So there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that starting next month, I’ll have considerably more time to devote to this blog, hopefully resulting in better-written and proofread entries on a daily basis, as well as fewer late nights for me, staying up to finish stuff off. The bad news, at least from my point of view, is the why – I’ve been laid off from my job and effective mid-October, will be re-entering the exciting world of freelancing, which until I actually GET some work, is just a euphemism for unemployment.

My job was great, I had a terrific three and a half years there, but it was a numbers game and there just weren’t enough numbers coming in. That’s okay. Once I get my head wrapped around the massive shift in life circumstances, I think it’ll be for the best. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t already some restlessness on my part, so this is the kick in the pants I needed. And being pushed rather than jumping means I get to suckle at the teat of our nation’s fine social security system for a while. And now when I meet people and they ask what I do, I can say “I blog for a living!” and they’ll be all impressed until they catch me rooting through their garbage for leftover cat food.

But seriously, this will be an interesting adjustment for me, obvs. I’m still coming to terms with the implications of this. There’s anxiety, anticipation, other words that start with ‘a’. Medium- and long-term plans are now all up in the air. I’ll have to curb some of my CD shopping and concert-going and SxSW next year if a big honking question mark (of course, if I haven’t gotten my situation stabilized by next March, then I’ve got bigger problems than getting to Austin). I haven’t had a resume in years. I don’t even know the last time I interviewed for anything. I expect I’ll try and enjoy the freedoms of self-employment for a while. The truth is, I’ve probably been afforded a rare opportunity and just have to work out how best to take advantage of it… but I’m mostly looking forward to sleeping in for a change. But if anyone out there needs a PHP webmonkey/lapsed mechanical engineer/wannabe music and pop culture pundit for anything, drop me a line. For serious. I do windows too, but not well.

…

Okay, to business. Just some bits and pieces for today.

Chart jumps off the news cycle and talks to Mercury Rev about The Secret Migration.

JAM! gets on the Death Cab For Cutie media merry-go-round.

Teenage Fanclub was in the studio at KEXP earlier this month and the session is now online.

John Vanderslice leads the Pixel Revolt at the Horseshoe October 10, tickets $10.

The Torontoist week-in-shows.

Interviewing Brian Wilson must be a simultaneously exciting and frightening prospect for any music writer. On one hand, he’s a musical legend and genius, one of the most influential of the last fifty years. On the other… he’s a little touched in the head, y’know? That doesn’t stop The Onion AV Club though, God bless their little onion-y souls. And lucky for them, Brian seemed to be having one of his good days.

Okay, time to go use my dental plan for the very last time.