I've been thinking a lot about high school in recent days, due largely in part to listening to a lot of stuff from the mid-90's in recent weeks. One of my favorite albums from that time is Dinosaur Jr.'s major label debut - Green Mind.

A record that isn't really regarded as the bands high-water mark, but I've always had an incredibly soft spot for it. Especially the album cover... which features a very young girl smoking a cigarette in a desert.

It's never occurred to me that I could possibly google search the identity of the person on the cover. I've elected to no do so, only because I've spent countless hours staring and thinking about who that person could be in my head. I mean, how crazy would it be to end up at a party and then be introduced to her and learn that she was the girl on the Green Mind cover.

Come to think of it... I'm going to start taking photos with people who have some semblance to her and hashtag it #greenmindgirl

Anyhoo, if you've never heard the album I can't recommend it enough. It has a very 90's fuzz to it... something that I've been hearing a lot in newer music acts. It fucking kills me that they can't record something that sounds as good as "Puke and Cry" tho'.

Stand out tracks:

Dinosaur Jr. – The Wagon
Dinosaur Jr. – Puke And Cry
Dinosaur Jr. – Green Mind - this is one of the most romantic songs that I have never shared with anyone...
Dinosaur Jr. – Muck
Dinosaur Jr. – Green Mind

Artists: Dinosaur Jr.
Album: Green Mind
Producer: J. Mascis
Label: Sire, Warner Bros.
Recorded: ?

Before I weigh in on the Ramones seminal debut album, I need to kinda clear the air on something....

A few of you may have noticed a suspicious absence on my blog in recent weeks/months... due to a falling out between me and my sibling in mid November - I haven't spent any time with my niece who I affectionally call Hobbes.

The rift has been difficult on my immediate family... I missed out on her birthday and did not participate in any holiday activities. Missing out on holiday activities was a blessing in disguise tho... I fucking hate christmas.

That being said, not being able to see or spoil my niece has been pretty upsetting... hanging with her would normally include having to put up with my sister and I'm not looking to repair that relationship in the foreseeable future.

9:00 AM
I'm not going to lie to you... I was pretty fucking shocked that my sister allowed my parents to bring my niece over for a sleep over tonight. It's officially the first time that the two have been apart since my sister went in for her gallstone surgery in November of 2012.

I can't begin to describe how fucking amazing the past 15 hours have been. Now that Hobbes can grasp, throw, climb and walk - it's like hanging with a completely different person. She's always been surprisingly responsive to music - so I naturally pulled out my copy of the Ramones/Ramones.

I saw a thing on TV once where an entire room of 5 year olds were singing the lyrics to Blitzkrieg Bop - though a bizarre music appreciation class. I knew that very moment that if I were ever a parent or uncle - that I would introduce the Ramones to the kid as soon as possible.

Hobbes took to it immediately... she kinda does a "pogo" dance move without ever leaping into the air. It's pretty fucking adorable and I hate everything.

As for the Ramones album... I don't really have anything profound to say about an album that has been documented and written about ad nauseum.

Here however are some of the tracks that she really responded positively too...