One of many blurbs I will be penning about "The Monitor"

The Monitor, like Grievances, ends on an optimistic note (literally.) Both songs have the feel and the lyrical content of a person that's too tired to carry on. In Albert Camus, Stickles is sucked dry by Glenn Rock, toasting his "general indifference." After an emotion-shattering din, something -- an accordion, perhaps, or a melodica -- plays a melodic tune for the last 45 seconds of the record. A ray of light. All will be well... eventually.

"The Battle of Hampton Roads" goes from Stickles' minor-key pleas for his darling to not "ever leave," (repeated and reinforced by french horns and dramatic drumming,) to a seriously victorious-sounding bagpipe line (again supplemented by rolling drums,) inducing head nods and fist pumps. The rolls shift from the tom to the snares and crash cymbals. Guitars enter. The bagpipes drop out, replaced with an arpeggiating lead guitar riff, like the breakdown of "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ." This song is, thankfully, far from over. This lead slays. You have just succumbed to tears brought on by the bagpipe's beauty, and now this lead guitar is reminding you that everything will be OK. The band collapses into their trademark din and drone that shifts for another 90 seconds until it sounds like the tape machine is shut off.

In other news, I have been having an amazing time dogsitting my cousin's beast, Ella. She's a pit/cane corso mix and on most days that would a terrifying prospect but she's middle-aged and lazy. We play frisbee for a half hour (she's amazing,) go for a walk, and then she watches TV and eats pizza with me until bed... which she shares with me. 

And just like Halloween, I never want to not celebrate St. Patrick's Day. My Catholic grade school was St. Patrick's (and thus my Parish) so it was something I grew up with... it wasn't shoved down our throats, creating resentment. It created, like, a weird sense of pride. Fond memories there... Great friends followed me back to Whitemarsh Township where we enjoyed Franzone's, Guinness and Wawa. A total tri-force.