Throwaways

Snobfest 2010!

2010-12-17T09:58:00.000-08:00

It is that time again kids! Actually it's a bit early, but patience is not something in which I excel. Anyway, here is Snobfest 2010! A collection of some of my favorite songs from 2010. There should be at least one song on here for someone. Except for the hip-hop fans. All my favorite hip-hop tracks were from artists on previous Snobfests or just too popular. Hit the link below for the zip file. You can also buy the songs on iTunes just search for Snobfest 2010. The iTunes playlist is short a few songs because they don't have the tracks. Either way, enjoy. If you would actually like a hard copy on disk with artwork rather than make your own let me know.

SNOBFEST 2010

Directions: Download and unzip file. Put file in music folder. In iTunes select "import playlist" and choose the Snobfest 2010 text file in folder. Print jpg cover if you want

Snobfest 2008: The Songs

2008-12-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

Snobfest 2008: The Songs is available for download here. A more detailed description of the songs is forthcoming.

Track List:

Party Crashin'-Evangelicals- The Evening Descends
A-Punk- Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
Cross the Fader- Poney Poney- Cross The Fader EP
First Taste of Trouble- the Sweet Serenades- First Taste
Sweet Darlin'- She & Him- Volume One
Moving- Pete And The Pirates- Little Death
Feedback in the Field- Plants and Animals- Parc Avenue
It's Over- Leatherbag- Love & Harm
Bright Side- The Muslims- The Muslims
Somebody, Somewhere- Cazals- Somebody, Somewhere
Dead Boys- The Fashion- Like Knives EP
Run To Your Grave- The Mae Shi- HLLLYL
Breaking It Up- Lykke Li- Youth Novels
Light Of Love- Music Go Music- Light Of Love
Fascination- Alphabeat- This is Alphabeat
I Like It, I Love It- Lyrics Born- I Like It, I Love It
Perfect Games- The Broken West- Now or Heaven?
If I Can See You (You're Too Close To Me)- Gentleman Jesse- Gentleman Jesse
I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked- Ida Maria- Fortress Round My Heart
I Need A Good Girl- Black and Whites- DMR 017
Set in Stone- Catfish Haven- Devastator
The '59 Sound- The Gaslight Anthem- The '59 Sound
Front Street- The Gutter Twins- Saturnalia

Christmas List (Family Only)

2008-11-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

For the guitar pedals, I will gladly accept used and functioning pedals from craigslist or ebay.

Dunlop Crybaby Wah

Boss RC-2 Loop Station

Chorus Pedal

Fallout 3

Canon CanoScan 8800F

Rock Band 2 Drum set

Diana+ Wide & Closeup Lens

Chicago Cubs Hat

Guitar Strap (black or brown)

Roomba

Money for an acoustic guitar

Sweaters (solid muted colors size L or Tall L)

Ramblings (AKA How Was Your Weekend? II)

2008-09-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

I went to my first surprise birthday party ever. There is something odd about surprise birthday parties, particularly if you've only met the the surprisee twice. There's that awkward silence where everyone waits for the surprisee to walk through the door. They walk through the door. Everyone yells surprise. I mumble so as not to draw attention to myself. Then I slowly back away while everyone that knows the person goes in for hugs. What am I supposed to do? Go in to wish someone a happy birthday to someone I don't know? I'm just there for the food, and to hang out with people I know. I thought for a moment that I could have avoided the whole surprise moment by hanging out in the bathroom. Then I realized if I ended up having to wait in the bathroom for an extended period of time it would be more embarrassing.

I also realized that I feel old hanging out with 20 somethings.

Watched the Cubs clinch their division Saturday. They are one win away from securing home field advantage through the playoffs. This really has been a rather magical season. I hope it continues.

I finished playing The Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. While it has a few camera issues, and there is some rather difficult sections that just show up, the story is pretty good. It also never gets tiring using force combos that sends a Stormtrooper hurling in the air. SPOILERS DON'T READ THE FOLLOWING BOB: Basically you play as Darth Vader's apprentice and start taking out the Jedi that have gone into hiding. You are then tasked with pretending to be a good guy and flush out those who would oppose the Emperor. Darth Vader double crosses you and your realize your true path as a Jedi. You get to then kick Darth Vader and the Emperor's ass. You save Princess Leah and Jimmy Smitts. Then you die, and the Rebel Alliance is formed because of you. They even use your family crest as the symbol for the Rebel Alliance. There are a couple problems with a story that is in fact better than the last three Star Wars disasters. First, you get double crossed by Darth Vader twice. Twice! I realize you're Vader's apprentice, and he raised you from a young boy, but twice? Second, after being able to kick Vader and the Emperor's asses back to back, how is it Skywalker is the chosen one? Third, I'm tired of the whole Jedi way of don't kill the head bad guy or you'll be a bad guy too. What about the thousands of stormtroopers I killed just to get here? I can kill them, but not the Emperor? So you are standing there ready to kill the Emperor, and everybody runs up to saying, "Don't kill him or you'll become evil." Only I'm thinking, "Look guys, I know how this turns out. I will be saving a lot a people a lot of trouble if I do this. Besides, I've only been a Jedi for about an hour." Still, it is very well acted, it looks great, and having the ability to use the force is always fun. I do recommend it for you Star Wars fans out there.

And of course there is Rock Band 2. You can download nearly all of the original game's songs onto your hard drive, so there is no changing of disks to play all of the songs. There are some great song choices on Rock Band 2. The list of upcoming downloadable songs and albums looks very promising as well. The plan is to have 500 songs available by the end of the year. 500.

For the first time ever, I think I'm going to become a member of the church I attend. For those of you who know my cynical tendency toward churches will realize this is a pretty big deal.

This unfortunately has led to me signing up for the church retreat this weekend. I am going to be in nature with a bunch of strangers, and no way out. It will be fun. It will be fun. It will be fun.

It Was Only a Matter of Time...Sigh.

2008-09-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

As bobby noted, where is the Stryper? And to prove my knowledge of Old School Christian Metal...Where is the Bride, Holy Soldier, Barren Cross, X-Sinner, Angelica, or Shout? If this game included those songs I would buy it...maybe...if I found it in the bargain bin.

So How Was Your Weekend?

2008-09-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a little breakdown of the events involved in my weekend.

Friday Night: I had begun taking some new medication on Thursday, and began to start feeling a little warm Friday. By Friday night I felt like I was a walking furnace. This lead to...

Saturday Morning: I spent my time trying to get a hold of my personal doctors. Failing at that, I finally relented and went the ER.

Saturday Afternoon: Here's a couple things I realized while at the hospital. 1. I am oddly "at home" when I'm in the hospital. I am very comfortable and have zero anxiety when in a hospital. 2. If the person drawing your blood has the word "intern" on his scrubs or badge or name tag, immediately ask for someone else. Otherwise you will end up with this scenario.

Intern: Man, what am I forgetting? Oh the tubes.

Intern: You are going to feel a little prick...Whoops. Man, that's getting everywhere.

You look down and see he didn't cap the needle right and your precious blood is pumping out of the needle like a those crappy serenity fountains.

Four hours later I was finally discharged and told I was having an allergic reaction to the medicine, but it was not a life threatening reaction.

That left me about two hours to do a load of laundry, practice guitar, and drive up to the Hollywood Forever cemetery where they were showing Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Sure I should have probably canceled considering the state I was in, but obligation, obligation, obligation. And a girl was involved.

Trying to find the girl I was meeting there (for the first time) and her friends I realized how completely awful my eyes are at night. I couldn't see the group ten feet in front of me. Ten feet!

Side note: Walking through the graveyard I noticed a trend of the face of the deceased being engraved on the tombstone. But all the pictures are clearly from their deathbed or at least close to it. Wouldn't you want to have the best picture of you during your prime years engraved on your tombstone? But why the faces on the tombstone in first place? Is it for the benefit of strangers passing by? Why do strangers need to know what your loved one looks like? Unless they are or at one point were extremely attractive. I could see that scenario as bragging or trying to get a little bit more sympathy. "Poor guy. His wife was smokin' hot!" Maybe you are afraid family members will forget your name? "Mom's buried here somewhere, if only I could remember her name."

Anyway an enjoyable time at the movie where Paul Rubens himself introduced the movie and made funny with some anecdotes.

It might have been the contact high I was getting from some movie goers around me, but despite feeling like a walking furnace it was an enjoyable evening.

Sunday I picked up Rock Band 2 on the way to church. I felt a little guilty about it. Should I have bought it after church? But it was kind of on the way, and what if they sold out? That fact that I was getting hot flashes during the church service did not assuage my guilt.

Lunch with bobby and Aubrey and Mohr and other people. Enjoyed some the delicious cajun white beans at Wahoos.

Played Rock Band 2 and apparently reopened my vein they took the blood from. It's not a pretty sight.

Watched the ESPN cutaway to Big Z throwing a no hitter against the Astros.

Watched True Blood which is really not that good, but the cliff hanger endings of the episodes always reels me back in.

So that was my weekend: ER, Hollywood Cemetery, Paul Rubens, and Rock Band 2.

Hey Everybody I Wanted To Say I Love You All Just In Case The World Ends Tomorrow or Aliens Take Over

2008-09-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow they are apparently turning on something called a Large Hadron Collider. This whole accelerating particles and colliding them is beyond my expertise, though I'm sure I'll to research it for a CSI: Miami epsiode next month. That is if we are still alive by then.

I've seen Buckaroo Banzai and played the Half-Life series. I know what happens when scientists start messing around with particles and collision. Some say we will all die tomorrow because the Large Hadron Collider will create a black hole that will destroy earth and the whole galaxy. Which I guess is kind of likely. But scientists know a bit about black holes, and I think they would know if they are going to create one. Apparently they want to create something called a "God particle." That doesn't scream doomsday does it? Still I'm betting it will create a portal to another dimension through which aliens will access to either enslave us or make us an alternate food source. You see scientists don't know anything about portals to other dimensions. How would they know if they were going to create one or not?

So, be prepared. Make quick friends with that strange neighbor who you know has a bomb shelter and keeps bragging about the guns he's collected. Don't throw out that cheese in the back of your fridge. That mold could be used to create a biological weapon against the alien forces. Heck don't throw out anything with mold on it. I'm currently trying to find someone that owns a boat in case the aliens dissolve in water ala Alien Nation. That's probably our best hope right now. Maybe they can't process oxygen, or they can't handle cold temperatures?

Anyway, in case we end up with a worse case situation tomorrow, I just wanted to say I love you all. Come on! Look at that thing! I don't care what they say. We are soooo doomed.

Welcome Back Vic Mackey!

2008-09-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a year and a half, and I'm thrilled that there are finally new episodes of The Shield. Unfortunately, these are the last 13 episodes. Tonight's episode threw into motion what could be the most harrowing season of the Shield. I'm going to miss this show.

A little more heartfeltish side note. On the flight back from the Outer Banks, they showed the movie Young @ Heart. It's a documentary about this chorus of elderly people that sing popular hits. It was the first time I've ever wanted to see the in-flight movie, but why show such an emotional movie on an airplane flight. My favorite performance was Fred Knittle singe Coldplay's "Fix You," and I can't stand Coldplay. Dammit if I wasn't a big ball of tears after this performance.

Funny thing was that the movie ended right as the plane landed, and you could tell which of the passengers watched the movie because they had those red post cry eyes.

Where's Brit-I Mean Bret?

2008-08-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I would find the following viral for the upcoming Gentlemen Broncos so hilarious, if my step-father wasn't such a big fan of those sci-fi novels.

What's even funnier in my opinion is the audio book excerpt at the website. I've never read any of my step-father's sci-fi books, but that is what I imagine they all are like. I also recommend the galleries section on the website for the pre-pubescent works.

Good Luck in the Olympics, Jiff

2008-08-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

I still think you're being paranoid with the mask.

Rumblings (The 5.4 Magnitude Edition)

2008-07-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

As I sat through the largest earthquake that I've ever experienced during my 7+ years of living out here, one thing went through my mind: Jiff will have no idea what I'm pondering. So, here is what was going through my mind- Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

So there used to be a time when odd, strange, creepy, and sadly funny things would happen in my life. Well, something has happened, and those things are no longer taking place. Maybe I've matured? Maybe I'm just living in a better neighborhood? Maybe I just don't put myself in situations where such things could happen? Either way, I'm bored. I have no new crazy stories to tell. I've worn out all my old stories. I have simply this boring and normal existence. Changes need to be made.

A couple weeks ago, I had my first taste of caffeine in about 4 months. I was like a kid released in pixie stix factory. It was nice actually noticing the caffeine coursing through my body.

Last week I learned my first full song on guitar. Well I didn't learn the solo, but I can crappily play The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." On my own I've dabbled into a little Priest, some more AC/DC, and The Outfield's "Say It Isn't So." I realize this is probably normal, but I now can't stop looking at guitars, and gear, and pedals. It's become a slight addiction, which will be fine as long as I keep it to window shopping. I now understand why those guys have all those guitars.

Ida Maria (of the spectacular "Oh My God" on Snobfest 2007) just released her debut album. Of course it's UK only at this moment. I never understood that. Why not try to get into as many hands as possible? Is international distribution that much of pain in the ass?

Still digging Hold Steady's latest. Black and Whites album is quite good. Paul Westerberg just released an album for $0.49. It's an interesting experiment. The song Perfect Games has raised my expectations for The Broken West's upcoming album. Now is the following an unacceptable bastardization of a classic, or an intriguing take on a classic?
Sweet Child O Mine (Guns N Roses Cover) - Taken By Trees

We are only a couple weeks away from a new season for Tottenham Hotspur. They've really strengthened their midfield, but one of our star strikers left to Liverpool. Their other striker is trying to get out of Tottenham as well. So unless we can sign some quality before the deadline they could be struggling for some goals this season.

I found a PS3 on my TV stand a few months ago. Really weird.

There is a new sports rivalry heating up this year. We've had our Ohio State vs. Michigan, Red Sox vs. Yankees, Cowboys vs. Redskins, etc. The Cubs rival has always been the Cardinals. The problem is that while it was a strong rival it never seemed to have the excitement or vitriol of say the Red Sox and Yankees. I put most of the blame on the Cardinal fans. Sure they might be knowledgeable, and not really like us, but they have always been too polite and stuffy. Well, it looks like the Cubs have gained a proper rival in the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have been mostly awful since they came over to the National League years ago. It got so bad that Cubs fans started calling Miller Park "Wrigley North." But things have changed. The Brewers got their shit together and have had a good youthful team the last couple seasons. Last year the Brewers were in first place up until after the All Star break where the Cubs finally caught and surpassed them. This year the Brewers are trying to catch the Cubs. The Brewers traded for Cy Young award winner CC Sabathia. The Cubs then fired back by trading for stud pitcher (when healthy) Rich Harden. It's lead to a series this week that has come across like it's the playoffs in its intensity. The fans have been crazy. The players and managers are clearly feeding off it. Just watching last night's game on TV you could feel that something special is...um...brewing...sigh. Even ESPN has even jumped all over this series giving it the opening slot on Sportscenter. I'm all for this rivalry growing. I think it could grow into something special. The Cubs and Brewers play the final series of season against each other in Milwaukee. If the playoff spots haven't been settled by then, that series could be something to behold. Yes, I realize the Cubs would play the role of the Yankees to the Brewers' Red Sox.

Ramblings

2008-06-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted here in nearly a month. I haven't been sick or down. I've just been busy. As in real life busy. There's guitar lessons, therapy, I've joined a community group, trying to finish a spec script, working with BOB on a comic book, and other things. I've been so busy I haven't even played many video games. I have not been busy enough to miss Kobe prove he's no Jordan. Let's get this ramblings underway.

It's nice to see the Cubs curse finally arriving what with Zambrano, Soriano, and the bastard Edmonds all getting hurt this month. I assume traffic on the I-90 must have been a bitch.

It's the off-season for Tottenham Hotspur, but big things have still been happening. They have signed two top line players, and show no sign of stopping there. Once they can sell off a bit more of the dead weight, and perhaps even Berbatov, they will be able scoop up who they need to for a possible run at the top four this season. To fulfill my soccer jones I have been enjoying Euro 2008. ESPN has been showing a lot of the games, and in glorious HD.

Everyone is back to work here on the 7th (yes 7th!) season of CSI: Miami. Vegas has the over/under on people killed by Horatio this season at 10. Take the over.

Somehow I must have accidentally hit the "grow up" switch or dial within the last couple weeks. I don't know what's happening to me.

Remember the group Supergrass? They had their one U.S. hit "Alright" back in 1995. Well they have been the one consistently good bands from the BritPop years. I never plan on it, but I always end up buying their albums. And it's happened again with their latest "Diamond Hoo Ha." It's got a great batch of tunes. My favorite being "Rebel In You." But there's no video for that, so here's the title track. All I have to say is BABY!.

Because their album was leaked early on the internet (which seems to be a standard these days), The Hold Steady released their album, "Stay Positive" early on iTunes. It's another great album. They really know how to sequence an album. It's not as continuous story wise as "Separation Sunday," but they know how to open and close an album. Favorite initial songs, "Constructive Summer," "Lord, I'm Discouraged," and "Yeah, Sapphire."

Is Coldplay still relevant? The answer is no.

Here's a list of songs I can partially play awfully enough that it could work for a "Name That Tune" game show.

AC/DC's "Back in Black"
White Stripes "Black Math"
Led Zep "Black Dog"
Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
Doobie Bros. "China Grove"

Of course if the contestants needed more than 10 notes to name the song I'd be screwed.

I've heard so many awful things about the movie "The Happening" that I kind of want to see the train wreck.

Another thing that indicates that somehow I might be growing up is that I've found myself going to bed before 2AM. Maybe I'm not growing up but just growing old.

And finally...wait for the "Hey!"

For Those Who Wished There Was a Modern Day ABBA (Yes, I Realize That Includes Everyone of Us)

2008-05-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Don't deny it! If you look deep down inside your heart you will find that part that bursts with joy when you hear "Waterloo." Enjoy.

Light Of Love - Music Go Music

Whoa-whoa-whoa-oh-oh!

American Idol Recap (This Almost Makes Up For That Fifty Year Old Guy Winning A Few Years Ago Edition)

2008-05-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

I will keep this as brief as possible, because you don't want a full recap of two hours of fluff.

America got it right. David Cook won. This came as a pleasant surprise to Ben H., Anne, and me.

I guess Teen Beat will be sent back into his father's cellar.

Here are some other things you should probably know about tonight's show.

Donna Summer can still sing.

Cruella is clearly still hating herself for trying out for this show. She is going to kill someone on that tour.

I think Bryan Adams is bit forgotten for the string of hits he wrote. I actually saw him perform in concert back in the undergrad years, and it was a pretty damn good show.

I finally now know who the Jonas Brothers are and hate myself for knowing.

I'm embarrassed how happy I was to see Chikezie.

Syesha got to sing with Seal and Donna Summer. Talk Box sang with ZZ Top. Goody Two Shoes sang with Graham Nash. The Ringer sang with Tiny Dancer. Teen Beat sang some song from a band I'd never heard of. Clearly Teen Beat lost in the duet portion as well.

Paula Abdul cried when George Michael sang with a cold.

Mike Meyers' unfunny bit to promote his unfunny movie has instilled a lot of ill will in me. What has happened to you Mr. Meyers.

Talk Box reenacting the dancing in underwear scene from Risky Business for the Guitar Hero game was kinda clever. Teen Beat reenacting the same scene for the Guitar Hero commercial was very creepy.

Simon apologized to Talk Box for his judgment of him the previous night. He said he felt his verging on disrespectful.

97.5 million votes were cast. David Cook won by 12 million votes.

Simon seemed particularly happy that David Cook won.

I will admit when David Cook's Mom went on stage, and his brother said "That's my brother!" I got a bit dusty. Also, David Cook saying "This is all your fault" to his brother was a nice moment.

I've always been a bit bitter on these shows, but I think David Cook was the right choice. He clearly has musical talent rather than just a singing talent. He also seems like a genuinely nice guy. So, for once, I'm actually happy with an American Idol finale.

We can now return to our regularly scheduled blog.

They Were So Right When They Said Robots Would Take Over The World

2008-05-21T02:06:00.000-07:00

If you are a frequent reader of Engadget, then you have already seen this. Still, it's kinda scary and pretty amazing. The video below is of a microbot pushing a little ball around. Not too big of a deal. We've seen those robot war shows do more than that. True, but take a look at the measurement again in the bottom left hand corner. Yes, that reads 500 micrometers as in half of a millimeter. Apparently that field the microbot is pushing the ball around is smaller than a grain of rice. So instead of a big ass robot walking around and killing all mankind, maybe it will a nanobot crawling into our brain and controlling us. I apologize for adding that creepy bit about the brain, but whose says it can't be done ten, fifteen, or twenty years from now?

American Idol Recap (Only Two More Shows)

2008-05-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

Part one of the season finale kids! We are almost finished with these American Idol posts. I am back in Silver Lake with Anne and Ben H. How about we get this over with?

Oh good grief. We have that ringside announcer do his "Let's get ready to rumble" schtick. That was dated fifteen years ago. Ugh. Can you hear my eyes rolling from here? Teen Beat weighs only 100 lbs.

Introductions are made. They will sing three songs each. Here we go back to the boxing comparisons. I wish this was a boxing match. How entertaining would that be? Talk Box would destroy Teen Beat. Creepy Andrew Loyd Weber is back. Does the public really need to see him.

Teen Beat won the coin toss after last weeks show and will go second. Word was his father screamed from his seat in the audience for him to go last. That was completely unnecessary on the father's part. Everyone knows you go last. Teen Beat comes across so scared to say anything. Anne mentions that it appears none of the contestants have a relationship with Teen Beat. Which is true. I've never seen any of the contestants this year relate to Teen Beat. He always has come across secluded from the group. I'm certain it's not all his fault. I bet his father has had some hand in his isolation. There was a little talk between the two Davids where Talk Box came across as if he is already giving the title to Teen Beat. Can you blame him? Do you really want to win Idol, and gain all the baggage that comes with it? How Hollywood would it be if Teen Beat tanked the show out of spite for his father? Sorry, I'm rambling.

Clive Davis is going to pick the first song the contestants sing. We are going to have this boxing theme the whole night? Clive picked U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" for Talk Box. The judges all liked it. Simon thought it was phenomenal. It was good, but nothing new.

"Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me" is the song Clive picked for Teen Beat. Anne mentions it was churchy. Which is what it is exactly. Randy called it flawless, and I have no idea what they are hearing. Paula rambles and rambles. Simon called it the best he's done...ever. Am I deaf? He gives round one to Teen Beat. Nobody here agrees with the judges. We all thought Cook was better. It's almost like they don't want Cook to win. OR maybe they are trying to reverse psychologize the voters.

Song entries is the second song choice. I refuse to call it a round, and give in to this boxing theme. Dream Big is the song Talk Box chose. Randy thought the song was OK, but liked the performance. Paula liked it. Simon thought it was OK. He didn't think it was a winning performance. I think he did well with what someone threw into the mail to some contest. It was something different than his first performance. Something I'm certain Teen Beat's song won't be.

Teen Beat picked the song entry of "In This Moment." See, another ballad. He is like a little Josh Groban. These song entries are awful. Teen Beat picked a slow song that sounds like it belongs in a contemporary worship service. He can't do anything else. Randy thinks Teen Beat is in the zone, and drops his phone book line again. Simon thinks he picked the better song. He gives this round to Teen Beat again. OK, he might be the technically better singer but he has no variety.

Contestants choice is the final song choice. "The World I Know" by Collective Soul is Talk Box's choice. Anne thinks it is his best performance of the three. Anne thought it was really good. Aw, he's getting a little emotional. I don't know if I believe it. Paula says he's just standing in his truth. I think I left some truth in the toilet. Simon thinks he's one of the most sincere and nicest guys. Simon thinks it's the wrong song choice for the competition. Simon thinks he should've done something he already did in the previous shows. Talk Box says he didn't think it was right to do something he did before. Take that Teen Beat.

Hey, Teen Beat is doing "Imagine"...again. So, will this hurt him or help him. I would give Talk Box credit for not repeating himself. Anne thought it sucked. Boring! Randy loved it. He thinks Teen Beat won. Paula says she was left speechless, but she never is. Simon called it a knockout in Teen Beat's favor. I now hate him more than ever. I hope there's an upset, and this kid and his father are taught a lesson. He's going to turn the second he wins.

We close with Studdard singing the closing theme that each contestant has been sent home to. We get a little montage of the season. So tomorrow we will be back for part two of the finale. Ben and Anne will be in El Segundo then.

All three in the house put our vote behind David Cook, but think Teen Beat will win. See you tomorrow.

So, This Might Only Be of Interest to Jiff's Buddy Steven, But At Least It's Not Idol or Baseball Post

2008-05-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

What's up family, and friends, and people who Google image searched Judas Priest album covers? It's time for me to bore you with another post about a band I really like, and most of you don't. It's not the Twilight Singers/Afghan Whigs, but the second band I've written the most about...The Hold Steady. One of the reasons they show up so frequently is that they release albums as often as I date. Which is pretty frequent for an artist. Not so frequent for me.

Since their album Separation Sunday, they have become a first day of release purchase for me. In fact they have become and anticipated release artist. I look forward to it. I mark it in my Blackberry's calendar. 7/15/08 is when their new album hits stores. Today, they put their first single, "Sequestered in Memphis," up on myspace. See it's good for music, not just cyberstalking. I've already played the song six times today. It's The Hold Steady with power chords, and organ, and piano, and horns, and sing-a-long choruses. They even include some hand claps in the breakdown. Yes, Finn is still singing, which means most of you will only be able to get past 24 seconds of the song. Jiff's buddy Steven likes them, so maybe he will stumble upon this post and click on the myspace link and listen to the song and enjoy it.

Let's keep this going for a little bit. Today is my second guitar lesson with a guy named Steve. Imagine if Jerry Garcia as a surfer and about a hundred pounds lighter, and you've just pictured what my teacher looks like. His "teaching room" is basically a walk in closet in this guitar shop. He sits in this old 70's like chair like a California Buddha, and spouts out his guitar knowledge. He also sprinkles it with a few ramblings, and pauses while he tries to collect a memory from a most likely weed clouded mind. I'm basically saying that I couldn't have a more entertaining guitar teacher. His one comment about me, "You seem practical, so lets go with that."

I Apologize Now for the Following Baseball Rant!

2008-05-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to shout expletives (except during Rainbow Six Vegas online, and maybe a few motorists), but the Chicago Cubs are about to do something that is beyond moronic. It has been rumored about ever since this player was released from the Padres, and now it looks like it will actually happen. Harry Caray helps us all. It seems that the Cubs are going to sign one time St. Louis Cardinal Jim Edmonds to play center field. The reason being that the Cubs aren't completely confident in current left handed center fielder Felix Pie, and they really need a power left handed bat. For now I'm going to completely ignore what should be looked at, and focus on their reasoning. Felix Pie's current stats are BA: .222 HR: 1 RBI: 7 OBP: .286 OPS: .571. Those are not spectacular numbers, but he is also only 23, and is above average defensively. Here now are Jim Edmonds' current stats, BA: .178 HR: 1 RBI: 6 OBP: .265 OPS: 598. That's right kids, Jimmy's numbers are worse across the board. He is also an old 37, and can't play center field to save his life. So, just looking at reason the Cubs gave for signing him, it's a dumb gamble. Keep the kid Felix in the lineup, and give him a chance. We seem to be doing fine with him platooning with Reed. I don't care if the Cubs can just let him go if it doesn't work out. Do they have to keep taking shots at Pie's confidence?

Now, let's look at a fact that is apparently being overlooked by Cubs management. This elephant in the room, that is more important than stats. The fact is that every single Cubs fan HATES Jim Edmonds. There are about for or five expletives I would place in front of the word "hates." First off he is a former St. Louis Cardinal (the Yankees to the Cubs' Red Sox). Second, he is a jackass show off. Remember his showboating homerun trot against Big Z a couple years ago? Let's not forget his desire to make every outfield catch look like the greatest catch ever. Third, he will always be a Cardinal. The Cubs fans will never accept him even he does end up miraculously playing well. He will be booed at every home game. The bleacher bums will show no mercy. Why would he even want to come here in the first place? Imagine if the Dodgers signed Barry Bonds, or the US decided to bring in Ernst Rohm to run their special ops after hearing he wasn't happy with Hitler. All of them are moronic ideas.

The Cubs have made some ridiculous deals out of panic rather than show a little patience. This will be easily one of their top ten worse ideas in club history. Hopefully, he will play a few games, management will see the light, and cut him loose before he ruins the clubhouse. I don't know if my eyes could handle seeing Jim Edmonds in a Cubs uniform.

Again, I just had to vent. Sorry.

American Idol Recap (The Word For Tonight is Three)

2008-05-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

There are three contestants left, and they will be singing three songs each. The three judges will then give their critique after each song. Also tonight three different people will be picking the songs the contestants will sing. That will be one of the judges, the producers, and then the contestant themselves will pick a song. Got all that?

Tonight kind of makes null the whole hullabaloo about Teen Beat's father basically being banished from any backstage access. Apparently, despite the producers saying "no," Teen Beat's pop from hell had little David add a line from a different song to his performance of "Stand By Me." This extra line from a different song cost American Idol a crap load money in order to get the rights. It has been often reported that nobody likes Teen Beat's father who was known to pick David's song, and basically be the Ike to David's Tina. So, he only has to pick one of the songs himself tonight. How many shots do we get tonight of Teen Beat's stage father tonight in the audience? On with the show.

Mary Lou Henner is in the audience tonight. And Ari's assistant from that HBO show that I can't remember the title.

Oh the contestants all went to their home towns this week too. We begin with the judges pick that is told to Teen Beat by a mayor with a bad ass handlebar mustache. His first song will be "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel. Simon humorously asked Paula what she was thinking when picking this song. I keep telling myself "Just one more week" and I never have to deal with hearing Teen Beat and his schmaltzy tendencies. Ugh. Shot of father count: 1. Randy loved it. Paula of course loved it. Simon thought it was good, but predictable. Um. Isn't everyone's performance at this point predictable?

At this point I'd like to mention I started guitar lessons today. I can kind of play the first riff of AC/DC's "Back in Black." Yeah! One more step toward the rock!

Back from the break and we have Syesha in a limo getting her song by text. Mayor of Tampa too busy? Maybe this is to show Syesha's acting talent? I thought she did that last week with her waterworks? Randy picked her song of "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys. Maybe she's not even in Tampa. Kind of like CSI: Miami isn't really shot in Miami. At this point I would like to apologize for originally giving Syesha the nickname, Bitch. I'm sorry Syesha. Randy thinks she is peaking at the right time, and I agree. Simon thought she sang it well, and she did. It still won't save her. I think she even knows it. She does look fantastic once again. I never noticed she had chin dimples.

With two down that leaves Talk Box ,who during a TV interview on the what must be the local morning show, gets his song from Simon which is "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack. And if you don't believe any of that was completely planned out you must be a five year old. Simon said he picked it in order to do something different. I really hope that is his mother standing there all by herself. If not, creeepy. Ew. Apparently it isn't because they just showed his family. Randy liked it, but didn't like Simon's choice. I think he's just picking on Simon. Simon really liked it, and thought round one went to Talk Box. Oh, that is his mother. Whew. Really, all three did pretty well. The judges clearly know what they are doing. Next round is the contestants' choice.

Teen Beat's choice is "With You" by Chris Brown. Wha? He should have inro'd this by saying, "This is for the ladies." Eh. At least it was something current. He can't dance, and that "My Boo" line did come across as ridiculous. Randy didn't think it was great. Paula liked it. It really wasn't him, as Simon said. The ladies though loved it. This thought proves once again he can't do anything but ballads.

Syesha chose "Fever" by Peggy Lee which seems obvious doesn't it? It's theatrical. She won't do anything original with it though. Yowza. I admit this is one of the sexier songs ever written. Randy thought she performed it well. Paula was surprised she sang this song. She didn't think it showed who she was as an artist. Simon agrees. He thought it was a lame cabaret performance. She's clearly just doing what she wants. She knows she is going home tomorrow night. Right?

We are back and Talk Box decided on "Dare You To Move" Switchfoot. Can't he just rock? Why does he have to do these slow burns to big choruses? He mumbles these songs he likes. Just like the Our Lady Peace song. Randy didn't think it was his best. It did just seem like half a chorus and an intro. Simon agrees. He says there was no clear winner in this round. I agree. Next round is producer's choice.

No commercial break we just go right into Teen Beat singing "Longer" by the late Dan Fogelberg. I feel like I should thank him once again for helping me win the Celebrity Death Pool last year. Randy thought it was an interesting song choice, but liked it. Can we stop with the singing the phonebook line. Paula blah loved blah it blahed. Simon thought it was gooey. Every performance he's had this season has been gooey. That's why I feel so dirty. Simon does think he did enough to make it through to the final two. Way to go out on a limb, Simon. We've known he was final two bound since the first week.

The producers selected "Hit Me Up" by I don't know who sings it, and he didn't say. It's by someone named Gia Farrell. Randy thought it was just OK. Paula did the song well, but doesn't think it defines her. Paula doesn't think it is enough. Simon thought it was better than the second one. No defining moment for Syesha. We all know she is gone next week, Paula.

Finally! Talk Box was given "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. How is it the judges have no trouble pciking songs for the contestants, but the producers suck at it? And during Seacrest's intro there is this dorky kid trying too hard to be funny. I would have no problem with Seacrest clocking that kid. It would be completely justified. Hey, I think that is Diane Warren in the audience. She wrote this song. Coincidence? Randy thought it was ok. I know it was predictable, but the producers picked it not him. Paula sees him advancing. Simon claims that Talk Box won the night.

There we go. By this time next week we will be down to our final two of the two Davids. Syesha will be given the boot tomorrow night. This is one of the most anti-climactic seasons in idol. I didn't didn't get to go to Anne Marie's place tonight, so I will leave Anne and Ben H. to give their worst and fav int he comments.

Um...So, I Guess I Am Now...Ready to Rock?

2008-05-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

Look at the growing fat roll on my neck.

Shhh. I'm rocking it gently.

American Idol Recap (Wanna See a Train Wreck? Edition)

2008-05-06T20:09:00.000-07:00

We are down to the final four! Doesn't CBS and the NCAA have a trademark on Final Four? Anne's a little down because Goody Two Shoes got the boot last week. Surprisingly, everyone on the show is still alive. There was no mass murder. The theme for tonight is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which leaves it open to about everything.

Talk Box kicks off the night with "Hungry Like a Wolf." Anne has stated that she really wants him to win. If it comes down to Talk Box and Teen Beat, she will vote. Randy says it was just ok. Paula says it made her hungry. Simon liked it, but didn't think he changed it up enough. He did rock in your typical radio one hit wonder cover song kind of way.

Syesha is in the coke hot seat. Blah, blah, blah. She will be performing "Proud Mary." Hmm. Probably not the best song choice. A little too strong. Anne calls it interesting in that it is high energy but unoriginal. Randy says she showed up. Paula's right. She does look good. Simon thought it was a bad shrieky version. It was a good performance, but I don't think it was the best vocal.

Back from the break we have Stoner. Good grief he's a moron. Wow? Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff?" Ugh. This is awful. Laughably awful. Why did he even have the guitar? Anne thinks Randy should say that performance offended him as a black man. I think it offended everyone with ears. Simon calls it utterly atrocious. Which is actually Simon being kind. Um he wasn't thinking Simon. He's a moron.

Teen Beat follows up with "Stand By Me." He apparently sings this song to himself in his room. I assume his father has kept him locked up in that room for the past 16 years. He must be thrilled he gets to follow up the musical mess of Stoner. Anything can sound good after that. I'm biased because I hate him. Of course the judges slurp him. It's all fake when he performs. Simon just stole my joke. He was well placed. Simon calls it the best of the night. Can't you just see him getting a little fame and turning into the next Michael Jackson.

With round one finished we have Talk Box back in the Coke Hot Seat. He agrees with the judges that he didn't change up "Hungry Like A Wolf" enough. His second song is "Baba O'Reilly." It's never smart to do a song by The Who. There are just too many changes in there songs to cram it into two minutes. It was like just taste of the song. Randy liked it. Paula is humbled to see his soul. Simon liked it too, and welcomed him back. Whatever.

Here comes Syesha with her second song. Ryan introduces Rascal Flatts as his boys. I think I saw them all throw up in their mouth a little bit when Ryan said that. "A Change is gonna Come" is her second song. She can't do lows notes. We have dress changes tonight too. Let's just say that her second dress puts Miss Lee Cook to shame. Randy didn't feel it. Paula gives her a standing ovation. The girls get a little weepy. Simon liked it. Wow Syesha is taking Goody Two Shoes crying crown in one night. She blabs about how this competition has changed her, and how she learned so much about the Civil Rights movement. Really? You just learned about it this week?

Stoner's second song is "Mr. Tamborine Man." We were just about to give him credit, and he totally blah blah blah'ed a line. He completely forgot two lines. Anne says I cursed him. Randy says he's not in the zone. When is he ever in the zone. I mean on stage. If Randy meant stoned when he said zone, then when is he ever out of the zone. Simon says he should pack his suitcase. He shouldn't have unpacked his suitcase three weeks ago.

Teen Beat finishes the night with "Love Me Tender." How do you not know "Love Me Tender?" Teen girls are swooning everywhere. I like that he turned this into a Christian Contemporary bastardization. Randy loved it. Paula thought it was one of his best performances. Simon thought he crushed everyone tonight.

So Stoner should go home for the worst final four performance in Idol history, but I think Syesha will be saying goodbye tomorrow night. I still hate Teen Beat.

Favorite:
Anne: Syesha
Ben H: Syesha
Me: Syesha

Worst: Come on. How could it not be Stoner?

American Idol Recap (It's Neil F'n Diamond Night Edition)

2008-04-29T19:54:00.001-07:00

First of all, I'm blogging through the pain tonight. I've been battling a nasty cold these past few days. It's Neil Diamond night, so I will fight through it. For you Neil! I'm pretty sure all the other nights will pale in comparison. I haven't been this exited since Emily Proctor danced dirty with me on the dance floor. Wait that was just this Saturday. Let's just say I'm excited.

So The Ringer got da boot and we are left with the top 5. This means they will each be singing two songs. How many of the top 5 knew Neil Diamond before this week?

Stoner will be singing Forever in Blue Jeans for his first song. I think this night will be a good one for Stoner. As in Stoner tradition it was rather boring. The judges will not be tearing them apart till after their second song. They've changed up the format, so the judges will give their opinion at the end of the show.

Talk Box is up next, and starts off in the Coke hot seat. This should be a good night for him too. His two song choices are I'm Alive and All I Need Is You. Two not so familiar songs, which could work in his favor. It was little blah. This two songs for each contestant seems a little ridiculous. They are left performing what seems like a minute of the song. Why not just give them an extra minute on one song rather than breaking it up. This show feels like it's gone wheels off, and is barreling toward Simon's chest hair.

Brooke will be doing I'm a Believer. Oh dear lord, her I'm a Believer is awful. I regret everything I said positive about her. This is so frightening. What are those pants she is wearing? She is clearly becoming more and more crazy each week. She's acting like Alex P. Keaton in that very special episode of Family Ties. For those too young to remember, it was about the dangers of taking speed.

Teen Beat will be doing Sweet Caroline. Can he make me dislike him anymore? Yes, he can. He's completely turned this into some crappy 80's cover song. Of course all the girls named Caroline just passed out. And we are speeding through this show. Nobody is allowed to take a breath.

Syesha picked Hello Again and Thank the Lord for the Nighttime. Two good choices for her. She did well with Hello, Again even if it was a little Whitney.

Wow. So they gave the judges a little time to give a quick judgment and Paula just went on and on about Stoner's second song. Um nobody has performed their second song. Everyone was just as lost as she was. Simon was right they were all mediocre except for Brooke which was a train wreck.

Jason sings his second song, September Morn, and is just as boring as his first song. Anne thinks it's a bad arrangement. I agree. A lot of the arrangements have been off. They shouldn't polish up these songs. Randy wasn't a fan of either performances. Paula thought he was too safe. Simon called them forgettable. He speaks the truth.

Talk Box is doing his normal modern rock shlock. He's made All I Need Is You sound like a Journey song. It was ok. Anne says "At least he thought about the arrangement." Randy liked the second performance. Paula agrees. She thinks she is already looking at this years American Idol. I hope she's right. Simon thought the first song was ok, but thought the second song was brilliant. I wouldn't exactly call it brilliant.

Goody Two Shoes is clearly slowly losing her mind. Her second song is I Am...I Said. Neil's songs work so well stripped down. Why are they fluffing them up? Randy liked the second song, but not so much the first. Paula thought she showed her vulnerability on the second song. Simon hated the first song, which we all did. Who could've liked the first song. Simon liked the second song. Brooke's talking to everyone like they are deaf. I'm hoping for a PSA at the end of this show from Brooke.

I'm so sick of Teen Beat. It's this 80's grime that he covers everything with. Adding to the awful is the American flag on the screen behind him. How do the judges keep going for this shit? Randy and Paula both loved it. How? Simon credits him for pulling a Kristy Lee Cook. Simon liked it too. Are they under some mind control when he performs? Is the FBI involved?

Syesha closes us out tonight. Nice. She turned this into a doo wopish number. I liked that. Randy liked it. Paula liked both songs. Simon call this the strangest show they have ever done. Simon thinks she might be in trouble tonight. She is in trouble, but it's not because of her performance. It's because the fans don't like her.

Well, that was quick. We all know Syesha is going home tomorrow. This show left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The two song choice was a moronic choice. It all seemed rushed. Way to ruin the one night I was looking forward to the most. I wish they could have brought back Chikezie to sing "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show." That would've been awesome.

Top Two:
Anne: Syesha and David
Ben H: Syesha and David
Me: Syesha and Talk Box

Worst:
Anne: Brooke
Ben H. Brooke
Me: Teen Beat.

I know what will clear my head of this American Idol mess:

Okay!

2008-04-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Who knew the lines "I have a date" would stir up such a hullabaloo? I'm afraid this is going to turn into the current Suns vs. Spurs (San Antonio not Tottenham) series: so much hype but little payoff.

First, let's begin with how I got there on a Friday night. One of the things my therapist and I have been working on is getting me outside my comfort zone, and to put myself out there. Basically it's Adventures of Independent Bradford (TM Mandy). One of these things that I decided to do was to actually give one of those dating websites a try. Now you early adopter(s) of the blog might remember this post. This was back when I actually put effort into my posts. Look at those six internal links! Six! Anyway, eHarmony found a solution to finding no matches for me in LA. They look for matches outside of LA, way outside of matches. Sifting through the matches from AZ, Canada, Colorado, and so on, I did find a match from the OC. At least it wouldn't require me having to buy a plane ticket. She is very cute. A little bit of a grown up Winnie Cooper thing going on. Works non-profit. etc.

So, I went through the guided communication hoops. You send a first round of multiple choice questions, which is completely worthless. Then you send and answer a round of short answer questions. Then there is e-mailing back and forth, which led to a few phone calls, which led to meeting in person, which led to my first "date" in 3 and a half years. That seems to fit into my lifetime average.

That leads us up to Friday night. It didn't start off perfectly well because I got a little lost going behind the "Orange Curtain." I do know where Medieval Times is now. We met over coffee/tea. She actually looked better in person than in her profile pictures. We talked for about an hour, and then went and had some Korean food at restaurant she always wanted to try. The whole evening was fun with some entertaining conversation. At the end though, I just didn't get a vibe from her that she was all that interested. I will admit I wasn't able to bring my A game. It was really only about a solid B. Perhaps, I was more follicly challenged than she anticipated. Overall, it was still a nice evening, and it was a new adventure.

I am though reminded of that semi-painful movie Elizabethtown. I think we did peak while talking on the phone.

Ramblings (At Least It's Not An American Idol Post Edition)

2008-04-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

I'm know I'm going to be kicking myself for saying this, but the Cubs are looking good. So good that I find myself surprised when they lose. I don't know what to do with myself. I think it's all about Fukudome!

We are just 4 days away from the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. The game that everyone loves to hate. I can't wait. I might call in sick Tuesday, or at least go home early.

Stuff I'm listening to:

The Night Marchers new album See You In Magic that came out Tuesday. The Night Marchers are the new group led by Speedo of Rocket from the Crypt and Hot Snakes fame. It's exactly the kind of album you would expect: Rock n' Roll!

The Muslims self-titled album. Oddly enough they are the opening act for The Night Marchers. They fit in the Modern Lovers/Velvet Underground vein.

I've been playing the hell out of The Sweet Serenades song "First Taste of Trouble."

There has been a rash of Blank and Blank groups appearing on my Zune. Plants and Animals ("Bye Bye Bye" being my favorite cut), Pete and the Pirates (just get this whole album), Apes and Androids, Snake and Jets.

Finally, The Wet Secrets have come up with my favorite song title of the year so far: Grow Your Own F***ing Moustache, Asshole. The song is actually very good.

We are reaching the end of the season here on CSI: Miami. All the episodes have been written, and now there is only the task of shooting them and editing. Thankfully, that doesn't require anything from me. I will say that our season finale is pretty huge. In fact, for the first time ever, I am probably going to suggest everyone watch it. Even if you hate the show, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it.

I have a date tonight. I guess that's news.

The CSI: Miami wrap party is Saturday. That could become news.

I'm still playing Rock Band about twice a week, and I still get blisters from drumming. Is my skin that baby soft and delicate? I know I've gone on and one about this, but Harmonix who made this game have really done a fantastic job keeping this game in my 360. The current count for downloadable songs is at 94. They just now begining to roll out their full albums. The Pixies Doolittle is coming out in the next couple monts. The thing is I've had this game since November and I still play it every week. Most games last a couple months at most in my Xbox. It's really something I guess that you have to experience to see just how perfectly it hits that "pure fun" mark.

Ben I. do you ever wonder what would've happened to us, if we stayed at Bob Jones?

American Idol Recap

2008-04-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Andrew Loyd Webber night! chirp chirp chirp. Talk about a clunker night.

David Duchovny in the audience. Happy Earth Day apparently. We are down to six, after the world crisis was finally averted with Kristy Lee Cook finally booted. I'm sure I'm not the only one that finds Mr. Weber scary as hell. The judges say this will be the toughest night of the season. Paula threw out a slightly negative comment.

Syesha starts us off with "One Rock n Roll Too Many" from Starlight Express. Weber thinks she could well bring the house down. I don't know these songs. Anne says it was the wrong song choice. Ben H. predicts that the judges will like it. As Ben predicted Randy loved it. Ditto Paula. Simon liked it too. They all thought it was one of her better performances. I have new clue.

Stoner follows the break in the Coke Hot Seat. Oh good grief. We all knew it was coming but who saw that it was coming from Stoner. Yes, he's singing "Memories." Ben H. thinks it's sooo bad. Anne doesn't think it's so bad. I don't care. Do we ever have to hear this song again? Randy thought it was a train wreck. Paula makes it known to us that Stoner is not a woman. Simon didn't like it either. It did come across like his mother forced him to sing it. I would vote him off just for picking that song.

Courtney Cox is there too. Kind of a big celeb night on Idol.

Goody Two Shoes with "You Must Love Me" from Evita. Mr. Webber keeps touching her. Wow! She blew it! She had them to start over. Wow! She's awful. This is going to be a train wreck of a night. Nobody can do these songs. We all agree her performance is horrendous. There's no way they can like this. Randy thought she emoted well. Paula says she shouldn't have stopped and started. This is her second time on this season screwing up. Simon didn't tear her a new one. Simon says he would have done the same thing. Paula's feeling guilty about criticizing her. Bottom line, she was awful.

Next we have Teen Beat. Anne predicts he will sing "Music of the Night." He too is on the Coke Hot Seat. Seacrest is encouraging little girls to molest him. Sorry Anne, he's singing "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera. Weber's advice is to keep your eyes open. Thanks Andy. As Anne said, this is exactly what the judges are looking for. Ben H. likes it with conditions. Surprise, they all loved it. Paula calls it perfect. Anne says it's not that difficult to add a pop beat to these songs. Simon thought it was forgettable. Thank you Simon.

Here comes The Ringer. This has to be in her wheelhouse. Not liking her first choice, Weber is convincing her to do "Jesus Christ Superstar." I will admit I like this song. Anne liked it. Ben H. is kinda indifferent. Randy liked it. The outfit does work. Simon thinks it was one of his favorites this week. She was one of the better ones.

Talk Box is doing "Music of the Night," from Phantom. Andy convinces David to sing to him passionately. *cough* Why didn't he find something to rock out to? This is boring yet still good. Anne and Ben both think he is a good singer. He is hitting the notes. I still find this all boring. Anne says its very good. He always has control over his voice and is deliberate. Randy thought it was amazing. Paula says this proved he was well rounded. Anne thought it was fantastic. Simon thought he made the most of it.

Top Two-
Ben H: David Cook, Syesha
Anne: David Cook, Syesha
Me: David Cook, Syesha.

Worst:
Ben H: Brooke
Anne: Brooke
Me: Goody Two Shoes

It looks like we all agree. When the hell is Neil Diamond night? I've hit my wall during this season which is a little earlier than last season. Must keep going. Must keep going. At least till Neil Diamond night.

American Idol Recap (The Shocking Edition)

2008-04-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

Why is this edition so shocking? Well, Tiny Dancer was shockingly eliminated last week. The American Idol world was bewildered by his elimination. I imagine he's probably clicking his heels knowing he's probably set. There are only 7 left. What does that mean? that means the show will now fly by.

Tonight we have another mentor. It's Mariah Carey Night! Let the craziness begin.

Kicking off the show is Teen Beat with "When You Believe" from Prince of Egypt. Anne Marie has indicated she loves this song. All sorts of sap including Teen Beat wearing ridiculous pleather pants. We are up to three eye rolls already from Anne Marie. Anne Marie, Ben H. and I are bored. The judges all loved it and are bowing down at the robotic domination that is Teen Beat. Why do we see how average he is, but nobody else does. Even his emoting comes across like a Disneyland animatronic.

After the break we have The Ringer in the Coke hot seat. She talks about how shocked she was that Tiny Dancer got the boot and how funny he was. She will sing "Without You." She was smart to pick a song that Mariah Carey covered. Anne Marie the song was originally done by Badfinger. The Ringer did well, and this was the best she has looked in the whole conversation. OK Simon is just tearing her apart for no reason when she hit more notes than Teen Beat.

Syesha is up next. I've begun to feel guilty with the Bitch nickname, so I'm ditching it. She takes enough unneeded criticism from the judges. I don't need to add to it. I've actually begun to feel sorry for her. Her song choice will be "Vanishing." It seems Mariah actually helped her. Like the last two weeks she did well. Of course the judges will be harsh. Paula's going off on one of her pointless tangents. Simon liked it. But he thinks she picked an unfamiliar song which will hurt her.

Here's where crazy meets crazy in Goody Two Shoes meeting Mariah. She will be singing "Hero." She's going back to the piano thing. Man I miss Chikezie. Anne thinks Simon will love it. The bridge threw Randy but thought it was pretty good. Paula blah blah blah. Ooh she made a good point of her speeding it up. Which Goody did. She did rush after the bridge, and you could see her shaking. Simon thought the middle part was missed. Then there was a debate about meat and buns. Don't ask.

Headlights follows with "Forever." Wow this is going to be awful. Mariah you can't be serious about loving her version better. Wow this is awful. It should be pointed out that all the ladies brought out the cleavage tonight. Thankfully David Cook did not. How could Tiny Dancer be gone and not her? Really America? Randy thought she started steppin' up. Paula is blown away. Simon thought she managed well. But we all know there is no reason she should be on that stage.

Aw look it's Short Round. Talk Box will be doing "Always Be My Baby." Will he pull off another "Hello?" Mariah said it sounded haunting. I don't know if haunting does well on American Idol. So he changed it up because he had to and he did well. Randy stands up for it being the most brilliant performance this season. Simon loved it and thought it stood out. He's getting a little emotional. This has to put him close on the heels of Teen Beat. Is he my favorite? No, but he has been creatively consistent nearly each week. And he has been different enough to really stand out.

Stoner is up with "I Don't Wanna Cry." Ok, I give Mariah credit for actually mentoring the contestants. She's actually giving them worthwhile tips. Stoner's was the same performance he's given every week. It was boring. Randy didn't love it. Paula loved it of course. Simon, surprise, actually liked it. He thinks the guys have completely won tonight.

And just like that we are finished. It goes by so quickly now. Mariah was surprisingly good as a mentor. Please send Headlights home America.

Silverlake Top Three or Two
Anne Marie: David Cook, Syesha, Carly
Ben H: David Cook, Syesha
Me: Syesha, Talk Box

Another What Might Have Been Moment

2008-04-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

It was 10 pm on Friday night, and I was putting my cell phone in my man purse. I was on my way to go see The Bank Job at the theater across the street from work. The Bank Job was playing at 10:20 pm. I was all set to go see a solid bank heist movie. Then I wasn't set. I decided to stay home and work on my spec script like all diligent wannabe writers should do. After writing for a few hours and eating a box of Cheez-its, I checked the news. There under the El Segundo section of my Google News was a story. Apparently, at 10:15 pm there was a shoot-out between two police officers and a young man. It left the young man dead and the two officers wounded. Where did this all take place? You guessed it. Cue the X-files theme music.

Two Points From Bragging Rights

2008-04-10T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes close has to sort of count right? So the NCAA Final Four has come to an end with Kansas beating Memphis 75 to 68. In my bracket I correctly had Kansas winning only I had them beating UCLA because I thought Memphis' poor free throw shooting would've caught up with them sooner. I did though have the score listed as Kansas winning 76-69...so close-except for the fact that I also didn't have Memphis.

American Idol Recap (Silverlake Edition)

2008-04-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

You might be wondering what Silverlake has to do with American Idol. Well, that's because I'm in Silverlake with Anne Marie and Ben H. for American Idol night. So, I will be including their impressions as well. Tonight is "Inspirational Night" which means tonight will most likely blow. This night doesn't even matter because tomorrow night is Idol Gives Back Night, which means that nobody is going to be sent home. So let's try to get his pointless night over with quickly.

Kicking of the night Tiny Dancer will be singing "Dream On." That's right somebody is associating Aerosmith with inspirational. He does pretty well.

Anne Marie correctly indicates that Paula looks like she's judging tonight in the nude. Which I'm really surprised hasn't happened. Randy wasn't completely impressed. Paula wants her Chiuauas to join him onstage. I think that means she liked it. Simon liked it, but thinks it was an impersonation. Ben and Anne Marie agree. Seacrest asks Tiny Dancer what the message he wanted the audience to get with that song? Um. Dream On? That might just be a guess on my part. Tiny Dancer confirms what I thought only with a lot more words.

The Bitch is in the Coke hot seat, and mentions that she and Short Round were good riends, and that she misses her. She also says she spoke with Short Round and apparently somebody is working Short Round really hard. Who is this somebody, and shouldn't this be investigated? "I Believe" is her song choice. Anne Marie liked it. Randy thought it was ok. I don't know what they are looking for. Paula liked it a lot. Simon thought she sang it well, but thought it lacked a "big wave of emotion." I think we can all agree that they have been irrationally critical of Syesha. It's like they refuse to compliment her fully.

Stoner is singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." He's doing this with a ukelele! Anne Marie says get him off the stage. Ben H likes it. Randy loved it. Paula did too. Simon thought it was fantastic. I thought for sure Simon was going to hate the ukelele. Oh well.

Headlights sings McBride's "Do It Anyway." Randy liked it but it was of course pitchy. That's because she can't sing. Of course this doesn't matter because Simon liked it too. Anne Marie thought it was really bad. I thought it was the best she has sounded, but that's still not good. Why doesn't Headlights get off scott free on criticism, but Syesha can't catch a break. Oh, I forgot Syesha is black.

The favorite of everyone who doesn't love Teen Beat, Talk Box, is singing "Innocent" from Our Lady Peace. Wow, he mumbled through the performance, and that "Give Back" written on his hand was eye rolling. Randy didn't love it. Paula loves it because she loves everything. Simon didn't think it was as good as the previous weeks. In case we didn't see Talk Box's giant hand in front of the camera, Paula points out what Talk Box wrote on his hand. The highlight of the night is his shrug and smirk when Paula points it out. It even got the Tivo rewind treatment just to see it again.

Anne is so over The Ringer who just compared American Idol to Live Aid. Um, that's really not even close. Isn't that the one big musical event of the 80's? Oh she's doing "The Show Must Go On" by Queen. Yeeouch! She's murdering this. Anne says it's very Celine Dioney. We all agree. Simon agrees. We all agree. Let's move on. Oh Simon says she is in trouble.

Teen Beat plus Inspirational Night equals pain in my ass. He said he had a difficult time picking this song. We all know he mean his Dad had a difficult time. His Dad chose "Angels" by Robbie Williams. It took Anne Marie and I the whole performance to come up with Robbie Williams. I wish sang Aerosmith's "Angel." What if one night Teen Beat completely changes it around and does some raunchy song. I'd completely vote for him then. If he ended it with giving the finger to his father, It would be the all time Idol performance. Anyway, none of this happened. Randy loved of it. Paula agreed. Simon thought it was best song choice of the night, but not his best vocal. The girls scream. I gag.

Coming up next it's my favorite and Anne Marie's least favorite...Goody Two Shoes! I suggest you see how Anne Marie reacts when she hears Goody sing. She really doesn't like her. She will be singing "You've Got a Friend." That was boring. Randy gave his middling I don't hate you review. Simon thought it was nice and pleasant. Just so you know that means it was boring.

And just like that it's over. Quick and semi-painless.

Here is our Top 3 for the night:

Anne: Syesha, Jason, Michael Johns
Ben H: Jason, Syesha, Archuleta.
Brad: The Bitch, Stoner, Tiny Dancer

Now I have to get watch what really matters tonight...Geek Makeover on Beauty and the Geek.

One of the Bad Things About LA

2008-04-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last night I drove all the way into Hollywood to see the Gutter Twins at the Avalon. The band sounded great. Dulli roared and Lanegan growled. From "God's Children" to "Live With Me" to "St. James Infirmary" the band rolled along not missing a beat. They closed the set with one of my new favorite songs, "Front Street." Dulli commanded the stage like he always does. He said goodnight. So far a wonderful night of rock and roll. Then the house lights came up. That's right...no encore. I was a little bummed and felt a little stupid standing there clapping and cheering for an encore. Then I got over it because I knew why there was no encore. The audience was awful. Even by LA standards it was an awful audience, and I'm not one of those people who thinks encores should be standard. Were there people screaming their heads off, clapping and dancing? There were but they only accounted for about a fifth of the audience. So, yes those us got screwed out of an encore. I consider it like being Kevin Garnett on all those years on an awful Timberwolves team. You can put as much heart and soul into it, but sometimes it's those around you that keep you from making the playoffs. After blasting through Idle Hands and seeing mostly blank stares, I started thinking that we wouldn't get an encore. Maybe it was the rainy night, but I've better crowds on worse nights. Maybe it was the Avalon, but a year ago it was one of the best crowds I've seen at the same venue. So, I don't know what it is, but I am getting a little tired of it. LA crowds on the whole tend to act too cool for school. Maybe I need to start seeing concerts in other states.

American Idol Recap

2008-04-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

Are you like me kids? Are you still dealing with the loss of Chikezie? I certainly am. There is nothing I'm looking forward to now. Sigh. Is there nothing that could reinvigorate my interest in this show? The only thing I could think of is if some blond bombshell legend of country music would show up to mentor these young hopefuls. Wait? You say it's Dolly Parton night? I'm in. I would like to predict now that The Bitch's song choice will be "I Will Always Love You," and it will be the Whitney Houston version, and the judges will not like it because no contestant should ever do a Whitney Houston song. I'm surprised they haven't learned this yet. Whitney is always a bad choice. Also, I would like to think that Chikezie would sing "9 to 5" and bring down the house. You know he would. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Talk Box did some emo version of it. Anyway, on with the show.

Oh Seacrest you almost got me with your April Fools joke. Can we be done with April Fools? Does anyone fall for it anymore. Vanna White in the audience. Introductions are made, and the standard "You Kids Don't Know This But Music Has Been Made For Years Before You Were Even Born" video montage introducing us to Dolly Parton. What's the over under on how many contestants will mention that they aren't familiar with Dolly Parton's music? I think the Vegas odds are at 5. I'd go under with 4. Dolly is so sweet.

Brooke White kicks off Dolly night. Can a room contain the sweetness of these two women? She will be doing Jolene. Quote of the night from Brooke: Dolly Parton you know...she is a tiny person but she's huge!" Yes, Brooke we can all see that clearly. Oh you mean "huge" as in a legend. My bad. Jolene is so strongly in Brooke's wheelhouse that I wonder if the judges will knock her for it. I liked her performance nothing spectacular. Randy thought it was alright. Ugh. Brooke just complemented Paula on her hair. Really Brooke? You don't need to do that. I feel dirty now. Simon didn't like it much, but his criticism is about how the band looked? Again, we need new judges. I think she should have worn the outfit you wore to perform for Dolly. I haven't been a fan of Brooke's last few performance outfits.

So is Talk Box the new favorite? I know Teen Beat has his large creepy teen girl/grandmother fan base, but I have to think those outside that cult have be leaning toward Talk Box. He will be performing his own arrangement of "Little Sparrow." To repeat he will not be doing a cover of a cover song. Dolly likes him, but I think she will be liking everyone tonight. Randy gives it a "hot." Paula likes his haircut. Simon doesn't think it's as good as last week, but good. Simon has something against songs about birds.

Short Round is up. Dolly thinks she's adorable. Who is dressing Short Round? This is another mediocre performance and another awful outfit. Oh she's singing "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind." Randy thought it was aiight. Paula really liked it. Simon calls it forgettable. Which it is.

In the coke hot seat, is Stoner. Seacrest is showing fan mail that is all from the same girl. Yeah, this bit is going to go well. Seacrest reads one of them which comes across as slightly innocent slightly crazy. It goes along the lines of Stoner's voice being relaxing, and she listens to him to relax. Which is good because it's tough work building a life size model of Stoner out of road kill. He will be doing "Travellin' Through," which Dolly thinks is little outside of his box. If it involves him just sitting there strumming a guitar it's not out of his box. Ok, so he's standing and not sitting. It has a nice vibe to it. Randy thinks it's pretty good. I didn't think his voice sounded as good. I don't think it was as bad as Simon is claiming it to be. I really wonder what he was listening to.

The Ringer will be singing "Here You Come Again." Dolly thinks she killed it. It seems right down Ringer's alley. I guess I should point out it's been basically an acoustic night. The Ringer's performance is right on par with what is expected. Randy think it will be one of the better performances tonight. Again Simon goes along the good but not great line. Simon throws out that he thinks she needs someone to dress better. Which is true, but ouch. Why doesn't he say it to Short Round too? Does he think The Ringer can handle the criticism?

I'm not completely familiar with the lyrics of "Smoky Mountain Memories," but I'm sure they must have to deal with the awful state the world is in and how we need to help each other. Why do I think that? Because that's the song Teen Beat chosen for tonight. I'm tired of this kid/robot. Dolly quivered a little listening to Teen Beat sing. Again another slow song. I want range in my performers, and this kid doesn't have it. I wonder if Simon simply has a problem with all the Jesus being sung in the songs? Randy calls it performance of the night. Paula loved it. Simon did too. Get over him people.

This might be Headlights night. She is country. Her song selection is "The Coat of Many Colors." This is her night right? She has to knock it out! Simon's going to hate this song. Eh. Randy liked it. Paula thinks it's her best performance. Simon thinks it's pleasant but forgettable. I'm with Simon.

After the break The Bitch will be singing...Yes!..."I Will Always Love You." So predictable. Heaven's forbid you actually sing a country song. Oooh she's sitting on the piano. Dolly claims that The Bitch's version is more a combination of the Whitney version and Dolly's versions. The arrangement is a little off to me. She can sing well. Randy thinks she did aiight. He still can't hear anyone else sing that song but Whitney. I'm sure Dolly will love to hear that Randy. Paula loved it. Simon liked the first half but wasn't as much a fan of the last half. Again I agree. The two halves didn't mesh well. Who's left to sing? Oh Tiny Dancer. I have no clue what he will be singing. Can't someone do "9 to 5?"

The last song of the night will be "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right." Dolly was his first concert. You can tell he's clearly a true fan. This is I think makes a difference. Ok, he nailed the hell out of that. My favorite performance of the night. Randy loved it. Paula babbles on for ever even though she said it would be quick, and my Tivo cuts out. So I assume Simon must have liked.

So, it was an OK night. No 9 to 5. Tiny Dancer had the performance of the night. I think The Bitch will go home tomorrow night, but she doesn't deserve to. Short Round should probably go home.

Happy 2008 Baseball Season!

2008-03-31T13:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to FUKUDOME!

Like I Said Before...

2008-03-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

American Idol hates black people. Chikezie was wrongly kicked off even though he had a good and was one of the most charismatic contestants. Chikezie made you smile, and he had range in his voice. Way to screw up again America. You booted off the Bobble Head last year and now Chikezie. I will miss you Chikezie. Also I'd like to apologize to Teen Beat (maybe). I would like to give Archuleta the benefit of the doubt and think his song choice was intentional comedy. Perhaps he was simply indicating his love for the movie Hot Rod.

American Idol Recap

2008-03-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Cruella is gone! That means people still seem to like Headlights or her at least her personalities even though The Bitch tried to steal some of those votes last week with her plunging neckline. So, we are down to our top ten as Seacrest tries to tell us with an serious tone in his voice. Of course this is all nullified by him not even hiding the fact that he is reading a teleprompter. Really? We are at season seven and you still need a teleprompter to tell you what to say? On that note. On with the show...

No mention of a theme or anything? Must be potluck night.

Short Round kicks off the night with "Hearts Alone." The theme for the intro video segment must be what you were like growing up. Apparently, Short Round bit a lot of kids as a child. Couldn't come up with something else to divulge to a national TV audience? Short Round needs to step it up tonight. She has near zero stage presence. Randy says wrong song choice. She was a little pitchy, and just not memorable. Simon doesn't think it is as bad as Randy does. Apparently, she is sick. I still think she sticks around, but not for long.

Stoner follows after the break. Ah, apparently you have to sing a song from your birth year which is scraping the barrel on theme nights. Also, this might have been something the audience should know a little earlier. It's Stoner's birthday tonight so I guess...ah I don't care. Stoner will be singing Sting's "Fragile." So, how many songs are titled Fragile? He's back to doing the coffee shop guitar thing. I guess he learned from last week. Anyway, it's just like every other one of his performances. Randy is waiting for that jump out vocal performance that makes him go wow. Do any of us expect a wow vocal performance from him. Simon wasn't impressed either. Simon lays into him.

The Bitch is next. She admits that she was pretty much a baby growing up. Really? You don't say? Never would've imagined that. Mother hubbard, she does that creepy baby crying again. How can you vote for someone that does that? She will be performing "If I Was Your Woman." Randy thinks this is the best she's sound. Paula says this will be her moment where she upped her game. Simon didn't like the end as much. She did do well, but it was predictable.

I should point out that Paula is wearing some ridiculous Catwoman like leather gloves that go all the way up to her elbows. It is distracting in a creepy way. It's like she just came back from pulling a Dexter on someone. Shudder.

I will also admit this. I think the Jack in the Box commercials are consistently funny. They just showed the monkey spaceship commercial. Monkey Spaceship!

Back to the show with Chikezie! Clearly, Chikezie didn't get his vocal talent from his mother. Ouch. "If Only For One Night" is his song of choice. Snore. Randy didn't love it. He thinks it was too old school, which is the most ridiculous complaint they come up with. Simon agrees. Paula disagrees with both of them. I agree he sort of just covered the song, but I thought he did well. It still felt like Chikezie. He did sing it well. He can't bounce around the stage each week.

It's Goody Two shoes turn on stage. I finally realized that this is the kind of girl I'm going to marry. Wouldn't you be thrilled with that Anne Marie? Wait. Even I just got a chill at that thought. She will be singing "Every Breath You Take." Ugh. Boring again. She does it on the piano. It doesn't add anything. She's out of breath. Eh. She did screw up at that the start but nothing catastrophic. Randy thinks she should've staid with just the piano, as does Simon. I kind of agree. Once the band came in it did become worse.

After a little sales pitch from Seacrest, we have Tiny Dancer telling us about his childhood. He will be doing the double feature of "We Will Rock You/ We Are The Champions." The crowd certainly digs it. Randy says it's the best performance he's had on the show. I guess he can only sing Queen? Simon agrees. I would like to point out that he basically just covered the song like Chikezie. Nothing new.

Holy cow! Carly's kid hair was awesomely curly. What happened? The Ringer will be singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Good grief. Can we get someone to sing something different? Please! I do like her hair tonight. Once again it's exactly what you would expect. Randy didn't love it. The note was awful at the end. Paula is clearly tone deaf. Simon thought she came across too uptight. She was a little stiff, but I think that's just her.

Here we go with Teen Beat. Seacrest just completely embarrassed some young girl. Way to go Seacrest. The girls squeal at home video of him dancing as a little kid. It's like he was built in some underground lab or something. He's singing"Your the Voice?" At least it's not a ballad. Randy liked it. Wait. Simon is the one who knew who sang that? Simon didn't like it. It was a theme park performance! Simon was right. Of course he chose that song. It talks about society's ills. That's what he is all about. He wants to save the world! He's going to rule us all! Can't you people see that?

It's time for Headlights. She will be singing...wait for it...wait..."God Bless the USA." I can't take it! She's going to sink this low to try to win votes? Please put us all out of our misery! This song blows! Aahhhh. Shit! I'm sorry. This is appalling. Who let her do this? Nobody can bad mouth the song. Please Simon tears this-ugh. He thinks it's her best performance. He thinks it's a brilliant performance. He also says it is also the most clever song choice he's heard in years. I agree with that. It's a sneaky song choice. Simon knows who wrote this song too. What is happening? Well Headlights is safe next week.

Hopefully David Cook can cleanse that last performance from my mind. Who am I kidding. He's not doing the talk box again. What he is doing is Chris Cornell's version of Billie Jean. SO his thing is to cover other people's covers. He does have stage presence. Is really that original? He just knows how to find the odd covers. It's not his own take. He just knows how to find the song. All the judges thought it was amazing. It was good enough, but I think he's getting a little too much credit for originality.

Well that was more entertaining than last weeks mess of songs. I think Chikezie or maybe Short Round will be going home. The rest of the contestants need to learn how to use Wikipedia, and beat David Cook to the unusual covers.

Oh, my song choice for my birth year would've been "Yo. Yo" by the Osmonds. Thank you, and good night.

15,000 Hits

2008-03-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

At 5:35 pm PST, this blog has the magical 15,000 hit mark! Why is it magical? I have no idea, but it feels magical. So to all my family, friends, and people who Googled for the band called The Throwaways, I thank you. I also apologize to the those expecting this site would have tons of information on your favorite band The Throwaways. Lucky number 15,000 came from Calgary, so I assume that must be Faith. Congratulations Faith. Unfortunately, that's all you get. No fabulous prize or anything. I'm sorry person from Burbank who Googled "southern california female myan peace makers." You came in at 15,001. So close.

Ramblings

2008-03-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

TNT HD has been showing X-Files and Angel reruns late at night. This has resulted in some nice geek living when I just get home at work. Two fantastic shows that I've really enjoyed re-watching. I've enjoyed Angel the most. Sure there were missteps in the last two seasons, but damn it if I wasn't in tears during the finale. Which I would like to say is how a cut to black finale should work. cough Sopranos cough I actually clapped at the end, and I hate it when people clap at the end of watching a movie or TV show. How can you turn down a show that has an episode where the lead character is turned into a puppet? Ok, most of you probably can, but I can't.

For the past two months, I've been eating around 2 pints of ice cream a week.

Thanks to therapy, I've now fully realized how paranoid I am. I'm not paranoid toward strangers or if someone is going to hurt me. It's the reverse. I'm paranoid that someone will think I'm trying to hurt them or doing something wrong. If I end up walking behind a stranger for too long, I will stop or cross the street or go the long way around the block just so they don't think I'm some creepy guy following them. Sure I've written about my paranoia before. But talking about it out loud to someone kind of puts a different spin on it.

Using my Diana+ camera, I took photos of a friend's graduation performance from DJ Academy. I was so excited when I picked them up. Then I was furious when I realized they were all black. Then I cursed myself for thinking I could do this film camera thing. Then I wished I'd paid more attention in my lighting class. Then I bought a used Holga for the flash. So, now I have the Diana+ for daytime, long exposures, and pinholes, and my Holga for nighttime and dark shots. I've still found myself using my Diana+ more often.

We are now up to five weeks with no caffeine. Oddly it has only been recently that I have had cravings for Pepsi.

I'm torn right now. I think it would be a perfect fit for the Cubs to trade for Brian Roberts from Baltimore. It would give us a legitimate lead off hitter, and serious contenders in the National League. But, do I really want a player mentioned in the Mitchell Report on the team? On the other hand, to think that none of the current Cubs players have ever used performance enhancement drugs would be a bit naive on my part. Still...

I thought I lost it. I thought I lost my plastic guitar playing ability. After playing just the drums for over a month, I decided I wanted to strum a little guitar. There were some freshly downloaded Grateful Dead songs I wanted to try. (Yes, Grateful Dead) I expected there to be some rust so I set it on the hard setting. I quickly found myself being booed off the stage. What the hell? I've never failed a song on hard. I thought it was a fluke. I tried again. I didn't fail but I struggled mightily. I became a little concerned. I now sucked at guitar. Was I now going to have to play on medium? Well, eventually I was able to regain most of my form in about a week. I still can't beat Green Grass and High Tides on expert. It could vary well be my one video game regret in my life. 85% that's as far as I can get. I've realized the best way to describe my ability at Rock Band. I'm cover band talented.

I picked up the She & Him album. The album with M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel. You know what? It's quite good. Maybe it's my affection for the AM Goldish sound? Maybe it's my affection for Ms. Deschanel? But I like it.

The Best Game of the Season

2008-03-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

At the very least check out Keane's goal at 6:04. As stated, Unbelievable!

American Idol Recap (Feels Like The First Time Edition)

2008-03-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome back kids. In case this blog is the only way you keep up with Idol, let me get you up to speed from last week. David Hernandez, the former stripper, got the boot. This means more people liked Headlights butchering of a Beatles' classic than ever thought possible. More than likely more people liked her headlights. Anyway that leaves us with eleven contestants battling for the opportunity to flail away in a pool of mediocrity for an additional fifteen minutes in front of millions of people.

We are back at Idol's new set, which someone defined as "Thunderdomish," which I completely agree with. Only there's a hint of Tronity to it as well. Anyway, Seacrest tells us all that back by popular demand it's Beatles night all over again. I really would like to ask who's popular demand has wrought this upon us? You sure you don't want to save the songs for another season? Two nights in a row of Beatles songs sung by amateurs? Help us all. Oh wait. Last week was Lennon/McCartney night. Tonight is Beatles night. Completely different...

I would like to point out one good thing about the Beatles catalogue being made available. Rock Band! Word is they are most likely going to be in Guitar Hero. That's ridiculous. There aren't exactly a lot of shredding guitar solos in their music. Back to the show.

Cruella is the first one up tonight to sing a song that will sound like every other song he has sung. Her song choice of the night is "Back in the U.S.S.R." That seems about right. How did she get this far in the competition? She can't really sing. She is though comfortable on stage. It is just the same thing week after week, Simon. Thank you for just catching up. I do like her attitude toward this competition. She is honest. Still she's bottom rung on the talent scale.

Headlights is the interview hot seat. Aw, she brought along something for show and tell. That's always a good indicator of where you think you are in this competition. If cleavage isn't helping enough, use props. That sounds dirtier than I planned. Oh, it's a photo album. Yeah, I think we are past cute animal pictures saving you in this competition. The song she will butcher tonight is "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." I'm already bored with tonight. Not a good sign. Well, at least she was better than last week, but really what could be worst. Simon calls her musical wallpaper. I think he spent all week trying to come up with that. Tell me she didn't plan that "blow you out of your socks" line. Dirty.

The now slightly tarnished Chosen One follows that mess up with "The Long and Winding Road." See, your Chosen One can only do slow songs too. Do the producers tell the crowd to wave their hands. This is boring too. He's been groomed and manufactured for this type of competition, but I think the desire for something different is going to hurt him. The girls still love him though. I mean they are crazy for him. Amazing? Simon? Really? I won't remember that performance. See, last her Bobble Head could do any style at any time. The Chosen One can only do ballads. That will hurt him.

Oooh blatant product placement of an iPhone. The poor girl looks like a deer in headlights. Tiny Dancer is up with his rendition of "A Day in the Life." Talk about a difficult song to piece together. It's so disjointed. Kind of a mess. Simon agrees with me on this. Ok, do we need these dedications? I'm certain his heart is the right place in choosing it in honor of his friend who passed away but it comes across as shady and using it for votes. I thought he was a shoo in to the top four, but he has stunk it up the past few weeks.

Ah, Goody Two Shoes is up in her Big Bird inspired ensemble. Still awfully cute. She will be singing "Here Comes the Sun." Which seems perfect for both her and stoner. Almost predictable. Not as good as last week. She has trouble commanding a stage and just having a microphone up there. It was really flower childish. She's sooo nice she even comes to the defend of the judges. Really? I think she even out nices Bobble Head from last year. Can it all be real?

David Cook is up after the break. He apparently got into a little trouble for using another band's composition of "Elanor Rigby." Seems a little ridiculous. Didn't The Chosen One do Stevie Wonder's version of "We Can Work it Out?" Is it because he said it was Wonder's version? Either way, it wasn't as good as everyone said it was. "Day Tripper" is his song of choice. He somehow found a version Whitesnake did. So I guess you do need to say who's version it is. Oh, did I just gloss over the fact that Whitesnake did a version of "Day Tripper?" Sorry. Whitesnake did a cover of "Day Tripper?" Shouldn't that have been destroyed years ago? Wait Whitesnake was around in the late 70's? That has to be a Spinal Tap like thing right? Hello wikipedia. They were apparently a bluesy rock band before they went all Led Zeppelin glam. Sweet Mother Hubbard he has talk box (ala Peter Frampton's "Do You Feel Like We Do"). This is going to suuuuuck. Ok, so it's not awful, but I'm really just waiting for the talk box! I can't believe he pulled out the talk box. Get to the talk box! Talk Box! Um, he didn't really talk. Maybe he just sucks at it. Still...Talk Box! Simon didn't like it that much. He does think he's becoming a bit of the bees knees. This is the longest paragraph written tonight.
He just got his nickname too. Talk Box!

Here's The Ringer. She will be singing "Blackbird" which is the song Simon and Paula were just bickering about at Seacrest's goading. Seems like forced coincidence to me. Sounds like a show tune version to me. I think Simon is just on a rampage tonight. Are the performances as good as Paula and Randy say? No. Were they as bad as Simon thinks? No. I've said it before. I'll say it again. They need new judges.

Stoner takes the stage to do "Michelle." Another awkward performance because he's on stage without his guitar. Just stand at the microphone if you suck at moving around. It's ok. You can't all be Chikezie. Also, don't pick songs where you have to sing French. Yes Simon! We shouldn't have had Beatles night. Why didn't you do something about it?

The Bitch will follow the commercials with "Yesterday." Which is very Idolish, and very predictable. I'm surprised nobody did it last week. Should be very standard and boring. Looks like she is taking a cue from Headlights and turning hers on. Good grief. She's acting the sadness so hard it's comical. Again, holy cleavage! Paula bought her fake vulnerability. Simon says it's her best performance. Maybe, but I don't believe her.

We finish the night off with Chikezie! Simon drags an old man from the crowd. I think he was just there to play bingo and got lost. That's a bingo card in his pocket right? Chikezie will be singing "I've Just Seen a Face," and he will be playing an instrument he just learned to play this week. Why? Unless you are lying to cover your mediocre playing ability which is probably true. That instrument...harmonica. Oh Chikezie. Ok. What just happened? Unlike Randy, I thought the slower part was going fine until he went country again. And the harmonica? I really don't know what happened. If he had kept it slow it would have been good bordering on quite good. The harmonica was like an e-brake only the car flipped instead of stopped. The problem is he is so charismatic on stage that you almost buy into it.

Apparently I jumped the gun. Short Round will be out last performer. I actually believe that Goody Two Shoes mothers Short Round. She's so cute and adorable. How can you not want to protect her. Tonight she will be singing "I Should Have Known Better." Nice it's an upbeat song. Much more personality this time. Not great, but she showed she can have fun. I will agree with Simon that the contestants have picked odd and not that great of songs. Beatles night was clearly a bad idea. Tonight was basically a mess. Way to go producers for taking too much of a bad thing. At least we had a talk box. Bring on the guest advisers.

I think this is the week Headlights goes home. She still didn't do well enough to get out of the votes basement.

Movies That Suck Sunday IV

2008-03-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

photos of Dominic, Tim, and Bradford rocking courtesy of Mr. Robert Hornak

Movies That Suck Sunday The Return

2008-03-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

Movies That Suck Sunday IV is on the horizon. I tested out animoto.com to put together a look back at the last three.

Update: I felt the previous video was lacking something, so I "remixed" it as the site likes to call it.

American Idol Recap (Beat-I Mean Lennon and McCartney Night)

2008-03-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here we go again kids. We are livish. We are finally at our top twelve, so let's begin.

Two big things tonight. First an all new American Idol set and intro. The intro has always needed updating. The set weirdly has the house band up above the stage. It's almost like they are angels. Musical angels trapped playing their harps for whiny wannabes. How much do you think they get per show? They apparently didn't make enough room to for the whole band so they stuck the band leader over in limbo. Oh, the other big thing is that it is Beatles night, or technically Lennon and McCartney night. Why is this big? This means that you will most likely be able to download Beatles songs on iTunes. So all you people who have refused to purchase any Beatles albums so you can eventually download them, your time is now. You are also most likely an idiot or five years old. For those idiots and five year olds we get to see a video introducing the Beatles. So they list a bunch of things that they drew their inspiration from. Drugs is not left off the list.

Randy just said in reference to the Beatles, "These boys put it down." Sigh.

First up is Syesha "The Bitch" Mercado. I'm still not sold on this nickname. It feels so harsh. Anyway, she will be singing "Got to Get You Into My Life." She wisely did the R&B version of the song. She got off on the wrong foot, but brought it around near the middle. Still nothing to write home about. Simon apparently liked it more than the others. She goes a little nuts. Doesn't this eventually start to get on the other two's nerves. It's become the goal now to win Simon's opinion. If you do that you've succeeded. This seems to be a possible problem with the show.

After the break, we begin with my man Chikezie and a little Q&A. How can you not love this guy? His song of choice will be "She's a Woman." I wonder how many of these arrangements are going to be R&Bish? Ooh he took it back further. He started off bluesy and then unfortunately went rock. Still it stands out, and he did rock it. He has charisma by the bucketfuls.

Next it's my other fantasy contestant Ramiele "Short Round" Malubay. I just hope someone helps her dress this time. She will be singing "In My Life." Hmm. Way to take the wind out of the audience after Chikezie's performance. You can't keep doing ballads every show! You're boring us to- Holy crap! Is the whole audience waving their hands like they just don't care? Who in the audience started this? Are you kidding me? Back to the song. Boooring. She needs to step it up. You can't do this after Chikezie's performance. I'm a little furious with Short Round. She has this great big voice, and does nothing with it. Stop being boring.

Jason "Stoner" Castro is up...to sing next. "If I Fell" is what he chose to sing tonight. Maybe his nickname should be Coffee Shop. He needs to spice it up too. Do something other than this acoustic coffee shop shtick. Oh, and the judges might know their music well enough, but me and bunch of other people know you covered Buckley's version of "Hallelujah." Not saying it was wrong, but fess up and don't rely on the judges ignorance.

Carly "The Ringer" Smithson is doing a little Q&A with Seacrest. Her tattoo is a bit distracting. I love girls with tattoo that aren't in the middle of the lower back, but it's just a bit distracting. She will be performing "Come Together" which is what I thought Cruella would pick to sing. I would be thrilled if The Ringer picked this song knowing it's probably the only song Cruella can sing. We need some controversy. Well controversy that actually has to deal with the show. She said she was going to change it up, but I'm not so sure she changed it up enough. The crowd ate it up. Randy says "Stellar!" All three judges loved it. She's good, but did you see that tattoo?

David "TBD but I'm leaning toward something involving emo" Cook is our next performer. Will he be playing guitar once again? How badly is hoping for Weezer night? Does his mother even like his hair? In case you haven't noticed, that collar on his coat is huge! His song is "Elanor Rigby." Apparently no guitar tonight he thinks it would be too much for the song. If guitar would be overkill, why is there crunching guitar in the chorus? Why is he singing like he needs a guitar? Simon calls it brilliant. Brilliant? He emoed the song up. Decent but not brilliant. Brooke "Goody Two Shoes" White is next after the break.

Goody Two Shoes will be singing "Let it Be" which is exactly what I thought she would sing. I know she doesn't have the strongest voice but I love the crack in it. You're right Paula. I have fallen in love with her. You're right Simon. She is believable. I'm no longer scared. I love Brooke White and her scratchy voice.

David Hernandez will be singing "I Saw Her Standing There." I do wonder how him being a former nude stripper at a gay club has gotten him kicked off the show in this post-Timberlake/Janet Super Bowl fiasco. Haven't people been disqualified for less on this show? He says he's going to "work the stage." [Insert Stripper Joke Here] Yeah this isn't so good. We've had numerous out of the American Idol box performances, and this falls into your typical Idol performance. Overdid it? He just stunk. Rabbit in the headlights is actually a correct term. I believe it is the British version of deer in the headlights.

Amanda "Cruella" Overmeyer is in the Q&A seat, and they actually did something with her hair. Did they have to tranquilizer her, so they could do it? She will be howling "You Can't Do That." This is the first time she's ever heard it, which must mean The Ringer took her song, right? It's smart to Elvis the song up. Ok, they just cut to what is labeled as "Amanda's Family and Friend." I'm assuming the friend must be the frightening Blue Brother/Homicidal Maniac wearing the sunglasses. Excuse me sir could you leave? You are scaring the crap out of the audience. She did better than I thought she would do. Nice Paula and Simon have a nasty little spat. She actually seems to be enjoying herself. Apparently there are three more contestants to perform. Really? That many? Ugh.

Michael "Tiny Dancer" Johns is putting his Australian accent to good use. If he wins, who will be more excited? Will it be Georgia where he lived most of his years in the US, or will it be Australia? My guess is Australia. If he wins, he's going back to Australia to celebrate. The same can be said for The Ringer. Are they not allowed to say The Beatles? Do they have to say Lennon and McCartney? They haven't said Beatles all night have they? In fact they have gone out of their way to not say it. Anyway, he will be singing "Across the Universe." Stop waving your damn hands audience or you will lose them. Not fantastic but better than he's been the last couple weeks. Simon can't even remember these contestants names, and doesn't even try to hide it.

Kristy Lee "Headlights" Cook is here to display her assets. She's the "Legs" of last season, only she's accentuating the um...top half? Sorry trying to be somewhat delicate here. She will be changing "Eight Days a Week" into a country song. Can't wait to hear this. Oh...Dear...Lord. None of them can like this crap. I'm not torn Randy. It sucked. Simon calls it "Dolly Parton on Helium." That fits Simon. To clean that out of our ears, we at least have David "Teen Beat" Archuleta to conclude the night. Of course he could make us all want slit our wrists with another depressing song.

"Teen Beat" will be singing "We Can Work it Out." Of course he will be doing the Stevie Wonderish version. Oops. Oops. Oops. That's how many times he forgot the lyrics, at least. He died up there. It was a train wreck. In fact it was one of the worst performances tonight. Is he still The Chosen One?

To wrap up this night, Chikezie and Goody Two Shoes were the top performers in my opinion. Headlights and Teen Beat had the worst performance. Headlights will be going home.

American Idol Season 7 Primer

2008-03-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

Here we are kids down to are Final 12. That means it's a return of the American Idol recaps. Before next weeks show I thought I'd catch everyone up who doesn't watch regularly. I'd hate for you to feel left out. That's what my baseball posts are for.

How about I go through who is left in this "singing" competition?

David "Teen Beat" Archuleta - As I stated before, it is pretty much already a lock that this kid is going to win. The teen girls adore him beyond comprehension. All the chinks in his heartthrob armor ( disturbing humility, loves singing depressing songs, may have already peaked in the competition, Mormon) will go unnoticed by these hormone raging teen girls. And we all know they are the ones that vote like it's life and death.

Ramiele "Short Round" Malubay - Typical small girl with a big voice. Nobody seems to know how to dress her. Each night she looks like she's going out to do laundry not sing on a nationally televised show. I don't think she has a great chance because I don't think she can sing anything but power ballads.

Kristy Lee "Headlights" Cook - She barely beat out my girl Asia'h because of two things: her willingness to flaunt cleavage, and she added enough twang to get the country vote. I can't see her lasting more than two weeks. She's awful.

Michael "Tiny Dancer" Johns - My nickname for him makes no sense, but let me explain. I thought he was a front runner early on based on looks, Aussie accent, and decent rocker voice. The problem is every time he performs he goes into his imitation Jim Morrison dance. It's become beyond annoying for me simply because "Tiny Dancer" always starts going through my mind when he performs. Like I said it makes no sense. Also, he lacks personality.

David Hernandez - Maybe his nickname should be "Tiny Dancer" considering the recent controversy surrounding the recent news that he stripped at a gay bar. I still haven't come up with a nickname yet that is blog appropriate. I don't think I will have to worry too long though. He hit his peak with "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."

Amanda "Cruella" Overmeyer - She's simply scary. Yet, you think if she allowed someone to, they could cute her up. Still, she can't sing at all. She acts like she' already done with this whole competition. I'm expecting she won't make it two weeks.

Jason "Stoner" Castro - Everybody likes that one stoner guy they know. He's always friendly and never really has a bad thing to say about anybody. His haze reduced filter leads to enjoyable honesty. Thing is he was never featured ever till the final 24. He doesn't have a strong voice, but knows how to accentuate his strengths. My main dark horse in this competition.

Carly "The Ringer" Smithson - Actually, there are about four or five ringers this year, but she had a music video made for her single from an actual album. That makes her the head ringer in this group. I'm surprised her previously having all that has lead to more fan backlash getting her voted off. She does though have a good voice. She always picks a bad song to sing though.

Syesha "The Bitch" Mercado - She has actually not shown any inclination that she is in fact a bitch. I am simply drawing this conclusion from two things. First, she lists her occupation as actress, and has already referenced it in one of her interviews. If there is one thing I've learned working in Hollywood is that 90% of all actors and actresses are or soon become bitchy. You will be charmed by their charisma and seeming openness. One day though something will snap and all hell will break loose followed by cats and dogs living together and then mass hysteria. This is why I kinda hope she lasts for awhile. I want to see cats and dogs living together on American Idol. Oh, I forgot about the second reason...her blank stares when the judges critique her. It looks like she immediately goes into self affirmation mode. "It doesn't matter what they say. You are beautiful and talented. You are a star no matter what anyone says."

Chickezie "Jacuzzi" Eze - My man doesn't really need a nickname, but Simon's flub works. Completely likable fellow. He can talk back to the judges and have it not sound like he's a whiny bitch. He is clearly having fun out there. Unfortunately, American Idol hates black men.

Brooke "Goody Two Shoes" White - I will admit I'm kinda in love with her. She also kinda creeps me out. Maybe it's just me. She claims to have never seen an "R" rated movie. Just hearing that gives me flashbacks to my childhood. She's selling herself as this overly good person. Still, I pretty sure I can see a "bad" side to her. I guess I have issues. Anyway, she doesn't have the strongest voice, but she's the smartest contestant this year. Nearly, every decision of hers has been spot on. Her acoustic "Love is a Battlefield" was really good.

David Cook - Three David's? Good grief. This one is the rocker of the bunch. He's so much the rocker that he even incorporates playing an electric guitar in his performances. He's also bland. Very very bland. His remake of Lionel Richie's "Hello" was cheesy fun. If he keeps taking chances like that he might survive for awhile. Still working on his nickname too.

Other Thoughts - After this season they need to find new judges. Their own personal banter is becoming a henderence to the show by excluding both the viewer and the contestant. Shouldn't Simon know that the lead singer of Queen is Freddie Mercury and not "that guy?" He's already screwed up twice on naming the artist who originally sang the song. And once again has not heard a couple songs that are fairly popular. Paula is just worthless. Randy's critiques have become nothing but catch phrases. Even when he disagrees with Simon he just spouts catch phrases. If Idol don't make more decisive adjustments this might be the beginning of the end for Idol.

Ramblings (Basbeall Season is Upon Us! Hello? Where Did Everyone Go Edition?)

2008-03-03T12:07:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited at how this final season of The Wire is shaping up. I was a little concerned with the homeless story line, but it is all coming together so nicely. Of course the fact that I wrote "final season" is a bit of a bummer. I'm totally hooked now on this OnDemand. HBO makes the new episodes of The Wire available a week early which makes Mondays bearable.

Speaking of TV. The flash forwards on Lost have completely saved show and was a brilliant move by the writers. Unlike Heroes, the strike might have actually helped Lost, because they seem so honed in and moving the plot along because they don't have to try to fill a full season.

Unfortunately, it looks like the strike might have put an end to Friday Night Lights. If a couple years from now you Netflix the series and end up realizing its brilliance, don't come telling me I was right. I don't want to hear it because you will be two years too late.

We are a little over a week away from the American Idol's final 12. I will be back blogging again about the show, but other than readership spikes I have no idea why it even matters. We already know that David Archuleta is going to when. Have you heard how loud the pre-teen girls squeal when even his name it uttered? It would take some monumental scandal or Paula Abdul actually killing him with love for him not to win. Worst idol season ever? Maybe.

Almost four weeks and still no caffeine intake.

I'm really enjoying The Mae Shi's new album.

Looking forward to The Gutter Twins album tomorrow and the concert April 2.

I recently started a new workout program. It's called Rock Band Drummer. Playing drums for an hour works everything. Well everything except my left leg. The next Rock Band needs double kick drums so I can get the complete workout.

Finally, I will end this post with some practice shots I took with the wonderful Diana+ camera Ben, Julie, and Ella gave me for Christmas.

Simple Gaming Joy

2008-02-27T11:34:00.000-08:00

So simple yet so fun. The game is called audiosurf. You pilot a space ship along a track trying to connect three or more same colored bricks together. Just that aspect alone it's an enjoyable time waster of a game. The developers though added a little something to put it over the top. The track bricks all coincide with whatever mp3 or song from a CD that you choose. It works really well. Just want something fun to kill a little time? Then play the game to a slower song. Want a challenge? Then select a faster song from your music collection. I could keep going on and on trying to describe it, but I think seeing the game in action will do a much better job.

Mr. Blue Sky: This is the first video I saw of the game. I love how the track bounces along.

Bohemian Rhapsody: The changes in the song make this a fun song to play.

Then there are leaderboards to see who has the best score on each song, and so on. Sometimes just a clever idea can make a game.

Your 2008 Carling Cup Winners!

2008-02-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

Spurs obtained their first silverware in nine years by beating Chelsea 2-1. They outplayed Chelsea for practically the entire match. Still we had to come from behind and then win it in extra-time. Woodgate and King were marvelous in defense, but that didn't make those last fifteen minutes any less unbearable. I lost year at least of my life watching the match. I even got a little misty eyed seeing King kiss and raise the cup. Good things are certain to follow.

Glory, glory Tottenham Hotspur!

Ramblings (The Grindstone Edition)

2008-02-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Because of this throat ailment, I have not had a drink of Pepsi or caffeine of any kind for over a week. For the past three weeks I have drank what would equal about one can of Pepsi. All I have had to drink is water and a couple Gatorades. My body has no idea what is happening. Let me repeat that: Three weeks - one Pepsi.

In celebration of going back to work I purchased the drum set for Rock Band. I was doing fine till I got to the second tier on the hard difficulty. Now I'm all blisters and leg cramps. Being the compulsive person that I am, I've now watched drumming basic videos online, and practiced everywhere I go. Where was this dedication when I was young and learning an actual instrument?

We had the American Idol draft yesterday. I got all the contestants with crazy names:

I'm pretty happy with my picks at least with the two ladies. Still I can't complain that I have someone named Chikezie on my team.

For the record I'm glad the blond kid that sang in a fake British accent didn't make it. I don't care that he supposedly lives in a car. He got cocky, stunk it up, and then tried to cry his way back on. Good riddance.

Saw this on Engadget and it is full on creepy from Elmo to the crazy guy in the lab coat to the Russian Mob boss at the end of the clip.

We always thought when robots took over the world they would like Arnold. Clearly the real future will be much more frightening.

To Ring in My Return to Work

2008-02-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

I offer you my first research question post strike: Is there a wedding veil made out of titanium or some other material that would cause a bullet to ricochet?

My Question: How much longer till our next hiatus?

Yes, I Am Back To Work...Amen.

2008-02-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

A Little Reccomendation

2008-02-10T04:10:00.000-08:00

Just saw a wonderful documentary tonight called "Confessions of a Superhero" that belongs in my Snobfest of 2007. It follows four people that work as superhero characters along Hollywood Blvd. It is a fascinating study of four people who only have their quest for fame and their job in common. There's Superman the veteran of boulevard and son of a former actress. The Hulk is portrayed by a man who came to LA during the riots and lived on the streets. A young Hollywood hopeful who married early plays Wonder Woman. Finally, there is the slightly frightening Batman who has a questionable background. This isn't made to laugh at these people that dress up, but to see why these people do it every day. The film then turns into something more as these people open their life to the cameras. I highly recommend this film.

Ramblings (The Week of Suck)

2008-02-02T05:02:00.000-08:00

How about we get the suck part out of the way first. For the past two weeks I've been battling some weird throat infection. This isn't your normal sore throat or strep throat. Somehow my throat got some kind of bacteria or something below my Adam's apple, so I had the constant feeling of gag. Worse is that it would tease me by making me think it was going away only to have it come back stronger. Of course the doctor's remedy was antibiotics which you would think should be working by now. The worse is the lidocaine I was given to numb my throat. It's basically ectoplasm. Wretched tasting ectoplasm.

A side effect to this illness is that my schedule is now all thrown out of whack. With the fear of choking to death in my sleep, it has taken me till 6 or 7 in the morning for me to fall asleep. There's nothing like trying to fall asleep only to see the sunrise.

To top off this wonderful week, my Xbox 360 is once again on the fritz. This time it isn't a red ring of death but simply one blinking red light. If I spin in around on one foot three and a half times and then say "Microsoft Quality Control" backwards followed by the slaughtering of two silverfish I can usually get it to boot on the tenth try. But, that's three dead Xboxes in a little over one calendar year. Three! Why can't the PS3 have decent games?

Finally, my desktop is on death's door. It seems every week one more thing goes wrong with it. This week it has been my display driver.

It hasn't all been bad.

The Mets basically locked up the NL by trading nothing to the Twins for Johan Santana. He just happens to be the best pitcher in the last ten years. Wait no that sucks too for every other NL team. The Cubs need to trade for Bedard and even Roberts too. I'm tired of this thinking that once you make it to the playoffs anything can happen. Well, right now the AL is kicking the NL's ass. We need talent that competes with the AL and not just within the crappy NL central.

But really there is good news. The Tottenham Hotspurs actually got players in the transfer window that will finally help our defense. No more overpaid fourth strikers, but honest to goodness quality defenders. Sure there is now way we can get near the top now, but I think we now have a defense to support our attacking offense.

I picked up both Vampire Weekend's debut album and The Evangelicals album "The Evening Descends." Both are quite good. The Evangelicals is a little trippy, but I really like it for some reason.

I finally was able to survive Metallica's "One" on the hard difficulty in Guitar Hero 3. Really, you have no idea how thrilled I was by this. Maybe that's what killed my Xbox? Slayer's "Raining Blood" still kicks my ass. Stupid old fingers.

Snobfest 2007: The Songs

2008-01-27T04:02:00.000-08:00

Finally, we are at the end. Here are my favorite songs of 2007. If you live in LA, you can as always ask for a copy. For those who don't, I've decided to do things a little different this year. I've embedded a flash player for the playlist if you simply want to listen. I've also compiled them all into a zip file to download here. Let me know if you have a problem opening the zip file.

Now on to the songs. It is a little bit dancey this year.

Justice: D.A.N.C.E. - Sure this song has been played to death, but can you blame them?

Whitey: Wrap it Up - I have to support the funky Ohioan even if he is from northern Ohio.

The Virgins: Rich Girls - Nice little Clash-lite ditty that just rolls along in a comfortable groove. My favorite moment is the "you don't have to be such a...asshole all the time" line.

The Wombats: Kill the Director - Post punk guitars, background "oooohs," shout along chorus = great guitar pop song.

Cheap Beat: Club Cheap Beat - It's like they made this song with me in mind. They knew I wanted a growing dance hook of jangly guitars and bouncing bass, and just when I'm to the point of tiring of the hook they throw in a chorus of background "bahs." That alone would've been enough for me, yet they then throw in some background "ohs." Sigh.

Vampire Weekend: Walcott - This seems to be everyone's favorite track from my blog this year, so I guess I don't need to say anything about it. Oh, their debut album comes out this Tuesday.

Matt & Kim: yeah yeah - This song lead to this post. I want to make songs like this in my little apartment.

Ghosthustler: Parking Lot Nights - Or maybe a song like this.

breakbot: happy rabbit - For some reason at the beginning of this song I'm always reminded of the Peanuts theme.

LCD Soundsystem: All My Friends - Probably should have made the album list of Snobfest this year.

White Williams: New Violence - Ok, the dance portion is almost over. I imagine those of you who like your intricate chord changes are a litt-Oooh hand claps.

Jens Lekman: The Opposite of Hallelujah -

I picked up a seashell
To illustrate my homelessness
But a crab crawled out of it
Making it useless

And all my metaphors fell flat
Down on the rocks where we sat
She asked where are you at?

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: When Your Mind's Made Up - I love how this song builds.

Lucky Soul: Add Your Light to Mine - How I like those sweet bouncy horns.

Dusty Rhodes and The River Band: Dear Honey - I have no idea why I like this song. It's like a San Fran flower child country band wrote a song based on the 90's alterna rock quiet loud song structure.

Blitzen Trapper: Wild Mountain Nation - How many slide guitars does a song need?

Cheyenne: The Whale - It's like a midwest power pop band wanted to write a dance hit. It just chugs along like it should fit between LCD and breakbot, but is doesn't.

The Broken West: Down in the Valley - My LA theme song for the year.

Dinosaur Jr.: Almost Ready - J. Mascis! Barlow! Murph! I wish this song was in Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Vincent Vincent and the Villains: I'm On My Own - This is exactly what you should expect from a band with this name.

Ida Maria: Oh My God - The angry sing along song of 2007. It just drives itself home till you think it can't build anywhere and then there's that one "Oh My God!" that busts through what you thought was the song's ceiling and you suddenly find you voice a little ragged.

Snobfest 2007: The Movies

2008-01-25T02:04:00.000-08:00

Once - Is there a more tonally satisfying last shot than the one in this movie?

No Country for Old Men - If you had to be stalked by either Michael Myers or Anton, who would you choose? I think I'd go Myers.

Hot Fuzz - I really wish "By the power of Greyskull" would have caught on as a catch phrase for 2007.

The Lookout - ...

Juno - Went in expecting another Little Miss Sunshine, but was pleasantly surprised. I am getting awfully tired of these Mod/60's folk/ indie rock soundtracks. I thought Wes Anderson already called dibs on all the Kinks songs? The duet at the end though made it worth it. Is anyone else surprised that we haven't tired of Michael Cera's schtick? This sounds like I'm backhand complimenting the movie. I really enjoyed it. Loved the parents. Loved how it didn't stick with Garner's character being the "bad" one in the marriage. Very funny.

Ratatouille - With this gem, The Incredibles, and The Iron Giant, Brad Bird has his trifecta. I guess that's why he's moving on to direct live action.

3:10 to Yuma - Maybe I just sorely missed a good western, but I enjoyed this movie immensely.

Knocked Up - Apatow still needs an editor, but he's consistent.

Misc. Honors:

Best Efficient Action Movie with a Crappy Sucker Punch Message Ending: The Kingdom

Best I Shouldn't be Enjoying this Movie as Much as I am to the Extent that I'm Feeling a Little Guilty About it Movie: Shoot 'em Up

Best Beautiful Mess of a Movie: There Will Be Blood - I like that this movie has brought out A Reader's Manifesto type criticism. I think it fits. At times I was annoyed and at times bewildered and at times enamored. I fully support this movie and the experimentation of it, but I didn't love it.

Snobfest 2007: Albums

2008-01-23T03:31:00.000-08:00

So here are my favorite albums of 2007. I will follow this up with movies and then finally songs. For your viewing pleasure, I've embedded videos from the albums selected. Enjoy. A little warning: the Okkervil River and Afghan Whigs videos are slightly risque.

Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation + Cool Love #1 EP

Rarely do kitchen sinks album work, and work as well as Wild Mountain Nation. It's a mix of psychedelic, alt country, power pop, and even a little dash of The Dead. There's the swinging freak-out of the opener Devil's a Go-Go. The Dead like countrified jam of the title track. The Beckish pop of Sci-fi Kid that's hit a few TV shows. The most amazing things is that with all this mixture of different styles it actually holds together. There's a great exuberance and joy to the music. Then you add the EP which you should pick up simply for the title track, Cool Love #1. I just wish it included A Lover Loves too. Pick up these two records and dance the freak-out it will do you some good.

Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond

I hate to repeat myself, but rarely do reunion albums work. Actually, they never work. I can't think of one. At least I can't think of one that is close to being as good as this album. 19 years since the original trio put out Bug, they got back together and put out this album. And you know what nothing has changed. Maybe I am feeding my love for this album with a little nostalgia, but I don't care. It's a great rock and roll record.

Once Sountrack

This will be the only time I will ever put a soundtrack on Snobfest let alone a soundtrack to what is basically a musical. If you still haven't seen this movie, I don't know what you are waiting for. It recently came out on DVD. Borrow it from a friend. Netflix the damn thing. If you did see it and didn't like it, you know what? You have no soul. That's right only the souless could not like this movie.

Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala

Damn those Swedes and their ability to make irresistible pop music. Jens has once again created joyful melancholy music. I have always admitted a love for sweet pop songs with string and horns creating the catchy as hell melodies. On top of these melodies Jens recites his witty lyrics in a wonderful deadpan delivery that makes you smile to his relatable tales. This is perfect for those long weekend drives when you aren't in a rush to get where you are going.

Okkervil River - The Stage Names

With this album and their last album and appendix, Okkervil River has been given my "first day purchase" seal of approval. I will buy their next album the day it is released without thinking. With Stage Names it seems Okkervil River have taken everything and compressed it all into a dense nine song album. The opening and closing tracks are the two standouts of a great album. I will take Okkervil over Mr. Bright Eyes' whiny naive preaching any day.

Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted

This could probably be a nice companion album to Lekman's previously mentioned one. There's a little Motown, Beach Boys, and 60's girls group wrapped up into a wonderful pop album.

The National - The Boxer

Another artist that has received the "first day purchase" seal of approval. Once again The National have created a genius album that you can't really appreciate with a few passing listens while you clean your apartment. There are no "rockers" like "Lit Up" or "Mr. November" on Alligator. These songs still pack a punch. I hate assigning numbers my Snobfest selections, but if forced this is the best album of the year.

The Afghan Whigs - Unbreakable

What? Don't look at me like that. I know it's a compilation album, but come on. I finally get to put an Afghan Whigs album in Snobfest. I had to do it.

FINALLY!

2008-01-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

It took 9 years but Tottenham has beaten hated rivals Arsenal. The crowd was absolutely out of their gourds the whole match. Add the fact that they trounced them 5-1 and it is a great day for Tottenham supporters.

Cloverfield: A Titan Review (Very Very Slight Spoilers)

2008-01-19T04:45:00.000-08:00

To ring in the first "big" movie of the year, I though I would do a hardly famous Titan review of Cloverfield.

Take this as a good sign or a bad sign, but Cloverfield is exactly the movie I thought it would be but not what I would hope it would be. It is a kind of Blair Witch and Godzilla mash-up. Rather than focus the story on scientists and the military trying to stop the monster destroying Manhattan, the movie tells the story of those caught underfoot of the monster. Its a smart idea, and is technically pulled off quite well. A group pretty young urban professionals gather to send off their friend, Rob, who is moving to Japan to be vice president of something. After establishing who's who through normal party talk and relationship banter, all hell breaks loose as the monster attacks. The small group of friends led by Rob try to get out of Manhattan alive. There are some nice set pieces from getting caught in a fire fight between the military and the monster to walking through a subway tunnel to a quick stop at a military post. The hand held camera on the whole works well by putting the viewer in the dust and screams filling Manhattan. There are still cliche's like the night vision scene that you know would happen, and was ten times scarier in The Descent. There are no answers given to where the monster came from ala Tremors. It's just people trying to survive. My problem is I didn't care. The characters come across like they are from some teen TV drama. They are young, pretty, whiny, and disposable. We don't care that Rob wants to go back and save the girl who he never told he loved. Shouldn't they have characters we can maybe identify with? Though who else would film themselves trying to escape a monster destroying Manhattan? Maybe that is the point in this You Tube inspired movie. But you have to care if they die don't you? Cloverfield is a solid popcorn monster movie that is cleverly done and tightly paced. I just wish I cared.

Snobfest 2007: Video Games

2008-01-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

Best "Forget the Story Let's Just Play" Game of the Year: There have been plenty of sandbox games: Grand Theft Auto, Saint's Row, Mercenaries, etc. The designers give you one big city or area to play around in and do what you want. The problem is it the games got a little boring if you ventured too far off the set story line. Sure there are side missions and other challenges you could try to accomplish, but it was all kind of eh. "Kind of Eh" I think is the new title of this blog. Anyway, earlier this year a game called Crackdown came along. A crap load of people bought it for one big reason: Halo 3 demo included! The thing is the game is a lot of fun, and it's not the story that is fun. It is just playing around in the world that really makes this game. Making it even better is playing online with a friend. There are gang members and their bosses you can have fun killing, but there are so many more satisfying things you can do as two super human cops. Play dodge ball with cars, rocket launcher tag, sucker kick your friend off a tall building (never ever gets old), play HORSE with jumps, and so on and so on. Finally a game that makes just playing in the sandbox fun. Now if it only allowed four players online.

Best "It's Like a Movie" Game of the Year: Call of Duty developers, Infinity Ward, did the smart thing on its fourth installment by taking it out of WWII and placing it in modern day because I don't think I could have played another WWII game. It would've been a shame if I hadn't have picked this game up because it is simply brilliant. It is still a finely tuned and expertly paced Call of Duty game. It still looks fantastic. The developers just seemed to have brought it all together in Call of Duty 4. From the chaotic assaults to manning massive gun from a gunship to working your way across an abandoned city to snipe a warlord it is all expertly told and laid out. It really is like a six hour movie that concludes in a fantastic set piece. Most of all I'm simply happy that bad guys can no longer hide behind doors and thin walls. The bullets pass through objects they should pass through. Is some militant hiding ducking behind a barrel? Unload into the barrel to take him out. My only real complaint is that there is no co-op, and no cover system like Rainbow Six: Vegas or Gears of War.

Best "End of an Era" Game of the Year: This year has basically seen Sony walk away from the Playstation 2. This year the system has mainly seen Guitar Hero bonus crap, sports games, and a slew of Japanese RPG's. There was though one huge last gasp made by the PS2, and that was God of War II. The developers squeezed every bit they could out of the decade old system to deliver a thrilling game worthy of its predecessor. The story may not be as compelling as the original, but that could be simply chalked up to the cliff hangerish ending. It still moves the story of Kratos forward with polished combat, the always appreciated frustration free puzzles, and great boss battles. If Metal Gear doesn't cause me to buy a PS3, I'm certain God of War 3 will.

Best Over Anticipated Game of the Year: What else but the final chapter in the game franchise that saved Xbox? If it wasn't for Halo would there even be an Xbox 360? Halo 3 was easily the biggest game of the year. It sold millions of copies. People all around the world either couldn't wait to see how it ended or couldn't wait to be cussed out by 10 year olds. Halo 2 made me swear off online gaming with strangers. Anyway, Halo 3 is actually a good game. I still get thrill when I take down a Scarab. It's like Luke taking out an AT-AT. The story came to a satisfying conclusion. I really like the meta-game in four player co-op. But my own personal glee comes from the Grunt Birthday Party skull. Seeing grunts heads explode in confetti when shot followed by children screaming "Yay!" never gets old...never.

Best Massive Game of the Year: I played only one RPG this year: Mass Effect. I'm not a huge RPG fan, but I will play any game that Bioware puts out. How can you go wrong with the team behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic? Well apparently a lot of people think they did go wrong. This game topped a lot of people's biggest disappointment list. To be honest I have a difficult time disagreeing with their issues with the game. The inventory system is overwhelming and at times confusing. It did take me awhile to get some kind of handle on the combat system. Even then I found myself sticking with what little I figured out. I too got sick of all the elevators you had to take. No I don't know why you can sprint only while in combat. And driving that tank around drove me up the wall. But you know what? I still couldn't stop playing. I debated every decision I had to make. I loved being the bad ass with a soft side. Sure I had my character be cold and unforgiving toward those who broke the law or crossed me, but I did my best to help the innocent. (Slight Spoiler) Near the end of the game you are forced to choose which of your teammates you have to send on a suicide mission. For about five minutes I debated the pros and cons of sending either teammate. The thing is once I made my peace with the decision, near the end of that mission you are asked again, "Are you sure you want this person to die." Ugh, that ate up another five minutes debating the fate of two video game characters. See, the story pulls you in, and it's a wonderfully told epic of a story. I did get sick of those elevators.

Best "I Can Rock & You Can Too" Game of the Year: I know I've gone all over this again, but bear with me. This year we saw the battle of the rock star simulator games. It was Guitar Hero 3 vs. Rock Band. I've gone over my pros and cons. Guitar Hero 3 is tough. I mean sneaky tough. You're just going along fine till you hit the brick wall that is "Live in Japan." Then the game makes you cry. Guitar Hero also has the better guitar in my opinion. Rock Band on the other hand is more accepting of new comers. This acceptance also means there wasn't a whole lot of challenge if you simply wanted to play guitar, or knew of nobody who wanted to be a in a video game band with you. Then something happened called "Downloadable content." Downloadable content has put Rock Band ahead of Guitar Hero for me. Harmonix, the developer of Rock Band, clearly knows what keeps a game like this going. Since their release, Guitar Hero 2 has had 20 tracks available for download. Three of those are the boss battles that were already in the game. One was We Three Kings for Christmas season, and there was the Halo theme. The last time they made new content available was Dec. 20th. Rock Band has 41 tracks available for download. From the Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" to Radiohead's "My Iron Lung" and on through to Metallica's "Ride the Lightning." Every Tuesday since the game was released they have made at least three new tracks available for download. That alone is why I have played Rock Band every week since I've bought it, and why it gets my pick for rock simulator of the year. I should also admit that it has taken every ounce of self control not to buy the drums and microphone for the game. Once this strike is over, I'm starting a fake band!

Best "Game of the Year" Game of the Year: So we know what this is going to be. It's already been on the top of a number of Game of the Year lists. It is the creepy, noirish, Atlas Shrugged inspired Bioshock. It is almost as perfect as gaming can get. Everything from story to music to gameplay to design is superb. It is one of the few games that got me a little choked up at the end after saving all the "Little Sisters." I had to look away from the TV when I played it a second time and would harvest the "Little Sisters." I got the shivers hearing the clickety scrape of the Splicers crawling across the ceilings. I got that feeling of dread hearing the ominous moan followed by the heavy thumps of a Big Daddy. I even began to feel a little sad after killing a Big Daddy knowing he was only there to protect the "Little Sisters." My point is that the developers have created a world that you can completely get lost in. My only complaint is the pipe dreamish hacking you have to do on vending machines, cameras, turrets, etc. While they are fun for the first couple levels, they soon become an annoying chore no matter how much you up your hacking skills, but that's it. Everything else is perfect.

Best "Bang for Your Buck" Game of the Year: It has an awful name called "The Orange Box." But what comes inside this "box" is pure gold. For the price of one game you get the brilliant Half Life 2 along with the two following episodes. But that's not all...you also get the online multiplayer Team Fortress 2. All of these are A+ games. The real gem in this deal is a short first person puzzler called Portal. In Portal you are a test subject that has to make its way through 19 different levels. All you have is a portal gun that can pick up objects and create portals. For example you shoot the gun at a wall the entrance portal is created. You shoot again at another wall the exit portal is created. You use this along with gravity and a weighted companion cube to solve the nineteen levels where you will apparently be given cake as your reward. It should be mentioned though that graffiti written by previous test subjects warn that the cake is a lie. This alone makes for an ingenious game. What puts it over the top though is GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System). GlaDOS is who observes your progress and educates you through your tasks. She lets you know about the cake reward, and the physics of the portal gun. "Speedy thing goes in, speedy thing comes out." She also encourages you, "Fantastic! You remained resolute and resourceful in an atmosphere of extreme pessimism." GlaDOS turns out to be the funniest video game character since I don't know when. Here are some other GLaDOS quotes:

"The Enrichment Center promises to always provide safe testing environments. In dangerous testing environments, the Enrichment Center promises to always provide useful advice. For instance, the floor here will kill you. Try to avoid it."

"Well done, android. The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that android hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance."

"Wheeeeeeeee."

"Stop what you are doing and assume the party escort submission position, or you will miss the party."

"When I said 'deadly neurotoxin,' the deadly was in massive sarcasm quotes."

"You're not a good person. You know that, right? Good people don't end up here."

"That thing you burnt up isn't important to me. Not any more. It's the Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit; it makes shoes for orphans. Nice job breaking it, hero."

To wrap things up go buy The Orange Box just for this game. Just consider all the other games as really really good icing.

I leave you now with the Portal credits. This almost made the list of Snobfest 2007 Songs.

Snobfest 2007: Year in Review

2008-01-11T00:48:00.000-08:00

Have you wondered where I've been? Did you think I went on a mission to rid the world of the SEC? Perhaps I became a professional fantasy football player after winning my championship even though I had Willie Parker as running back in the championship game? Some of you probably thought I started my own Celebrity Death handicapping business since I won my Celebrity Death Pool. (Special thanks to Brooke Astor, Lady Bird Johnson, and Dan Fogelberg for their help in making it happen.) Maybe I started touring with a rock band or a Rock Band band? Could I have given up all my worldly possessions and wandered the planet like the Hulk? Sadly, the answer to all of those is: No.

What I have been doing is working on the always loved and partially skimmed through Snobfest. Before we begin though let us look back, briefly, to what happened in 2007.

January:

My Xbox 360 caught the Red Ring of Death.

Ohio State got crushed by an SEC team.

I pulled off the movie trifecta with: Children of Men, Dreamgirls and Pan's Labyrinth.

I gave birth to this:

For a moment I would like to point out how disappointed I am with all these "strike" beards that talk show hosts and others are sporting like a badge of courage. There is no courage in growing a beard. Beards are easy. You can grow one just out of laziness. They cover half your face with no real embarrassment. A mustache takes real courage. You have to make a mustache happen.

And in a moment of complete boredom I made this:

February:

I had my wisdom teeth removed and was fine the next day.

That's all that happened.

March:

Larry "Bud" Melman and Brad Delp pass away. This made March a very sad month.

My readership triples with American Idol recaps.

I wrote the following on March 30, 2007:

"The Indians will beat the Yankees in the ALDS and then lose to the Red Sox in the ALCS. This will reinforce the Red Sox as the second most hated team in baseball."

April:

Lou Piniella loses it and a Cubs pitcher and catcher beat the crap out of each other. Surprisingly, the team improves.

Jennie and Inga visited!

I become addicted to playing a toy guitar.

May:

We learn that the American Idol producers have gotten lazy in trying to hide how rigged their show is.

Anne Marie graduates from college. I get to see how dirty hippies live.

Mandy and I learn that there are squirrels in Arizona that have the bubonic plague! People are apparently fine with this.

Mandy attends her first MLB game.

I began going to have my ass massaged legally through physical therapy.

June:

After months of taking Enbrel, 90% of the psoriasis is gone. I have no complications other than the expected baby arm. I stop wearing a hat. Cats and dogs start living together which is soon followed by mass hysteria.

Tony Soprano dies or doesn't. We will never know. Do you realize that? We will never know! Half of America rationalized themselves into believing this is OK.

The inaugural Movies That Suck Sunday is held.

July:

I become addicted to physical therapy.

The love between bobby and I is tested when we disagree about the movie, The Lookout.

The love is healed by the power of rock and roll and crappy movies when Movies that Suck Sunday II is held.

August:

Anne Marie moves to LA. There is much rejoicing.

My Xbox 360 contracts the Red Ring of Death, again, in the same year. There is much damning.

The Cubs are actually in a pennant race. I lose a year of my life for every game played from here on out.

September:

I join the Reading to Kids program.

The Cubs make the playoffs.

October:

The Cubs are swept out of the playoffs.

I quit smoking

Writers threaten to strike over new media residuals.

I tire of talking about the strike.

The Indians beat the Yankees in the ALDS and then lose to the Red Sox in the ALCS. The Red Sox become the second most hated team in baseball.

November:

Writers strike. Nobody outside of LA and NY really notices.

I rocked them all!

People outside of LA and NY think the writer's strike is over. It's not.

December:

I sit on my ass... a lot.

Christmas in Ohio.

Most of my family wakes up at 6:30 in the morning to go to an Irish Pub to see my Tottenham Hotspurs play Assenal on TV. Perhaps the greatest day of 2007 even though they lost.

January 2008:

Half of LA is still jobless.

Ohio State got crushed by an SEC team. Buckeyes are only halfway to becoming the collegiate Buffalo Bills.

May I Suggest a Myspace Page...No Really...This Is Not a Joke

2007-12-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

There is actually one thing that myspace is good for. Among all the page designs that can cause epilepsy, and never ending random friend requests from strange porn sites -I mean women (Candee does not really want to be your friend.) myspace is actually pretty good for both finding music and putting your music out there. Every time I hear or read about a band I can usually go to myspace and listen to three or four songs.

It turns out one the friends of this blog has decided to put his music out there, and I thought it would be only right to share. M.O.L. Jr. aka Fauss aka Ronnie Fauss has a myspace page and I highly suggest you check it out. Why would you want to do that you might ask? Good question. There's a really good chance you will like the music, and then you will tell a friend, and they will tell a friend, and so on till 50 years later people will be arguing who was the better Ronnie: Van Zant or Fauss? It could happen. You would also be supporting an all around good guy, and you will feel good by supporting a him. So at least do it for yourself. And if you happen to also have a myspace page why don't you friend request him and tell him how much you enjoy his music. He needs all the ego boosting he can get. So here we go the glorious myspace page of Ronnie Fauss. Enjoy.

Now is the time to enact the fairness doctrine. See I actually did remember something from Dr. Baker's law class on media. If I pimp one friend's music I must pimp everyone's.

I've discussed this artist before but I shall remind you. The Sound and the Fury has recorded some heartbreaking music as Blackbird Harmony. You can take a listen here.

Finally, you know him as the plumber, some know him as Dal, and some just know of him. He too has taken to blessing us with some ditties. Dal's myspace page.

My job is done here. You still have to go listen.

Ramblings (Sitting On My Ass Edition) + Christmas List Updated

2007-11-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

What's going on kids? Yeah, nothing much here either. But I will try to fill in some white space with some words.

I spent a very nice Thanksgiving up in Ojai with the Anne Marie, the Heilveils, four dogs, and another creature that was apparently a dog, but really looked like a breeding experiment gone awry.

What does it say about me that I get along better with those older than me than I do those my age?

When does being young at heart turn into simply being immature?

They demolished a house across the street so they can build a new one. Of course they are doing all this during my current opportunity to sleep in all the time. There is also dust and odd smells constantly entering my apartment. Last night I was overwhelmed by diesel fumes as a semi truck was left idling for about half an hour.

This Facebook thing is working out much better than myspace ever did. Not only did I find fellow high school president/vice president running mate Craig Keim, but Brent Underwood as well. Brent Underwood! Growing up before my parents divorce we were the dynamic duo. We went to the same school and church. My Mom adored the hell out of Brent. Brent has the wonderful distinction of being at my last birthday party that ever involved people outside my family. Below is a picture documenting the event. Brent is on my left. We both had a lot more hair back then. Yes that is a cake with a bunch of army men on there and it rocks. I have no idea who the other kid is removing the army man. Those were some good times. Brent also has a blog that is now linked om the left.

Oh! I picked up Rock Band. Because I am poor I only picked up the game and not the whole package. With the Xbox 360 you can use the Guitar Hero guitars to play Rock Band. This is a good thing because I'm not a fan of the Rock Band guitar I tested at Best Buy. The Guitar Hero 3 wireless guitar is the best by far. How do they compare you might ask? That's a good question. Guitar Hero 3 is a more polished Guitar Hero 2. Obviously it is focused on
delivering the guitar god experience. Rock Band is built to be a mulitplayer game. To achieve the full enjoyment of the game you should play with four friends to play guitar, bass, drums, and singing. This leads to the game being a little lacking in single player. It's not till the last tier of songs that playing the guitar becomes a challenge similar to Guitar Hero. This though isn't exactly a deal breaker because the presentation of Rock Band I think trumps Guitar Hero. I really like the visuals of Rock Band. I love that it gives you a fairly in depth menu to design your own character. Guitar Hero has pre-designed ones that you get to select and some you unlock. Maybe I'm just a little pissed that GH3 didn't include my favorite character from GH2. I love that the crowd in Rock Band sings along with you during the choruses and at the points where a crowd would normally join in. It all blends to create the feeling of being a band on stage. The songs are also a bit more accessible. For example, Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" would be boring playing it on Guitar Hero. Add a few friends though and it becomes a blast in Rock Band. Rock Band also comes out on top for me a little because of the songs you can download. Rock Band already has over 15 songs you can download from artists ranging from Metallica to The Police to Creedence. There are another 15 or more scheduled to be available in the next month. I know this sounds a little like I'm putting down Guitar Hero 3. I'm not. I love Guitar Hero 3. There are just some things that Rock Band does that I would like to see in Guitar Hero. In a way Guitar Hero is for the hardcore, while Rock Band is a little more for the masses. Now I just need to buy the drums once this strike ends and then recruit some people who aren't embarrassed rocking in view of other people. I will say my favorite moment between both games is playing Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time." I get goose bumps playing that on Rock Band.

What else to talk about? Hmm...

Hollywood people seem to be cautiously optimistic about the current negotiations that began this week. I would say I am cautiously pessimistic that the strike will end soon. Can someone be cautiously pessimistic?

I will go ahead and admit now that I really liked No Country for Old Men. I even liked the last thirty minutes that left most people grumbling.

I guess I could do my Christmas list. So you non-family readers can simply stop reading now.

How about a guitar? Acoustic or electric (Fender American Stratocaster.) New or Used. Wait! How about money for a guitar? I don't want to haul a guitar on the airplane.

Xbox 360 Live Points

Mass Effect

Shirts like this or this. (Side note: Damn that model's hair!)

Cardigan like this. I will also accept one in a navy color.

Crew neck sweaters in charcoal, navy, hunter green, or brown.

I'm still debating on this whole vest making a come back. So I tentatively ask for this.

You know I kind of like the new 80GB Zune. One with one of those Zune original designs would be a nice added tough. But I will also accept an 80GB iPod classic or 16GB iPod Touch.

I guess that's about it.

I guess that isn't about it:

Here are some DVD's:

Duck, You Sucker 2 Disc Edition
The Third Man Criterion Edition
Ace In The Hole Criterion
Spellbound Criterion

Some PSP games:

Crush (If you can find it)
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow

Nintendo DS:

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Finally a little lo-fi:

A Diana+ camera with film

Lomo Smena 8M camera with film

Ramblings (Why Edition)

2007-11-13T12:52:00.000-08:00

Why does Netflix guess that I will rate Fantastic Four's: Rise of the Silver Surfer 1 and 3/4th star yet when I actually rate movies I am limited to only whole stars?

Why hasn't science come up with a better way for the common man to do laundry? Haven't we been waiting an hour for the laundry to dry since the 1960's? In forty plus years we haven't come up with a way to at least shorten that time?

Why did I decide to wear a sweater today? It is unseasonably warm outside.

Why do they even bother assigning jury service during the month of December? I got a notice stating that I have to serve starting the 17th of December. Yeah, that's not going to happen.

Why did I replace my nicotine addiction with Guitar Hero? I thought for sure it would be replaced with food so I would gain at least 100 lbs. It's one o'clock and the morning, and I'm right now thinking I could squeeze in a couple plays of "Cliffs Over Dover."

Why can't I think of anything that I want for Christmas?

Why can't I get past this absurd sense of being polite? If I was Jack Bauer, the world would have been destroyed because I wouldn't want to interrupt Chloe and Edgar bickering at each other.

Why does it itch?

Why would anybody want to sign A-Rod? You might get what you pay for, but you also can't get anything else to compliment him. Unless you are the Yankees or Red Sox.

Why am I always scared I will miss something?

Why can't people stop talking and enjoy a little silence?

For Those About to Rock We Salute Jiff

2007-11-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

Well That Didn't Last Long (Update)

2007-11-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

Earlier tonight CBS told out show to layoff all the assistants in the writer's department. They are going to try to keep us on as PA's for a few days a week. My thinking is that I'm already ahead of the curve with this extra week so I might just give those hours to those who need it. Which means as of now I am without a job. I'm not that concerned because I have enough to last till January at least. My concern is that this strike is nowhere near ending. The producers and writers aren't even talking now. I understand that the writers deserve a piece of the new media pie, but this pissing match everyone has gotten into is helping nobody.

CBS has changed their minds and given us next week to work as well. So one more glorious week! Also, I was able to get to the last tier in Guitar Hero 3 last night on the hard difficulty. It was one of the proudest moments of this year. Then I attempted Metallica's "One" and failed the song three seconds into the guitar solo. Talk about deflating. But one more week of work!

Let Me Try Something Different...

2007-11-07T01:43:00.001-08:00

Instead of posting tracks of new music I like, I'm just going to post the album cover.
Clearly, this will be all you need to educate you on your next music purchase.

Strike Update!

2007-11-03T01:25:00.000-07:00

Here is what's going down. Monday morning the writers will be on strike. What does that mean to me? Well, it's not that bad because our show still has shooting to do. Everyone is still employed till we are finished shooting which should be around the end of November. They didn't have to this but they are keeping those of us in the writers' dept. around. We will be helping out production where they need us. So, I have a job for month longer than I thought. I assumed that once the writers' went on strike we'd be out as well. But the mayor called and I got a month's stay of economic execution. Actually it 's not even that bad, because I kind of prepared for this to happen. Now I have an extra month to save even more. Still if the writers and producers don't come to some agreement during November, I will be out of job as well as 10,000 other people in this town. If nothing happens in November I suspect it will be a long time till everyone comes together in agreement. With the actors and directors contracts up in June 08, they might wait till then and have at least the actors and writers unified. But really nobody has any idea on when whatever is supposed to happen is supposed to happen. The good news is I got an extra month to work, and this strike will help me and others down the road who are pursuing a career in this crazy business.

I'd also like to welcome back Friday Night Lights. Tonight's episode was fantastic from start to finish. It's the first episode this season that could compare to any of last season's. Just stellar stuff.

Ramblings (Happy Halloween/Writer's Strike Eve Edition)

2007-10-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

What's happening kiddies? Do you have a bunch of people meeting together to see if you have to come into work? I do. They call it negotiations. I'm probably going to be a little disappointed if there isn't at least like two or three days of a strike. I've psyched myself up so much I'm sort of looking forward to some time off as long as it's only a week or two. Any more than that and I'm no longer keen. It's also a little funny how people's attitudes have changed slightly as the contract deadline has approached. Used to be a lot of joking about it mixed with a little concern. Now there are a lot more people with the "Shit! This is really gonna happen!" look on their face. There is a nice undercurrent of panic flowing through the lot. It's a little weird. My personal stance on this whole strike things is: Screw 'em. I know I'm a little bias since I'm pursuing the writing profession. Still the producers have come across like such bullies during this whole ordeal. They concede parts of their proposal that had no right being there in the first place, and then act like they have made a huge concession by removing it. I'm just tired of this whole mess that it seems a group of logical people could have figured out in a week.

Coinciding with the most job stress I've had in the last few years, I quit smoking on Monday. There are a couple reasons why.

First, I had to quit so that the impending back surgery will have a better chance at success. Second, it's cheaper not to smoke.
Third, I'm tired of being associated with the second worst group of people on earth. If you were to do a poll on what groups were considered the worst type of people it would probably come out a lot like this:

1. People that club baby seals
2. Smokers
3. Republicans
4. Democrats
5. Soccer Moms
6. Terrorists

I get more dirty looks walking around with a cigarette than I would walking around with a bloody axe.

Speaking of bloody axe, I got my Guitar Hero 3 in the mail Monday. First off, the new wireless guitar is fantastic. The buttons are much better, and the guitar just feels great with its added heft. I found myself hitting a lot more runs than I could with the old guitar. Second, the song list is pretty fantastic, and more than half of the songs are from the original artists, and not cover songs. The game though is a little more hardcore. The Hard difficulty is a bit more difficult than in II, but the Medium difficulty is about the same but easier because of the nicer guitar. This leaves with a bit of a problem of one difficulty being too easy and the other too difficult to be enjoyable. The bonus songs you unlock also aren't as enjoyable as in Guitar Hero 2. The core of Guitar Hero though is firmly intact with a better main songlist and better wireless guitar.

Hmm...anything else?

I have no idea what I want for Christmas.

The office is addicted to Scrabulous.

Ah, screw it. I've got nothing. Nothing. This whole town is about to shut down and that's all everybody is thinking about.

Ramblings (Kids, Santa Might Not Be Coming This Year Edition)

2007-10-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

First off it's really creepy outside today. There's a visible breeze but you can't feel it. The weather is not your normal California warm. Smoke from all the fires has cast a strange smoky haze over the coast. Oh and I had to worry that I should run home and close my windows because of the ash falling from the sky.

For those who live outside Los Angeles, or don't read Variety, or live in a world where reason and sanity exist, you might not know that there is a writer's strike just on the horizon and is approaching at speeds up to 90 mph. I'm not going go into detail of what the Writer's Guild wants and what the studios and networks are offering because that will exceed the boredom factor of even this blog. All I will say is that it sucks...big time. When this strike happens thousands of PA's, writer's assistants, and other help staff are going to either flood the employment market or take a few unemployment checks and hope the strike doesn't last long. For the record, the last strike happened in 1988 and lasted 5 months. Oh, and you dear viewers can expect a flood of reruns and reality programs sometime around early to mid January. Maybe even reruns of reality programs. In between work and late afternoon rounds of scrabulous, the strike has dominated office conversation. Heck, even the old guy writers that work on Boston Legal keep mentioning it to me during smoke breaks. What are you going to do? How far can you go on your saving? What about you no longer having health insurance? Wouldn't it be nice if there was an assistant union? What would all the producers and writers do if they had to get their own lunch and coffee, or work a photo copier, or learn how to send an email? What really sucks is that it's that Holiday season, and I love giving, and now perhaps I might not have as much to give. On to more enjoyable things...

Mandy, have you seen the geektastic chumby?

Somehow some eleven year old somewhere figured out how to get the Guitar Hero III demo online so you can simply download it, burn it onto a DVD, and play it on your 360. That means last night I got to rock out to some new tunes without having to buy another Tony Hawk game. One week from Sunday the full version will be released. My one hesitation is that the bonus tracks won't include some of my favorite bands from Guitar Hero 2. In Guitar Hero 2 you had lesser known bands like Valient Thorr and personal fav Bang Camaro. Come on they have 20 lead singers singing at the same time. Now that Harmonix is out and doing their thang with Rock Band, we aren't going to get these bands in Guitar Hero 3. Still, rocking my toy guitar to "Rock You Like a Hurricane" sure does bring a smile to my face.

Yes, I'm tempted to ask for Rock Band for Christmas or maybe a Chumby.

Speaking of nerd things I only care about, back in the early 80's my Mom signed me up for a computer class. In that class, I wrote a program that drew a picture of a bear. Later on I would try to write my own Zork computer games on my Mom's old IBM. First of all, big ups to Mom for seeing how important computers would be even at that time. Second, why didn't I keep up with this? It wasn't like music lessons or something. Also, where would I be if I did keep up with that? Would I be living in some retro cool town house in San Fransisco? Perhaps I'd just be living in someone's basement among Taco Bell wrappers, playing Warcraft, thinking I could've made this game.

Sunday, my brother Sam and I played Halo 3 co-op. Over twenty years ago we were taking turns playing King's Quest or Vanguard. Now, we are simultaneously playing the same game with one continent and the Atlantic Ocean separating us. Sweet technology, how I love you.

Went to my second Reading to Kids a couple Saturday's ago. It went even better than last time. I had a better partner, and the group was smaller. I'm hoping that in the upcoming months I can become a favorite. When the kids all get in line and wait for the readers to come out, I want the kids in my row to be thrilled. I want kids in the other rows to try to swindle their way into my row. At the very least, I'd be happy if they remembered me from the week before.

Ohio State's first real test of the season happens this weekend when the play Penn State at Happy Valley. Anne Marie, would you like to come over and watch the game in glorious HD?

The Tottenham Hotspurs this season are simply awful. The games have ranged from abysmal blowouts to dominating leads given up in the last minutes of injury time. Twice they had commanding leads over Fulham and Liverpool only to give up tying goals in the last minute. It's like watching the 2005 Cubs. It's just painful.

Dillon, We Have a Problem

2007-10-11T01:18:00.000-07:00

So the season two premiere of Friday Night Lights has come and gone. I'd be lying if I wasn't a little bit concerned. I also know I'm not the only one. Were there still some outstanding moments in the show? Absolutely. There are the two montages set to Wilco's "Muzzle of Bees." There's Tyra asking Landry to lotion her back, Coach Taylor telling Seracen not to stand by and let some Swede win over Julie, and there's Julie telling her father, Coach Taylor, her fears of ending up like him and her mother. The greatest scene was when Coach Taylor had to tell his wife, Tami, who gave birth a couple days ago, that the university needed him back early. It showed the distance has silenced this once communicating couple. Coach begs her to say something, but Tami can only try to keep herself composed till he leaves. Then she simply breaks down. If that scene couldn't win you over to Friday Night Lights, I don't know what else will. So what's the problem? Well, let us just say that the episode ended on such a whopper that I think it's going to scar the show. You perhaps have seen the promos, and had a suspicion of what was going to happen. Most likely you've already heard people complaining about it. (Big Spoiler If You Care).....

The lovable outsider Landry does in fact kill the guy that assaulted Tyra last season. He follows her all episode and then attacks her at a local quick stop. Landry comes in to her rescue. The attacker swears he'll come back for her, and Landry hits him in the back of the head twice with a lead pipe, and you know what? The scene is extremely well done. Jesse Plemons (Landry) and Adrianne Palicki (Tyra) act the hell out of that scene. The build up to the moment to their decision to dump the body once they realize he's dead. It all works. I just don't think it works for Friday Night Lights. This show is about the interactions of people in a town where football is religion, not murder. I was happy with the progression of Landry and Tyra's relationship. It was perfect having to outsiders, though for different reasons, come together and rely on each other. Was Tyra ever going to feel for Landry the way he did for her? No, but watching him make attempts and her decision to ignore them made for great moments of levity. Now that's all thrown out the window. Friday Night Lights is still excellent television. I'm just really concerned about this huge albatross the writers have hung around the show's neck. I did though like that the body was dumped near the same spot in the river that Lyla was baptized in, but I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

You know I will probably look past it if we keep getting scenes like this:

September's Heavy Rotation

2007-10-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

The end of another month, and another playlist. A couple songs of note this time. We start off with Vampire Weekend who showed up last month with a little bouncy piano ditty. Here it's like they cover an outtake from Paul Simon's The Rhythm of the Saints. Which isn't a bad thing. The rest is enjoyable indie rock. I'm really looking forward to Cheyenne's album of power pop but that's just me. The playlist ends with another Link Wray song which I would like to discuss a little. Now I knew of Link Wray as the influential guitar instrumentalist who did the song "Rumble," and his other instrumentals have been in numerous soundtracks. I didn't know that in his later years he went and recorded a few albums on his farm in Maryland where he actually sang. I've been really enjoying these albums, and am upset that these were never pointed out to me. Also, just based on "Rumble" alone shouldn't he be in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame already?

A Couple Baseball Notes

2007-10-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

First off, last night's Padres-Rockies game was a prime example of what makes playoff baseball great. It was simply incredible. It has a grand slam, extra innings, controversial calls, extra innings, numerous lead changes, and player redemption with Matt Holliday. What also made it great was the crowd. I got goosebumps listening to the radio announcer being drowned out by crowd as Matt Holliday scored. Part of what makes playoff baseball great is the crowd's awareness that every pitch, hit, and error could end or extend your team's hopes to move on. I admit there can some mundaneness occurring through parts of the regular season. 162 games is a lot. Just take a chance this week to watch a little bit of the playoffs. I would recommend the Yankees at Cleveland, Colorado at Philadelphia, and Arizona at Chicago. Cleveland, Philly and Chicago have loyal fanbases that are so desperate for a championship that those crowds will be ridiculous. There is though one problem for you HD viewers out there...

MLB is run by bunch of morons. They sold the rights to air the first round of the playoffs to TBS. Then TBS was given the NLCS to air as well. I understand Fox wants the Boston and Yankees series, but you tell me they aren't kicking themselves a little now that Chicago and Philly are in the playoffs. First of all TBS have compiled a wonderful assortment of on-air talent that ranges from incompetent to mind numbingly boring. Second, TBS rolled out their HD channel on Monday, as in yesterday. So how many people have TBS HD? I don't. I don't know anyone in the LA area that has it unless they have Direct TV which is something nobody can get if they live in an apartment. TNT has an established HD channel so why not air it on there? Why wouldn't MLB make sure that they sell to a station that reaches the largest audience?

The one thing I'm hoping is that with TBS airing all the National League games we won't be subjected to the Bartman game during every commercial. Because we all know Fox beat that into the ground every chance they got.

Heroes Season Premiere and Episode 2

2007-09-26T15:10:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the delay in this. Cubs baseball took up a lot of my time and resources last week. I also threw in a little of last nights episode which has lead to this whole post being horrible cobbled together.

I felt the same way about this season premiere as last season's series premiere. That is I wasn't in love with it, but I saw promise. I chalk that up to Tim Kring the show runner. I don't think he's that great of writer. I'm certain he's a great showrunner, but his episodes always feel stilted to me. Episode 2 flowed much better even though it was basically more of the same information from episode 1. My concern is that the departure of Bryan Fuller, who created Wonderfalls and Dead Like me will really hurt the show. He moved on to the TV show Pushing Daisies.

Unfortunately, many of the storylines didn't grab me. The Hiro story being the best example. Hiro meets his childhood hero in Kensei, who turns out to be some British lug. What? You mean Hiro now has to turn Kensei into the hero he believed him to be? This wouldn't happen to include Hiro having to pretend to be Kensei would it? We haven't seen this a million times have we? I love the Hiro character, but I hate how this storyline has begun. The discovery that Kensei has the same healing abilities as Claire was a nice find.

I don't mind the murder mystery of Hiro's father. Still would've liked to have seen what his superpower was. The storyline that someone is out to kill the previous generation of Heroes because of their mistakes is intriguing though nothing new. It certainly leads to discovering who these people were and adding to the Heroes mythology. I also like the symbol drawn on their photo and it being discovered in random places. It's just creepy. I do question the fact that Parkman though he just signed up with the NYPD is now the secondary investigator in a high profile murder. I did like Ma Patrelli yelling for Parkman to get out of her head during the questioning. I also liked her being attacked, but I hope they don't kill her. Once the attack began I kept wishing don't kill her, don't kill her. She's too good of a character. I would also like to find out what her super power is. Parkman has become somewhat of a badass now. He shoots first and asks questions later in NYPD hostage training sessions. He breaks windows with chairs.

I would also like to know what is going on with Nathan and mirrors. I do love his beard though. Why hasn't anyone said anything to Nathan about his forfeiting the Congressional seat he won? Nobody has said a thing to him.

Parkman My Two Daddying it with Mohinder and Molly is ok. I'm finding Molly annoying quickly. The mystery of who the big bad guy keeps me somewhat invested. Though couldn't the drawing of her nightmares be a little more frightening. They just didn't invoke the fear of dread it should have. I guess she's just a crappy doodler.

Mohinder didn't bother me as much. I still don't buy his tough act. I also don't believe that he's the best person to infiltrate "The Company." I understand that what he knows would be important to the "The Company," and therefore would still try to bring him into the fold. I just think he'd buckle once they found out he was trying to take them down along with HRG. I liked the Haitian reveal in episode 2. Still would like to know how HRG and Mohinder know what is going on with the "The Company."

I hope the storyline of HRG and his family still trying to live normal lives moves along quickly. We've already seen this storyline last season. The wrinkle that the whole family knows what is going on isn't enough of a wrinkle. Is working at a Kinko's the best hiding place for HRG considering is previous cover was working for Primatech Paper? What happens if he has to attend a convention with paper suppliers? I did love the judo finger move. Is that his superpower?

On to Claire who once again is stuck being an outsider in high school. At least her parents gave her a new Nissan Rogue! Though sadly stolen in episode 2. I do like that she wants to push to see how far her powers go. Though I would think walking up to an nuclear exploding man and sticking a needle in him would be a nice physical limit that's already set. She does though seem to accept her power now and wants to use it help people. Perhaps the creepy flying voyeur and her will become a superhero duo. I hope not. I hope he ends up becoming evil, or slightly bad at least. Sylar can't be the only person with super powers that uses them for evil.

By the way Sylar better show up in episode 3. As should Niki/Jessica and her family.

The two new characters are ok. The ying and yang twins from South America. One kills and the other heals though the girl the kills ala X-files black oil doesn't do it on purpose. I'm saying now she is going to be the one that kills the main bad guy of this season. They basically gave that away in episode 2.

Finally we have Peter who is still alive. But we already knew he would survive. How is it Nathan is still alive is the bigger question? So Peter is found handcuffed in a shipping container in Ireland. He has amnesia (ugh). He does at least find out his name in the second episode. He also seems to have gained a couple extra super powers. Again all will be answered in the "Four Months Ago" episode. Except for the Hiro storyline because that picked up right where we left off last season.

So after two episodes we have a decent start. Just like last season, it will probably take another two or three episodes for it to get rolling. I'm also looking forward to the "For Months Ago" episode that is certain to happen.

Why Madden Frustrates Me

2007-09-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

This can probably apply to all video games, but it begins and ends with Madden. It is called the "No F-ing Way Game." Those who play Madden know what this is and there are numerous terms for it. I'm sticking with "No F-ing Way Game" because that is what I always yell when it happens. The worst example I have happened last night. I was six games into my franchise season as the Buffalo Bills. I was also 6-0. I can't score a lot of points, but my defense is an expert at the bend but don't break. So I'm playing the Ravens last night. I pull off a great 35 yard run for a TD. I'm feeling pretty good. Then the Ravens score a TD where the running back broke about six tackles and goes in for the TD. Alright, that's fine. I can handle this. On the ensuing kickoff, my return man fumbles the ball and it is run back for a TD. Now, I'm a little miffed, but I can come back. On the next ensuing kickoff my return man fumbles again, they return it to the two yard line, and score another TD. Now, it is taking all the self control in the world not to hurl the controller through my window. Still, I'm confident I can make a game at this. On the next ensuing kickoff, you guessed it my return man fumbles again and they return it for a TD. Madden has once again made sure there is "No F-ing Way" I'm winning this game.
I do though get within ten, and intercept a pass into the flats. I even run that interception back for a TD, only to have it called back for clipping. Which is again ridiculous. There is no reason for clipping on that type of interception because there is no one that needs to be blocked.

This is my problem with Madden. It always feels like you are playing against a stacked deck. You can dominate, but the game will always rig things every now and then to humble you. Do you want to try to score before the game ends even though you are leading because you want to practice your two minute drill? The game will punish you for that. You will not be allowed to run up the score. You will not be allowed to do anything out of the norm for a football game. It is you against the machine, and the machine holds the power. Yet, I keep coming back.

Ramblings (Updated)

2007-09-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Cubs are in the closest race for the playoffs this season, and there is little to no national TV coverage. Can't WGN work a deal with Comcast so they can air more than two games a week? Why doesn't ESPN have a deal to show games during tight races? What Cubs fan across the nation isn't going watch? Man, my nerves are already shot. That Houston series nearly killed me.

In the latest issue of ESPN the magazine, Bill Simmons wrote a piece on saving Friday Night Lights. He praises it better than I did in my plea. ESPN.com finally put up the article. You can read it here

A week and a half till Halo 3 and the season premiere of Heroes.

A month and a half till Guitar Hero 3.

This year has clearly been brought to you by the number 3.

I've been battling myself over buying NHL '08, but I don't think it would be the same playing a hockey video game without Jiff.

iPod classic or iPod touch? Reading that Apple stores received the iPod touch early, I almost bought one...almost. This current control I've been showing over my impulse purchasing has impressed even me. I think it's that thought of the impending writer's strike?

I know I've been told that we won't care about such things, but I want to know answers to some of history's mysteries when I get to heaven. And, I don't mean Easter Island statues or Stonehenge or even Area 51. I mean I want to know those, but I'm more interested in who killed Hoffa and where is he buried? I'd like to know who Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac was.
Where did D.B. Cooper go after he jumped out of that plane? Who killed the Black Dahlia? Things like that. I'd also like to know who wrote those dirty poems to Susan Rice and put my name on them. That still bugs me.

Tottenham Spurs plays Arsenal this weekend. Again this is like OSU vs. Michigan only with more hatred in the fans hearts.

It's taken me longer to come up with a review for Bioshock than it took me to actually play the game.

I really enjoyed 3:10 to Yuma, though the turn in the story still doesn't seem rational.

It Was the Animation from Sesame Street that Always Stuck with Me

2007-09-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

12!

2007-09-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

An Adventure of Independent Brad (Mandy, Your Residual Check Is In The Mail)

2007-09-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

So I stepped out of my comfort zone Saturday. Awhile ago, I signed up through my church with the Reading to Kids program. I figured because it was a once a month thing, and was just reading to kids that it was something I could handle. As the day approached though I began realizing what I'd committed to. That is waking up at 7:45 in the morning on a Saturday to spend three hours with a bunch of complete strangers. Flop sweat. So Saturday came, I crawled out of bed, and drove in a daze to the school near downtown. I walked into the auditorium and gave my name. Now I've been considering tinkering with being called Bradford rather than just Brad. Not a full implementation where I would require it, but it'd be fun to see in a couple years the differential between who calls me what. For example, it seems like everyone older than Anne Marie calls her Anne Marie. Those her age or younger call her Anne. Anyway, I went with Brad on the name tag. I'm clearly still unsure on where to go with this name thing.

They assigned me to the second graders which I thought was a perfect fit. Also, the book selection was Fog and Toad are Friends. Frog and Toad are Friends! I could've recited this book. Being a new guy, I was paired up with veteran. My original partner never showed, so I was partnered up with what was basically Neil at the age of 65. I realize I just referenced a person that only Ben I would know, but it fits. Wait! Jennie knows Neil. Actually, the only slight negative I had was my partner. He was a nice enough guy. It's just he was a little scatter brained, a little tightly wound, and he took the best stories. He stuck me with the worst story in the book! For those familiar with Frog and Toad, it is the story where Frog is not feeling well and Toad tries to come up with a story. (SPOILER ALERT!) It basically ends with Frog reciting as a story what Toad did to try to remember a story. So the last half is just you reading again what happened in the first half.

After reading it was time for crafts where they had to make frogs. Yeah, I know. It's not the most creative but my partner wasn't really up for discussing alternatives. Luckily, the kids were creative enough on their own to go outside the box. One girl just decided to screw the whole frog thing. She wanted to make a manta ray. My personal favorite Manuel made his frog with it's own head, a hole for a stomach, and a cape. All the kids were great. Sure their attention span was around 10 minutes tops, but their second graders. They were also very well behaved and respectful. They also clearly loved that this opportunity was made available to them.

The real moving moment though was meeting their parents. I spent two hours reading and helping them cut construction paper, and the kids were adamant about me meeting their parents like I was some their new best friend. And the parents were so thankful. They made such a point to thank us. I admit I got a little emotional having parents pulling me aside, shaking my hand, and thanking me.

That ended the day. It's such a nice contrast outside of the normal LA world I wade through. So my independent adventure was a rousing success, and I've already signed up for next month.

My Fingers Hurt

2007-09-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

So in less than two months the rock gods will descend from the Mt. Power Chord and bless us mortals with Guitar Hero 3. The anticipation is building. Co-worker Dominic asks at least once a week when the game will be released, and I'm sure bobby is at least slightly anticipating my purchasing it when it is released. 46 of the songs have been announced, and some videos have hit the net. Which brings us up to the reason for this post. One of the bonus songs is a song by Dragon Force called Through the Fire and Flames, and word was going around that it will be nigh unto impossible. Then awhile back a video came out, and my heart sank. I think I'm pretty decent at the game. I mean I struggle through the expert setting, but still...this is ridiculous. I think carpal tunnel syndrome can set in just watching this. The thing is the video doesn't even show the solo part, which can be witnessed near the end of the music video. I do wonder about those kids that play this game and can complete songs like this. Are they seriously going to be paying for it down the road? What are there fingers going to be like after years of playing Guitar Hero?

July & August Heavy Rotation

2007-09-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

Because of a lack of "new" songs in July, I decided to combine July and August for a heavy rotation. The list contains everything from dance rock, to indie rock, to rock with some other genres thrown in. A little bit of everything for everyone or no one.

Life Lesson #729

2007-09-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

No matter how much you might be craving them, do not eat hot wings after midnight. I think my stomach just hatched a Gremlin.

Ha! Ha! Ha! Whooo!

2007-09-01T14:08:00.001-07:00

Appalachian State 34

Michigan 32

Just a Little Heads Up

2007-08-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

Since nearly everyone who reads this blog sees organized sports as an example of the hell this world is going to, I'd thought I should make you aware of what will be happening the next month and hopefully the month after that, and if really really lucky a couple weeks into November. You see, with a month left in the regular season, the Cubs are currently 2 ahead in their division. That means I will most likely be slightly agitated and tightly wound till the season is over or it's clear that the Cubs have no chance of winning. So what should you as caring friends and family members do? Don't ever ask or talk about the Cubs unless I happen to bring them up in conversation. Now you could probably get away with saying "Nice win today!" if you perhaps saw the Cubs did in fact win that day, but that's about it. Do not do what my co-worker Dom did today in asking why the Cubs are falling apart. Then go into a rant on how the billy goat curse is coming back. I was almost arrested for attempted murder with an HP deskjet. Mind you this is the same guy who made a joke about the Cubs blowing it during Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. I still hold it against him. I also suggest checking to see if a Cubs game is on before you call, or decide to simply drop by if you live in town. It could save you some time. Bob gets a clearance on this because being a baseball fan he understands. He fully comprehends what and what not to say. As stated this will last till the end of the season, Sept. 30th. Now if they make it to the playoffs clearly this will last till they are eliminated. I apologize for the inconvenience. If you want someone to blame you can blame Dad, aka Ike, aka Mr. Iten, aka Hey, you. Thank you for your time.

I Beg of You!

2007-08-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

It's not often I ask something of you few readers who are still around. This time I'm going to. On Tuesday, the first season of the best shows on television was released: "Friday Night Lights" I know I raved about the show in previous posts, but it clearly didn't make much of an impact. I know the idea of watching a show about high school football in Texas doesn't sound appealing. Trust me it's more than that. I'm not asking you to buy the box set or anything, just please Netflix it. Give it five episodes, and I'm certain you will be hooked. Once hooked you have till early October, when the second season begins, to catch up on all the episodes. Then you will tell your friends about this great show they've been missing out on. Then it grows from there, and maybe we can keep this show on a couple more season. Just try it, for me, please? Even bobby was intrigued with what he saw of the show. Bill Simmons on ESPN.com calls it "the greatest sports show since The White Shadow."

ROCK!

2007-08-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

So Saturday I went and hung with Anne Marie, because I can easily do that now. We can now hang out any time we want. Any time! We went and had lunch. We saw Stardust, which was...um...cute. This really is only slightly related to the topic of this post. I state this for other family members who are looking to further their education as an example of some of the fun that could be had if you went to one of the universities in the LA area *cough Mandy cough* . Or even for those looking to enroll to a University only about six hours away *cough Ben I. cough* it would be great to have you on the same coast and available for a nice long weekend visit. I'm just saying.

Back to topic. I've been in ROCK mood the last few weeks, and I blame this on Guitar Hero. This has lead to making room on my Nano for more AC/DC, Stones, Priest, Motorhead, etc. I've also been looking for more obscure "classic rock" bands. Much like when I stumbled across the band UFO awhile back. This leads up to this weekend when Anne and I went to Amoeba. After much searching after mind blanking on their name, I picked up a Hellacopters album "Grande Rock. They aren't really that obscure, but the other album I picked up is. The group is called Starz. Yes, that is a "Z" at the end. Anyway, I picked up their anthology as a sampler. Man it feeds that classic rock need I currently have. With such songs as "Cherry Baby," "Boys in Action," "Rock Six Times," and "Detroit Girls" it's amazing that their only semi-hit was Cherry Baby. I would also like to point out that they deserve a little credit for praising Detroit Girls as the greatest girls in the world, because I would've never placed the greatest girls as living in Detroit. California girls? That's not surprising. Southern Girls? That's easy. Detroit? Who knew? Thanks you Starz.

I'm also including Hellacopters "The Devil Stole the Beat from the Lord" because it's a great title and a great song.

One more thing, why don't the Guitar Hero games include more obscure classic rock bands like Starz, and UFO? I appreciate that they give a bunch of current unknown bands a shot in the unlockables. But, why not throw in a few of these older groups so they can be rediscovered?

Hey, sprechen ze talk?

2007-08-23T13:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, HBO was showing Die Hard in glorious HD. It took a lot of will power not to watch the whole thing. Many people have gone on and on about the greatness that is Die Hard. From Bruce Willis to Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber to how the movie began a new genre in the action thriller movie, it's all been said.

I watched a couple scenes last night. The first scene was when McClane first sees his wife. The slimy co-worker Harry Ellis then makes a big deal about Holly showing the Rolex the company gave her as "A little token of our appreciation for all her work."

After that scene I thought the Harry Ellis character never gets enough credit in Die Hard. Isn't he the perfect caricature of the 80's corporate yuppie. "Hey babe, I negotiate million dollar deals for breakfast. I think I can handle this Eurotrash." He puts American Psycho's Patrick Bateman character to shame. Also, he's the perfect "victim" that's so slimy the audience cheers when the villain kills him? Sure he's only in the movie for all of four scenes, but Die Hard wouldn't be Die Hard with out you. Here's to you Harry Ellis."Hans? What am I a method actor? Put away the gun this is radio not television."

"Hans, bubby, I'm your white knight!"

Happy Birthday Jaime!

2007-08-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Why Must the Gaming Gods Torment Me?

2007-08-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

I post about all the games I'm looking forward to. I'm four days away from Bioshock coming out. I come home. Red Ring of Death! That's right I have my second occurrence of the Red Ring of Death in less than a year. Thank you Xbox!

Oh Glorious Pixels!

2007-08-16T15:28:00.000-07:00

Much like sports, there is a video game off-season which occurs during late spring and summer. I guess it makes it sense with the kids having school off. There are also conventions like E3 which is like the owners meetings for sports leagues. It is basically a very sparse time for new games. There might be one or two that come out that might be worth picking up (i.e. Overlord) but usually it's where bad games are dumped in the hopes that the desperate gamers will pick it up simply to play something new. Wise gamers though know not to fall for that. They know that during the off season is when you put aside your budgeted video game funds in preparation for the video game season. Around mid-August the video game season picks up again. It usually always begins with the new Madden game followed by a slew of games for the Holiday season, and then a few more during those cold winter months of the new year.

This season is actually looking to be one of the bigger seasons. I've got my list to thirteen games that will be released between now and Christmas that I'm either instantly going to purchase, or have a strong interest in. Warning: Some of the videos have some strong violence. Stranglehold being the worst of the lot.

The List:

Is probably my most anticipated title of the year. Any game that claims Atlas Shrugged as a major influence is clearly not your average first person shooter. This game has me expecting a game of the year spot at my end of the season list.

Apparently a lot of people have played the first two games. Should be worth checking out.

A video game sequel to the John Woo movie Hardboiled? I've played the demo about five times. Is it revolutionary? No. But there is something about sliding down a banister in slow mo and taking out bad guy by shooting signs and air conditioners to collapse on them, and then when you reach the end of the banister you can then jump on a cart and slide along and take out more bad guys. Then tack on a multiplayer where you can do this all against your friends. I'm in. Just a warning Sam. There are in fact headshots in this game.

This game and Bioshock are neck and neck in my most anticipated games this year. Because Bioshock comes out next week, it gets the win. Mass Effect is by the same guys that did Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire. I really don't need to say any more.

Yes, in the span of one month two games full guitar rock goodness will be released. That's over 140 songs for me to "pretend rock" to. That doesn't even include the albums that Rock Band will allow you to download. And a wireless guitar! Good grief I'm giddy.

Here's the rest of the bunch I'm looking forward to:

Mercenaries 2: I'm looking forward to being able to demolish everything and I mean everything.

Time Shift

Army of Two

Assassin's Creed

Kane & Lynch

Beautiful Katamari

Half-Life 2 Orange Box

Life Lesson #419

2007-08-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

Never have your teeth cleaned by woman going through a bitter divorce.

Is it Time to Pack it in When Sesame Street Parodies You?

2007-08-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Rock N Roll Questionnaire or (Fun with Album Covers!)

2007-08-09T15:10:00.000-07:00

See if you can follow along kids with this experiment. Please leave your answers in the comments. If you have another answer, please feel free to include those.

So you are going to take an trip to another planet.
1. What is your spaceship of choice?

A. Boston's guitar spaceship that apparently has the power to fire a blue blaze of rock?

B. Electric Light Orchestra's Simon spaceship from Out of the Blue.

C. ZZ Top's part classic Chevy part Space shuttle from Afterburner.

D. Parliament's mothership from the Mothership Connection. Durability might be an issue.

Now that you have your spaceship you need a someone to fly the darn thing.

2. Who is your pilot?

A. Marc Bolan from T. Rex's The Slider.

B. David Bowie from his Aladdin Sane album. Previous space missions could be a red flag.

C. Elton John's Captain Fantastic.

D. Steve Miller's the Joker.

3. Who is your crew?

A. The group of misfits from The Doors' Strange Days album.

B. The Bee Gees from their Children of the World album.

C. Manowar.

D. Barry and Glodean

Space travel isn't the safest so you are also going to need weapons.
4. What is your killing device?

A. Foo Fighter's retro laser gun.

B. Molly's Hatchet

C. GZA's aka The Genius' Liquid Swords.

D. The big ass gun from RZA's Bobby Digital in Stereo album.

Having a pet could also help ease the pains of space travel.
5. What will you bring along as a pet?

A. The three legged dog from Alice in Chains self-titled album.

B. The metal falcon? from Judas Priest's Screaming For Vengeance album.

C. The goats from Pet Sounds.

D. This ape thing from Fleetwood Mac's Mystery to Me album.

6. What planet are you going to?

A. The land on the album cover of Yes' Relayer.

B. Asia's Alpha album cover.

C. Styx' Land of Illusion

D. Public Enemy's Black Planet.

You have reached the end of this questionnaire. Please put down your pencils and close the book.

Ramblings (Partial Days of the Week Edition)

2007-08-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday Robert and I played a little Guitar Hero. After playing the rhythm guitar part of Free Bird on the hard difficulty session I wonder if I'm strengthening my wrists and fingers or am I destroying them. In five years am I going to have to replace my hands with prosthetics?

Saturday I went to see Anne's new place in Silverlake. It's a great little place. It also was so nice driving only a half hour to see my sister.

Also, while eating at Mallie's (?) with Anne and Ben we saw Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame. Unfortunately, Ben and Anne have not had the pleasure of seeing the show. Luckily, the lady sitting next to us had, and was extremely enthusiastic about seeing him. So it seems the ladies love Bret, and the guys like Jermaine.

Thursday was my last physical therapy session. Sigh. I've been trying to work a monthly massage now into my budget. But I still don't think it'd be the same without the therapist. Apparently, if I hurt something else I can go back. Hmm.

Monday some coworkers and I went to go see the Simpson's movie after work. Rather than give some long review about the movie, let me talk about something else: the overlaugher. Sitting right behind me was the overlaugher. I despise the overlaugher. In fact the overlaugher is in the upper echelon of people I despise. Are they scared to appear as if they don't get every joke? Do they want to make sure that everyone knows what the funny parts are? Why do they have to be the loudest person in the theater? I will hate a movie just out of spite because of the overlaugher. I hate you overlaugher. I hate you.

This Saturday marks the beginning of my second season as a Tottenham Hotspur supporter. I actually think Spurs have a chance to break into the top four this season. High hopes.

I wish I was as creative in real as I am in my dreams. Also, is everyone's dreams as excellently edited and have as great frame composition as mine? Technically, my dreams are top notch.

Movies That Suck Sunday II

2007-07-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Conquest (There is a trailer but it is unfortunately NSFW)Quote of the Night: "Speeeeeeeeeeeeed!"

There was also much rocking.

Ramblings (Just Post Something Please! Edition)

2007-07-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've been daydream shopping again. The daydream part involves me having any musical talent at all. The shopping though has been rather realistic. I've found myself wanting a miniKORG. See, that's reasonable. It's fairly cheap and small enough to fit into my apartment. I'd also need a drum machine but I need to research that a little more. Part of me thinks that I might be able to somehow piece together a simple synth-dance-pop track after maybe five years. Why am I the only one in the family that didn't get the musical gene?

The Cubs are en fuego. Unfortunately, so are the Brewers.

This Sunday there will be another Bad Movie Night. I think there needs to be a more clever official name to this event other than Bad Movie Night.

I only have three more visits to the physical therapists office. I'm really down about this. I can't wait till I'm wealthy enough to hire a full time masseuse. My back aches just thinking about the lack of massages.

Is it only a month till Anne Marie moves out here?

For the first time in almost four years I wrote actual pages for a script.

I've found this lack of psoriasis is affecting my spending. Not having to wear a hat everyday has to not only needing to get my hair cut, rather than cut it myself, but products like face lotion with sunscreen. Things that were unneccessary before. I also have gotten over the phantom hat pains. For the first month or so I would constantly reach to remove or adjust a hat that wasn't there.

I'd like to recommend a free computer program called Simplify Media. You know how you can listen to other peoples iTunes that are on the same network that you are like school or work. Well simplify media allows you to do this and not have to be on the same network. So I can listen to Mandy's iTunes, or I can listen to the music I have on my home computer while at work. The only problem right now is that you can't listen to protected files like the ones you buy from iTunes. They apparently are efforting a way around that. Did I mention it's free?

Finally, I am Flunky the Clown.

Simpson Me...kind of

2007-07-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

So Perhaps It's Not That Bad

2007-07-09T13:27:00.000-07:00

Much like the Kubler-Ross model on grieving, I'd like to offer the Iten model for physical therapy. To help with remembering them they all begin with the letter "A."

Awkwardness: I've already covered this first stage here.

Acceptance: This is clearly when you come to terms with the fact that a stranger is touching you and that they sometimes have to touch you in inappropriate areas (i.e. buttocks). You also come to accept that these strangers will have to observe you while putting you through exercises and sometimes these exercises will put you in uncomfortable situations. The key to reaching the acceptance step is that you actually start feeling better. The joints don't hurt as much. You start being able to move around a little easier.

Addiction: I've found myself reaching this step last week. The highlights of my week now are that hour and a half every Tuesday and Thursday. That's right I look forward to having someone touch me. I think it's more than me being completely infatuated with my physical therapist. It's also more than not having my back lock up after I brush my teeth or wash my face. I think it is also the fact that I believe it is enhancing my socializing skills. Try carrying on a conversation with someone while your butt is flapping in the breeze let alone a stranger massaging it. It's like training camp when they fire blanks over the recruits while they scurry under the barb wire. If I can carry on a thirty minute conversation under those circumstances, I can do it anywhere. The point is that for all the reasons stated above I'm dreading the point where the doctor says I'm finished with physical therapy.

My Favorite Movies of the First Half of the Year 2007

2007-07-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

Public Embarrassment No. 235

2007-07-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

During my last year in the rare five year program at Cedarville I had the pleasure of taking a cake class called History of Rock Music or Modern Music or something like that. Maybe it was just History of music because I'm pretty sure they covered more than rock n roll and Cedarville would never allow a class called History of Rock n Roll. I think it was the first time the class was offered. Anyway, my thinking was that a class where all you did was listen and talk about music seemed like the perfect class to boost my grade point average up to the Mendoza line. Also, the professor once toured as the trumpet player for Three Dog Night. That clearly put him in the top five professors at Cedarville.

It was a great class except for one thing. The final project you had the option to either write a paper or give a speech. Because I'm a master at public speaking *cough* I decided to do a speech. Yeah, I have no idea what I was thinking. We had our choice of any subject to choose from. I chose to give a speech on the history of the rock band Journey. Yes, go back and read that last sentence. Are we finished laughing? Good. Let us proceed. I had recently bought the Journey box set. I'll wait again. The problem is this isn't the embarrassing part. Let me remind you I was still in my infancy in learning about music. In that box set was a booklet detailing the history of Journey. I was thinking this was perfect. I just change some words around and I can just recite the bullet points of this booklet.

The night before my presentation I wrote out my notes, and practiced my speech in the mirror. I pictured exactly how the classroom was set up and rehearsed and rehearsed. I would say I was pretty confident that I was going to nail this speech. As you can tell it all went horribly wrong. Most would point that it all went wrong when I decided to do a speech or when I chose Journey as my subject. At that moment though it all went wrong when I walked into class and saw the classroom was completely rearranged. It was no longer as I pictured it in my head while practicing. That was the moment I really started sweating. The second thing that went wrong was the speech I had to follow. Before me a student's speech was on how to line dance. What the hell? First off, why didn't I think of something that easy? Half of her speech time was taken up with teaching us the electric slide. Why didn't I think of doing a speech on something like the running man or the New Kids Dance? Second, how can I follow up a class participation speech with just me talking about Journey and playing a few songs? I was so screwed. Then the CD player didn't work right. Then my eyes were blurring. Then I just kept my eyes on my paper and read straight from that. I refused to make eye contact with anyone in the class. Realizing how bad I was tanking, I decided to try to save it. To pull this awful display out of the gutter and rescue it. On the last few lines I decided to say it like I meant it, like I believed it. The last line went something along the lines of blah and blah "shows that Journey belongs in the annals of rock and roll." Unfortunately, what came out of mouth was, "shows that Journey belongs in the anals of rock and roll." Yeah. Brilliant. I then scurried to my chair and hung my head. Eric and Adam, who had the pleasure of being in the class, still take joy in reminding me of public embarrassment No. 235.

It Does Feel a Little Like 1984

2007-07-08T02:33:00.000-07:00

June's Real Heavy Rotation

2007-07-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

About a week after I posted the previous June's Heavy Rotation, I realized my mistake. By saying it was June's heavy rotation I was basically prediciting what I was going to be listening to in June and that's ridiculous. In reality it was May's Heavy Rotation because those were the songs I was listening to most often in May. So here is the real June playlist. Some of you might notice that some of these songs don't fit what I usually post on here. That's right I've gone on somewhat of a binge. I blame that really late night a few weeks ago where I stumbled across site like BigStereo,
BibaBidi, missigtoof. This has lead to a slight devouring of current dance music, which is very un-me. Anyway, enjoy or don't or enjoy some of them or maybe a lot of them. Also, for those who might have written off the HBO show Flight of the Conchords as simply a musical ripoff of Goodness please give the show a chance. Last night's show was very funny. Video after the playlist.

Steve!

I Guess I Just Care Too Much To Be An Evil Overlord

2007-07-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

Early last week I picked up the game Overlord. I was becoming concerned that the consistent playing of Guitar Hero was going to ruing my wrists. I decided to pick up game played with your standard controller, so I could return to ruining my thumbs.

In Overlord you are a well...um...an Overlord. You have been brought to back to life by your minions. Your job is to eliminate the lords that have taken over your land. You do this with minions of course. The game is basically Pikmin except rather then direct little creatures to harvest and such you use minions to fight, gather, and even sacrifice for you. Basically they are willing and supposed to die for you. The problem is I become attached to some of them. There are red, green, blue and brown minions at your disposal. Red throw fire balls. Green are immune to poison and have slight stealth abilities. The blue heal and won't drown in water. The brown minions are your grunts that handle most of the man to man combat. The red, green, and blues I don't really care about. It's the brown minions that I've become attached to. They are the ones that have the personality. They have the habit of picking up anything they can get their hands on and wear it everything from a chef's hat, to a DoDo bird's head. So when my minion wearing the DoDo bird's head or the one wearing the red scarf die I feel a slight twinge of loss. The longer they survive the more attached I become to them. So much so that when they die I will go back to my last save point to try to get them through it alive. I even end up doing a lot of the flying so they won't die. What kind of Overlord is that? Aren't I supposed to be a heartless and cruel ruler? If one dies, I can easily summon two or three to replace it. Yet, I love those little bastards.

The game on whole is fun. Sending your little minions wiping out the country side can be a lot of fun. There is nice sense of dark humor to the game. It moves smoothly even with twenty-five minions running all over the place. Because you control your minions with the right joystick that leaves only the left joy stick to move the Overlord. That means the camera can get a little wonky sometimes leaving you looking in the wrong direction and easily flanked. Also, during the big battles it can get pretty chaotic directing your minions to where they need to go. Your minions can get stuck sometimes. Even with all those problems the game is still a fun diversion, and a nice change of pace.

Oh, You Also Missed This...

2007-06-26T12:32:00.001-07:00