Aaron Landry

"Thank You" Mail Day, originally uploaded by s4xton.

Today’s mail included a hand made thank you card in response to my donation to Kara who raised money for and canoed in the Mississippi River Challenge. I told her she didn’t need to send me a card and she argued the envelope was already stamped. I didn’t realize it was hand made! I biked the scenic five miles down to Fort Snelling and took photos of their revised starting point due to the bridge collapse. I heard that many people chose to not paddle and converted their entry costs into a donation.

I also got a thank you card from my cousin Ben who recently graduated high school. He’s using his graduation money to make his way to India, the card says. News to me. Why are you going to India, Ben?

Finally, a thank you message on a sticky note from Bon Iver placed on their first album, “For Emma, Forever Ago.” I was clued into it by Kyle of Reveille Magazine last Saturday by instant message and I ordered it within about ten minutes.

Reveille Magazine describes a scene with where “it could be just about any of the tunes off of Bon Iver’s debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago, catching at your heartstrings, but not pulling them so much as just reminding you they’re there.” MFR says “Bon Iver is a secret that is just waiting to get out.”

Check out his bio which describes him at a Northwestern Wisconsin cabin over the winter:

The days slowly evolved into days filled with twelve-hour recording blocks, breaking only for trips on the tractor into the pines to saw and haul firewood, or for frozen sunrises high up a deer stand. All of his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss and guilt that had been stock piled over the course of the past six years, was suddenly purged into the form of song.

I can’t put this album down. Bon Iver needs to make way to Minneapolis soon.