Moebius Trip

Fillmore Jive

2006-12-18T07:02:00.000-05:00

It may be time to move on.

Yep, that's right.

I think I'm hanging it up.

No more blogging... for now, anyway.

***

I mean, how many times can I talk about the Eagles, about Ricky Gervais, about bands you've never heard of?

How many times can I talk about myself?

***

Don't answer that.

***

Anyway, I started doing this because, as I've told more than a few of you, it was mildly therapeutic.

I was working from home, I was going through a difficult stage, I was looking for some sort of release.

And now, things have pretty much changed completely.

***

And so, please-- feel free to stop by every once in awhile.

Because I still might post from time to time if the mood hits me.

And I might start this whole thing up again if things take a turn for the worse (though let's hope that that doesn't happen).

But for now, here's a list of my favorite albums of the year, followed by the sound of the door shutting behind me.

Thanks for reading.

***

20. Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That
19. Morrissey – Ringleader of the Tormentors
18. Mountain Goats – Get Lonely
17. Division Day – Beartrap Island
16. Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics
15. Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers
14. Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies
13. Lily Allen – Alright, Still
12. Beirut – Gulag Orkestar
11. Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam
10. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
9. My Morning Jacket – Okonokos
8. Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
7. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
6. +/- - Let’s Build a Fire
5. Joanna Newsom – Ys
4. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
3. Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
2. The Long Winters – Putting the Days to Bed
1. Girl Talk – Night Ripper

LegalSource Knows How to Throw a PARTY.

2006-12-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

The LegalSource party (for our temps) just wrapped up, and while everyone seemed to have a good time, two of my favorite temps won BIG-- and when I say big, I mean, respectively, a trip for two to Las Vegas, and a 23" flatscreen television.

People really do win at LegalSource!!!

Better still was that people not only enjoyed the evening, but they also (horrors!) seemed to behave themselves.

***

The day itself was uneventful, otherwise. I had five or six unusually solid interviews, and one guy who was... um... not.

All in all, a decent percentage.

***

Here's the very latest on Herr Colbert versus the Decemberists.

I'd be careful, Mr. Funk... there appears to be nothing that our fearless leader can't do.

Nothing.

***

Just a phenomenal Pearl Jam-related post.

And just when I think Heather can't top herself... she gives us more here.

***

More videos... hooray!

***

All I want for Christmas is a pair of tickets to Brighton.

***

Anybody remember this show?

***

Computerized foosball? Are you kidding me?

***

Even by Billy King's standards... this can't be happening.

***

Last but not least, maybe the Warholizer would make you feel better.

Postponement

2006-12-13T07:15:00.000-05:00

I had a big post planned for this morning... but Chanukah / Hanukah / Hannukkah / Qaddaffi shopping got in the way.

Ah, well.

Hope you have a nice day, and that this extraordinarily well-done video tides you over 'til tomorrow.

Need to Feel Better?

2006-12-12T08:07:00.000-05:00

The Weekend in Sports

2006-12-11T06:32:00.000-05:00

Another great weekend.

Monica and I went up to Baltimore on Friday night to see Ilise and Paul, and to join in the celebration of Ilise's 25th birthday. Unfortunately, we didn't get there early enough for the 7-9pm ice skating extravaganza (or fortunately, perhaps, as apparently it was colder inside of the indoor skating rink than it was outdoors), but we did meet everyone up at the bar afterwards.

And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Even my financial planner was there. See, Ilise and Paul have hundreds of friends, all of whom I've met once before (save for Eileen, whom I'm pretty sure I've met twice)... either way, the place was packed.

And loud enough that I couldn't hear myself think. But it was still pretty great that Ilise and Monica were able to meet one another... which I think went well. The two of them lapsed into medical jargon so quickly that really, they could have been talking about anything and I would have done the dumb guy nod, as I believe I did a bit too much. We only stayed for a short while, given the longish drive home, but the night was a blast.

Until I came back to the car and found a parking ticket, for (wait for it...) parking in front of a bus stop.

Neither of us saw a f'g bus stop... nor any signs suggesting that we'd parked illegally. But hey, it was only $50... which somehow seemed reasonable, given that we were only two blocks from the bar on a very cold night. So, all in all, a worthwhile fine.

Thank you, Baltimore!

***

Saturday was a nice, lazy weekend day. Monica and I hung around, did a bit of shopping, grabbed a few meals here and there, went to a wine store for a mini-tasting of sorts... and then got together with her cousin Stacy for dinner in Bethesda.

Stacy was and is hysterical, and so the three of us had a great time. Lots 'o laughs, especially given all of the people inexplicably wearing 80s fashions at the restaurant.

***

Did the Eagles win again yesterday?

Didn't notice.

Maybe it was because they nearly gave it away at the end.

Maybe because it was the Redskins, and I never took the game seriously.

Or maybe it was because the game was so boring that I fell asleep midway through.

Anyway-- I was happy to have turned down the corporate seats for this one. Better to stay warm and doze gently throughout.

All the while winning a bet.

***

Last night, I watched the Da Vinci Code. And while I liked the book for being such an easy read... the movie was somehow less satisfying.

Not that I was looking for art, mind. But Tom Hanks seemed like he was reading his lines off of a page, and the whole thing.. I dunno. I wish I could say I enjoyed it more.

At least Ian McKellen was in it, and he, as always, was fun to watch.

***

Some Harmonium pieces might be coming in soon, but because it's the end of the year and I've been so busy... I'm not yet convinced that they approach my best stuff.

I'll let you know if my confidence in them increases.

***

Weird that Allen Iverson will be traded by tomorrow at the latest, according to reports.

Isn't this like having a body that's ridden with disease, and getting rid of the healthy parts?

Anyway, while you're still on our team, A.I., thank you.

I'm assuming you read my blog, of course.

If you don't... well, someone will pass this along.

Part One of Twelve

2006-12-10T12:08:00.000-05:00

Because you never saw it, that's why.

And because it might be the most hysterically bad achievement of the century.

Yes, the century.

Morning

2006-12-08T06:27:00.000-05:00

Apart from finally, finally catching up on the Sopranos (which came dangerously close to being bittersweet, as the show really was/is every bit as incredible as you'd been telling me-- shocking, I know), nothing new has been happening.

I'm sorry-- it makes for a crap update, right?

But look: work has been busier than usual. Not much more to say about that. Work is what it is.

I haven't been going out that much, either, though that's about to change, with all the holiday parties around the corner.

Oh, and I still can't fully shake this goddamned cough.

But apart from that, what else is new?

Nothing.

So, what's there to do, but unload some of the links I've found this week?

***

***

It's never too early to start decorating the tree (or the house!) with some lovely Christmas pornaments.

If you're a more adult viewer of this site, I could hook you up with some legitimately unsavory links, but... I wouldn't want to get you in trouble, now.

Not at work, anyway.

Thanks, though, to Vicki and Libby. Girl power, and all that. ;)

***

Get psyched for Rocky Balboa (I'm serious-- stop laughing at me) by reading one of the best (and longest) celebrity Q & A's ever.

The readers of AICN ask, Sly answers.

And drops gems like this throughout:

"The reason Rocky IV seems a little disjointed is because I was having a conflict with Bill Conti at the time and decided to go in a different direction, which I’m sorry for. Also, I think the whole premise of the film was based too much on “the fight” and not the personal struggles that preceded the fight. If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve hired Bill Conti, married Ivan Drago and punched out Brigitte Nielsen."

Outstanding, Sly.

***

Best thing about this is the theme song aping Coltrane about fifteen seconds in. I'm sure he'd be thrilled.

***

Thanks to Chris for sending this along, but as I told him, I don't think there's enough bile or racist content there to make it truly funny.

***

What if there was a classic NBA game and nobody noticed?

***

Some special Hold Steady goodness-- b-sides and the like-- can be found hyah. If you like what you hear, lemme know, and I'll hook you up with the real deal.

Cheap, too.

***

Actually, you probably should have checked this windowlicker out before you got into all the Hold Steady shiz.

***

A last musical nugget-- please catch up with me (circa 1994, as always), and learn about the glory that is Pulp.

***

Finally, this... can't be a good idea.

Can it?

One of These Days

2006-12-07T07:03:00.000-05:00

I'll post again. I miss you guys.

But I have another early meeting this morning... and you know, this is what happens when you, um, have another early morning meeting.

In the meantime, thanks to Chris and Jeff, I give you deadly dolphins:

Morning Surprise

2006-12-05T06:54:00.000-05:00

Somewhere between watching the Monday Night Football pregame show, clad in Eagles jersey and Eagles throw as though I were getting paid to look like a green clown of some odd sort and laughing as the Philly fans started to boo ON THE VERY FIRST PLAY OF THE GAME, and waking up a much-needed nine hours later, something strange happened.

The Eagles actually won the football game (though they booed their starting QB at one point when he actually stayed in the game after a hard hit-- though I guess that part wasn't all that surprising).

This was not a football game they had any business being in, either. Because these men... like a certain someone who we all know and love... they are broken in the collective.

How they beat a playoff-caliber team (and how I got nine hours sleep in the process!) is beyond me. But I'll take it. I'm not one of those "lose as much as you can so you can make wholesale changes and/or get a high draft pick" people.

Not now, anyway.

After all, this is a playoff team!

***

By the way, Keyshawn?

Just because we've been preoccupied with a certain other buffoon for a few years now, doesn't mean we don't have enough hate in our heart for you. Especially when you apparently spent the entire night, before the game and during, on the field and off, taunting the fans. From the Philly Inquirer:

"ESPN sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya reported at halftime that Johnson went down the tunnel taunting the Linc crowd about his success in Philadelphia, as a Buc, a Cowboy and a Panther. Johnson ended his evening pleading with officials for a pass-interference call, after he lost a jousting battle with Sheppard."

Hope you enjoyed your flight home, Meshawn.

Jerk.

***

Better news, news in the "I Feel Great!!!" realm, to be precise: Pat Croce was just named the new commissioner of this year's Wing Bowl.

A fantastic selection: kudos to those responsible for the choice.

***

It has started to get cold here in D.C., but I can't really complain, as apparently my sister is guiding little Ryan through his first winter, and... it's seventeen degrees or so in Columbus as she's doing so.

Michelle, if you're taking Ryan outside, are you putting him in fifteen layers of clothing, or sixteen?

'Cause I've heard it's best to layer.

***

Mom and Dad called to report in from Disney.

Apparently, my Dad found his way into the goddamned MLB winter meetings. Bumped into Jayson Stark, saw Peter Gammons, the odd team owner here or there, Mom was able to pick out Dallas Green...

And today is a golf day.

And it's eighty degrees.

I'm not jealous, though. Really, I'm not.

Really.

***

This link should be enough to tide you over 'til tomorrow, to say the least. Thanks to Pop Candy (what else is new), please check out the 50 greatest commercials of the 80s.

***

Oh, Rip.

***

Catnip.

Lately

2006-12-03T15:28:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've been

* introducing Monica and Jeff to one another;

* helping a new recruiter get started at LegalSource;

* working to staff several projects at the same time;

* caring not at all for Philadelphia-based sports teams;

* missing my parents, who are at Disneyworld for the week;

* learning more about Gaithersburg than I'd ever known before;

* going to Clyde's and then to the best hockey game ever; and

* witnessing the greatest band in history in a live spectacle.

***

OK, so the D show isn't until tonight, but it's obviously going to be the greatest show in the history of mankind.

That's what they've promised, anyway, and so that's what I choose to believe.

***

Bob Ryan and the Sports Guy have some things to discuss with one another.

***

Speaking of worlds colliding, apparently the Decemberists and Stephen Colbert also have some things to discuss with one another.

***

Proving that ombudsmen can say what they want, but that they are generally powerless to change anything, here's ESPN's George Solomon, talking a lot and saying nothing about that racist asshole, the one, the only, Michael "SAME INTENSITY!" Irvin.

***

None of this will come as news to Jeff.

***

As a great maitre d' once said, I weep for the future.

***

Then again, there's always hope.

Current Mood

2006-11-30T10:26:00.001-05:00

My New Senator, For Better or Worse

2006-11-30T07:16:00.000-05:00

From the Jaker, which took this from the Washington Post:

At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.

"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.

***

Here's a pretty great write-up, per usual, of Tuesday night's My Morning Jacket / The Slip show at the 9:30 Club, courtesy of the always fantastic Kyle Leafblower. There are even some shots of guys in wolf hats, so... you best check it out.

Once again, I need to leave this writing thing to the professionals.

Leaving Early

2006-11-29T07:04:00.000-05:00

So, after a second-straight fourth-place finish at trivia night, I ended up taking Mike home with me.

Meaning, sickos, that he'd had a few pops, and I drove him back to my place so that he could crash out.

Which is exactly what he did, right after playing roughly three straight hours of Grand Theft Auto.

Ah, Mike.

***

Let's all thank Mike, by the way, for pointing us towards Al Pacino checking his bank balance.

***

Whether it was because I was feeling ill well before Monday night had even began, or due to my getting very little sleep before Tuesday's 7:30am meeting, or whatever... yesterday was an absolute trial. I couldn't focus on anything, and what had been percolating as a cold, of sorts, turned into a sledgehammer-type thing by early afternoon. I could barely breathe at points.

So, I took off, went home, and slept for the next several hours.

***

I would have slept even longer, into the night, but I just had to go to the My Morning Jacket show. And though ordinarily I may have bailed, feeling the way that I did, I had Jay's ticket as well as my own. Plus, I'd been looking forward to the show for a long time.

So, with several Airborne tablets down, a shitload of liquids, several soups, some take-out Chinese ingested as well... I thought I'd done enough to get me through the evening.

Wrong.

***

I met up with Jay in time to watch the suprisingly enjoyable opening band, The Slip, who chose to play with wolf hats on their heads (don't ask, even though it was hysterical) before ending with an impressive cover of "Baba O'Riley"... and then made it roughly 8-10 songs into the MMJ set before (a) I needed to go to the bathroom, (b) I discovered that I couldn't possibly get back to Jay given the crowd afterwards, and that (c) I couldn't see anything from any other vantage point. I went upstairs, downstairs, along the sides-- the place was absolutely packed.

Damned sold out shows.

So, roughly one half-hour into this show I was really looking forward to, I bailed. The smoke and noise were almost certainly doing me no favors. And so, with apologies to Jay and the band, I left.

And felt next to no remorse when, as soon as I got home, my head hit the pillow and I conked out completely.

***

I'm feeling a good bit better this morning, even if Jay probably hates me.

I hope the day goes well.

***

Maybe one of these will be enough to win your trust, man. Thanks for understanding.

Avoidance

2006-11-27T18:44:00.000-05:00

First off, I'm writing this entry now, in the early evening, because I'm not going to really be here tomorrow morning.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

See, I have an early meeting with Steve scheduled, so that we can go over a few LegalSource-related things, and so... I'm probably not going to want / have the time to be blogging at 5am tomorrow, just for the sake of keeping pace.

Hence, the rare night entry.

(beat)

Moving on.

***

Not that you've really been wondering or noticing, but... the reason that things have been a bit sparse around here is that, well, things have been good around here. Work, play, the in-between... I have nothing whatsoever to complain about, these days.

Even the holiday travel was completely uneventful. Maybe it had something to do with my leaving at 4:30am on Thursday, but that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, I've been avoiding writing, because... no one wants to hear happy. No one wants to hear wistful this-and-that. No one wants to hear nice.

Bitching just plays better on the screen, doesn't it?

And so, in that spirit, I will avoid talking about myself, and cut to the links.

***

The big news, in case you missed it, was this morning's announcement that Wing Bowl 15, with a theme of "Philadelphia Versus the World," is a go.

Yes, kids, it's everyone's favorite time of year. This time, with a twist. Only five sanctioned professional eaters shall be chosen... and the rest of the contestants will hail from Philly.

Who will be chosen?

Will it be Sonya Thomas? Joey Chestnut?? Kobayashi???

ALL THREE???

Who the hell knows.

All I know is that I'm going to be nowhere near Philly that day, because, as so many of you remember... I've already experienced it first-hand. Especially if you've never read it before, I implore you to click here for part one of the four-part saga.

***

Jeff was kind enough to share something related, in a way. Wing Bowl, as you almost certainly know by now, was created by Al Morganti to essentially distract long-suffering Eagles fans from a weekend where... well, the Eagles rarely played.

Super Bowl weekend.

Well, Lord knows, we won't be there this year, either. This short clip might hint at the state of the city, following Donovan McNabb's injury.

Thanks, pal.

Though I might point out that we're still in the (most horrendously ridiculous) playoff picture (in the history of mankind). Check it out.

***

Something else kinda sorta fat guy and football-related? Frank Caliendo doing his Madden impersonation on Letterman.

***

Just when you thought you couldn't hate Bill O'Reilly any more than you already did... now he has a problem with your iPod.

***

Awesome.

***

The world needs superheroes. Bob Smigel provides.

***

If you like Ben Folds, you might like him even more after reading this.

Or, you might hate him more, if you were there on either of these nights. It simply depends on your preferences for "brown noise."

***

Speaking of music, the Washington Post did a fine job of describing the Hold Steady show I went to and failed to adequately detail.

***

Pearl Jam still rules (as does Heather). News at 11.

***

Gotta run... trivia night beckons. My Morning Jacket on Tuesday night.

Busy, busy man.

A Moment with Craig Finn

2006-11-26T19:07:00.000-05:00

I saw the sold out Hold Steady show last night at the Black Cat, and had, all in all, a pretty good time (alongside a roomful of hirsuite mooks and overweight English majors).

Not so good that I would go on and on about it, but good nevertheless. The Boys and Girls in America singalongs worked best, obviously... "First Night," "Chips Ahoy!" and "Party Pit" were particularly strong.

Anyway, before I forget... to see Craig Finn, the lead singer/chanter/speaker, perform-- it strikes you that he looks and acts like a bizarro cross between these two guys. Odd, to say the least.

(David Wain eating a pickle), and

(Milton).

Feel free to throw in a pinch of Benny from L.A. Law, telling everyone how much he loves them, and that this is the bestest night, like, ever, and that he might just explode from joy... and you've just about got it.

What does that mean? Who knows.

It's just that... there was a lot of artifice there. And if you buy into the Meat Loaf-style, so-impassioned-it-hurts style... it may be the best show you'll ever see.

If you don't... meh?

Me? Somewhere in-between.

***

Admit it-- you've missed these incoherent ramblings, right?

***

Everyone say "hi, Monica."

Hi, Monica.

***

The latest Ricky Gervais podcast (free! free! free!) may be the funniest one, ever.

Just saying, get thee to iTunes, post haste.

***

pavement - rattled by the rush
jane's addiction - obvious
kate bush - wuthering heights
doves - black and white town
manic street preachers - suicide is painless

Playing the Nap Card

2006-11-24T08:41:00.001-05:00

Dunderheads.

Ryan Sends His Best

2006-11-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

Classic

2006-11-22T12:35:00.000-05:00

Just as good... the trailer for Jerry Seinfeld's Comedian, from a few years back. This was much funnier than the movie, in case you were wondering.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T07:45:00.000-05:00

Posts may be a little less frequent over the next few days.

Sorry about that.

But I hope you have a great Thanksgiving weekend, anyway. May you be blessed with family, friends, health, little traffic on the way up and back, and most importantly, the NFL Network, so that you can see the life-changing THIRD GAME on Thursday night.

Enjoy Doves, and enjoy the time off.

You deserve it.

***

lmp - beautiful noise (find this song immediately)
girl talk - bounce that
jarvis cocker - i will kill again
the twilight singers - the killer/wolf like me
we are scientists - nobody move, nobody get hurt

Guess What?

2006-11-21T06:19:00.000-05:00

Videos are back!

And since I don't want to talk about what I did last night (not yet, anyway), and as I definitely don't want to talk about Michael Richards, how about a completely random, completely awesome performance by the Who?

***

The new office is fantastic, by the way.

Can't put my finger on why, exactly, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's a Philadelphia Eagles broadcast-free zone.

***

***

Yawn.

***

Rest in peace, Andre.

Finalities

2006-11-20T06:05:00.000-05:00

You'd think I'd be upset this morning.

For one thing, my football team went down the crapper yesterday when this happened:

As expected, WIP is on red alert this morning.

Then (back to last night), my plans for the evening got postponed. Not canceled, mercifully, just postponed. Still, I suddenly had an empty evening.

***

Didn't matter.

I'm feeling good.

Very good.

'Cuz we're going to Vegas. Finally. Chris, Jeff and I booked our plans for the trip yesterday afternoon.

On the opening weekend of March Madness, the three of us are going to be sitting in the sports books, in the casinos, in... other places (I think Jeff mentioned something about a donkey show)...

We might mix in a helicopter tour, see Prince at his new hotel, egg Siegfried & Roy's house... it's hard to know what we'll do.

All I know is that it should be a blast.

Though, for the record, I'm anti-donkey show.

***

What else? Oh... I'm leaving in a little while for the first day at the new place.

I've got my fingers crossed that it's a nice fit for everyone... and that Cafe Asia doesn't run out of sushi over the next few weeks.

***

Hogwarts is open again!

Columbus / Agent Zero

2006-11-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

From this, which made me mist up:

To this, which also made me mist up:

... yesterday was a pretty damned great day to be a fan of The Ohio State University. Though I had to stop watching the game after 3 quarters (more on that in a second), I watched the remainder of it this morning, and realized what pretty much everyone else did... that it was one of the more entertaining college football games of my lifetime.

Maybe that's just the victory talking; maybe if I were a fan of the maize and blue I'd think differently this morning.

For now, though, the Bucks remain atop every poll, and have one game left to play for the National Championship.

Very, very happy for my sister and her extended OSU family.

***

Oh. Penn State won, Cornell beat Penn, and Emory?

Well, Emory doesn't have a football team.

But they did get a big win this weekend, in their own special way.

***

The reason, incidentally, that Jeff and I had to put our beers down and step away from the television early was that I'd gotten tickets through work to go to last night's Wizards-Cavaliers game.

Which wouldn't be any big deal, except that we had sweet luxury box tickets, an additional two seats only a few rows from courtside, and some guy named Lebron James was in town.

Before Jeff and I left, I showed him a video I'd found; the most recent addition to the "that is the greatest thing I've ever found on the Internet" club, that seems to be growing at a horrifying rate.

No set up.

Don't even read the description when you click on the page.

Just watch the video for two minutes or so.

Then pick your jaw up off the desk.

***

Lebron seemed somehow off last night; the Cavs as a whole seemed pretty sluggish. A few nice passes, a solid dunk or two, but last night just wasn't the Lebron Show we were hoping for.

Instead, it was all about Agent Zero.

Fellow blogger Gilbert Arenas is now, officially, the Man. He was completely in the zone last night-- he had 45 points by the time they took him out with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter. It was unbelievable to watch.

Almost as entertaining as this.

***

Interestingly, no one dropped any Borat quotes or songs last night.

Nope, not a one.

.
.
.
.
.

Well, maybe just three hundred or so.

***

The game was great, but the luxury box and the company was better. No alcohol (allegedly), but tons of food and drink, as well as the appearance of a dessert cart that was re-goddamned-diculous.

Jeff and I were there, along with about 20 of Pete and Shari's friends, who were collectively (and individually!) a lot of fun. We went out for drinks after the game, and had as good a time as we possibly could, given that we were sitting outside in the cold for a half-hour at a time, watching as a drunken pastor with a cigar accosted our women, talking about his service in 'Nam, and generally bringing the mood down... albeit it in a darkly funny kind of way.

Maybe you had to be there. It played much better than it probably reads.

***

Shorties:

1) Gay penguins!

2) Chris Ott launches the opening salvo in the Great Nerd War of 2006.

3) Larry King: not quite as omniscient as previously thought.

4) Read the headline, but PLEASE don't stare directly at the picture.

5) And not a moment too soon.

Wait-- is that the expression that means, "this old fart should have been put out to pasture in the late 80s"?

The Season of the Nerd

2006-11-17T07:09:00.000-05:00

Well, we're not in the new LegalSource building, yet-- not quite-- but at least this is the last day of packing things up, of living in such tight quarters with such smelly, unfeeling boxes.

Unfeeling?

Huh.

Anyway, maybe that's been what's affecting my mood this week. The boxes. Come to think of it, it's probably just been the weather.

Either way, I was feeling much better yesterday. It was a good day at work-- productive, put a few people on projects, got a lot done-- and then...

I got a PS2.

***

I don't need to get into the how or why, except to say that it was through legit means. Point being, I was effectively given a Playstation yesterday, gratis.

And that, friends, is quite cool.

Granted, I haven't gamed (oh, God) since the heady days of the Colecovision and the first Nintendo unit, but I haven't lost my weird fascination with games, either.

So when the offer came, along with five pretty strong games... I hooked that bitch up to my television immediately.

And it looked... beautiful...

***

It made me think of a co-worker whom I'd spoken to almost a year ago, when I was explaining the whole marriage situation to him.

He got very excited at one point (which was unusual, to say the least), and effectively told me that "this was my chance!" or something to that effect.

Not my chance, mind, to date every woman in the city.

It was the perfect opportunity, he said, to get an Xbox 360, or a PS2, and make my place a real bachelor pad. Play Madden all day. Get a headset and play in leagues with this person in Idaho, or that person in Louisiana.

If memory serves, I laughed politely. Maybe I groaned, who knows. But on the inside, I was intrigued by the whole Madden part.

My only concern was that I definitely didn't want to turn into this guy:

***

After playing a few of the games last night, and getting a bit of a weird pre-teen buzz on... I went to eBay, bought Madden 2006 for spare change, and waited. Why 2006?

Only a few more days until it arrives.

C'mon... c'MON!!!

Just When You Thought You Hated Orenthal the Bus-Driving Murderer As Much As You Possibly Could

2006-11-15T21:42:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one who is really, really bothered by this?

I mean, who greenlights this shit?

Whose idea was it in the first pl-

Nevermind.

Calm.

***

On another note altogether... there's a lot of newly updated linkage over on the right-hand side.

Pulp is represented there by one of the best videos ever.

As in, you should watch it right now.

Anyway, lead singer Jarvis Cocker's solo album dropped earlier today, and it has made me very, very happy.

Anyway, whether you dig Cocker or not, enjoy.

Good Times

2006-11-14T22:32:00.001-05:00

Hoping For A Better Day

2006-11-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

First off-- who or what the hell is this???

Answer further down.

***

Yesterday was a shit-ass day at work. No need to go into it here, of course, but let's just say I had to close my door on more than one occasion to calm down and to collect myself.

Which, unfortunately, speaks more about me than to what was going on.

I need to calm down, sometimes. Things weren't that stressful, in hindsight-- I just made them that way.

Need to work on that.

***

By the way, I forget whether I'd mentioned it or not-- we move this weekend. Friday is our last day at the Metro Center location.

As of Monday, we'll be at 1625 I Street, at Farragut West. Hooray, and all that.

***

Thankfully, the night was better than the day. I met up with Ary and spent the night just hanging out and drinking Zimas.

Kidding.

Ary had originally invited me to join him at Trailer Night, but we decided that we wouldn't be able to hear ourselves think if we went there.

So, we went to Harry's instead, where we discussed the Middle East, per usual, our mutual love for Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, per not usual, the DC housing market, and a whole mess of other things.

Note to self: start hanging out with Ary more often. Fun guy.

***

A few random links:

If you're not reading this everyday, you're not much of an NFL fan.

Just saying.

***

A nicely-written defense of Joanna Newsom's new album, which I love, but which you would almost certainly hate.

***

With apologies to Pete, the answer to this question is a very loud "no." Read the article to find out why.

***

Apparently, Michael Chabon got bored with maintaining his website.

I'm actually happy about this, as he never updated his site.

Slacker.

***

Speaking of, the Simpsons crew did a great job drawing Chabon, Franzen, Wolfe and Vidal... with one exception.

In real life, isn't Tom Wolfe 3 apples high? Why is he looming over the other guys?

***

Answer!

The picture above is obviously Debra Winger in Urban Cowboy.

***

Speaking of which, if you're looking to get, um, "Debra Winger" a gift this holiday season... might I suggest this?

***

Thoughts and prayers to a friend of a friend.

Update

2006-11-12T18:03:00.000-05:00

A quiet, satisfying, restful weekend. In no order:

* Saw the ultrasound of a family friend's new baby girl. Promptly got a bit emotional.

* Watched the Eagles return to form... sorta... kinda. A 27-3 win over the 'Skins sounds good... but if you watched the game, you know the Eagles were hardly impressive.

* Cooked a lot. Made myself a banana smoothie, some asparagus, some wraps, some chili (thought I'd be having company for the ballgame), and a few other things. Realized I hadn't cooked that much food since the early 90s.

* Went for a bike ride for the first time in over 20 years.

* Walked through a few area gyms (Washington Sports Club and Gold's Gym in Clarendon, if you're scoring) in search of a good pool; found not a one. Will likely go to the local high schools, per the suggestion of my handy Arlington things-to-do/recreation packet.

* Spoke with a few friends for the first time in way too long.

* Cleaned the apartment. Which, of course, satisfied my OCD side.

* Made a list of my top 25 bands of all time, to distract me from eating all the food I'd cooked.

***

This week is looking to be my first "busy" week in awhile.

If you don't hear from me, I'm not trying to ignore you. Just trying to get out of the house a bit more than I've been as of late.

***

noel gallagher - it's good to be free (live)
tenacious d - beelzeboss
prince - housequake
u2 - window in the skies
red house painters - river

Was Borat Really That Good?

2006-11-10T07:02:00.000-05:00

Um, yes.

I couldn't even begin to pick a favorite scene.

All I know is that I'll see it again.

And that if you get offended easily... or if you happen to be in it (careful: spoilers) it's probably best that you stay away from the theater.

***

Speaking of, well, this guy...

Thanks to Kyle Leafblower for posting the clip of my introduction to Ali G: the, um, "assist" he gave to Pulp's Jarvis Cocker on the best version of "Help the Aged" ever recorded.

***

Enough Borat. He's so 2006.

Looking ahead, it looks like this is the movie to beat in 2007.

Unless, of course, this guy decides to make a race of it:

***

Two days, two articles comparing U2 to R.E.M.

Though as I think Jeff would be quick to point out, asking who the best rock band of the 80s was, with nary a mention of Enuff Z'Nuff, is plaintly and patently ridiculous.

***

Colbert just doesn't miss, does he?

Cleaning Out the Bookmarks

2006-11-09T06:24:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

The rain has cleared, the election is past us (or all but, happily), K-Fed is out of our lives, Lost is over with for the next three months... we're shifting into a new phase, of sorts.

Oh... and there's this:

Needless to say, it seems like a few things have been put to bed, so... how about some links?

***

1) Quick... before the backlash really takes hold! Pass around this handy-dandy Borat soundboard to all your co-workers!

As an aside... a few of us are seeing the movie tonight. I have only heard tremendous things, to this point, so expectations are pretty high.

2) Cameo or no, this... this can't be right, can it?

3) Speaking of movies... here are the trailers for the new Jim Carrey film and the hopefully more promising Evan Almighty.

Looks like at least one of them has monkeys in it... sold!

4) Okay... so, by now you know that K-Fed is officially Fed-Ex (with apologies to Freddie Mitchell, I suppose).

But did you know that Britney dinged the poor guy (what am I saying) by frickin' text message? And that K-Fed got said text while conducting an interview... as the cameras were still rolling?

Ouch.

5) You probably also heard about this by now, as well... but in case you missed it, Faith Hill did NOT like losing a CMA award to Carrie Underwood.

I mean, she says differently now, but you and I... we know the truth.

6) In happier tidings, this clip from Letterman is one of the funnier things Will Ferrell has done since his award-winning portrayal of legendary jazz flautist Ron Burgundy.

Or this, I suppose.

7) Here's a band comparison that many have made over the years (not quite as much as they used to, sadly), with a few odd wrinkles scattered throughout. Not a bad read.

8) And speaking of, here's some (kinda poor, admittedly) footage of the Decemberists' Halloween show, where as an encore, they played not one, not two, but THREE R.E.M. covers-- "Begin the Begin," "Cuyahoga" and "Superman."

Best. Geeks. Ever.

9) I've posted Flaming Lips clips on here from time to time, as you might recall, but even if you're not a fan of the band... this behind-the-scenes video explains why so many are.

It probably has something to do with the fact that they put on a show.

10) No, Vomitor.

Stop it.

That's a bad Vomitor!

Put the clothing line down, and play some goddamned football already.

Jesus.

***

Okay... I can't end it on that note.

So, something better.

How about Office Space, re-worked as a horror film?

Turning a Corner

2006-11-08T06:48:00.000-05:00

I hope you're as happy as I am this morning.

As far as I'm concerned, the night could have ended at about 10pm with the Santorum concession speech-- despite his little girl crying throughout the whole thing, I would have been giddy as could be.

Sayonara, jackass.

***

But to stay up through the night, and watch what happened across the country (and the mood at FOX News throughout, which was borderline-hysterical)... it was like watching T.O. getting laid out, over and over and over again.

Yep, it felt very good, with one notable exception.

***

Even with that being said... let's give a cheer for the first real opportunity that Democrats will have had to exercise checks and balances in what seems like far too long.

And let's take a look at who may have come out of the night wielding the biggest hammer of all... is this guy, who had been presumed politically dead just months ago, suddenly one of the most important senators in the country?

***

And think-- if it weren't for what some have called a "racist ad" (and apparently Tenneseans thought so)-- things could have been even worse for the GOP.

Whatever "worse" could mean for them on a morning like this.

***

Only two years left, boys and girls.

Only two years left.

(lots of links tomorrow-- I promise!)

Election Day

2006-11-07T06:40:00.000-05:00

Yep, it's Voting Day. Or Election Day, if you prefer. So make time in your busy, busy schedule to get to the polling place.

Or voting booth, if you prefer.

Just get on it. It's the slack-jawed yokels who don't vote who've put us where we are today.

And yes, I'm speaking to you, Ohio. ;)

***

That "wink" means I don't want any super-serious comments about Republicans versus Democrats.

It was a joke.

So lighten up, Francis.

***

Last night was the first trivia night in a few weeks, and sadly, we placed fourth overall, missing third place by 1 point, second place by 2 points and yes, first place by a lousy 3 points.

This, despite the fact that there were only three of us there (Teso showed up as points were being tallied up at the end-- thanks for the help, friend) and that we showed up a few minutes late.

Plus, we didn't have either of our best players with us.

But next time, Jay and Mike will be there, with any luck.

And we shall show up on time.

And we shall reign supreme once more.

Until then... as long as I'm batting third... I gotta tell you... we're going to fail. It is only through attending these soirees that I've realized... that I am an idiot.

That being said, I did take first place in the "slow" division yet again.

So I got that going for me, which is nice.

***

Some random links:

Robert De Niro needs to fire his agent.

Seriously.

***

A brief history of a band who actually came up in last night's contest (the answer was "Electrolite," by the way), R.E.M.

***

Some yawnworthy news.

***

Some slightly more interesting news.

Maybe.

Did you know that Kenny Mayne flip-flopped around Randall Cunningham on the UNLV depth chart?

I sure as hell didn't. I didn't even know he could throw a ball, let alone quarterback a Division I-A team.

***

On a vaguely related note, at 79 years old, Joe Paterno remains one tough son of a bitch.

***

Then again, so is Lance Armstrong.

***

For any of you Thomas Pynchon lovers out there (!), this might interest you.

Or, it might strike you as a colossal waste of time.

***

And finally, you've probably heard about this rumor by now.

Highly, highly dubious (warning: NSFW-- language).

Such a nice girl.

Cow Post

2006-11-05T10:29:00.000-05:00

A few leftover bits from Halloween-- I forgot to mention that I dressed up as Joliet Jake again... this time with an honest-to-goodness black suit, rather than the navy one I used a few weeks back at Paul's party. Better all-around this time, though I stopped short of getting the muttonchops for $20 or so.

Anyway, I was the only one in my office who came to work dressed up. Which came as a bit of a surprise, as there was a lot of Halloween talk leading up to the big day.

I was more than a little disappointed.

Oh, well. At least I didn't come in dressed as an M&M, or something like that... I was still able to conduct interviews. It just meant that I had to remove my hat and my sunglasses.

My hand was still inked up, though. Proud of that, I guess.

***

Okay. Let's spice things up with some pictures, shall we?

What the hell is this?

Oh, it's just Ryan the Cow.

Ryan the Cow, chillin'.

***

How can I possibly follow that up with anything?

***

How about Ryan doing his Einstein impression?

***

Well, um... what else has been going on. Not much... though I did purchase a new tire, yesterday...

***

recently Netflixed :

Penn & Teller's Bullshit!
Mission Impossible 3
Stella
Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law
Thank You for Smoking

Your Motivational Thought for the Day

2006-11-04T18:56:00.000-05:00

Sleepwalking

2006-11-02T07:18:00.000-05:00

Has this week felt like the slowest week of the year to you, too?

I mean, I've gone out a few nights, done a few things, but the days... they just seem to drag on and on as of late.

It probably has everything to do with Daylight Savings Time, but... yeesh.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to snap out of this?

***

Another tribute to Bob Barker.

***

Another clip of Borat. And one of the man behind the moustache, Sacha Baron Cohen.

***

Schadenfreude.

***

Requisite music link of the day.

***

Standard classic movie clip.

***

And... scene.

(zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)

Leftovers from October

2006-11-01T07:15:00.000-05:00

You have to watch this: OMG. Shoes.

I don't know who's responsible, or what the hell it is, but it gets better the more you watch it. Kinda Kids in the Hall-y.

***

You can find some great Halloween pictures over at Pop Candy... check the last several days' worth of posts.

***

Speaking of horrors, this post will make you hate Kenny G even more than you already do.

***

First Girl Talk, and now this? The Backstage at the Black Cat is having a big week.

Would have loved to have gone... but standing in line for six hours? No, thanks.

***

I put together my year-end list of the Top 20 albums of the year for Harmonium last night, but before I submit it, I'm going to sit on it for a few days.

No matter what I do, it'll elicit some howls from the people who'll care, but... screw it.

***

What is it with Eagles' players changing their names?

***

Take a bow, sir.

***

Good riddance.

Random Rules

2006-10-31T21:22:00.000-05:00

I read Random Rules one too many times, and got "inspired."

To steal the idea in its entirety.

The instructions: "In Random Rules, The A.V. Club asks some of its favorite people [I doubt very seriously that this means me, by the way] to set their MP3 players to shuffle and comment on the first few tracks that come up— no cheating or skipping embarrassing tracks allowed."

***

1. "You, Who Do You Hate?" from Attack of the Grey Lantern (Mansun)

Probably the weakest song on an otherwise underrated album.

I know that (at the risk of being condescending) most Anglo/audiophiles don't have this one, as Mansun didn't cross over in the way that Blur, Oasis and to a lesser extent, Pulp did. But they/you should seek it out and get it... both because this is some of the best pop-rock to come out of the UK in the mid 90s, and because, well, the group went a bit nutty after this album.

I mean, really nutty.

Prog-flecked tunes, weird-ass time signatures, meandering 8-minute songs about nothing in particular… they became borderline unlistenable, and this coming from a Mansun apologist.

This album, though...seek it out. Trust me.

2. "There is a Place" from Tanglewood Numbers (Silver Jews)

I love a lot of what the Silver Jews do, but in truth, a good bit of it sounds like the same song on repeat to me—country-flecked misery songs.

I'm a bit of a poseur fan, I guess, because I only know about the Jews through Pavement, and Stephen Malkmus' involvement in both groups. And Berman's reputation as one of the best suicidal lyricists, like, anywhere.

So… eh. I don't listen to Tanglewood Numbers that much, even though it's often really satisfying… if I'm up for remaining immensely sad, elbow-propped-on-the-bar, drinking-shots-of-whiskey-style.

3. "Packing Blankets" from Daisies of the Galaxy (eels)

I seem to be getting album-oriented tracks, as opposed to the singles. This one isn't my favorite track on Daisies, not by a long shot, but hell, an upbeat eels track should be savored. Mostly because, much like the Silver Jews, perhaps, E doesn't crank that many of them out.

4. "Lozenge of Love" from the My Iron Lung EP (Radiohead)

Okay, I definitely had to check to see where this track came from. Which might mean that I kinda cheated, I guess. Oh, well. This one is… not one of my favorite b-sides, but then I've got at least two and possibly three CDs devoted to nothing but Radiohead b-sides and rarities.

Which makes me a massive tool.

This isn't the best song on the EP (that would be "Lewis (mistreated)"), but since My Iron Lung is, quite possibly, one of the best EPs ever... does it really matter?

5. "Carparts" from The Worst You Can Do Is Harm (The Long Winters)

I don't know this one, either, really… Jesus.

Probably because I only just got this album, and haven't had the chance to let it soak in yet. Anyway, when I got the Long Winters' most recent album, I knew I needed to get everything John Roderick had ever written or otherwise laid his hands on. And everything even remotely related— Barsuk stuff, Harvey Danger, that kind of thing.

He can do no wrong for me, right now. So, so great.

I'm going to have to listen to this song now.

6. "Glosoli" from Takk (Sigur Ros)

Like Radiohead, Sigur Ros is just a given. If you don't own any or all of their albums, please let me know so that I may provide.

7. "Hey Now What You Doing" from Waiting for the Siren's Call (New Order)

Of all the New Order songs, of all the albums, this one is the one that comes up? Aw, screw it… I'm listening to "Temptation" instead.

8. "After the Curtain" from Gulag Orkestar (Beirut)

Jill will disagree with me, but this album faded from my radar and most everyone's collective memory pretty fast. Sure, I talked it up earlier this year, I bought into the hype, I compared it to gypsies covering Neutral Milk Hotel tunes like everyone else did, or something along those lines, almost certainly, and then… I just stopped listening to it.

I think this is the final track on the album.

I'm sure that some out-of-tune horns figure into it prominently.

9. "Feel Good Inc." from Demon Days (Gorillaz)

This isn't bad, of course… just strangely unfulfilling.

Then again, you're reading the ramblings of a guy who doesn't want Damon circa The Good, The Bad and the Queen, doesn't want Damon circa Mali Music or whatever the hell that project was, doesn't want Damon circa Gorillaz… I simply want the Damon of 1994 to come back (shocking, no?).

Something about this track has always seemed not-quite finished to me, unlike most every song in the Blur catalog, which if anything tended to be overstuffed with tasty goodness.

10. "The Headmaster Ritual" from Meat is Murder (The Smiths)

What— I'm going to say anything about the Smiths that hasn't been said already? Okay, here's something.

I first got into the music I'm into through an odd combination of Camp Harlam (my counselors listened to XTC, God bless 'em), Rob Beideman (who introduced me to the Smiths) and Owen Gaskill (who played Fugazi to me over and over again, and insisted that they were the best thing ever).

Sure, Vern gave me Erasure, and Shane gave me the Indigo Girls, and we all shared Depeche Mode, I think, but it was those first three who cursed me and left me as you know me today.

Broken and lonely, writing lists for no one in particular.

This Year Was a Magnificent Harvest

2006-10-31T07:24:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it... Lorne Michaels sold five minutes of Saturday Night Live to the Kazakh government this past weekend.

Budget cuts, you know.

As luck would have it, the decision made for the best five minutes the show has had in years.

Welcome to the Working Week

2006-10-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Elvis, I don't love you anymore.

Just reminding myself of something.

Never you mind.

***

Links!!! Links!!! Links!!!

1) If you still care about Chris Cornell, why not take a gander at this setlist. Yeah, he's kinda gone adult contemporary (or dangerously close) with Audioslave, but he can still bring the rock from time to time.

Even if you don't care for him anymore, admit it. Right around Badmotorfinger, he was your American Idol.

Nope. I don't know what I meant by that, either.

2) Please. Don't enter the house of Mutombo with your shoes on.

Wait...

That wasn't what actually happened? I thought someone disrespected...

Oh. Yikes.

3) The Phillies should have only one true offseason priority.

4) Glory days... they'll pass you by.

Speaking about the guys in the corner, by the way.

Not Thom & co.

5) This was completely and totally unexpected, but a happy development nonetheless.

Despite the fact that Emory is all but completely out of my rearview, good news is good news.

6) Thanks to Steph (and to a lesser extent, the Beasties) for reminding me of this over the weekend:

7) I got a bit of Lebowski on the brain. Maybe it was because I thought of a costume idea too late. Or maybe because it was because I found this site.

And this one.

8) Speaking of Halloween, a list of the 100 scariest movie scenes of all time. Not for the faint of heart/bladder.

9) As it's Mischief Night/Day... find a way to work this in to whatever you do.

Remember-- it's no crime to say "yeeeeah" and "whaaaaaaaaat's happening???" all day.

It's just annoying after, say, the first two hours.

10) Whatever happened to Jamiroquai?

Oh-- he's working the bathroom circuit.

Should've known.

"Now It’s Flavor of the Month"

2006-10-29T16:50:00.000-05:00

First things first, though.

The Eagles flat-out stink.

***

Thankfully, even with the Eagles serving up a stone-cold suck fest, I had a great weekend. Steph came in on Friday night, and instantly made everything better, as she tends to do. She had a bit of difficulty getting to my place, though, and so by the time she showed up (9pm or thereabouts, following six-plus hours on the road in from Ithaca), there was little to do but settle in on the couch, eat take-out Thai food and drink wine.

Which, come to think of it, was pretty damned fantastic.

Saturday revolved mostly around giving away my old desk, and getting new stuff delivered from Crate and Barrel. The pieces were delivered ahead of schedule, and look really good (in my humble opinion). Now, if I can get some artwork, some plants, some color in my apartment... I'll be done with things.

If I only had the eye for home design. Ah, well.

***

The rest of the day was spent hanging out with Steph, walking around Clarendon together, and... basically eating and drinking every two hours or so.

Which, again, was absolutely perfect.

Unfortunately, Steph had a wedding reception to attend-- arguably the main reason she'd come down here this time out-- and so I dropped her off in Georgetown at about 5pm or so.

***

At which point I began to prep for my big night out at the Black Cat.

I was a bit worried, as the doors weren't even opening until 9:30pm or thereabouts, and I was thinking to myself (old man that I am) whether I'd be able to make it through the night.

A few Netflix discs later (as opposed to the nap I'd promised myself to take), I drove downtown, and got to the club at about 10pm or so. For those of you who know me... that will probably shock you. I know I was surprised (not to be there at 5pm, waiting for the doors to open, in other words).

Anyway, so I get in, pick up my tickets... and immediately notice a sign that says that, in addition to the Wrens/+/- show that I was there to see, Girl Talk is playing the Backstage (the club's downstairs room) at 1am.

I've mentioned my love of Girl Talk on here before (in spite of the horrendous name, yes, I know), but for those who have no idea who or what Girl Talk is... it's one small guy, who made one very big party-sized mix CD, entitled Night Ripper, that basically cuts and pastes together tons and tons of disparate tunes, from Ludacris to James Taylor, from ODB to Neutral Milk Hotel, from Manfred Mann to Three Six Mafia and so on... and it's basically a music lover's wet dream.

If you'll pardon the expression.

Anyway, I decided to shell out the extra $8 and play things by year. Needless to say, the chance to see three of my current favorites in the same building (if not on the same bill) had me very, very excited.

***

After rock chick openers Palomar came on and did a nice job of warming the crowd up, and after some long-forgotten but very welcome tracks by Suede played overhead in-between, the guys of +/- came onstage. I was thrilled to see them for the first time, and by and large, they played an exceptionally tight set (scaring the shit out of people with the enormous volume 3/4 of the way into otherwise-soft opener "Let's Build a Fire"... which was hysterical, in a sadistic way).

I heard all but one of the songs I was hoping that they'd play, and their energy and tunes won over most of the audience. Bad mix-- the soundman must have been drunk off his ass-- but by and large, I was happy with what I saw and heard.

By the time the Wrens came on, though, it was already 12:15, and I was looking at my watch, nervously, to see if I'd have to duck out early in order to catch Girl Talk.

Now, to some people (click on "more" to read the description and learn why), the Wrens are the end-all, be-all... both live and on record. And though I really do like them quite a bit... by this point, I was hankerin' for a DJ set. And the main reason why was that, well, I like Girl Talk more.

That, and I can never understand the Wrens without a lyric sheet in front of me.

And the fact that, looking around, the room seemed to be filled with tons of fraternity guys pumping their fists and dropping their elbows (really) to what a guy in the line behind me had, earlier in the evening, referred to as "sad bastard music."

Name that movie reference, win a prize.

That, and tons of chatty people, who deemed it necessary to talk through an otherwise awesome performance... most notably during "Happy."

Bastards.

***

So, the Wrens were fantastic... really very, very impressive to see live... but they front-loaded their set with some of the best stuff from The Meadowlands, and so I left the room at 12:55am or so with head held high. This despite the Wrens' obviously superior showmanship, and despite not hearing "I've Made Enough Friends" or "Hopeless."

Oh, well. Down the stairs I went.

***

Good thing, too, as for the first time in quite possibly the history of mankind, a DJ showed up exactly when he was supposed to.

The 150 people or so in the small (sold-out) room were already packed tight, many of them in their finest Halloween costumes, and so when Greg walked in and the crowd went nuts and the laptop whirred and the BPM started to rise... it was pretty damned close to madness. In the best sense of the word.

Loud, raucous, and energetic, it seemed as though the room itself was in motion for the next hour or so, with everyone in attendance grinning from ear to ear the entire time.

Now, I haven't gone out dancing in years... but everything about the room, the set, the nearly overwhelming heat, the energy... was just tremendous. So much fun, so much everything. And, somewhat impressively (somewhat not), I was completely sober.

In case you were wondering.

Along with 30 of my closest friends, I even got up on stage, and found myself dancing between a girl in a bunny rabbit outfit and Greg (d/b/a Girl Talk) himself. By the time he ended things with a live cover of Nirvana's "Scentless Apprentice" (really), complete with crowd surfing and stage diving (and how many DJs can say any of that?), everyone was a sweaty-ass mess. And everyone was completely, totally exhausted... in, again, just about the best way possible.

Girl Talk fucking rules.

I worked my way over to Greg again, after his set, and thanked him both for his set (of course) and for Harmonium interview he gave Jed a few weeks back. Dude seemed genuinely appreciative, tagged Jed a cool guy (wonder why), and gave me a hug.

Aw.

***

By the way, if you haven't visited Harmonium recently, Jed has been going absolutely bonkers. I haven't had the time to contribute, myself, but good Lord, look at what our little site has turned into.

***

Getting in at 3am or so last night would have been very rough, if not for the welcome appearance (?) of Daylight Savings Time.

Thank goodness for that extra hour. It couldn't have come at a better time.

After a surprisingly good night of sleep, and a surprisingly enjoyable cup of coffee, I said goodbye to Steph, and went here.

Yeah, I said it.

***

Mock me all you want, but at least I didn't waste three hours watching the Eagles.

***

You're... still mocking me, aren't you?

Well, don't knock it until you've tried it. That's all I'll say.

***

Some fun links tomorrow.

I need to eat now.

Story of the Week/Month/Year

2006-10-27T07:10:00.000-04:00

Do yourself a favor and click on this link.

Now.

It is a blog entry (stay with me) written by Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert (come on, now, stay with me), concerning a condition that he has been dealing with for some time now.

I'd had no idea.

Anyway, the column is one of the more fascinating things you'll read on this or any other day.

Give yourself 5 minutes today, read it, and read the comments that follow. As there are more than 300 of them, I don't expect you to get through them all, but it should offer a hint as to how much of an impact the column had on Adams' readers.

Whirlwind

2006-10-26T21:37:00.000-04:00

In the never ending series of rehearsals and tryouts that make up my dating life... I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't abandon the whole search-for-the-perfect-actress thing, and instead go CGI.

Tonight's date didn't end up the way it could have, which was unfortunate.

But it did end up the way it should have, which in the long run, I suppose, is fortunate.

I've had worse, I've had better.

She'd probably say the same thing.

But you don't get anywhere if you don't try, right?

***

Ask me why I chose the rehearsal motif.

Go ahead.

***

Anyway, Steph's coming tomorrow night, which is all I really care about right now. Should be, as I said below, a complete blast.

No stress.

No arguments.

No unnecessary combat.

And with any luck, no seeing familiar faces in the middle of the whole shebang.

***

We'll have conversations.

There'll be actual listening involved.

***

God forbid.

***

I'm going to bed.

***

Hell, she was a Cowboys fan, anyway. ;)

Help Me Help You

2006-10-26T07:02:00.000-04:00

My company, as I may or may not have told you, is expanding.

LEGALSOURCE has recently been joined by two sister companies-- Adams Grayson Consulting and Adams Grayson Financial Recruiting and Staffing.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about either company-- or if you know someone who might be interested in joining any of the three-- give me a holler, please. I'd be happy to point you in the right direction.

Now, if you'd like to learn more about companies, please visit your local library.

***

Did anyone else think that last night's episode of Lost was somewhat... "meh"?

***

Busy couple of days ahead of me... going out tonight, Steph's in through the weekend (AWESOME), I'm getting my new furniture delivered on Saturday afternoon, Wrens show on Saturday night, Eagles loss on Sunday afternoon... things are just biz-zay.

So if you don't happen to hear from me... please don't take it personally.

I'm not trying to ignore you.

***

Well, maybe you.

Morning, Y'all

2006-10-25T07:39:00.000-04:00

Rough day at work yesterday. Let's hope today is better.

***

Today and tomorrow are Howard Stern days at Sirius... listen in for free if you've been missing him.

Sadly, I have.

It doesn't make me a bad person, does it?

***

Speaking of... something else, I predict a $5 billion opening weekend. Hope you bought your tickets already, as theaters may be packed through 2008.

***

Should I turn this site into a book?

***

Thom's favorite.

***

Er, no.

***

Fascinating.

***

dj shadow - building steam with a grain of salt
the long winters - cinnamon
pavement - heckler spray / in the mouth a desert
the new pornographers - stacked crooked
nusrat fateh ali khan - haq ali ali

Feeling Better Already

2006-10-23T06:30:00.001-04:00

From rickygervais.com:

"As a 'thank you' to everyone who's supported the first three series of podcasts, Ricky, Steve and Karl are doing three specials between now and Christmas - one at Halloween; one at Thanksgiving and one at, er, Christmas.

The first show will go out next week at The Guardian website - link coming soon. All three shows will be free to download."

Don't Be Fooled

2006-10-23T06:11:00.000-04:00

Some in the media are trying to play the "Eagles could be 7-0 card," as all three of their losses came in the last play of the game.

They don't know what they're talking about.

This team is 4-3 as 4-3 can be.

And it stinks.

***

My quads and hammies are even worse this morning.

***

I'm not in as much pain as this guy, but still...

***

Stupid free will, always getting in the way.

Sorry 'bout that!

***

Postcards from "the Edge."

***

From DCRTV:

ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said he has "no plans at the moment" to return to ESPN's Monday Night Football next season. "At the moment, in my mind, I always thought I signed up for one year," the Washington Post sports columnist, in his rookie year on MNF, told the NY Post.

***

The week can only get better from here, right? ;)

A Bad Day for Philly Sports Fans

2006-10-22T17:35:00.000-04:00

The Eagles lose a horrendous, horrendous game in an equally horrendous way.

The Flyers finally make changes, but they're the wrong ones... replacing Bob Clarke with Bob Clarke, Jr. (Paul Holmgren), and firing one of the best coaches in the league, replacing him with some JV scrub.

Awful.

Another New Look

2006-10-22T08:25:00.000-04:00

No reason for this latest change; it's just that there are tons of templates that I can change to at the touch of a button, and I was fooling around with a few.

Let me know if you like this look, or prefer the other one.

Me? I think this one is a bit cleaner, and therefore slightly easier to read.

I've also added some labels (check the right-hand column), so that you can find old columns of interest that you may have missed (Wing Bowl, for instance).

***

After yesterday's longish post, maybe it's time for a good old fashioned link dump?

1) When you start to watch this video (thanks, Jeff), you might laugh a little bit, and then quickly wonder why in the hell you're watching it. Stick with it.

For one, it's strangely hypnotic.

And for two (?), the moves get better as the party continues.

2) Silent Bob (yes, that one) has posted a video of a roller coaster ride that, if you haven't already seen, you're probably going to want to see.

And it's cruel.

It's not funny.

Keep telling yourself that, chuckles.

3) I'll try to keep pictures of my nephew to a minimum on here, simply because of cute overload and whatnot, but... doesn't this photo of Ryan look like the poster of Einstein that's hanging in every other freshman dorm?

4) Some people like Wil Wheaton. Me? I like Sean Nelson.

5) I'm pretty sure that Letterman has heard something like this before.

6) Random fun.

7) Don't even pretend that you don't want to click the link, toolbox.

8) The one music-related post of the day, thanks to Jed: not everyone likes Joanna Newsom, apparently.

9) Any interest in Sudoku wallpaper?

10) Finally, more Leeroy Jenkins, following my post the other day. Witness: Leeroy Jenkins: The Soundboard, and an interview with the man himself.

Howard, the Strangest Thing Has Happened Lately

2006-10-21T17:56:00.000-04:00

I boxed this morning.

Kinda.

As some of you know, Jeff and I signed ourselves up for an "Introduction to Boxing" class some time ago, just as a random thing to do. So, we got together early, and promptly ordered ourselves the breakfast of champions at a small place in Del Ray-- a bacon, egg and cheese for Teso and a sausage, egg and cheese for me. This nutritious start... it would surely bode well for an afternoon at the gym, right?

An afternoon, by the way, which was and is so beautiful that the concept of spending it in a dingy gym... was less than appealing. Jeff let me know this on the way there. I felt bad for having the idea to take a boxing course in the first place.

When we got downtown, we found a church, and no signs of any boxing ring, gym, or any such thing. Which is to say, we were confused, save for the other two people we ran into who were having the same reaction. One, mind, who was the coordinator for the event.

A woman came out of an alleyway (there's a nice sign, right?) and led us down, down, down (not really, but it's how I choose to remember it), under the church and into the bowels of Keely's Gym, in beautiful Columbia Heights. We'd only spend an hour-and-a-half in there, or thereabouts, but the scars... they'd be with us for the rest of our lives.

***

I keed, I keed.

***

Once things got started, it became clear that no one cared whether this was an introductory course or not, despite that being the main selling point of the whole shebang. Instead, several of the instructors (one of whom, a woman, bore a serious resemblance to Professor Griff, by the way) led us through a fairly intensive session of calisthenics.

Never mind that some in the class were more fit than others, that there was a certain age range at play... the instructors didn't care. "50 of this," "200 of that"... it was painful. No water breaks, no respites between sets, just... uh, pain and sweat, as Debbie Allen used to say.

*groan*

Anyway, we were divided into two groups after awhile, with Jeff and I already giving one another the "this is not what we really signed up for" look.

Thankfully, though, group one got in the ring, and learned how to throw punches and combinations.

Unfortunately, Jeff and I were in group two. And what we got was a whole bunch of jump ropes and medicine balls.

***

After ten minutes or so of that nonsense (10 squats with medicine ball, followed by jump rope, followed by 10 squats with medicine ball, repeat), we finally got to put the (unbelievably rancid) gloves on. Whether we were really ever told how to throw a punch is... well, we may have been told, but said instructions were hard to decipher, if you know what I mean.

Be that as it may, everyone took turns throwing punches at our instructor... just basic combinations, for a minute or so apiece.

Ever thrown more than a few punches at once?

I hadn't. And as I discovered, it's more exhausting than I'd have guessed.

Which was tremendous, in and of itself. But then things took a turn, when after my second go-round or so, my long-lost friend, Mr. Hernia, decided to say hello to me.

At that point, with apologies to the parents, my first thought was something along the lines of: "fuck."

***

As it turns out, I was in a lot of pain... but the pain would soon go away. It wasn't like I'd torn myself a new what-have-you, or anything. But when I've had these recurrences in the past... I've always erred on the side of caution, just to be safe.

Which may explain why I resemble the Pillsbury Doughboy these days, but that's besides the point.

This, when combined with the exhaustion of the workout to that point, was more than enough for me to hang 'em up. I told Jeff what went down, and headed outside with no shame. From the look on Teso's face, I was guessing that he probably wouldn't be too far behind me... this despite the fact that I didn't want him to leave early on my account. But I'd absolutely had enough (I'm not doing the fatigue justice at this point), either way, and so again, I felt no shame in leaving, especially so that I might salvage the day.

Teso came out about 10 minutes later, struggling to breathe. Seems that, whether by virtue of my leaving early or not, the instructor gave Teso about four minutes straight, demanding crosses and uppercuts, again and again and again. Teso could barely lift his arms at the end.

Still, it was impressive, to hear Jeff tell it. While Jeff found his legit second wind, and got some kudos from the guy (who knew he was asking Teso to take it to the next level)... he promptly lost his second wind upon getting into my car.

Basically, we couldn't take no more. Jeff and I both needed a good number of minutes to even remember how to breathe properly. The drive home was, at least at first, not much fun at all.

But once we broke for the day, and after several Gatorades, a shower, and some more Gatorade, I was feeling better. That said, my body is screaming at me, right now.

I'm guessing that tomorrow will be even worse.

***

To treat myself, following the super-spectacular workout I'd had, I walked down the street to the party that was Clarendon Day. And while it was a good bit what I expected it to be, it was still a lot of fun (even though I was by myself). Lots of booths, lots of shopping, lots of food and drink (though I had none)... it was gorgeous out, so everyone was having a really good time.

Lots of stuff for the kids-- climbing walls, trampolines, a little pool full of boats-- almost too cute for words, at times.

Apart from all the arts and crafts, and wacky Colbert Report-themed t-shirt stands, I saw this on a wall, and it struck me as interesting, I guess:

I got myself a necklace, for no good reason, and then hit a few stores on the way home for good measure, just to treat myself to things I didn't need.

One of them was the Bose SoundDock for my iPod.

***

Like I said before... I'm going to be feeling it in the morning.

(Re) Discoveries We Should Be Sharing

2006-10-19T22:18:00.000-04:00

Sleeplinking

2006-10-19T07:04:00.000-04:00

This week has been a bit of a blur. Do you ever have the sense, when there's not as much going on in your life, that things are just passing you by?

That's been the past few days for me. I feel like I've been sleepwalking a bit.

Sure, there was a nice happy hour with Summer, Heather and Bridget last night, to make up for the aborted "shappy hour" (don't ask) of the night before.

And yes, Clarendon Day (whatever that is) takes place on Saturday, after which Jeff and I are going to go boxing.

But apart from that, I've been spacing.

I've been sleeping through my alarm, haven't been working out as I'd been... something seems a bit off.

***

If you have guesses, my suggestion box is open.

So to speak.

***

Let's wrangle some links, then, shall we?

1) A column from a week or so ago, from old friend Keith Olbermann. I'd say that I stand by him 100%... but then I wouldn't want to be accused of treason, or worse, hyperbole.

Either way, an interesting read from someone who used to make his living grunting "Houston! Hello!"

2) Many thanks to Pete (and to his friend, Bill) for pointing me towards the best resume in the history of the world.

Kind of.

Be sure to watch the video after you read the article. It's a beaut.

3) The lamest thing you've ever seen, until about 1:20 into things (and you can thank South Park for this)... Mister Leeroy Jenkins.

4) A quick, handheld video that proves God's existence (from another angle).

5) Staying on the sports front, a great page of the most ridiculous coaching meltdowns of all time. Includes Koharski's "have another donut!" blast, and Woody Hayes being, um, Woody Hayes.

6) Surprisingly, I think I only have about 14 of these.

7) Finally, I don't know if this is fantastic or merely creepy.

The Last Few Days

2006-10-17T08:30:00.000-04:00

You’d think that I’d be suffering. With no Internet connection, you’d imagine, I’d be lost at sea. A complete and utter mess. Missing my blog, and missing you.

But you’d be wrong. Except for the “missing you” part, I mean.

My life has been much better since kicking Comcast to the curb. I’d rather have no connection at all than to have to deal with them any further. And even though it’s meant a few days “off,” I’ve had a nice couple of days. Relaxed. Happy.

Even with the Eagles loss.

***

Anyway, I registered online (at work, if memory serves) for Verizon DSL, and was told that my service would be good to go by Wednesday (tomorrow).

Wouldn’t you know I got the materials in the mail last night? I was very excited.

Yes, more excited than I should have been.

Unfortunately, the instructions expressly suggested that I wait until Wednesday night to put everything together. So, I guess that Verizon wound up being a bit of a tease. But with any luck, the worst of Verizon will still be better than the best Comcast had to offer.

Not that I’m still bitter or anything.

***

The biggest deal of the past several days was the unexpected visit I had with Jen Bowles (no relation, in case you’re wondering) yesterday afternoon. For those of you who don’t know, Jen was one of my closest friends at Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, back in the day, and along with Steph... she made life liveable. The two of them were and are terrific, even if both decided to strand me in the D.C. area (kidding, kidding).

So imagine my surprise when Jen (who has spent years in Argentina and Ann Arbor since moving away) gives me a call and says that, instead of Michigan, she’s in D.C.—in town because her husband is in Baltimore for the weekend. And that she wants to get together.

Anyway, I caught up with her for lunch, and had a great time. She’s just fantastic, as always, and… what a wonderful surprise, to see her, seemingly out of nowhere. And did I happen to mention that she’s five months pregnant, with little baby Iris?

Thanks for coming, Jen. You made my week.

***

What else is happening?

Uh, the Eagles lost. But… I guess it was a loss to a legitimately good team. And though we came out flat, at least we came back a good bit in the third quarter, and at least showed a bit of a pulse.

It wasn’t a horrible game, even if it was one we should have won.

That said… does anyone want a past-his-prime Michael Lewis? At these prices, we’re practically giving him away!

***

After a weekend or two away, and a busy couple of weeks at work, I did next to nothing over the weekend. And I loved it. I didn’t go anywhere, with the possible exception of my couch.

Apart from catching up on old episodes of Stella and Mr. Show, and watching Rashomon for the first time, I spent the weekend reading The Fountainhead.

And my 48 hours were fantastic, thank you very much.

***

Does anyone else like the Tiger Woods PGA Golf 2007 commercial, where he instructs the player to hit his iron off the tree?

Is it just me?

Hello?

***

Charles Barkley on Terrell Owens last night, on Monday Night Football:

“If he was my teammate, I’d have hit him in the head a long time ago.”

Love that guy.

***

More in the next few days, including more wacky links.

And, given recent complaints, fewer curse words.

I swear.

Taking My Leave

2006-10-13T13:32:00.000-04:00

It is done.

I am no longer a Comcast subscriber-- at least not with respect to their awful, AWFUL high-speed internet.

Fuckers.

Instead, I will be using Verizon DSL. My connection will be a bit slower, perhaps, but then I'd guess my internet will be up and running more than 55% of the time.

Which will be nice.

***

Anyway, just wanted to drop in and say that, until Verizon is set up, on or about Wednesday... posts here might be infrequent at best.

But fear not, fellow nerds... I'll make up for any lost time with lots of links to stupid twaddle. Time-wasters galore.

And of course, I'll fill you in on all the big doings of my life: trips to TJ Maxx, showers where I get particularly clean, the odd concert report on a band you've never heard of...

It will be AWESOME.

So long as the Verizon thingy works, that is. Fingers crossed, right?

***

the hold steady - chips ahoy!
ben folds - gone
r.e.m. - feeling gravity's pull
pavement - summer babe (winter version)
camper van beethoven - take the skinheads bowling

Knowing Me, David Berger; Sacking You, Comcast-- A-HA!

2006-10-13T09:17:00.000-04:00

Short post, just to let you know I'm okay.

Except that Comcast has botched it again. My home connection is down, just as it was a few weeks ago, and the weeks before that, etcetera. So I'll be ending my relationship with Comcast as soon as humanly possible.

Worst company in the world.

***

The above title, by the way, is a reference to Knowing Me, Knowing You, and... well... you need to see it, if for some reason you have not.

***

Did you know?

My Morning Jacket tickets are already on sale?
Tenacious D tickets are on sale tomorrow morning?
Joanna Newsom tickets will probably never go on sale?

Bastards!

***

Everybody wish Teso good luck tonight, please.

Thank you.

POP C(andy)

2006-10-11T07:11:00.000-04:00

I really should have linked to Pop Candy a long time ago.

A LONG time ago.

I read Whitney's column often, and swipe so many of her links that I owe her at least one (1) latte. Or one (1) frappucino. Her choice.

Anyway, by way of apology, I'm listing Pop Candy over to the right. And swiping two more links.

*cough*

Check out George Michael (no, not the old, boring one) doing comedy, and a tremendous article on the real Poppa Bear, Stephen Colbert, here.

***

I can't go a day without prattling on and on about Ricky Gervais, can I?

Check out a Stereogum-endorsed clip from Extras, featuring Chris Martin, here.

Speaking of which, you should probably visit and/or support Make Trade Fair... otherwise Chris will come to your house and, er, sing, or something.

***

I wish I still lived in Atlanta. Not just because I miss Criminal Records (though I do), but because of this l'il show:

***

Oh, well. At least I don't live in Croatia.

***

the hold steady - chillout tent
wilco - outtasite (outtamind)
outkast - so fresh, so clean
my morning jacket - mahgeeta
of montreal - the past is a grotesque animal (HOLY SHIT)

And the D Said,

2006-10-10T20:59:00.000-04:00

Let there be movie. Oh, yeah-- and let there be TOUR.

Yes, tour.

Jables and Rage Kage will be rocking DC on December 3.

Needless to say, I'll see you there.

Enlarge this... much funnier that way:

The One Where I Go On and On About a Six-Month Old

2006-10-10T06:19:00.000-04:00

In the wake of the life-affirming Eagles' win, I feel that there's a lot I haven't gone over yet regarding my weekend.

Like this, for starters:

Ryan, please don't eat your thank you note.

***

My weekend in Columbus was, as you might imagine, fantastic. It was great to see Mike and Michelle again, to see Mom and Dad, of course... but Ryan was kinda the star of the whole shebang. Moreso, even, that the assorted animals and Babs that popped up here and there throughout the weekend.

See, Michelle tried to surprise Mom with tickets to see La Streisand on Friday night. Didn't work (the surprise part), but... they both enjoyed themselves a ton.

Who knew that Barbara Streisand would ever set foot in Columbus? Let alone bring the President with her? The city is moving up in the world, I guess.

The men also enjoyed themselves a ton, gathering back at Chez Roche to watch football, hockey and baseball. Ryan seemed the most into it; Dad and I were a bit spent from a long travel day.

This is what happens when you get old: the Vulcan mind-meld becomes endlessly entertaining.

***

The rest of the weekend was spent eating the best ice cream in the country at Graeter's (sorry, Creamery), eating BBQ at a pig-themed restaurant (you heard me-- I ordered the water and was NOT disappointed), and yes, watching more football, hockey and baseball back at the house.

And watching Ryan experience his first pumpkin patch and his first go-round at the Columbus Zoo.

I'll be asked to take these pictures down, I'm sure.

So enjoy them now, while you still can.

***

Anyway, the entire weekend was great. I especially enjoyed the manatees at the zoo.

What?

***

Yesterday was an exceptionally slow day at work, between the holiday and... well, I don't know what else... and so what did I do?

I sifted through the emails and the links you've been sending me.

Bunch of crazies.

***

Let's start with a bang, shall we?

Remember a few weeks ago, I posted to the top 10 Will Ferrell skits of all time? Well now, just in time for the movie (which I think comes out next month)... the Top 10 Borat skits of all-time.

Enjoy?!?

***

You don't know it yet, but this is going to be your favorite show next year.

***

Ever wonder (Whaddya mean "no"? I haven't asked the question yet!) how much it costs to bring your favorite band to town? Well, check out this list, and see what I was swimming in back in my days on the Cornell Concert Comission.

Wait, wait, WAIT. We're paying how much for Hootie, again???

Speaking of the good 'ol days... rest in peace, Tower Records.

***

Best Ren & Stimpy episode, ever.

At least, best that I can remember.

***

Now, I know I tell you that "this is the greatest clip you'll ever see" a bit more frequently than I should... but then the Internet is a wonderful thing.

Along those lines, just note that this warrants your immediate attention.

***

If you can get this to work, it'd be pretty cool, I suppose.

***

Fascinating and vaguely horrifying blog entry on the antichrist (guy doesn't even merit a capital "A" in my book), Rick Santorum.

Read it and weep.

***

Thanks to Ilise, you can get your daily bunny fix anytime you want.

I'd forgotten about those little things.

***

I need to sleep... why won't you let me/
I need to sleep... why won't you?

***

frank black - headache
decemberists - after the bombs
catherine wheel - black metallic
the fall - the classical
the polyphonic spree - hangin' around the day

A Win for the Ages

2006-10-09T06:25:00.000-04:00

I had a great weekend in Columbus, absolutely... and it would be the lead story any other time. In fact, I'll tell you all about it in time. Everybody's doing great, Ryan is still the best kid in the world, yadda yadda yadda.

But...

Words cannot express how happy the entire Eagles-Cowboys game, and especially the play pictured below, made me last night.

Screaming like an idiot on the car ride home, yelling "E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES," and "How 'Bout Dem Cowboys?!?" to whomever might have been close enough to hear, getting calls from my Dad damned near every other play over the final few minutes, just so I could get a play-by-play, watching everything on tape throughout the night once I got home, giving thanks to God that the Cowboys are quarterbacked by Drew Bledsoe (dig that 33.1 passer rating!)...

Just too great. Every single player (wearing green, that is) gave a 110% effort, and the whole thing... it was simply astounding to take in.

If you're not from Philly... if you haven't spent time in Philly... if you don't know anyone from Philly... you might not realize that this game may have been the biggest regular season win this franchise has ever had. For the team, and especially for the city.

So much to say about it, but one of the most important things to note is how well-behaved the crowd apparently was. For all the media predictions that there would be rioting, violence, incarcerations... apparently there was none of it (or, I'm predicting, very little of it). The crowd shouted, chanted, was nuts as predicted... but that was it.

The national media owes the city of Philadelphia a bit of an apology.

***

Links:

1) Best movie of the weekend.

2) Brutal.

3) Interesting.

***

I'm spent.

Happily spent, but spent.

God bless the Eagles.

Goodbye for Now

2006-10-06T07:14:00.000-04:00

I'll be taking my leave, later this morning... heading up (over?) to Columbus, OH to see Michelle, Mike, Ryan and the 'rents. Should be a lot of fun.

I'll be back Sunday night, at which point I'll either be rejoicing or in mourning.

If things didn't go well (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, then I guess you don't know me well enough)... don't even bother calling me. I won't pick up the phone.

That said... I'm feeling pretty good. Getting good vibes.

Feeling optimistic.

Really.

Eagles, 27-16.

***

If you don't do it for yourselves... then win it for this guy, gang.

***

On another note.

I'm not saying you need to get this for me, per se... but maybe you need to get it for the nerd in your life.

***

You probably saw this already.

Careful... some bad language (horrors!) therein.

***

I'm still missing this guy. Does that make me weird?

***

I hate to scare you.

But I feel compelled to warn you...

Beware of Frankenbunny.

***

Let's make you feel a little better.

Best site ever.

***

Nothing much to report. A fairly slow week at work (where I'll be for a few hours this morning), and a fairly slow week otherwise.

Hell of a write-up, huh?

Anyway. Have a great weekend, friends. Be sure and give me the report Sunday evening or Monday, as appropriate.

Last Night

2006-10-05T06:22:00.000-04:00

First...

Then...

And then, finally:

Gideon

2006-10-03T21:32:00.000-04:00

Why am I writing this now, instead of tomorrow morning?

Because we have a 7:45am meeting.

Too early. Too darned early.

Throws the whole blogging schedule off, you know? ;)

***

Starting that early almost assuredly means that I'll be like this at about 4:30pm or so...

***

Quick links, then:

1) Check out Biff's song... not half-bad.

2) Check out the movie we're seeing tonight.

3) Check out the coolest guy in rock. He can do no wrong.

***

"RELIGION - SHOULD APPEAL TO THE HEARTS OF THE YOUNG.
WHO ARE YOU? WHAT HAVE YOU BECOME?

YOU ANIMAL. COME ON. WHAT DOES THIS REMIND YOU OF?

TRULY. TRULY WE HAVE BECOME. HATED AND FEARED FOR SOMETHING WE DON'T WANT.
LISTEN. LISTEN. MOST OF US BELIEVE THAT THIS IS WRONG.

YOU ANIMAL. COME ON. WHAT DOES THIS REMIND YOU OF?"

Harmonium Turns One!

2006-10-03T06:50:00.000-04:00

Do me a favor-- go to Harmonium and read this.

It's our first birthday, and coming off of an interview with the friggin' Scissor Sisters (we are now officially BIG TIME), we've got another contest!

Let me politely say that if you know me... if you've read any of my pieces... you'll have a startlingly easy time at winning some free music from us.

Anyway. Thanks for your support, and thanks (in retrospect) for all your kind words about my Decemberists review from last week. It means a lot.

All's Well That Ends Well

2006-10-03T06:12:00.000-04:00

Well, that was ugly.

The first half of last night's game was, at least. A game that should have been 21-9 Eagles at the half, and instead we're down 9-7 because of two Buckhalter fumbles inside the 5? Yikes.

Thank goodness for McNabb, and specifically, his two hookups with Mr. Softee (Greg Lewis). Thank goodness for a third quarter that played out the way the entire game should have. And thank goodness we were playing a crap team like the Packers, in the first place, rather than...

I'm not gonna say it.

I'm not gonna talk about them, yet.

Anyway. The Daily News has some grades. I think they're being a good bit generous, whether Westbrook suited up or not.

***

Best sign of the night:

"Get Well Soon, T.O., So We Can HURT You."

***

By the way, the sheer volume and array of curse words hurled at Michael Irvin last night during the pre-game and at halftime... astonishing.

God bless the Philadelphia Eagles' fans, and their unending hatred of all things Cowboy-related. It's always good to have your priorities straight.

My favorite part of the night may have been the wonderful 10-minute long piece in the pregame on a young Eagles fan suffering from sickle cell anemia, a typical Chris Connolly tug-at-the-heartstrings piece, and how the entire Eagles organization gave him the best day(s) of his life. It was, honestly, as well done and as heartwarming a fluff piece as you'll ever see.

When they came back to the ESPN team, though-- before the last shot of the story had completely faded, in fact-- all you heard were the yells at Irvin, the chants of "asshole... asshole... asshole..."

Never forget, my friends. Never forget.

***

One more thing.

Tirico? The guy on top of this building? This Philadelphia landmark, the one that appears in every Philadelphia clip montage you've ever run?

The gentleman's name is William Penn, NOT Ben Franklin. Get it right next time.

***

On another note.

I'm not gonna tell you who sent this to me. But if there are ulterior motives at play, I have reason to be alarmed. ;)

***

The fixation on My Morning Jacket continues. If you're still not sold, check out this unbelievably terrific performance of "Gideon" that they did on Letterman, a few months back, alongside the f'g Boston Pops.

One of the best sets of lyrics in years.

Love it.

***

I'm generally a David Cross apologist, but when it comes to this video that's making the rounds... I agree with the comment by, uh, "KGagliardi."

Scroll down after you've watched the "fun."

***

File Under: "I'll Believe It When I See It."

***

Cool.

Nothing to Say

2006-10-02T06:48:00.000-04:00

Sorry, but I'm on empty. My goal for the weekend was to rest, and to do little else... and I succeeded.

So, I have very little to offer, other than the fact that I slept well.

***

Despite today's holiday, I will be going in to work. There's too much going on at the office for me to take the day off, in good conscience.

In lieu of that particular mode of observance, then, allow me to borrow a few words from Wikipedia, so that we can all educate ourselves.

***

Yom Kippur is the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement. It falls on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishri. The Bible calls the day Yom Hakippurim (Hebrew, "Day of the Atonements"). It is one of the Yamim Noraim (Hebrew, "Days of Awe"). The day is commemorated with a 25-hour fast and intensive prayer. It is the most holy day of the Jewish year.

General observances

Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of repentance, considered to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. Its central theme is atonement and reconciliation. Eating, washing, cosmetics, wearing leather shoes, and conjugal relations are prohibited (Mishnah tractate Yoma 8:1). Total abstention from food and drink usually begins half-an-hour before sundown (called "tosefet Yom Kippur," the "addition" of fasting part of the day before is required by Jewish law), and ends after nightfall the following day. Although the fast is required of all healthy adults, it is specifically forbidden for anyone who might be harmed by it, such as pregnant women or sick people.

Yom Kippur is observed in different ways in different Jewish communities. Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish, Portuguese and North African descent) refer to this holiday as "the White Fast." Consequently, many Jews have the custom of wearing only white clothing on this day, to symbolize their "white" (pure) desire to free themselves from sin. Ashkenazic Jews, while acknowledging the origins of the holiday as a day of rejoicing, tend to take a more somber, solemn attitude to the day.
[edit]

Observances among secular Jews

Yom Kippur is considered the holiest of Jewish holidays, and its observance is held even among the majority of secular Jews who may not strictly observe other holidays. Many secular Jews will fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is often double or triple the normal attendance. In Israel, public non-observance (such as eating or driving a motor vehicle) is taboo. Yom Kippur there has the nickname "Festival of Bicycles," referring to children's practice of freely riding their bicycles in the streets without motor vehicles presenting danger. In Israel on Yom Kippur there is no broadcast television, no public transportation, and the airports are closed. There is no commerce of any kind in the Jewish areas.

Read the rest here.

If You Buy Only One Album This Holiday Season... Make It:

2006-09-30T19:45:00.001-04:00

Quickie

2006-09-30T11:13:00.000-04:00

For those amongst you who should recognize Yom Kippur, who should be fasting this weekend, but simply don't have the time (or concern)... may I recommend you call 1-888-OOPS-JEW?

Atone, sinners.

Shorthand

2006-09-30T10:02:00.000-04:00

I've got good news to share with you, though I'd rather tell you about it than write about it.

So... give me a ring, will you, please?

***

Top 5 Recent "Fill in the Gaps in My Collection" CDs:

1. Harvey Danger - King James Version
2. Slint - Spiderland
3. Nada Surf - Let Go
4. Ben Folds - Rockin' the Suburbs
5. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Top 5 Announcers on WIP:

1. Glen Macnow
2. Anthony Gargano
3. Rhea Hughes
4. Al Morganti
5. Don McKee

Top 5 Most Irritating NFL Personalities:

1. Terrell Owens
1a. Deion Sanders
3. Michael Irvin
4. Tony Siragusa
5. Shannon Sharpe

Top 5 Netflix Movies, in Recent Months:

1. Brick
2. Cache
3. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
4. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
5. Match Point

Top 5 Eagles Players of My Lifetime:

1. Reggie White
2. Donovan McNabb
3. Brian Dawkins
4. Randall Cunningham
5. Seth Joyner

Top 5 Comedies, Like, Ever

1. The Larry Sanders Show
2. Arrested Development
3. The Office (UK)
4. Fawlty Towers
5. The Young Ones

***

Just taking it easy today. Not thinking too hard about anything... just relaxing.

For the Foreseeable Future

2006-09-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

This is the best restaurant of all time.

Thank you, Paul.

Thank you, Caleb.

***

And oh, yeah... thank you, too, Scarlett.

Just for being you.

***

It's called gratitude, and that's right.

The Approaching Autumnal Equinox

2006-09-29T06:54:00.000-04:00

Summer is almost behind us.

Today's her final day at LEGALSOURCE.

Which basically means that the office, my life, your life... it's all about to come crashing down. For without Summer, we're all going to be lost.

LOST!!!

***

Okay. I'm calm, now.

So... she's just moving a few blocks away. She's not leaving the city. But it certainly seems like the end of an era, even for a schlemiel like me who's only known her for a few months. The rest of these guys-- my co-workers-- I think that a little part of them might be dying.

So, please, if you run into them... buy them a beer. Or, at least, recommend them the best office administratrix you can.

Ah, well.

Best of luck, dear. You're going to kill it.

Whereas we're just gonna die. ;)

***

Yet another reason that the Bush Administration sucks: they refused to see Borat yesterday, when he showed up at their front door.

Click here for one of the most ridiculous stories CNN has published in a long time, if not ever.

***

Hey, Jill... did you see this?

You'll know what I'm talking about.

***

Not much else to say.

Things are well.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, as always.

Odds and Sods

2006-09-28T06:06:00.000-04:00

A quick note.

Apart from you-- my, um, "regular readers"-- having this site bookmarked, do you know how other people (in New Zealand, in Canada, in Singapore, etc.) are finding this site?

The most popular Google searches that result in Moebius Trip popping up?

3) Stewie [from Family Guy, of course]
2) "Gimme Back My Son!"
1) NFL Replay song

God bless the Internet.

Anyway, I just thought that you'd be interested in knowing how people get here. I'm amazed that these searches keep turning up.

And now the NFL Replay song is in my head again.

***

This is not how I'll choose to remember Blur, years from now.

Rather, I'll think of all of the moments in 1994 (such as this one), just like every other fan.

***

A bit more quantity than quality this time out, but a Bill Simmons chat is still a Bill Simmons chat.

And that certainly beats an underwhelming Bill Simmons appearance on the Colbert Report.

***

To cleanse the palate, how's about a completely classic Daily Show bit, where Stewart and Colbert both lose their shit?

***

And now, for your final link...

You know what?

I'm not providing it.

I can't, in good conscience.

No way.

Just know that, um, Screech from Saved By the Bell... he's releasing a sex tape.

And it only gets worse from there. If you want to look it up... YOU do it. I can't and won't be held responsible for what you find. I read the story, and was immediately upset that I'd done so.

Needless to say, I will not be seeking out the video.

Your Thought for the Evening

2006-09-27T23:01:00.000-04:00

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.

Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else. No one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly, one must pile experience upon experience. And once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not always bear it in mind.

When one understands this settling into single-mindedness well, his affairs will thin out.

See His Pug Nose Face

2006-09-27T06:52:00.000-04:00

This morning is marked, as much as anything else, by what may be the final installment, ever, of "The Ricky Gervais Show."

This makes me sad, even if I never, ever, referred to Ricky Gervais as "The Podfather," as is suggested by the above-linked article.

Anyway, as you know, the show is damned near the funniest thing I've ever heard... and it will be missed. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a season four, or a Christmas Special, or a Microsoft-sponsored installment, or something... but in the meantime, let me give you something else, Gervais-related.

It's not airing in the US just yet, but season 2 of Extras has started in the UK. Last week's episode featured David Bowie, and what happens in this clip... it's just beyond fantastic. Possibly the greatest thing Gervais has written to date. I implore you to take three minutes out of your day and watch.

***

A few years past the last time you cared, I'd guess... but who wants to see every episode of The Simpsons that's ever been aired?

***

Thank you, GQ, for pointing out the best best Chris Berman story in history.

Whether it's true or not, it's all sorts of hysterical. And as I pointed out to a co-worker yesterday, it's much funnier than Stuart Scott's eye injury (you can check that out on wikipedia yourself... I don't have the heart to link to someone else's misfortune, even if it is Stuart Scott's).

***

As a huge fan of the (old era) of The Boondocks, I don't know how to feel about this, though if means more cartoon eps are coming... I suppose that'll do.

***

Maybe I should start keeping my opinions to myself. Just in case.

***

Completely missed this... I would have celebrated, had I known.

***

We are mere moments from Bill O'Reilly declaring a "war on
teddy bears." Just thought you should know that teddy bears are under attack from the far left, liberal-wing nutjob crazies.

Or so you'll hear.

The truth... is far more sinister.

A Modest Proposal

2006-09-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Forgive me for being oblique, here.

***

Someone I know is going through a particularly tough time right now. The who and the what... those things aren't relevant to the point I want to make, so you'll forgive me if I don't explain any further.

Needless to say, it's a situation where I want to help, to do whatever I can... and unfortunately, my options are a bit limited, now, for any of a number of reasons.

That happens, sometimes. It can be difficult to lend a meaningful hand, despite the best of intentions.

So, instead, and if you wouldn't mind... I'd just like you to take a few moments out of your day, today, to either think some positive thoughts my friend's way, or better still, I'd like for you to do something nice for a friend of yours. Any friend will do.

It does not have to be me, mind. ;)

But it can be anything. Really. Let them know how you are. Ask how they're doing. Suggest a night out.

Or make a donation to charity.

It really doesn't matter. Just... if you don't believe in karma, then pretend that you do, for one day, and pass some positive thoughts our way.

Thanks.

Renewal

2006-09-25T07:15:00.000-04:00

First of all, please click here and read my latest review for Harmonium: a few paragraphs on the Decemberists' wonderful new album, The Crane Wife.

I actually tried to do something a bit different with this writeup, somewhat in the spirit of the band's character and overarching traits, if you will... and so I'd appreciate your cheers and/or jeers, pots and/or pans, thumbs up and/or thumbs down.

I just want to know if it was worth the effort, I guess.

Feel free to click here for an archive of my reviews, if you simply can't get enough.

Which would be perfectly understandable, given my near-bottomless talents. ;)

***

New Year, new workout regimen. You don't need to know the deets (!), just know that I'm gonna try to get back into things.

There's no reason not to.

***

The Iggles whooped up on the Niners yesterday, as they should have. The game wasn't televised locally, and I was with Teso yesterday afternoon, so I couldn't follow online or anything... but apparently it played out properly.

No injuries, I don't think.

So, between that and the Giants' loss (and this jabrone's post-game comments)... things are a good bit better than they were a week ago.

I even purchased an Eagles throw (60x80, not one of those 50x60 jobs) to celebrate.

See what happens when there's no Entourage to watch? I buy things!

Come back soon, Ari.

***

As promised, a pic from the other night of Ilise and my unbelievably fat face. If you were to see pics of Ilise and I in high school... they look markedly different, let's say.

***

Nothing else going on today. The weekend was relaxing, when it wasn't busy.

One final link before I go: Hugo Chavez May Have Anger Management Issues.

Quick Music Post

2006-09-24T10:14:00.000-04:00

As we approach the 3/4 mark of the year, I decided to take a gander at what my Top 10 albums list might look like by year's end.

And it is astonishing who, as of now, is in danger of NOT making the cut. I love all of these albums, but as things stand... they're on the outside, looking in.

In alphabetical order, then, my list of also-rans:

Band of Horses
Beirut
Birdmonster
Cold War Kids
Devotchka
Division Day
Final Fantasy
Flaming Lips
Gnarls Barkley
Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins
Lupe Fiasco
Midlake
Morrissey
Mountain Goats
Neko Case
Pearl Jam
Pipettes
Raconteurs
Sufjan Stevens
Twilight Singers

Beck, Dylan, the Hold Steady, a few others... I haven't heard their albums yet. Same with some of the more notable omissions from the list above... unless they're already slotted between 1 and 10, of course.

But I can tell you it's gonna be really difficult to break into my Top 10.

Take that, Zimmy!

***

harvey danger - elvis, i don't love you anymore
radiohead - like spinning plates (live)
cake - mahna mahna (sesame street cover)
ghostland observatory - midnight voyage
beach boys - wouldn't it be nice

Om

2006-09-24T09:25:00.000-04:00

It is Sunday morning, and I just woke from one of the better sleeps I've had in months. I'm feeling relaxed, calm, and happy that yesterday was as productive a day as it was.

But it was passively productive, as opposed to too-much-on-my-plate, this-all-needed-to-get-done-last-week, which is how things have been, as of late. Maybe I should read this?

Productivity is next to godliness, or something... right? What was it that Billy Corgan said?

Oh, nevermind.

***

Yesterday's Rosh Hashanah service turned out to be a very good thing, after seeming to be a rather bad idea beforehand.

In other words... story of my life.

See, as I mentioned to Theresa the other night... things tend to follow a pattern for me.

No matter what the shape or size, no matter who they involve, or anything else-- I ALWAYS dread events in advance. Get-togethers, fetes, parties, weddings, trips, everything... they always make me miserable. Beforehand, that is.

Maybe it's the expectation that I have trouble with. The waiting being the hardest part, and all that.

Or perhaps it's the planning. Who knows.

Regardless, once I get there-- to any of the above-mentioned functions-- I end up loving everything and everyone.

This will happen at my own wedding, guaranteed. I will want out beforehand (having nothing to do with my bride, God willing), I'll want to fake an illness, I'll complain of having too much to do... and then I'll end up going, and I'll have a complete and total blast.

In other words, if you hear me complaining-- just slap me, and tell me to quit my bitching.

***

Which brings me back to the service. It was not at my "new" liberal synagogue in Falls Church, but rather at a/the historic synagogue at 6th and I in downtown DC. It was advertised as a service for those professionals, age 21-35, without their own congregation (or tickets to High Holiday services).

And so I went. Not, for once, looking to meet women. It being High Holidays and all.

But upon arriving, I realized that it was a traditional ceremony. Men sitting on one side of the room, women on the other. Men davening, singing, praying beforehand. People looking, on the whole, a good bit more godly than I.

Everything was a bit more ramped up... judaically speaking.

But then the service started, and it turned out OK. More than OK, in fact. The rabbi did a wonderful job of leading the service, threw enough personality into the thing to relate to us kids, and 2 1/2 hours actually felt like far, far less.

It was a Rosh Hashanah miracle, I tells ye.

The only distractions? Uncomfortable seats, combined with no personal space (the room was packed with about 150-200 people). This was offset, however, by a guy wearing something similar to this just a few seats in front of me. Chris, you would have been proud.

I would tell you that it was difficult having the women sit on the other side of the room, separated by trees and tallish plants, but that would tarnish the sanctity of the day.

I will say, however, that as I was in a room of 21-35 year-olds, I was far from the only one craning my neck everytime we stood up or sat down.

***

The Kennedy Center thing? The performance of Frankenstein? It didn't work out.

Be sure to ask me why! And why I'm not sad about it... at all.

***

Do yourself a favor and check out the Chimney Sweeps.

Not bad at all.

***

To paraphrase Kyle Leafblower, so worst.

***

Then again, so best. This is a great video of Ben Folds performing "Such Great Heights" live, for Aussie TV, with... well, I won't spoil it. But if you don't watch to the very end, it's your loss.

Love it.

***

Finally, brother, can you spare $1,255.00?

Because if you can... I mean... HOLY SHIT.

Rosh Hashanah

2006-09-23T08:23:00.000-04:00

First off, let me wish all of you a very happy, healthy New Year.

Whether you believe in the Jewish calendar or not, the Jewish tenets or not, the comedic stylings of Jackie Mason or not... please accept my hopes for you, your family and your friends to have a terrific year to come.

And why not accept well-wishes? What, you're too good for them?

You know, your cousin in New York accepts well-wishes, I don't know why you shouldn't... he's such a beautiful boy...

***

I suppose that I should tell you what my goals are for 5767:

1) Accessorize. I know, I know... material things are bad. No, no, they're not. Not when you haven't had a legit second date in almost a month. And I think it might have a little to do with the fact that I'm hardly as blinged out, as I could (and rightfully should) be.

So, I might purchase a new grill or two. God would approve.

2) Harmonize. No, I don't mean anything having to do with singing. I want...

I want...

I want to get into synchronized swimming.

There. Secret's out.

3) Unionize. And by unionize, I mean, of course, the opposite of unionization. I'd like to destroy all unions, and all related workers' rights. As a new member of the establishment, I'd like my goal to be one of corporate dominance. And staff, personnel, employee handbooks and such... these all stand in the way of that unique Sam Walton-y ideal.

So from here on out... greed... is good.

***

Where was I?

***

Oh, you might want to know how last night went. The 80s prom party for Paul. It seemed to be a great success-- Paul didn't know what was coming, and he seemed geniunely thrilled to see so many friends and family there.

Ilise set the whole thing up. She rules.

You should be so lucky to have Ilise in your life.

I had a few prom pictures taken with her, which hopefully will be coming my way shortly. But for the time being, here's a quick shot of me as Jake and/or Elwood Blues, prepping for the evening to come. Not bad, considering I had all of five minutes to throw this on after work before I had to hit the road to Baltimore.

All things considered, it was a very good thing that I didn't go as this guy, as I'd planned to:

This, because most people were not in costume, but rather 80s attire. Lots of vintage prom dresses and teased hair for the women, lots of tacky Members Only-style garb on the gents. If I stood out, it was only slightly, only slightly less than I used to.

(sorry)

By the way, speaking of Halloween, sort of, here's something that's scarrrrry, keeeds!!!

Anyway, sorry about that.

I bailed on the festivities a bit early, as is my wont, as I have services this morning, and was completely sent all day yesterday... so just my luck that upon leaving, I was forced to sit in almost two hours' worth of traffic.

So not fun. I won't even tell you what time I got home.

Just... miserable. Thank God for the iPod.

***

What does it mean when one spends months trying to lose weight, loses a good bit, plateaus, and then starts gaining it back?

Then said person, as a direct result, gives up the program, gets lazy, fails to exercise, eats like shit for the next month, only to weigh themselves one Rosh Hashanah morning to find that he is lighter than he ever was during the weight loss stage?

Happy accidents. Gotta love 'em.

***

This site does not look terribly unlike my own.

The fact that I find this amusing makes me incredibly, impossibly lame.

***

Finally, vintage curse words from David Hasselhoff. Since he is the Hoff, he is permitted to say and do as he pleases. Not unlike this guy.

Words, Words, Words... for You to Put Together Any Way You Want

2006-09-22T08:04:00.000-04:00

1) Grey's Anatomy

2) Elwood Blues

3) CEO

4) racquetball

5) Rosh Hashanah

6) Frankenstein

7) exhaustion

8) jaundice

9) chipmunk

10) repeating myself, over and over and over again

11) Molly

12) Eagles

13) Joanna Newsom, still, still, still

14) Aggies

15) not nearly enough hours in the day

16) ice

17) Capitol Hill

18) failure; success

19) Kennedy Center

20) business development

The Story of My Night

2006-09-21T07:54:00.000-04:00

Nothing that I'd intended to happen actually happened.

And then on top of that, I got next to no sleep.

Shit.

Here's a Truckstop Instead of St. Peter's

2006-09-20T06:52:00.000-04:00

You might hate this album.

But if you don't-- and I don't-- Ys (pronounced "eeees,") by Joanna Newsom is your album of the year. Think of Bjork singing ten-minute-plus folk epics over a harp, and... see?!? I've already lost you!

But trust me. Please, trust me. You'll hear nothing else like it, anywhere, and it completely destroys everything else I've heard all year.

It, in fact, caused me to shake the other day. Honest to God, it gave me a physical reaction. Which, as much as I love music, has never, EVER happened before.

You're not going to listen to it.

I know.

But it's your loss.

Strong, strong candidate for album of the year. If you don't believe me, check out the chart, a few posts down.

***

After a particularly flustering afternoon at work, I inadvertently ran into Benton again, converging at the local Five Guys. Good seeing him again, of course, but my brain was absolutely fried. Too much going on at work and at home. Which is to say... I'm going to be hard to reach until Sunday, so... email is best.

More frustrating than that, however-- I did the Patton Oswalt thing again.

After Five Guys, I took Mike to the shop, to pick up my outfit for Friday night's ohsosecret party, and what happens? The store was closed. It is one of those places where it's open until 7pm some nights, and 9pm on others.

I chose... poorly. We showed up at 7:45 on the wrong night. Doors closed, lights off, me... annoyed.

Thank goodness Mike laughed about the whole thing.

***

The Eagles loss still stings. Don't talk to me about it.

***

Much better, then, is this: the first of the three songs that the temporarily re-united R.E.M. played at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame ceremony the other night.

If you're anything like me, you'll get a little rush watching their performance of "Begin the Begin," with more-than-able assistance from drummer/farmer Bill Berry.

Aw, hell. Here's "Man on the Moon." And "Losing My Religion," too.

Still my favorite band ever, probably. A performance like this might explain why. Jesus, how great.

(edit): Michelle, this is for you. I cannot believe that video of this exists. How many times did we listen to this bootleg over the years?

***

Things are a bit of a whirlwind right now, but in a relatively good way. Work is starting to scare me-- Summer's imminent departure is rocking the waters a good bit-- but everything's gonna be fine. It's just the short-term, developing the solutions, figuring out where we're going to have to change and adapt, and...

I'm rambling.

But then, you knew that.

And I'm entitled, anyway.

***

Welcome back, Peter.

***

Whoa.

***

This, of course, merits its own post... but as it is ten minutes long (however well-done)... I'll just tuck it down here.

If any of this is new to you, let me know, and I shall yell at you unnecessarily, and force you to watch the video, over and over again.

YOU MUST LEARN.

The Hardest Benton to Benton

2006-09-19T06:45:00.000-04:00

See, Mike Benton is on my couch right now, asleep.

And Bart Simpson ran into the White Stripes this past week, while playing "The Hardest Button to Button."

Geddit?

***

Nevermind.

***

OK, that's just awful.

***

Maybe this will make you feel better?

***

Two bombshells dropped yesterday.

One is that Summer gave her two-week notice yesterday. The best worker we've got, and pretty much our company's longest-tenured employee, gone, just like that.

In two weeks, anyway.

The mood in the office, yesterday, was one of utter depression and fear. And a lot of head-shaking, and "Goddammit"-style muttering.

It's going to suck without her. Even if we find a solid replacement... it's just going to suck without her.

Congratulations on the new job and all, but... BOOOOOOO!

***

The other, er, bombshell, is that Mike arrived safe and sound. And after showing up at my place, we reconnoitered with the old trivia team of Dan, Jay and... um... some other guy whose name I forget.

It was a blast, save for having to get up to take calls and text message. No worries; the guys gave me an appropriately shit-ass time for doing so.

Anyway, just about every time we go out (through no doing of mine, mind), we place in the money. And last night was no different, as we tied for first amongst 25-30 teams at the bar.

Sounds great, huh? We kicked some ass, right?

Wrong. We lost first place (the difference between a $100 gift certificate and a $50 gift certifcate) on a tiebreak that was... um... more in Mike's wheelhouse than Britpop is in mine. Something relating to his current job. Something relating to f'g national security.

See, Mike is in charge of something, down in the D.R.

God only knows how that happened.

And yet, when asked a question about said "something," Mike completely whiffed. Came close to guessing the correct number, but not close enough. And this... is an important number. Something he definitely should know.

We are all gonna die, in other words.

Or, at least, the inhabitants of the Dominican Republic will.

But let's hope not. Mike only has two months to go before... er... the risk will have been averted. He'll be gone, the citizens will celebrate, and it will be Copenhagen that needs to worry.

Way to go, Benton.

***

Our team name? "Somali Nuns and Anna Nicole's Sons." Not quite as perfectly offensive as we were hoping for, but close enough, I suppose.

We'll do better, next time.

Shawty

2006-09-17T19:09:00.000-04:00

Just a quick one, as I'm (mentally) away.

1) My parents left this morning, and I think we all enjoyed one another's company. They were beyond essential in allowing me to heal... with the aid of lots and lots of college football. That, and an ice pack, which I think you can still see in one of the pictures below.

2) I'm feeling great, now-- I'm even off the pain meds. Still a little bit of swelling, but the worst is (hopefully) behind me. I'm going back to the dentist's office tomorrow to have some stitches removed, but beyond that... knock on wood... this might be over and done with.

3) The Eagles tore my heart out today. That is all.

4) I suddenly have a completely full schedule this week-- I'm pretty much booked solid-- thanks to the arrival of Mr. Mike Benton, in from the Dominican Republic. Anyone who wants to say hello to Mike, let me know, and I'll connect you.

5) If you're only moderately excited about Mike this week, no worries... he'll be here from November through August, before he ships off to Copenhagen with Marie and Peary.

6) Milk was a bad choice.

I Miss You, My Dear Xiola

2006-09-15T19:19:00.000-04:00

In summary:

-- No work today.

-- A bit of discomfort from the wisdom teeth removal, but nothing worse.

-- Seeing Mom and Dad again.

All in all, a good day, if... a highly unusual one.

***

I shouldn't be typing while I'm hopped up on goofballs.

God only knows whether this is going to make any sense.

***

I'm not getting anything there (obvs), but I'm about to introduce my parents to Five Guys.

(edit): Two new converts, as expected.

***

Oh, Norm, how dare you?

***

The title of this post, by the way, can be traced to a live Jane's Addiction show I just downloaded (and, more specifically, from the song "Three Days."). It's easy to forget how unbelievable these guys were, sometimes.

So, check out this 1991 show here.

***

This helpful graphic (click to enlarge) is from the always-wonderful Catbirdseat, and it appeared earlier in the week.

Genius... even if there are a few albums missing (what, no Night Ripper?).

And another thing... the TV on the Radio album is way too low. Check this out for evidence.

***

Quasi-reunion news parts one and two... both of which got me quasi-excited.

***

Hmmmm...

***

IN A WORLD...

What I'm Looking Like, More or Less

2006-09-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

Four teeth lighter, a whole lot more pathetic.

The NFL Network

2006-09-14T07:04:00.000-04:00

If you have not already invested in this channel... if there's a stock available... you might want to get in on it now, while it's merely exploding.

A few thoughts on where the network stands at the beginning of its coming-out season:

1) Steve Mariucci has trouble with words and letters and words and things... but he's still light years ahead of Ditka. Ditka needs to be put out to pasture. Enough, already. It's been 21 years since you've been relevant.

No, the wedding dress does not count.

2) That NFL Replay thing is a great concept.

3) For leaving Sportscenter (to say nothing of leaving glass-eyed Shtu), Rich Eisen is smarter than you are.

4) Deion Sanders, however... is not smarter than you are.

5) That NFL Replay song is in your head now, isn't it?

6) Clinton Portis is definitely going for an Andre 3000 vibe in the commercial.

7) Jeremy Shockey is still one of the few people walking the face of the earth for whom I'd sell a body part... just for the right to punch him in his fucking pig face.

8) Warren Sapp could not appear on this network anymore if he tried.

9) "On Tuesday (Tuesday!)..."

10) I remember listening to Jamie Dukes on Atlanta radio a few years ago. He made no impression on me then, but he made one me last week: that of an oversized dude wearing a horrendous jacket.

11) This channel, as Andy and others have noted, is pretty much crack. If you are a guy, and you like sports-- sports, meaning football-- you already have a serious, serious habit.

12) I'm thinking that NFL Total Access is in Sportscenter circa-1982 mode. In a few years (if you don't already), you'll wonder how you lived without it... even in the middle of April.

13) I'm troubled by the fact that Chad Johnson, who appears on the network more than anyone but Sapp, apparently filmed all of his commercials before he went all Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man.

14) Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collingsworth being in the same room at the same time? That may have been the most awkward filming in years.

Cris: "So, um, Bryant... I hear you're a dick."

Bryant: (simmering)

Cris: "I mean, COME ON!"

Bryant: (glowering)

(repeat)

15) "NFL REPLAY! ON TUESDAY (TUESDAY)!"

Last Night's Astonishing Array of Dick Jokes

2006-09-13T07:10:00.000-04:00

Before I tell you about that, though (can you contain your excitement???), be sure to check this clip of Tom Jackson and Michael Irvin out... many, many thanks to Jay for passing this along.

It is such a thing of beauty; words can not do it justice.

***

Last night, Jeff and I caught a sold out "Comedians of Comedy" show at the Black Cat. And though we (Jeff) were (was) extraordinarily tired... it was a great time.

Three hours of non-stop larfs. Really a lot of fun, even if sleep-deprived Jeff had to catch an early train this morning.

Please say a prayer for him, today, if you get a chance.

After a brief intro/pre-set by Patton Oswalt, Morgan Murphy started things out. Now, female comedians are usually about as laugh-a-minute as, well, Rita Rudner-- but Ms. Murphy acquitted herself quite nicely. It didn't hurt that Oswalt credited her for writing half of his Shatner roast material.

So we were primed for hilarity!

Her character, if there was one? What type of performer was she? Eh... dry, cynical, vaguely burned-out comedienne... the type of delivery where, even though the jokes were funny, I knew that each one had been said 424 times prior.

And that each additional delivery took a small part of her soul.

Ah, well. For an opener, she was terrif.

I'm not going to lie. I won't say a bad word about Brian Posehn. And it's not because he's hysterical, and I'm an apologist, which he is, and which I am. It's not even because he may (may) have been the most attractive person in the room last night.

It's just that... well, look at him. You say something bad about him, and he may just murder you and eat your soul.

Speaking of, lifelong metalhead Brian noted that he's six-foot-six, or, more precisely, six-foot-six.six, "the height of the beast."

Awesome. We love Mr. Show alums.

Though it wouldn't have been such a horrible thing if he could have gone five seconds without talking about his johnson.

After Brian, the palate cleansing comedy stylings of Eugene Mirman. Now, this was the second time I'd seen Eugene in a few months-- the last time being the Michael Showalter Massacre, where Jeff and I were entreated to hours of The State-alumnus Showalter singing about the ten steps of making the perfect sandwich (I'm not kidding-- this may have been the most wretchedly unfunny thing I'd seen since Triumph of the Will).

Eugene was the highlight of that evening, and here, too, he ruled... his beyond-weird ramblings and recorded solictation calls are awesome. He did end on a lame bit, though, using two members of the audience and a weird "Speak and Spell"-type device called "Share or Dare." I won't even get into it, here, but... hardly the note he should have ended on.

Possibly the funniest person of the night, if not the funniest performance.

That being said... it wouldn't have been such a horrible thing if he could have gone five seconds without talking about his johnson.

After the debacle that was a few weeks ago, when I had tickets to see Patton perform but went to the State Theater on the wrong evening (d'oh!), I was ready for payback. And from the opening Simpsons-drone-reference of "Are You Ready to Laugh...???" I knew things were going to be great.

I'm not going to lie. I'd marry the guy. His CD "Feeling Kinda Patton" is one of my all-time favorite anything, and yet last night? 95% new stuff. And it was just as genius-y. I'd recite chapter and verse, but then I'd be spoiling it for you when his new CD drops in a few months.

Honestly. So good. So very, very good.

Boy howdy, I do love my comedy. And Patton? Patton's my Rushmore.

Though you know what? It wouldn't have been such a horrible thing if he could have gone five seconds without talking about his johnson.

***

Welcome home, Mom and Dad.

And congratulations, Brit-Brit!

Quasi-Rhetorical Question

2006-09-12T06:50:00.000-04:00

Watched the game last night, and I laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

But I did have a question regarding Dan Snyder's newest toys: why, in these pictures, does Katie Holmes seem to be in mourning?

Just wonderin'.

***

Beyond groanworthy.

A Lie and a Farce and a Fake

2006-09-11T21:15:00.000-04:00

Football Heaven

2006-09-10T19:52:00.000-04:00

The only thing better than an Eagles win?

An Eagles win, paired with a Cowboys loss. A bad Cowboys loss.

***

On a related note, my word of the day is "schadenfreude."

***

You've heard faux-country/bluegrass Radiohead, classical piano Radiohead, crunk Radiohead, reggae Radiohead... but have you heard lullabye Radiohead?

***

Always, always funny.

First Eagles Post of the Year

2006-09-10T16:52:00.000-04:00

And not the last.

My teams should play in Texas more often. First Ohio State crushes the Longhorns last night, and then the Iggles deliver a solid opener against Houston.

I'm beyond pleased with how they played. So much so that T.O. could go for 200 yards today and 3 TDs for Dallas, do all of his asinine celebrations, and I simply wouldn't care. The Eagles looked strong, Correll ran exceptionally well, the lines looked to be much improved over last year, and Donte...

Well, what can you say.

I'm not drinking the green Kool-Aid just yet... but if they beat the Jints next week in Philly, I might have to start.

Very, very satisfying.

It's Like Throwing a Hot Dog to Try to Stop a Tornado

2006-09-10T10:20:00.000-04:00

I'm too hung over to write a full entry here-- good night last night, but I got in after 4am-- but I did want you to check this out.

It's Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, delivering a high school graduation speech of sorts to his alma mater. I don't want to say it's the best thing I've ever seen-- far from it-- but it does make me realize that, had our school provided us with a speaker possessing the talents of Mr. Coyne, well, I might have paid more attention to the ceremony.

That said, please remember that this is the guy who brought you (or, is going to bring you, theoretically, around the time of the Chinese Democracy release) Christmas on Mars.

So take it with a grain of salt, a capsule of fake blood, a giant hamster wheel, what-have-you.

***

The geniuses at Apple solved my problem. They suggested I download some software... which I did, and which I was able to use to rip all the music off of my old, defective iPod.

They gave me a new iPod, I threw all the songs on there... it's like nothing ever happened. Catastrophe averted.

***

Eventually, I'll stop telling you how funny Aziz Ansari is, because you'll already know he's the funniest motherfucker on the planet.

***

With the possible exception of me, of course, simply because I'm giving you this video (can't wait to be able to embed these again, by the way).

"No thank you, sir," indeed.

An Eventful Day

2006-09-08T08:04:00.000-04:00

1) My iPod died.

You heard me. I was getting ready to go home on the Metro, turned on my iPod, and the screen was a jumble. And the songs wouldn't play. So I turned it off and immediately went to the Apple store, to the Genius bar, and the guy told me the iPod had died, inexplicably. Nothing to do with me.

The iPod being less than nine months old, by the way.

I downloaded a program, at their suggestion, to rip the songs off my old one... and now I'm in the process of (a) storing them (temporarily) on my computer, exchanging my old iPod for a new one (presumably for free), and then re-burning (?) the songs onto the new iPod.

So, I am in the process of resuscitation. Thank goodness the songs themselves weren't lost-- at least it doesn't appear that way. BUT, because I had comparatively little stored on iTunes... I'm going to have to spend days ripping and burning, effectively starting at square one with respect to the CDs I actually own.

Now might be a good time, as Jeff noted, to invest in an external hard drive.

Please, please, please keep your fingers crossed for me. This was always one of my biggest non-family-related nightmares, and now... yeah.

Just keep your fingers crossed for me.

2) I got my new floor lamps delivered from West Elm. They look really, really terrific, if you don't mind my saying.

3) At work, yesterday, I put my foot in my mouth going to bat for someone. Too complicated a story to get into, but the long and the short of it is that my intentions were good, and no one got hurt. Just embarrassed.

4) Jeff came over for the first half of the football game last night, some beer and some pizza. Definitely a good time, especially as I'd just learned about points 1-3 above, and needed a good night.

5) Unbelievable geek news, here: Ricky Gervais did NOT retire David Brent, after all. I haven't watched these two videos, yet... but if you're a fan of the UK office, they are obviously required viewing.

6) The new trailer for Casino Royale? Especially towards the end? It more than does the job. I might actually want to see the movie, now.

7) "It's getting better all the time." You know how that lyric wraps up, yes?

The Morning After

2006-09-07T06:50:00.000-04:00

I had a blast last night at Clarendon Grill.

I think Jeff did, too. Then he didn't. Then he realized he did. And then he lost sight of the fun he'd had. Then he got it back. Then...

Anyway. We'll both get the lab results back in a couple of days, to know how we did.

This one's optimistic, this one went to market.

***

No wonder Tomkat was/were afraid to let Suri out of the bag.

Kidding, of course. The real picture is below... but... is that a baby toupee?

***

Horrible, horrible audio... but it's still worlds better than what it must have sounded like at the venue itself: apparently Timberlake('s band) has taken to covering "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

Simply awful.

***

Radiohead fans-- see this? Love that look he gives the audience at the very beginning of the clip.

***

Less impressive (or not) is this.

If you have ever thought yourself lame; that you're wasting your life; this will make you feel much, much better.

***

Blogger Beta doesn't let you embed YouTube videos anymore... you may have noticed things are a bit more barren (barrener) around here as of late.

Sorry.

But this link is worth clicking in. One of my favorite Mr. Show clips, ever.

***

Last night, by the way, the first woman I spoke with told me of the hierarchy of chicken shit (swear to God).

The last talked to me about her life in Paris, culture, the arts...

Point being, things got better over time. I'm feeling that, right now.

And Kiss With Dry Lips When We Say Goodnight

2006-09-05T18:47:00.000-04:00

Click here.

Final Odds and Ends

2006-09-04T19:53:00.000-04:00

* I plan to get back on the horse(s) this week. I'll explain later.

* Earlier this evening, I gave Jed a draft of my review of The Crane Wife. I'm trying something different, and it's going to take some effort to get it to work, but... it's an idea. As usual, it took a fascinatingly short amount of time to draft. It will take longer to hone, especially this time out.

* I dropped off a lot of crap to Goodwill today-- felt good to do so. It felt doubly good to do so, as some of it reminded me of an earlier time.

* Someone stopped by my apartment today and fixed my door. It no longer requires a significant amount of effort to open and close the thing. Wish I could say the same thing about my computer.

* After watching Match Point this weekend, my first thought was that I should giftwrap the movie and give it someone I know. Then... I thought better of it.

* Tomorrow starts the suit season. No more 1997-era khakis for me; it's two- and three-buttons for the next several months. It's enough to make me long for cold(er) days and offices.

* Welcome back, Jeff. You made the right decision.

Crikey

2006-09-04T07:57:00.000-04:00

Rest in peace, Steve.

***

Yeah.

Um... apart from waking up to that sad news, I'm in a better mood today. I had a nice visit with Andy and Laura (and Peyton and Mackenzie and Lady and Jake and Frankie and Mama and the rabbit and the kittens) yesterday, and on the ride home, just did some random stuff to try to shake myself of the funk I'd found myself in.

So I stopped off at the Frank Lloyd Wright house. To which you say, "huh???"

I always see the sign for the thing, anytime I'm down by Mount Vernon, so I finally pulled in to see the place and, yes, check it off my list.

The Pope-Leighey House, for which admission is required, is a strangely unimpressive home that Wright designed as an example "of houses designed for people of modest means." I thought it would be this big hoo-hah, with waterfalls and glass and angles and stunning this-that-and-the-other.

Nah.

I chose not to go in. I wasn't going to pay to listen to a lecture about what looked to be little more than a log cabin.

Oh, well. At least I went.

***

From there, I went to Old Town for this first time in months. And rather than hitting the usual haunts, I instead drifted from gallery to gallery, boutique to boutique... places I'd never bothered to wander into before.

And I loved every second of it. It was so "not my thing" to do-- flower shops? antique stores? really???-- that it was great.

And being outside, walking about for a few hours... my mood improved dramatically.

I went into one of my favorite Old Town shops towards the end, bought some incense for the first time in my life (so not a big deal, I know), and found myself much calmer by the time I got home.

Good times.

***

Watched Inside Man last night. Not as bad as Jeff had suggested it might be, not as solid as it should have been.

Still, it was much better than watching Andre cry again.

Wuss.

***

Ryan Howard: kinda good.

***

A final Phillies note: when you see this sub-heading in an article... it simply can't be a good thing.

Mmmmmm... sausages.

Given the Mood I'm In...

2006-09-03T10:45:00.000-04:00

Perhaps it's best that I just post pictures of my nephew.

Somebody loves the Buckeyes!

Labor Day Weekend

2006-09-02T09:13:00.000-04:00

I hope you're away. Or relaxing. Or asleep.

Scratch that. You've got some free time, and you're going to waste it, sleeping?

***

My biggest chore this weekend is to slog through this horrendous weather. I'm praying that things lighten up a bit, because the general feeling (seemingly shared by everyone I'm running into as of late) is that of... overcast skies. Of grey. Of neverending rain and inverted umbrellas.

How's about some sunshine? Please? Just for a few hours?

***

My Internet connection continues to be tempermental at best, but hey. Whatcha gonna do.

My boss and my dad mentioned looking into Verizon's FiOS, as an alternative to Comcast. Unfortunately, it's not yet available in my neck of the woods, despite Arlington, VA being one of the most populated areas of the entire f'g country.

Technology.

*grumble*

***

Panic! at the Disco's song "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies," apparently won the Video of the Year award this past week at the VMAs. It was (I think) the first time that I hadn't even heard the song, let alone seen the video, since, well, whenever.

So I just found the video online, and watched it. About five seconds ago-- couldn't have been much more than that.

And... I've already forgotten it.

Maybe it sounds different, impressive and/or awesome to teens?

***

Dreading is too strong a word, but my work attire shifts from business casual to suit and tie this coming week.

Mercifully, I've got a few suits, but I might need to replenish the shirt supply. And ties. And shoes. And suits.

Really, I don't need to do anything... but I haven't spent any money in, like, hours. And I'm getting itchy.

***

Tell me that you saw this.

I never watch The Today Show anymore, but somehow I stumbled upon it... and the level of ignorance and stupidity was staggering, even for Bush's standards.

***

I'll post more later, when my mood has improved. And it will, trust me.

***

the lemonheads - no backbone
inxs - don't change
electronic - getting away with it (HELL YES)
mudhoney - touch me i'm sick
i'm from barcelona - we're from barcelona

"Meta Commentary"

2006-09-01T08:02:00.000-04:00

... is what Jed called it.

I just call these mentions of Harmonium and Moebius Trip on the official Vorstand Circus website cool.

***

But not as cool as this. For me, anyway.

The Whigs are so best. Easily one of my tops, all-time.

***

I am... still not sober. Work's gonna be a bitch.

Thanks, Jeff. Thanks, Neufeld.

Oh My God, It's A

2006-08-31T07:13:00.000-04:00

... link dump!

It's been awhile, but here's some of the non-K-Fed-related weirdness I've wanted to share as of late.

1) First of all, and you knew this already, but... your band name sucks.

2) I typically don't post links to trailers for music DVDs, but this one promises to be good. My Morning Jacket is releasing a 2CD live album called "Okoknokos" in a few weeks, and... well, they're really, really good.

3) Assuming that you still like Pearl Jam, as I do, this site is for you.

4) Just... click here. To say more would be to spoil the life lessons that lay behind the link.

5) Fun with the information superhighway... does it ever stop? If you go to this site, you can show your friends your Tally Hall at Madison Square Garden tickets! Awesome!

6) "Mommy? Why is Spicoli screaming at me?"

7) New layout at one of my favorite sites, The Jaker.

8) Even more astonishing, Andy has brought his site back from the dead. He even included a picture of his new daughter, Mackenzie Jordan!

9) This guy deserved better... so he patted himself on the back.

10) The name of this link spoils the clip, but it's worth the 10-second watch, anyway.

11) Lots of people were talking about this earlier this week: Conan's opening bit from the Emmy's. Gotta love Conan.

12) I'm getting tired of all these links. You?

13) Check out the chicken noodle soup dance, over at Aziz's site. I guarantee you'll like this one.

14) Did you know that Little Richard was still alive? And still, uh, out there?

15) One of the best singles from one of the best bands. I'd never seen this before... shame, really, as it's pretty great and (yawn) takes me back to 'ol Blighty, or something like that.

16) And from that to one of the worst videos of all time. Number two on that list, if I'm not mistaken (name #1 and I'll buy you a cookie): here's Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson's video for "Whatzupwitu".

Knocking on Some Serious Wood

2006-08-30T19:26:00.000-04:00

I'm baaaaacckk...

Thanks go to Frank from Comcast. Technician #187. Ask for him by number. I don't know if he did anything in particular, or whether it was dumb luck, but... apparently I'm not the only one who's had this problem as of late.

Many, many people in the VA/DC/MD area have been having problems. For the past several months. Just like me.

Who knows. Who cares. It's up.

So again-- let us pray.