Today at noon, I'm deleting my Facebook account. The reasons are a mix of personal and ethical ones. Most of you are probably aware of the changes that the company has made to its privacy settings, and although it's possible, but not easy, to manage those settings and aggressively monitor those settings' upkeep, the trade-off is just not worth it.

Here is where the ethical blends with the personal. The fact is that I spend more time reading updates and comment threads and getting into dumb political arguments on Facebook than I do actively enjoying it. It's been wonderful to rediscover old friends, make new ones, and stay current on the events and joys and sorrows of people from every corner of the world. But these benefits provide a small portion of the time I spend checking the site. Time that used to be spent here, or on the blog where I post pictures and videos of my son.

And so, I'm hoping that as I transition to a new phase in my life, as I return to the office world, my hope is that by not having the distraction of micro-updates and micro-refreshing, I can spend more quality time here. Time to write, to post links to those things I find interesting, to return to the monthly Creekside music mixes. I loved those! Some of you loved those! They will probably come back!

It's going to take me a bit to get back into the swing of updating this site, but without the distraction of Facebook, I suspect it will be much easier.

To all of those friends, both old and new, I hope you'll add this site's RSS feed to your blog-reader of choice, or that you'll bookmark this site and stop in now and then to say hi, or that you'll start a blog of your own and share the link with me.

Until then, meet the new boss, same as the old, original boss.

Adios, Facebook.

Folks (no pun), meet Portland's Loch Lomond, a lovely sextet capable of some sweet harmonies. You can download an EP culling from their two LP's for free/donation from the label's site. You should do so.

They're currently touring with the amazing Blitzen Trapper and will be at the Picador on Saturday, July 18. A show not to be missed.

Hi. Nice to see you. Kidding. Like you're there. Everyone's gone away. 

Everyone is finally gone, right? Cool. Now we can get real up in here. For example, I'm oddly attracted to the woman's voice at the end of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, chanting that phrase over and over. Yeah. Her and the automated teller that seems to only live inside the WestBank ATM on Burlington. That's the only place I've heard that lovely British woman ask me to wait while my "tranZACKshun is PROHcehssing." Hot.

After most of the last year largely living on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook, a blog post feels so formal. Hilarious. Have I alrdy topt 140 chars? Prolly. Whatev. Texting jokes are so topical. You get it because you're topical too. Like an ointment. Free association. I'm alone. Whatever.

But that's the nice thing about the blog, right? Especially now that there's no one to get bored by what I'm typing, I can just type and type about werewolf ninjas or how I'm pretty sure that my car got bugged during the campaign last fall. That's the only explanation I can come up with to explain the hiccup it occasionally makes. I really wish those guys would come and disconnect their device. I won't even ask any questions, like what it was that made me so critical to the campaign and whether their efforts foiled me or made sure I wasn't foiled. I just want to know what kind of pawn I was. For my resume.

For reasons I won't go into, these days find me with a bit of extra time and a truckload of killer music. I've already kicked a couple artists at people over Twitter and Facebook, but it's just not the same. So, here comes the first mix in I don't even know how long. Two years? Gotta be. Thanks for being patient.

A couple of highlights to note in the mix. First, there are 14 actual named tracks and 2 bonus encore tracks that will remain unnamed for reasons that will become obvious once you hear them. Let's just say this: If you've been following my Twitter, they shouldn't be too much of a surprise. I've mentioned the tracks each recently. A big thanks to the man J. Steiner, who's helped me stay plugged in with band rec's over these last couple years of my general acousticity, if you'll extend the conceit. Telekinesis and The Thermals are all him. Gracias.

The National track is new, taken from Dark Was the Night, an AIDS Benefit compilation, curated by one of the members of the band. I highly recommend the whole thing. Just as No Alternative was a pretty decent cross-section of the "indie" music scene in the early '90s, DWtN foots that bill more than 15 years later. Minutemen are one of those "where the hell have I been all these years" bands that smacked me over the head a few months ago. That track is from an amazing album, Double Nickels on the Dime, which everyone should be willing to sacrifice half their libraries to own. This is more than desert album material, this is rocket-ship-to-Mars levels of worthiness.

The May Mix, as always in individual mp3 or zip form, is below the fold. Enjoy.

The May Mix: Just Because I'm On Your Side

1. "Anonanimal" - Andrew Bird (live at ACL, 2007)  mp3 Buy at eMusic
2. "Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh" - Say Hi mp3 Buy at eMusic
3. "Satellite Mind" - Metric mp3 Buy at eMusic
4. "How We Fade" - The Thermals mp3 Buy at eMusic
   
5. "Calling All Doctors" - Telekinesis mp3 Buy at eMusic
6. "The Royal We" - Silversun Pickups mp3 Buy at Amazon
7. "Maybe Partying Will Help" - Minutemen mp3 Buy at Amazon
8. "Marrow" - St. Vincent mp3 Buy at Amazon
9. "Drowning Men" - Fanfarlo mp3 Buy from Fanfarlo
10. "Yr Epic Heart" - Viva Voce mp3 Buy at eMusic
    
11. "Paper Cities" - Other Lives mp3 Buy at eMusic
12. "Give Me Back My Heart Attack" - Land of Talk mp3 Buy at eMusic
    
13. "So Far Around the Bend" - The National mp3 Buy at eMusic
    
14. "Cliffer" - The Answering Machine mp3 Buy at iTunes
15. Encore #1 mp3
16. Encore #2 mp3

OR Download the whole thing in one ZIP: May '09