I'm quickly getting all sentimental toward Rochester. I really like living here and finding all these new things and adapting to my adopted home. Here are a few notes on this weekend.

1. There is a fantastic new store in the South Wedge has one wall selling independent music, has lots of pop culture books, and you know upholstery and postmodern (to quote moe of the simpsons - "weird for the sake of weird") household goods. It is a completely, 100% awesome. It is locally owned. It is call ":nook" and it is on South Ave right near equally new-t0-me-and-great coffeeshop equal=grounds. please patronize this place and make it a permanent fixture here. hell, email me and i will take you there and buy your birthday present.

in fact that's a new policy - every one of my birthday presents while I am in this city will be purchased at :nook.

2. The Jens Lekman show is tomorrow. We've been pushing it - hard - for some time and we got i'd say a tugboatload of calls for the tickets we gave away on friday. It doesn't look like Jens will be in Rochester in time to get him on air as was the plan, but nonetheless the show should be just wonderful. Reminder, its tomorrow at 8 PM at the Bug Jar which is on Monroe Ave near the National Museum of Play. Which is also the greatest thing ever.

P.S. I figured I should add that I bought Helium's 1997 album "The Magic City" at :nook for six bucks and it is magnificent. Matador has a lot of Real Audio files on their website, which is sort of nice of them I guess? Helium is Mary Timony. mostly. She's from Boston. She writes what Liz Phair would write if she a) didn't begin a precipitous decline after whipsmart, b) was a little more talented as a pure musician and not so much a heart-baring emoter, c) polished her music up and added about 10 more parts per track.