VAN LIFE CHRONICLES: So Dale and I drop the car off at the Ford dealer this morning out on 122nd. Real early. We check in, explain the “mysterious rattling in the front end”, leave a key and are on our way. Real quick and concise, with a horde of professional, smiling service people in collars and mustaches helping us out.

I get a call from the mechanic sometime later.

“I’m not hearing anything. Maybe some squeaking plastic in the back, if anything.”

I plead my case a couple times. And he’s not budging. Really? I mean, come on. Shit’s rattling up there, man. We go back and forth and I’m doing my best to be cordial, clear and firm. The guy ain’t taking any guff, “I’m telling you, I didn’t hear anything. And hey, unless you can come out and show me the sound (incredible quote), well, I’m not looking at it any further. I don’t get paid hourly. I get paid to solve problems, and I don’t see or hear anything.”

So I get down to brass tacks and ask him, “Did you roll the windows down?”

There’s a pause. Some silence.

“Uh, no? No one told me to do that…” he says, and that ends the battle.

Good to know I’m in good hands out there. He called back a little later and promised to get to the bottom of the rattling in the front end.

Van life, motherfuckers! Econoline!

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MAYBE 1000 OR 10,000 TIMES COOLER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE: The goddamn Flaming Lips doing “Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles” from 1995. The drumming alone is enough for me.

One of my all-time favorite songs: Bad Days.

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I WAS STANDING IN THE CROWD, LOOKING UP AT YOU GIRLS: Holy crap. Kelly Deal’s kick butt hand-sewn goods over at Wire and Twine. Yeah, the Breeders gal.

Check this one: A colorway called, “Draplin.”

I don’t even know where to start with that one. I love those Breeders, and saw them in 1994 with Nirvana down in Salem. So cool. Just to think about them settling on my last name due to some orange in the piece, well, it’s pretty damn cool. Honored. Big time. From Ohio!

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WAY BETTER, UP NORTH: The logo for the city of Thompson, Manitoba.

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HARD TO SAY: Be careful what you stick into yer mouth.

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ON THE THINKER TODAY:

01. Boulder, Colo.
02. New Orleans.
03. Junk.
04. Missing loved ones. Hard.

ON THE PLAYER TODAY:

01. Van Halen - Fair Warning
02. Breeders - Pod
03. Stephen Malkmus - Pig Lib