hotel room, and drove over to the testing site.There were two testing sites for the Missouri Bar

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-164212690630244302008-07-26T23:23:00.005-05:002008-07-26T23:52:21.086-05:002008-07-26T23:52:21.086-05:00

The studying is almost done. On Tuesday morning, I open up my test booklet for the first day of the Missouri Bar Exam and see how well I've prepared. I sure can't figure it out for myself. Depending on what time of the day it is, I'm either confident about my ability to pass, or I'm feeling overwhelmed and mired in hopelessness. Almost every person enrolled for this test will tell you the

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-22431939757460886102008-07-16T12:15:00.004-05:002008-07-16T12:24:36.239-05:002008-07-16T12:24:36.239-05:00

Apples in Stereo preview, this week's RFT. I must also acknowledge music editor Annie for sending me an advance copy of Jennifer O'Connor's much-awaited Here With Me CD, knowing how much I'm struggling with bar prep. Have I mentioned that Annie is the best music editor ever? It's nice to be thought of, especially when under this kind of extreme stress.13 days and counting. Studying at least

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-91518782204127038532008-07-05T15:41:00.000-05:002008-07-05T15:41:33.848-05:002008-07-05T15:41:33.848-05:00

State of bar prep, 23 days and counting:I admit it: I was spinning my wheels a little last weekend. I'd outlined all the subjects, done the first three sets of MBE practice questions, and done at least the first few of each set of essays. I was keeping up with the BAR/BRI paced program, but I was having a hard time memorizing the law. It was beginning to get me down.Then I took the all-day

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-19112927726900117872008-06-19T21:46:00.008-05:002008-06-21T11:29:27.419-05:002008-06-21T11:29:27.419-05:00

(mostly property law terms because that's what I'm studying tonight)1) Attractive Nuisance *2) Natural Flow Theory3) Fertile Octogenarian4) The Four Unities5) Inter Vivos6) Mutual Mistake7) Next Friends8) Pur Autre Vie9) Unborn Widow10) Ultra Vires* already an album title thanks to the Loud Family

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-22572089500898995672008-06-04T16:14:00.005-05:002008-06-08T13:00:04.726-05:002008-06-08T13:00:04.726-05:00

Cannanes preview in today's RFT.I really want to recommend that local people see this show. It's doubtful the Cannanes will ever come back to St. Louis.I'm about two weeks into bar prep. It's going about as I expected; I am stressed, overwhelmed, and constantly feeling like I'm leaving things left undone. I'm still trying to find the perfect study system, but it doesn't seem to exist. I

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-42161120487829562292008-05-20T10:47:00.007-05:002008-05-20T11:15:59.471-05:002008-05-20T11:15:59.471-05:00

This is it, folks. As Jonathan Richman would say:We've got a lot of hard work today.We've got to rock at the government center.Starting tomorrow, I will be consumed with bar prep. In late July, I take the Missouri Bar Exam in Jefferson City. I am currently putting my affairs in order as if I was about to depart on an extended vacation.I'll start posting again sometime in early August, or I'll

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-78285927329565395112008-05-18T15:44:00.003-05:002008-05-18T19:31:59.541-05:002008-05-18T19:31:59.541-05:00

This afternoon I took Esther to her first record store. I had some LPs and CDs to bring over to Euclid Records for hopeful trade credit, and decided to bring Esther along to give Callie a break. (Abby was napping through the whole thing - we're very fortunate that she still takes afternoon naps. Most days, that is.) To my relief, Esther loved it! She was very quiet while we were there,

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-15304545795922547222008-05-15T13:04:00.003-05:002008-05-15T13:48:38.394-05:002008-05-15T13:48:38.394-05:00

Tonight I don my cap and gown, march down the Chaifetz Arena aisle, and pick up my J.D. degree. I am feeling less triumphant than anticipated; mostly I'm thinking about all the work I have yet to do. Since this is such a big day in my life, though, I thought I should honor it here.I'll never forget where I was when I decided to apply for law school. It was on the way to Cici's Pizza in Rock

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-4340388952228852002008-05-03T16:20:00.002-05:002008-05-03T16:37:30.522-05:002008-05-03T16:37:30.522-05:00

As most of you know, I'm just about done with my law school career. Presuming I pass International Law, I will soon be a Juris Doctor. The next step is passing the Missouri Bar Exam. Yesterday I had my BAR/BRI books delivered to me: almost two feet of legal knowledge and outlines, all of which I'll be expected to discuss intelligently in Jefferson City, MO in late July.So from approximately

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-68175501770453154222008-04-30T19:05:00.003-05:002008-04-30T19:20:59.318-05:002008-04-30T19:20:59.318-05:00

One quick email to Teenbeat HQ later, here are some Hot Pursuit tracks for you to sample and enjoy.Number One (external link)1999 Teenbeat Sampler CDBasketball7" single, 1999Mousetime USAThe Thrill Department CD, 2000Thanks to Mark Robinson for permission to upload these tracks. Look for a small-scale CD-R release of Hot Pursuit demos sometime in the future.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-58299392936428427292008-04-29T20:13:00.002-05:002008-04-29T20:25:15.003-05:002008-04-29T20:25:15.003-05:00

Wait a minute: Bridget Cross just made a record with Mark Robinson and Phil Krauth? All three members of Unrest, together in the studio for the first time in a decade, and it's gone completely under the radar? 'Fraid so.Looking at the Teenbeat website, there's also a forthcoming release by Cotton Candy, which consists of Robinson and Evelyn Hurley. You may remember Evelyn from the wacky Blast

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-39419063993234048722008-04-22T22:25:00.005-05:002008-04-22T22:54:56.015-05:002008-04-22T22:54:56.015-05:00

If there's any good to come from a friend's passing, it's the chance to reconnect with old friends and acquaintances. It's sad that it takes this sort of tragedy to pull us all back together, but I'm grateful for the opportunity. Callie and I have moved around so much this decade, and though St. Louis has treated us well, I've missed talking to people who've known me since childhood.A few days

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-65254611351002227012008-04-21T21:08:00.002-05:002008-04-21T21:25:19.036-05:002008-04-21T21:25:19.036-05:00

Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan is our local Champion of the Everyman. He writes about local people and issues in a gently curmudgeonly tone that's half Andy Rooney, half All Things Considered. His local celebrity is such that there's even a band named after him. But was I the only one disturbed by this morning's column, in which he imagined St. Louis being devastated by a follow-up

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-28648683381884276812008-04-19T20:59:00.004-05:002008-04-19T21:11:59.342-05:002008-04-19T21:11:59.342-05:00

I don't have much to say about Record Store Day. There was a time in my life when every day was Record Store Day. It's kind of like Mother's Day or Valentine's Day in that I don't (or shouldn't) need an officially-sanctioned holiday to celebrate life's important things. I hit Euclid Records and Vintage Vinyl late in the day anyway, dipped into my Vintage credit and bought a compilation CD. I

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-44786827940480326982008-04-18T10:26:00.000-05:002008-04-18T10:27:23.550-05:002008-04-18T10:27:23.550-05:00

Just felt the aftershock.I hate earthquakes.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-53095984633147616382008-04-18T08:58:00.002-05:002008-04-18T09:03:21.588-05:002008-04-18T09:03:21.588-05:00

We experienced a 5.2 earthquake early this morning. In my half-awake state, I had no idea what was going on until it was almost over. Luckily there was no property damage and (amazingly) both girls slept through the whole thing. I am not surprised Esther did - she could sleep through a tornado - but Abby is such a light sleeper that we practically tiptoe around her door at bedtime.I've only

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-547274966084989102008-04-17T10:52:00.003-05:002008-04-17T10:56:04.156-05:002008-04-17T10:56:04.156-05:00

However, I can't just study 24 hours a day; I need a break sometime. That's why I'm going to find time to watch NOFX's "Backstage Passport" and, without a doubt, the proposed Suge Knight reality show. It looks absolutely terrifying.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-30459954579889595442008-04-17T10:15:00.006-05:002008-04-17T10:57:17.581-05:002008-04-17T10:57:17.581-05:00

The Missouri Bar just released the February 2008 exam results. They are instructive for those of us just getting revved up to take the exam ourselves. According to this chart, about four-fifths of first timers passed the bar exam. To some, that would be encouraging: Hooray! There's only a 21 percent chance of failing! But I'm a glass-half-empty sort, so I take a different reading: Uh-oh.

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5505081.post-874663400926130252008-04-13T22:11:00.005-05:002008-04-13T22:36:48.783-05:002008-04-13T22:36:48.783-05:00

My day yesterday started out in court. I am taking Trial Advocacy II this semester, and our "final" is to get up in front of a mock jury and do a voir dire examination. As with last year's Trial Ad I experience, I was surprised how much I enjoyed being in court, interacting with the judge and potential jurors. Callie was even more surprised than me, but I've talked about my latent

Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07095502990847762778noreply@blogger.com0