Funny track

Flight of the Conchords... Business Time. You have to listen to the whole song... it made me laugh out loud at work.

For those with daughters...

and those who want to understand women better. Last night I finished a book I'm going to recommend to anyone who now has or may have daughter(s). The book, by Meg Meeker, was Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know, I think the part about 10 secrets makes it sound gimmicky but don't let that discourage you. You can even get an excerpt here if you want to read some without buying it, or just use your local library like I did.


As far as the book itself... it was a very compelling read. The author draws on twenty plus years as a medical doctor to give you a health shot of nightmare fuel. She tells stories that will make you want to find a rusty dull knife that will come in handy so you can be whittling with it on your front porch when your daughter's dates come over, making sure he gets a good look at it. The gist of the book is that fathers underestimate their importance in the lives of their daughters. The good news is that after see tries to make you wet yourself thinking about your daughter's future, she also does a nice job talking you back from the ledge.

The best part of the book is that she focuses on straight talk and doesn't care about trends, or political correctness, or any of that stuff. She wants fathers to do everything in their power to keep their daughter healthy and safe and she doesn't sugar coat anything. She wants dads to know the hard work ahead, and to understand the rewards. She does a good job of explaining the difference in male and female psychology... so you might have a better idea why it sometimes seems every woman you've ever know is at least a little bit crazy (no offense ladies). I kind of wish I had read this while I was still dating even so I would have better understood the pressures that women feel. She really puts the emphasis on being a good dad through... establishing a structure of rules/expectations, consistent enforcement, and the (and this is a real shocker) spending time with your daughter. A novel approach, right?

Meeker takes a pretty conservative viewpoint on a lot of things, so not everyone will love all her ideas. You might be rubbed the wrong way if you're into feminism or way into political correctness, as these are things she feels do not always best serve your daughter. I feel the book is well done, and has ideas I think everyone would find useful even if you don't agree with everything she says. The book is also a really quick read, so I think it is well worth the time invested in the reading.

Basic Instructions

In my quest to provide links to all things funny on the internet I bring you... Basic Instructions! Another awesome webcomic, enjoy a recent comic that is pretty funny. Notice his face in the third panel... Sarah really cracked up about this, and if you read the comments on this strip she wasn't the only one. Here's a recent one that I liked.
Not much else going on this week, I've actually been pretty busy with some other stuff so haven't had as much time to do blog stuff. On a more serious (because the book is a serious one) note I'm reading a good book right now that I'll probably try to post about next week, so look forward to that.

Here's one idea

Here's part a column I read today, I thought readers of this blog might find interesting. This is taken from Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy from Espn.com. In the column he makes predictions based on the Vegas lines for the games. Here's this weeks write up about the Lion's game.

LIONS (+10) over Vikings
So, here's my plan that I hatched during an unfathomably depressing Thanksgiving game in Detroit: If the state of Michigan were a struggling athlete, we'd say, "Man, he needs a change of scenery." Well, why can't we give Michigan a change of scenery? What if we sold Michigan to Canada since it's right on their border?

Think about it. Canada gets the spiritual lift of purchasing one of the 50 states, as well as musicians like Kid Rock, Bob Seger and Eminem, a second NBA and MLB team, an entry into the Big Ten, another NHL team, its first NFL team and, of course, more territory. Canadians would be flying high ... so high they wouldn't even mind that they were now involved in the WNBA. Meanwhile, America would escape billion-dollar buyouts for the car companies, and if we need a 50th state, we can always use Puerto Rico as long as it doesn't put us over the luxury tax. Michigan natives get universal health care, a fresh start and a chance to feel like they're spending more money than usual with the Canadian dollar. Everyone wins! I'm a genius. Just wait until I become Sports Czar and I talk my man Barry* into this.

*Not to insult your intelligence but if you didn't know he's referring to Barrack Obama, who used to go by Barry, and that Barrack will make a new post for a Sport Czar.

Interesting, and kind of funny... also a little depressing. Feel free to comment.

Want to learn a new language... or brush up on one you know? Try this website. It was started in Japan to teach Japanese people to speak English but has grown. It is still most useful for English and Japanese, but if you dig around you can find other languages too. I'll be sending invitations to you guys too, so we can be "friends" on there... because my ego is fragile and I need reassurance.

A follow up of historic proportions

I wanted to add my own two cents about the alternate history park. After giving it some thought the first thing I realized is there is no wrong answer here... is there a time in human history that wouldn't be better with some dinosaurs thrown into the mix? I guess the only answer that is not a good one is a specific time and location that puts them in too close a proximity to me, otherwise when it comes to alter-dino history count me in for any era. Now, I know that's not why you're reading this... so far all I have done is state the obvious, oh course a dino-human history is more interesting than the real one. So without further ado my take. What about the new world... like when Columbus arrived. I like this one because it works two ways... what I mean is do you think Columbus and the subsequent conquistadors would have been so excited with making land fall if he'd been greeted by some Aztecs riding on the back of a freaking triceratops? Yeah I think they'd have filled their Spanish pantaloons and turned it back around. I guess I'm saying I think dinos beat small pox and gunpowder. On the other hand think how motivated the old-school European powers would have been to try to harness the raw dino-power to unleash on each other back on the continent. It would have been awesome to watch them try to rig some boat capable of bring dinosaurs back across the Atlantic. I know it probably wouldn't have been possible, but if they were gullible enough to think they'd find the fountain of youth or a city made of gold you know these guys would have tried anything. Good times. Anyway I appreciated all the comments and answers so feel free to continue to discuss this important topic.

I guess the future could be cool with dinosaurs too... and if for those of you who were wondering, the answer is yes; I only said that so that I could put this picture. Enjoy.

Back in the saddle

Well, faithful readers I'm back from a longer than expected vacation, and ready to crank out some posts for your reading pleasure. Sarah did a nice write up of the family vacation to Chicago, so click here to read that. I thought I'd add a track from James Hunter, and some tidbits about the trip. First the track. It's Jacqueline and it's catchy. James is a great guitar player, and his band is really good. They even got me liking saxophones... that's saying something that they could undo the damage done by Kenny G. The live show is a lot of fun. Those of you who know me probably know that while I like the blues it's typically not my favorite. But I really like the CD, and the show so go to the James Hunter website here, listen to the CD (you can listen free) and if you like it buy it then go to one of the shows if he's coming anywhere near you. He'll be in Austin in February so I think we'll be heading out to see the show. Anyway, I don't mind plugging the band or the shows because they are really good and were such nice guys. It really was an awesome experience.

The rest of the trip was a lot of fun, I love Chicago. The location of our hotel was fantastic so we were definitely in the middle of the action of the big city. It's funny when you stay at hotels you otherwise wouldn't/couldn't afford. It makes me feel like a fish out of water sometimes, but it doesn't take long for me to embrace the good life.

I also have a new life lesson. When on the road, no matter how tasty, don't get a doggy bag for Thai curry. I'll leave it at that, but the trip went smoothly until I finished up my leftovers... or I guess you could say they finished me.

As soon as we got back and I'd had a day or two to recover we were back on the road. This time driving up to Oklahoma City to visit Sarah's family for Thanksgiving. It was a good trip, but I was remind how much I hate traffic and how crowed Texas is. People, don't move here... just don't. I know you think Texas is big, but don't bother coming here there's no space so just stay home. Seriously though road trips with young kids are not fun when you're in a freeway style parking lot for hours at a time. I was going to start a protest group and march on the capitol, but then I remember what a hassle getting downtown is with all the people and how there's never any parking, so anyway...

Dr. Pepper

I really didn't intend to post this much about GnR, oh well. One more story about the new album that fans of Dr. Pepper will especially enjoy. Now if they would just stop showing those annoying commercials with Dr. J in them every commercial break during football games.

Polls

Well, our latest polls are closed. Time flies when you're having fun . And by having fun I mean participating in GnR related polls. Looks like we were undecided about which Axl is preferred with a three way tie between skinny gutter Axl, Paradise Axl (take him anyway we can get him), and no Axl at all. I have to say I voted paradise Axl. While I prefer the skinny Axl (lean and mean), I couldn't bring myself to vote against the new plumper Axl. I guess I liked that he looked like he was eating solid foods and not just using drugs and drinking, it was also nice that didn't look he had a tape worm skimming off fifty percent of the calories he did eat. I couldn't vote against a guy who fought his way out of a white trash past and into a fake Caribbean future, mon. I have to say in the specific picture I posted I was getting mixed signals. As pointed out by KVB he's wearing a Maple Leafs jersey at the same he's going Rastafarian on us. I guess sometimes it's just better not to ask.

Also wanted to point out some of the new SP additions. Firstly I wanted to show that I do actually know a few songs with a female singer, "Oh yes it's lady's night and the feelings right" so I put some of those tracks up. Also put up "Our Bovine Public" by The Cribs which is one of my recent favorite tracks. I like the song itself, but it's even better if the rumors about the meaning of the song are true. The rumors are that the song is directed at a band called The Pigeon Detectives who started getting famous (UK famous) by using Cribs covers on stage. Key lyric (As I hear it, but have seen posted on the web differently, but mine makes more sense. I listened closely with headphones and I think he says) "cos we spent too much time doing groundwork to be ground into the dirt by those who'd never exist without being generic". If I got that right, that's a pretty good zing. Even if that's not the exact lyric the song is still a pretty good slap to the face of The Pigeon Detectives. Also I've always like "Black Metallic" it's one of those songs I'd wanted to add for a while and would always forget to put on.

Anyways, comments about the SPs are always welcome whether you like/dislike the songs or have requests, etc... I am also on the lookout for the next poll question, so if you see a potential poll feel free to pass that along as well.

If only I'd known

A few years ago when we're visiting Sarah's family down in Virginia we decided to take a little road trip down to Charlottesville and see Monticello (seen here). It was impressive. I have to say Jefferson was a thinker with all the gadgets in the house. Anyway if you ever have the chance to go I'd recommend it. While we were there we say advertisements for the Virginia Natural Land bridge. We didn't go see it but I guess we were in the area of it. If only I'd known what I was missing also click here for a better explanation and pictures. I picked up this link from Dinosaur Comics, naturally.This is why I think this is so funny. In this alternative history Union soldiers from the Civil War find dinosaurs, and decide they would be useful in fighting. If you found a hidden valley of dinosaurs on horseback, wouldn't you just try to get out of there as fast as possible? Why would you think you could domesticate them or use them to your advantage? I guess some people have some time on their hands to think about how much more fun history can be if you just through dinosaurs into the mix... and then construct the scene as a park. So my question (I wanted to make this a poll, but there are just too many options) to you my readers... what event in history would you most like to see dinosaurs randomly thrown into the mix (comment and discuss)?

More GnR

After I read this I have to say I'm more interested than ever in a little "Chinese Democracy". It's a write up from Spin Magazine. They key phrase when describing the album "Imagine Rammstein covering Wings, basically." Um... I can't and so I guess I'll just have to listen for myself.

Here we go again

Well, this is not as good as the original but here's another take on a great costume. I like the sunglasses but the 'stache needs some work.

Another RSS feed

Here's a feed I added to my Google Reader recently that I like. This was one of the suggestions of Google engineers who put up some of their favorite subscriptions, seen here. Notice a favorite of mine is on the list... that's right Dinosaur Comics, baby! Yes, it's true I love me some Dinosaur Comics and will keep talking about them as long as people read my blog... they really crack me up.

Anyways, I'm getting off on a tangent here. What I meant to pass along is The Big Picture. This one is new to me, but the pictures are amazing. Today's post about Afghanistan has some incredible photos, including the one posted about. So click on today's post if you're not impressed, forget I mentioned it but if you like it I think it's worth a subscription on the ol' reader.

Well it's about time

And now the moment you've all been waiting for... Chinese Democracy! That's right kids G n' R are back in a BIG way! It took seventeen years (fifteen if you can't "The Spaghetti Incident" cover album), but I'm sure it will all be worth the wait... actually Rolling Stone gave the album a decent review (Axl you devil, I knew you had it in you).























Well, good times are here again... but I'm not quite sold on the braids. At least Axl looks like he's getting three square meals a day now... not like the old "I just came from skid row and haven't had a meal in four days" look. Maybe the braids give him more credibility when he speaks with a fake Jamaican accent... I honestly can't decide if I want to hear the new album or not... sounds like a good poll question.

Hey, speaking of polls thanks for participating in my "champs" poll. I guess the Lions are the winners, not my vote but I can live with that. I thought the reasons were valid, as stated by KVB (and similarly expressed to me face to face (not in comments) by Sarah). Sarah told me she thought that was a good one, so in that spirit I'll be looking for more happy pollster good times (Japanese game show style joke). I know you all need something to fill the void in your life now that political polls are gone. The good news for all you political junkies out there, I heard the campaigning for president for 2012 is going to start in about three months so be on the lookout for that. While I think politics is important and I tried a few times to put up some political posts, you might be able to tell from my tone that the latest campaign was about eighteen months longer than it really needed to be (in my opinion). So, with an album name like "Chinese Democracy" I know everyones going to vote on the new poll.

I guess this makes sense

You guys have probably heard the saying that if something that should be moving isn't you just spray it with WD-40 until it moves. And if something is moving and you want it to stop you use duct tape. Well if you keep that in mind I guess this story makes sense. My favorite is how they quote one of the other passengers who "saw Castillo having drinks in an airport bar before boarding." The other thing I found interesting is that "ankle cuffs kept sliding off." Does this mean she doesn't have feet so the cuffs just slid off her leg? Where these toy cuffs? Did she have cankles so big they couldn't close cuffs around them? I think that's one of the stranger aspects of this story. Anyways, I guess it can help you appreciate flights that aren't so smooth. You can always say "well at least they didn't have to tape me to my seat" (unless of course you find yourself in a situation like this one). One last thought... will this be the new one liner to replace "don't tase me bro?" Will it now be "don't tape me bro?"

It's a little too late

And my own kid is not really fat enough... but this was an awesome costume.

If only...

This article is sad... but could have been great if only you could add one word. The link from Yahoo reads "Australia's Tasmanian devil could be extinct in 20 years" when I wish it read "Australia's Tasmanian devil tattoos could be extinct in 20 years". Anybody else know someone who got one of these as a tattoo?So let me get this straight... that is cool? How long after someone gets that tattoo before the regret it... 5 maybe 6 minutes? Granted the actual animals are cool looking, but come on. Let me just end by saying only you can help to prevent Tasmanian devil tattoos... protect yourself and talk to someone you love today. This picture is awesome... at first I figured he was reading/looking at a coloring book. Or maybe a comic or something like that. Somehow what he's actually reading seems even funnier. I'm sure this guy is definite "husband material." Especially since he didn't just get a "Taz" tattoo (cringe) but it's Taz on steroids. At least he'll be able to find employment every summer (Carnival season)You stay classy with your Taz tattoo my man.

Lousy Joke

Okay, so it must not be that bad if I am posting it here.

What is brown and rhymes with snoop?

I'll take a few guesses and then post the answer.

What could go wrong?

Texas, NASCAR, together... sounds like a match made in heaven. Unless you're this woman. I guess police think someone was firing randomly into the air... anyone know if this guy is from Texas?

Sports, Sports, Sports

O.k. I know this isn't a sports blog, but frankly I've been having a tough time thinking of what to write lately anyways, and there are some interesting sports goings on. First let's talk MSU. How awesome was Saturday as a State fan? This game had all the classic signs of an old-school MSU letdown game. Am I right guys, am I right (inside joke for Tim there)? I'll admit to saying "ah crap MSU just blew it" out loud when Wisconsin got their last score. But thankfully I stuck with the game to see the end. This is a serious change from the last few years, and I for one am getting fired up for the future of MSU football. I think discipline is so key for this team right now, this is why as I mentioned previous, I am big on Dantonio right now. Plus, how nice is it to have a kicker who can hit a fifty yarder (next to last field goal) and a forty-four yard in the clutch to win? Sure he was a bit shaky for the Michigan game, but other wise Swenson has been money. Maybe I'm overstating this win, since we were favored? All I know is I'm glad Dantonio was there and not John L. Smith. Just check out the penalties (scroll down for team stat comparisons). Penalties drive me crazy and they are way down in the last two years, so I think that's pretty big in that it helps during the game and shows discipline as a team. If I'm reading too much into this feel free to let me know.

Next sports topic for Michiganders (current and former) is the AI deal. That's right, if you haven't heard, Allen Iverson is now a Piston. I really hate giving up McDyess and Billups in this deal... but good things may come. First, this is AI and the dude can score. Don't forget he basically single handedly took the Sixers to the finals once. He's in a contract year, and always competes hard so you know he's going to play hard. He wants a ring so I'm not worried about his commitment. I just hope he focuses on taking good shots and lets things come to him. The part that has me really excited though is next summer. Can you say LeBron James, Detroit Piston? If not him there will be some serious coin available to land some big fish in D-town for sure. Anyways, I welcome comments on how this trade works our for this year and beyond. Also MSU comments are always welcome, and I'm going to be putting up a poll question so check that out too.

I smell a lawsuit

Last night was a college football game between Marshall and Houston. I wasn't watching the game, but it was all over sports websites today. Mostly because of a compound fracture to one of the Houston wide receivers after he ran into... a cart to haul stuff for the Marshall band? That's right some idiot parked a band cart about a foot part the back line of the end zone. Not too bright. I Patrick Edwards (the receiver in the incident) will be able to come back next year, and Marshall probably deserves what it will get. I imagine a big lawsuit. Here's ESPN's story on the game including video highlights. It shows him slam, but from the clip they have you don't see it too bad, but you've been warned the guy compound fractures his leg so if that'll make you sick probably better stick to reading words, no watching the clip.

Don't forget the NBA

We are at the best part of the year in terms of sports. College football is still going strong (including MSU), the NFL, World Series (if you even care, I only do if I like one of the teams, so I'm not very interested this year), and the NBA. That's right, the NBA starts tonight! The Pistons play their first game Wednesday against the Pacers. I don't get to watch too many of the games here in Texas, but I will be following the team closely. I'm excited to see some of the young guys get more playing time (Amir and Stuckey) and see how Curry works out as a new coach, could be a good year. One other Stuckey note... check this out:

If you didn't know that's Stuckey on the left and 50 cent on the right.





Let's just say I hope when Stuckey went in for his NBA physical he didn't have like twenty bullet holes to explain.(Click here if you didn't catch that and know that you must be even whiter than me) Please tell you see this... (feel free to back me up in the comments). I don't want to be the white guy who thinks all people of minorities look the same as other people of that minority.

So anyway, the point is I'm excited for the NBA season and for MSU. Without wanting to jinx my boys, I think there's a real shot MSU finishes the season 9-3 and goes to a real bowl game. I'm liking the Mark Dantonio era so far, he seems to have cut down on the number of typical MSU bonehead mistakes/penalties and kept us from giving up too many fourth quarter leads. I was especially pleased by this , I won't gloat too much. I'll leave that to other fans in East Lansing. As a State fan I'm realistic, I don't ask too much so Saturday was quite nice.
*Update*
Here are some other photos since I'm already getting comments that the last two didn't show the resemblance. One encouraging thing I found was a picture putting these two side by side. I would have posted it but it was tiny, but at least I'm not the only person who has thought this. So see if these help. I'm surprised I'm having a hard time finding good pictures of these guys.

Here's a good time killer...

and a good way to see the federal budget in more real terms. This really shows how much money is spent and how unsustainable the spending is. It especially shows how expensive Medicare/caid are social security. Never under estimate the power of voting... turns out the same people who eat dinner at 4pm, watch Matlock, love bingo, and blue hair (among other things) have a lot of sway in D.C. and they also vote at a higher percent than others. So one more plug to vote now, I already did because I now live in a state with early voting.

Watch this

Last week on Nova (the PBS science show) they did an episode (click to watch) on Mark Oliver Everett and his dad Hugh Everett. If you don't know who they are... well, Mark is the creative force/leader of the band eels. I've seen these guys at least twice and maybe three times, so I really like the music. His dad was a famous physicist. So anyway the program is about Mark meeting with physicists and trying to understand his late father and his work better. This a great program, especially if your understanding of physics is limited. Mark is not a mathematician and so the people he speaks with make a real effort to explain for understanding. There is also an interesting human element as you learn about life with a math/physics genius and his non-math/science son. Unfortunately the episode is only open for viewing until tomorrow (the 28th), it's really well done so watch it now!

Notes on books, and Jack Bauer v. Jason Bourne

Well I've been meaning to do a post about books for a while now, and since I just finished one last night I figure no time like the present. In the last two, maybe three months I've read a few books I wish I knew someone else had read too, so I could talk about them. Does this make me the only guy in the world wishing he was in a book club? Maybe so, but I'm confident in my masculinity so it's not too big a deal. So my question for the readers of this blog is, what books are you reading? And just so you know, if you're in school I only want to hear about your required reading if it's actually interesting. I'm always looking for suggestions about things to read, so give me those too. Anyway, I figure I might as well tell some of what I've been reading in the last few months and maybe you've read some of these and have some insights, or maybe you're interested in the books and would like to hear a few of my impressions. I'll try not to put anything that would spoil the books as this is pet-peeve for me, don't tell me a books plot (especially the ending) in great detail then recommend I read it, I won't.

Here goes. Tess of the d'Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy. This book was both good and bad... it was the consummate book for a literature class. Hardy's style is one of painstaking, and sometimes pain-causing detail. On the one hand he makes it easy to imagine yourself in a picturesque British meadow, but you really only want to be there so long, so at times the drawn out description grow tiresome. The book also incorporates lots of the things your high school English teacher always wanted to be on the lookout for, a strong theme to the story, commentary by the author on contemporary (for his time) issues (in this case gender roles/women's rights/double standard especially), foreshadowing, etc... over all not a bad read if like girly stories written by men in the late 1800's.

Next I read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. This is a pretty famous short story (I think it was only like 60-70 pages), and probably the thing I've recently read I'd most like to have someone to talk to about it. I'd wanted to read Kafka for a while, and finally chose what's probably his most famous work. The story really (for me at least) got me thinking about psychology, relationships, and because my copy had an appendix that talked about different translations, controversies in some of the words and meanings, etc... it got me thinking about the weight of words and an author's true intent. I think this is a good read, and well worth the time with it being so short. I found it to be thought provoking and it easily kept me attention throughout.

In the past I've read the Bourne trilogy, you know Matt Damon-- Bourne Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum. Good books, Robert Ludlum fast reads... not what your literature professors had in mind to help expand your mind. Anyway, after Ludlum passed Eric Van Lustbader took over and has written three more Bourne books. So, I read two of the three The Bourne Legacy and The Bourne Betrayal. These are good because he does a nice job sticking to the style and story started in the original three books. He also updates them. Unlike in the movies with Matt Damon, in the books Bourne is older and his stories are from the 80's more than the 00's (on a side note the books are completely different than the movies, so if you've seen the movies the books are still really interesting, if you're into that sort of thing). If you've ever watched the show 24, well these are 24 in book form. I like 24 and Jack Bauer, but I have to say one difference between him and Jason Bourne is Bourne could probably kill Jack Bauer with one arm tied behind his back. I hate to dis Jack but I think it's true, if you've read the books you're welcome to take issue on that with me, but I'm just going to say Bourne is one tough dude, and works alone so no CTU cronies doing all the intelligence grunt work. Bourne goes through similar stuff though, torture, losing family and friends, broken bones, terrorists with nukes, betrayals by people he trusts, etc... and one other thing he has amnesia so some people play him straight to his face and he doesn't know. So yeah, if there was ever a Bourne v. Bauer showdown, I'm guessing Bauer would get gutted like a fish. That's why his picture is bigger.


















I like Bauer, but Bourne is a serious hombre. Bauer wouldn't stand a chance.

Finally, the book I finished last night. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. He's a Japanese born British author. This is one story that I won't say too much about because it would be easy to spoil this book, and I'm going to recommend this as a book worth reading. I picked it up not knowing anything about it or what to expect, and that's what I would recommend as the best way to approach it if you don't already know the plot. The story is a bit slow in parts but Ishiguro keeps an ace up his sleeve that keeps you interested. This is another of the books I'd really like to be able to discuss with someone who's read it. This is another book intended to get the reader thinking (and by thinking this time I don't mean thinking about which super spy hero guy would survive a death match against another spy guy), and it does a good job. It covers a lot of issues, and caused me to think about human (especially childhood/early adolescent) behavior/psychology.

So anyway, that's what I've been reading since the second half of the summer. Let me know if you've ready any of these, or if you have suggestions for future reads

Some days it doesn't pay to get out of bed...

I guess this is one of those times when your own life is put in perspective... things could be worse. For example, this could have happened to you.

I want my $2 (house that is)

So this is what things have come to. Why is it that when I saw the headline that a house had sold on EBay for $1.75 I thought... "I wouldn't be surprised if that's in Saginaw"? I guess you could say that city is going through some tough times. How would you feel to live next door to that house? That can't be a good sign about the value of the neighbor's houses.

Not much of a post today

I'm too busy watching the stock market crashing after the house voted down the bailout package. So, if you follow the market it's been kind of a brutal day. Oh well, it's only money, right? On a lighter note I put a track on the SPs by Better than Ezra. I don't really listen to them now, but I liked them in the nineties. Picked that song because it reminds me of my favorite season... fall. I guess it's a personal favorite song and puts me in a good mood even when the dow drops almost six-hundred points.

Not sure if this is true...

But I thought it was worthy of a post anyway. This article is disturbing to me. I watched Super Size Me on DVD and say the bonus material stuff. As part of the bonus stuff he did something similar to this, but with the fries and they didn't change at all. Granted he kept them for a few months, not a dozen years... so my point is I'm inclined to believe this is the real (disgusting) deal.

Work is for suckers

A co-worker of mine is one of the people working to put on The Hairy Man Festival here in Round Rock. It sounds like fun, so if you're reading this and live (or will be )in the greater Austin you ought to check it out. Plus it raises food/money for people in the area. Unfortunately, like a sucker I've keeping my self groomed for and going to work when I could have just been growing it all out and won some prize money instead. Who needs a job (and respectability) when your nickname in high school was Teen Wolf? I obviously wasn't thinking ahead on that one.

Not to scare you too much

But I did find this a little troubling. I'm not trying to scare you out of flying either, it's still safer than driving. You all remember Jim Carey's lecture at the beginning of Dumb and Dumber (while he's driving the limo). I know it's bad to fall asleep if you're working at an office. Even worse if you're a doctor because someone might die, but at least it would probably be only one. Sleeping as a pilot... that's pretty bad. To me the craziest part is that it was both the pilot and the co-pilot. I guess they weren't smart enough or had the will power to have one say to the other "Hey man, I'm really out of it today. Could you cover while I sleep this one off?"

Here's an interesting map I found. The map shows the size of each state's economy, and puts the name of a country with an economy of the same size in that state in its place. For example, since I live in Texas my state has the same size economy as Canada. I thought this was cool (but I did study economics).

Politics alert, I'm back on the soap box

Alright, so I've said before that I really don't want this blog to be about politics... or at least not about me going off about the things I think. At the same time I think information is key, and as part of this I feel like if I find something useful, you all might find it useful too. I want to link to this debate. This was put on by a group called intelligence squared I think this is really informative. I'm not going to lie if you want to read the transcript it's over eighty pages, so if you're serious about this you'll need to set aside a good thirty minutes to an hour if you're going to read it (It's a transcript, so eighty pages will go quickly. At the same time bits of it are a somewhat technical so you may spend five minutes on one page and thirty seconds on the next). The debate deals with one of the key issues of the election, and one of the issues I feel that I understand least, health insurance. I really feel this debate is ideal to link to for me personally, because I feel both sides were well represented. I'm familiar with the work of several of the people who were involved, and I can tell you that even though I don't agree with them all that these are intelligent people. I know that everybody is busy, and as an economics major I might be more into this than the average American, but this is really time well spent to become informed on something like this. Like I've said before this is your money and your health (two things aspects of life I consider to be on the top of my list in importance) that are being debated. As far as the comments... I'm not sure if you guys will want to use those to express your opinions of the debate itself, or health insurance in general or what. I feel like as part of the blog I would prefer to leave my own opinions out, but that doesn't mean anyone reading this has to.

Also, I would encourage you to tell friends/co-students/workers, etc... any one you know who has an interest in politics at all to visit the Music Snobs(to get the link, or send them their directly to the site). I feel the information is that good, and would like to hear other people's impressions from the debate too. Hope you can all take time to look into this.

Science put to good work

A cure for cancer, who needs that when scientist can really get some work done. Click here to see what I mean. It's a song that is supposed to be the most annoying song ever. I actually thought it was kind of funny. It is way long though, so I didn't make it to the grand finale. The article also has a link to the "Most wanted song" which I think is also funny. Funny, because I would never want this song. Yikes. You'll have to give them both a listen and decide for yourselves.

Too good to pass up

This is too funny not to post. Especially since I am surrounded by Cowboy fans at work. America's team needs to put on a clinic for its fans. Unfortunately I can't see the video while I'm here at work, but the photo is enough for me to make this post worthy.

What could possibly go wrong (Part 2)?

Another brilliant idea by scientist and what a great way to invest tax dollars. I can't think of anything that could possibly go wrong with this idea. I can't wait till I can buy on of these for myself. Then I did have this one thought...You guys remember Ren and Stimpy, right? Well, in this episode Stimpy invents a "happy helmet" to control Ren's mood. While Ren is wearing the helmet all Stimpy has to do is push a button to make Ren "happy." For the video click here. If you remember the show, or this specific episode you'll know Ren wasn't too happy when he finally got the helmet off... seen here.
Here's my favorite part of the article:

And don't overlook potential civilian benefits. "How often have you been annoyed by people screaming into their cell phones?" Schmeisser asks. "What if instead of their Bluetooth earpiece it was a Bluetooth headpiece and their mouth is shut and there's blessed silence all around you?" Sounds like one of those rare slices of the U.S. military budget even pacifists might support.

Great. Have you ever been called by telemarketers on your cell phone? It's been happening to Sarah and I a lot lately. A number on caller id shows up from a state where you don't really know anybody, and if you answer it's a recording trying to sell you a warranty for your car or some other crap you really don't want. Let me put it to you this way to any telemarketers reading this. The only service you can sell me on the phone I might actually want to go out and find other telemarketers and do this to them. So anyway, if they're not annoying enough now why not let them burrow straight into your brain to sell you a warranty to your piece of junk car that is rapidly approaching 200K miles. In fact let me introduce you to the new style telemarketer. Khan:
I know you guys remember this guy, and what he was up to. If you don't, read the last sentence in the second paragraph under plot. Or even easier, call Matt Boardman and say "Matt, I read this blog they talked about the Wrath of Khan, could you tell what this would have to do with having something burrow into my brain?" He'll get a real kick out of it. Yeah Monday!

More blogs I read...

Continuing with some of the stuff I have on my Google reader here are two more pages I read. First is Detroit Bad Boys, and in the same vein is Need 4 Sheed. Need 4 Sheed has a link for any of you looking to buy a house in the Portland area. Sheed's old house, all you need is about 4.9 Million and it can be all yours. Anyways, I like these two blogs since I hardly see Piston games during the season it helps me to keep up with the team. I also read some other sports related blogs, mostly about the NBA. I have one I read about finance that I don't actually think is that great so I'm not going to recommend it here. I have political sites on my reader too, but I'm reluctant to recommend those here since I'm not really trying to make a political blog here. If you are really interested in those you can email me if you want some links. I get the word of the day. The afore mentioned Dinosaur Comics. Music reviews from NME magazine. I also like Channing Frye, and Bill Simmons for sports. So there you go, some suggestions on what I'm reading. As always recommendations for new stuff are welcome, if you're taking the time to read this, let us all know what you're reading.

As a follow up...

Since no one else seems to feel like posting RSS feeds they subscribe to I'm going to share one I recently added that I like. Dinosaur Comics. This thing cracks me up. The drawings are the same every day. Literally, the exact same... this is part of the gimmick. They sometimes link an idea together for a few days, so it's best to have it on your Google reader (or whatever your using) to keep up with it, and it's funny. I also have to have some respect for anyone who comes up with material to post four of five comics per week and never changes the drawing (which are of dinosaurs, no less). Hope you guys try it out, and think it's as funny as I do.

This one's for Bill Walton, er... KVB

Finally had to get to KVB's requested songs for the SP's. And you know I couldn't add a Greatful Dead track without adding this beauty.
Which reminds me.
Q: What did one Deadhead say to the other when their drugs ran out at a concert?
A: Wow, this music kinda sucks.

A dumb joke, but also a half truth. I like a few of the Dead's songs but a little goes a long way. So you get Uncle John's Band since I couldn't find a good version of Dire Wolf. Also got the requested Beck track up, it's a good choice. As far as Live... I like them, and really like the song requested but got a little too burned out its overplay back in the day. Couldn't bring myself to put it on there. Also the last few Live albums left too much of a bad taste in my mouth... I guess I have my "snob" reputation to live up to and couldn't green light all the songs on principle anyway. Besides two requests outta three's not too bad, right?

Come get some ham!

First, if you haven't been over there yet... Sarah updated her blog with some more pictures from our trip to OKC. Also, glad you guys are enjoying the Napoleon quiz... I took it again the other day just for fun I modified the answers to switch who I'd end up as... "Tina, you fat lard! Come get some dinner! Tina, eat. Eat the food. EAT THE FOOD!" In case you need a visual click here, and have your credit card ready (seriously click it, it's funny). Anyways, fun stuff so I'll leave that quiz up a couple more days.

Also, I wanted to ask something Sarah brought up on her blog a while back. Are you guys using RSS feeds to read blogs, what do you use, and what blogs/sites are you subscribed to? I know I use Google Reader, and I got Sarah started on it. What about the rest of you? Also, like I said what good blogs/sites do you guys read or subscribe to?

Today Napoleon (Dynamite that is) weeps

Because of this article.Too bad it had to be a liger and couldn't have just been a tigon. As Napoleon says (not in the movie, but one of the shorts promoting the movie: "A liger is WAY better than a tigon!" I also happened onto a quiz to find out which character you are from the movie. I was Napoleon, click on it to go to the quiz for yourself... if you take it post a comment and let the rest of us know who you are.

Top Ten

I read an article... and even though I know some blog readers may not like Noel Gallagher, or Oasis it still brings up a good discussion point. The article gives Noel's top ten bands of all time. Since I know you might not read the article I'll just tell you his rules for his list which are as follows:

"No solo artists allowed. No female artists allowed. No collectives allowed (Public Enemy etc)."

So in other words, no solo artists. In the linked article you can read the top ten picks for the writers/editors for British music magazine NME. The comments section of the article is open for lists from anyone who cares to submit a list, and of course so is mine. I'd like to hear what everyone has to say. So anyway here are Noel's picks :
1.The Beatles
2.The Rolling Stones
3.The Who
4.Sex Pistols
5.The Kinks
6.The La's
7.Pink Floyd
8.The Bee Gees
9.The Specials
10.(Peter Green's) Fleetwood Mac

I guess you'd probably like to hear my picks too, since this is my post so I guess I'll get the discussion started. Slick's Top Ten (note: I haven't given this list too much thought, especially the last few bands on the list. Also this is no particular order):

1.The Beatles
2.Radiohead
3.Led Zeppelin
4.Nirvana
5.Oasis
6.REM
7.Death Cab for Cutie
8.Rolling Stones
9.Pearl Jam
10.The Strokes

*Already have to make my first edit, would probably trade out Pearl Jam for Wilco*

I think I can safely say the Beatles would be a definitive number one choice, otherwise no particular order. The Strokes and Pearl Jam could also be changed out for any of the following honorable mentions: Creedence, The Who, The Doors and Pink Floyd( both almost made the list), and I considered even if briefly the Stone Roses. As far as Noel's picks,I do like the Kinks, but don't know enough of their songs to vote them on my "best." I also know I don't like the Sex Pistols enough to let them near my list. Several of those were in consideration for their influence on other bands, and not just their music alone. Anyway, my list may change, if so I might go back to edit this post, but now it's up to you. Use the comments and make your list known.

All the latest

Well, we're back from our trip to OKC so I thought I'd post some news. First of all thanks to all those who voted in the poll to change/keep the blog title. The majority has spoken and the site will stay Music Snobs. Also, thanks for the new title suggestions. I like several of them, but only one can get the call.

For more on the trip click on over to Sarah's blog, she's already put a post up this morning with some pictures of the trip. While I'm not going to put any of the pictures up (that's Sarah's thing and I don't want to steal her thunder... I think she does a better job of detailing the family's goings on than I do.) I'm not going to let that stop me from saying a few things about the trip.

Firstly, my faith in humanity was restored then dashed again. In Texas, my current state of residence, we have this little thing (note: the picture of highway 183 in Irving, TX runs about a half mile from where I work, hate that thing) that drives me nuts. Frontage roads get my blood boiling like nothing else. I hate them. Now, the hatred is somewhat miss placed and I will freely admit this, but not entirely. I know a large part of the reason I hate them is actually just the fact that Austin is too crowed for its own good. The city and its suburbs have just grown too quickly and infrastructure has not keep pace with the number of people moving here. That is the root of the problem, and frontage roads are a physical manifestation that I can lash out against.

In my defense, and to show I'm not completely crazy about the roads I will explain a little more. The roads in this area suck. They are paved smoothly so all you Michiganders I'm not talking about the jolt to the butt you get every other second when you drive down older sections of I-75. What I mean is none of the roads here seem to go straight for very long they just run in random directions, roads have multiple confusing names, many areas are so new that google and yahoo maps are useless to guide you to new places, and finally the frontage roads. We happen to live on a frontage road, and I work in a building built on one too. Every morning when I leave for work I pull up to the apartment drive way and make a right turn toward the east. Fine. Whatever. The only problem is my work is west of where we live. Because it's a one way frontage road I drive about a quarter of a mile the wrong direction, flip a u-turn underneath the freeway and drive another quarter of a mile where I wave goodbye to my apartment all over again. To cut short all my many complaints of frontage roads I'll just say that I think they encourage people to build about 15 feet off the expressway when they normally wouldn't and they don't help move traffic any faster, but they do require you to pave roads all over the place and make the landscape ugly.

So now that I've made this huge rant you're wondering what this has to do with anything. I'll tell you what it has to do with... we drove to Oklahoma, as in a state that does not use evil torture devices like frontage roads. It was just so awesome to be able to drive the speed limit and think about things in this way "Alright, thirty miles to the next rest area that means we'll be there in twenty-five to thirty minutes" and not "I've got to get on I-35 north at Hester's Crossing (I'd guess about a three mile drive from our place) that should only take about twenty-five minutes." Anyways, faith in humanity restored.

On a more serious note in OKC we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The restoration of my faith was short lived. I don't know how to punish people enough when they do things like that. Repeated buckets of boiling water to the crotch might be a good start. What's especially messed up is that the building had a daycare in it. Blowing those kids up and there parents just trying to make it through another work week, that sure showed the government. I couldn't help but be saddened by the fact that events like this seem so commonplace that we don't remember one tragedy from the next. The pictures from the link are pretty good including a statue called And Jesus Wept, which got me thinking about a Wilco song, now on the SP's.

The trip on the whole was a good one, and it really had me thinking a lot. This was the first trip in the care that was longer than two hours we've taken with Claire since she was six weeks old and the first time ever for Noel. I couldn't help but feel some gratitude for my own parents and how they always worked to give me and my brothers good vacations. I really felt like life comes full circle as I thought about how parents must have felt in a similar situation (not a specific event, just in general) years before. A job that doesn't pay all that well, traveling on a budget, young kids in the back seat, and all the stuff that comes with traveling. Like changing diapers in a strong wind on a picnic table out in the middle of nowhere. It sort of made me feel closer to my own family (even though we weren't visiting them), and it was a good feeling. I guess the old cliche about turning into your parents is, at least in part, true.

Hope you all had a nice holiday weekend (sigh, end of summer), and be prepared for my future posts as the weather here finally cools down again (after I have suffered through another Texas summer) and I rub it in the faces of the readers of the blog who live up north (with its nice mild summer) that winter is nice time to be in Texas.

Gustav, destroyer of plans

This weekend we're taking a long weekend to drive up to Oklahoma City to see Sarah's parents. We're leaving tomorrow and won't be back til Wednesday night so you most likely won't get any posts from me for a week or so. I hate to break the bad news to you but I'm sure you all could put together some fun stuff to post while I'm gone.

It's too bad a lot of people around here made plans to go to the coast one last time for the summer and now Gustav is ruining a lot of plans. We should be find going to OKC, I mean they never get storms there... oh what's that you say it's the heart of tornado alley? Just kidding no tornados or extreme weather in the forecast for us so we should have a good trip. look for pictures on Sarah's blog in the next week or so. So anyway, have a nice weekend.

Poll added

A poll is now up to vote for a new title. Vote for your favorite, and if you vote "other" use the comments to suggest the other you'd like considered.

A few notes

No funny articles/links in this post. Just wanted to make a quick update of the state of the site. Firstly, the poll about the SPs was a disaster and will not be repeated, at least not for a little while.

Also, wanted to update about the site's name/title. While Music Slobs was a title it deserved during the site's dark ages, I don't feel like it deserves it anymore. The number of posts have actually been pretty high, and I'm doing my best (and I know you all are too) to make sure they're interesting, so while I like the title in a way it's not a good fit anymore. I did like a lot of the others, but the best one I heard was from my wife, (told to me though not found in the comments) and requires a bit of explanation. You see she feels that I have a tendency to (when I'm talking about something I care about) speak like I'm writing a persuasive essay. For example I might say something like... "Phil Collins is a musical genius." After I saw something like this (that may be a bit doubtful) it no longer matters if it's true, or if I even believe it myself... half the time I'll try and convince people just because. Especially if they seem don't seem to be buying. So after the statement I'll follow it up with things like "he was in Genesis, and they had some good songs." (Don't click that link if you want me to be able to make my case... I think the website might do more damage than good in this argument) Next, I'll say "he sang and played drums, not easy." Finally, I'll say "I think 'Against all Odds' (click on this just to see the album cover... seriously do it), 'One More Night', and 'A Groovy Kind of Love' speak for themselves, and I rest my case." With that in mind Sarah suggested something along the lines of "Here's three reasons" or "Let me give you three reasons" etc... you get the idea. I thought that was pretty clever and if you've talked much with me in the past you might agree with her assessment of my speaking/logic and find it particularly amusing.

Creepy picture, right?

My only reservation in using it is that this isn't supposed to be my blog so it shouldn't necessarily be a title about me. So now is you chance to sound off about it, it's probably my favorite suggestion... or I might just leave things as is since no seems to care that much. Just didn't want you to think I didn't read the suggestions or think about it.

A few goodies for ya

First, a funny article about the Little League World Series. I agree with the article, the LLWS is boring and should not be on TV. Every year's the same... the Cuban and to a lesser extent a few other teams from South and Central America have some "12 year old" (read 17 yrs old) ace on the mound. Like Chinese gymnasts, but in reverse.

Also, an interesting article about Lindsey Hunter... the funny thing is I always thought he was an NBA "good guy." I guess it just goes no matter how much we think we know about our favorite teams and players how little we actually know about them.

Finally one other funny article. This one pretty much speaks for it self, read on and enjoy.

Monday Funny

Just a quick link to a funny write up... this time via woot.com.

What could possibly go wrong?

Apparently Intel has developed wireless electricity. What a great idea, I can't think of single down side to this one. Except, there is this one thing that came to mind...
I mean we all know he wasn't that bad of a guy.
Look at that winning smile. Anyway, according to the article it's safe so in the near future you might never need to plug in your cell phone to charge it.

RIP Leroi Moore

You might have already heard this, but in case you didn't... Leroi Moore (the sax player in the Dave Matthews Band) passed away this week. I have to say he did something not many could do... make me like a song with a saxophone in it. Sorry Kenny G. I know it's hard to believe a guy who looks like that could ever make bad music. Anyway, to hear about Dave Matthews Band (DMB) was strange... where have these guys been? Oh, that's right making terrible albums and driving away their old fans (like me). I hate to kick the band while they're down , so let's focus on the good times we had. So, in that spirit a few new tracks to the SPs from DMB. I hadn't even thought to add anything by them even though from the mid to late 90's I listened to them a lot. That's how far they've dropped (for me at least). Anybody else feel that way about DMB? Do you guys still listen, any opinions on the newer albums, and what are your favorite DMB songs/albums?

New Idea

As comments have been minimal about the SPs and because I'm stubborn I've come up with a new idea (read gimmick) to solicit input. So, starting with some tracks by Band of Horses that I just put up we're going to have a vote. Now all you lazies have to do is listen and vote... while comments would be nice I have learned that this is apparently asking too much... so just listen then vote, and the winner is in and the rest are tossed. Depending on participation this may or may not become a permanent addition to the site. As usual new songs are on the bottom of the SPs.

If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around...

What is the sound of one hand clapping? Which came first the chicken or the egg? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? Today, I have my own question that might not really have an answer, but I'll put it to you guys anyway. Before I pose the question I'll just say Claire's taste in TV shows has evolved from Sesame Street to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. So I was watching an episode with her the other day and it reminded me of something... something I've wondered before, but never understood/had explained. Let me see if I understand this right. Goofy and Pluto are both dogs, right? So why does one of them dress up in clothes while the other one only wears a collar, and why can only one of them speak/walk on two legs/eat from the table/not have to drink from the toilet? Any theories about this? I guess it leads to questions about why a duck, a mouse, and a dog might be friends in the first place.









Also, why do the artists feel like Donald needs clothes, but only a shirt and not pants? Well, may that's a good place to stop... all the deep pondering from this post might help you reach enlightenment, or might just make you question reality and give you a headache. Not a good way to start Monday morning.

Olympic Photos

This is a link to an ESPN page where the guys has funny titles for photos from the olympics. Not all funny, but several are. For instance the Sexy Back one.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=gallo/080815&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab6pos2

Enjoy

Couldn't resist...

This is the state that I currently reside in. I got the news story from Dave Barry's blog. Here's one of his posts from Beijing I liked. I recommend clicking on some other posts too, especially if you're not familiar with his writing.

Harry Potter and other stuff

For all you illiterate Harry Potter fans, I hate to be the barer of bad new, but... looks as if those associated with the film want to take a serious haul to Gringotts so you're going to have to wait. If you still haven't read book 6 (The Half Blood Prince)you'll have a little longer, but let's be honest if you haven't read it by now you're probably not going to. In the mean time you can always just watch this. I tried to find just a clip to post of it but could only find the whole episode... it's a pretty good one so worth watching, specific Harry Potter allusions begin around the 8:45 mark. I love right before the 17:00 mark, Homer: "Time for me to do what I do best, lie to children." And then, "Mustache power, Activate!"

Time for a new title?

Use comments to make your suggestions for a new blog title. Seeing as how only a fraction of the post are about music, and the blog hasn't turned out exactly like I thought it might be time to update the title. Everybody brainstorm, make some comments and then I'll print out the suggestions, hang them up, and throw a dart to decide. Remember, it has to be clever and funny, but less funny every time you hear it... something like the B-sharps.

Family Home Evening

If you've been watching the Olympics at all then the cat is already out of the bag for you. Hell may or may not be freezing over as I type this, and all of Germany is planning a boycott of all NBC shows because Knight Rider is back and with a new leading man (as seen below).I'm not sure how to take this. First off, I never really watched the original show when I was a kid. I'd seen the occasional episode, but by no means was a regular viewer so it's not like I'm worried about the integrity (supposed integrity, notice italics='s cynicism) but isn't this kind of lame? You take a mediocre show from the 80's and just can't let it die. Granted it did give us this beauty
but that hardly justifies a comeback of the show. Remind me again why the writers thought going on strike was such a good idea? Oh that's right. Because they are so creative they could never be replaced... I get it. That's right people, this is the world we live in. Writers want better pay and will strike to get it while they put out Knight Rider, again. Disney movies are put out straight to DVD (I think I say Cinderella: First Blood part 2 the other day). Even a show I actually like (The Office) is a rip off a show already made in the UK. Does anyone have an agent in Hollywood I could call. I think me and a writing team of lobotomized monkeys could come up with something better than all this. Well, believe it or not the point of this post isn't just to rant and rip on Hollywood writers, because good ones are still out there. And here's the proof. Enjoy this clip and re-enjoy it when you think about it next Monday night when you're hanging out with your family.

Statue of Voldamort

I saw this in the Castel Sant'Angelo, which was the tomb of one of the emperors.

Blame it on the rain... or Mao?

Well this is just depressing. Not surprising, but depressing. I would say I haven't been this depressed since...well, you guys get the picture (although Milli Vanilli really is a bit depressing, read here and here specifically) . I mean the little girl who actually sang didn't look that bad, she's only seven so she's at least a little cute just because of her age. Here's my favorite part (taken from Yahoo's version of the story):

He said the final decision to stage the event with Lin lip-synching to another girl's voice was taken after a senior member of China's ruling Communist Party politburo attended a rehearsal.

"He told us there was a problem that we needed to fix it, so we did," he said, without disclosing further details of the order.

Hopefully the girls won't need too much therapy when all is said and done. The opening ceremonies were cool, but on a serious note I couldn't help but think about this (read the last line under design) and now Milli Vanilli (less serious note) all over again.

Tracks and blah blahs

More tracks to the SP's... I know to you guys still not taking advantage of the SP's that is the same as typing blah blah, hence today's title. So the latest track is put on with Tim in mind. The band is called Biffy Clyro... not the best name but I think this track will be right up your alley. The band is like a Scottish Blink 182/Jimmy Eat World that sometimes goes a bit heavier. They also do some funny stuff like covers of Rihanna, and Buddy Holly (the Weezer song, not actual Buddy Holly). So anyway, I'm not always into that type of music so this band for me is very hit and miss. So obviously I chose one of the tracks I like called "Folding Stars." Lyrics here are actually pretty serious and just so you know Elanor in the song is the singers mom (not ex or anything like that) and the song is his way of dealing with her passing. As usual I put tracks out for your listening pleasure, enjoy them if you like (or not) and who knows you might like a band you hear and want to hear more of their stuff. Comments on this and all SP's songs are welcome (as usual).

Plato, Gollum, and Napoleon (Dynamite that is)

Lately, I'm really liking the Monday posts so while I'm not making any promises I might make Monday a regular posting day. Of course, if nothing is going on or I get too busy well this is a tradition that might not be long for this world.

I am always looking for something funny to throw at you guys. Even though I do like to reflect or make a serious post from time to time I love the funny stuff. Like pictures like this one.Maybe it's not that funny, but I think it is... but I'm easily amused. But I'm not posting it just for its own sake. I actually found a somewhat related story to justify this picture. Read it here.

On a more serious note, the first thing I thought of when I read the story is this. Or more specifically this. A little bit of a scary thought, right? Plus we all remember this and don't want to turn out like this...
If you know me well, you know I love technology (but not as much as you, you see... always and forever, etc...)(click that one only with caution, potential time waster) and not wanting to sound like a Luddite here, but maybe somethings are best left undiscovered. That is, unless of course they get that to work... in which case sign me up for an invisibility cloak baby. What do you guys think about the idea of an actual working invisibility cloak?

Have you ever been bitten by a fruit bat?

Here's a little video clip you might all enjoy. It's from a website called funny or die. If you haven't been to it, there are some pretty funny clips there. I first went to the site to see this clip, but as you look around there's some pretty funny stuff. Enjoy.

Need some wood?

John Kerry: And you know why he gets that count? [that 800,000 "small businesses" would pay more taxes under Kerry's tax plan] The president got $84 from a timber company that [he] owns, and he's counted as a small business. Dick Cheney's counted as a small business. That's how they do things. That's just not right.

George Bush: I own a timber company? That's news to me ... Need some wood?

Not sure if you guys watched the debates from the last presidential go around ('04) but the above was probably my favorite exchange of the whole campaign. But, in all seriousness I don't really use this blog to talk about politics, and I'm not one to tell others what to believe or vote for. I did want to take the occasion of the announced federal budget to say on thing though. The budget is at a new record (though not the highest percent of GDP ever spent, a topic for another time). I know sometimes my post use a lot of links in them, but I hope this is one you'll click on, and read (it's really short). The main point on want to make is that the government is taking your money whether you want them to or not, so why not tell them how you'd like it to be spent, and how much of it they should take? One interesting item from the link is this tidbit. If that much money is being spent on my family, I'd like to know what on and have some input... turns out I'm not really a Buick kinda guy. Without wanting to preach politics, I do wish people would be more involved (get an RSS feed reader like google reader and have some news and political blogs sent to it... this isn't rocket science people) and take some responsibility... our current congress with its 9% approval rating didn't get into office by itself.

Ok, I'm stepping down off the soapbox. In other Music Snob news, put another Built to Spill track on the SPs, as an autobiographical piece. I'm the kind of person who hates to see animals suffer, to the point I even hate squishing (some) bugs. Well, at least ladybugs and certain other types if possible I'll toss out the front door without squishing. I don't have the heart to smash fireflies and dragonflies for instance. Houseflies are another bug entirely. Oh man do I hate flies. I'm not typically violent and can usually keep my cool, but they get my blood boiling and our apartment was full of them this weekend. We had our carpets cleaned Friday afternoon, which was nice as they look and feel much nicer, but that meant the front door had to remain propped open for half an hour plus. I was going into a frenzy on those things all weekend. When I start swatting them, I guess I vent on them... so maybe flies in the apartments not so bad. Never mind, it can't be good for my blood pressure.

Also put another Interpol track on the SPs that I like, love the part in the middle (The "I know you tried" part). A really "pop"track from Pascal. Don't listen too often as music that sugary can cause cavities. And finally, a very catchy track from Sigur Ros. They might not be the easiest to get into, but this is a song I would consider to be a single, that is a song that could be played with success on mainstream radio. I like Sigur Ros, but have to say I bet hanging out with them is probably goes one of two ways, they're either very cool (and you find yourself smiling and nodding a lot when they talk), or it's more like hanging out with certain kids we've all know. You know... the type were you actually cringe when they say certain things, and you think to yourself "people just don't think that way/say stuff like that out loud do they? Huh, apparently they do." Then other people stick up for them and say stuff like "Oh, they're just really artistic/creative" and you think to yourself "now I remember why I don't like being described as artsy, and since when does creativity equal dorkness/social inadequacy?" Good times with the artsy nerds.

P.S. All the artsy people I know are of the cool variety, so this wasn't a veiled jab at any of them... just so you know.

To help you through another Monday

Just one more reason I never participated in rodeos as a kid. I'm not really even into watching them, but I can tell you from firsthand experience that it is fun to be a spectator for this event at least.

This One's a Downer

I like funny stuff as much as the next guy, but this post is going to be a bit of a downer. You've been warned.

Put new tracks on the SPs. First is Pedro the Lion. This is a band if you've not heard, you need to get on the ball. That's all I'm going to say about that. Next is an Elliot Smith track. If you don't mind listening to depressing music to hear something good then, Elliot is your guy. If you don't like/can't handle the depressing stuff then maybe it's better not to start down that road. Finally, a Ben Folds track. And yes, these tracks do have a connection... so here's the story.

Back in the fall of 2003 I was living in Salt Lake City and going to the University of Utah. One Friday night they put on a free show and the bands were Pedro the Lion and Elliot Smith. I took Sarah, and met some of my roommates up at the U to check it out. Pedro put on a good show, and afterward Elliot came out. The music was good, but he had to work through some technical difficulties. Once his amps and mics were all cooperating it was a good show, especially since it was free.

The odd thing about it all was that about a week or two later Elliot died. He was 34. It was probably suicide, but there is some speculation about it all you can read about by clicking on his name up above or just google it later. Now, it's not like I think of this often... after I heard I didn't wear black (a la Robert Smith) for a week straight or anything like that, but it is funny the sub-conscious effect things like this can have. I remember that night because Sarah and I were just about to start dating and so stuff like that just sticks out in my mind. I can't think about Elliot without thinking what happened to him, why would you chose to end your own life... especially by stabbing? I just feel so bad a person could get to that point.

So finally, what does this have to do with Ben Folds? Well the new track of his I put on (Late) is written for Elliot (as detailed here). It's not like I knew, or even ever met Elliot Smith, but the lyrics do resonate with me in a way... and the way you can tell Ben Folds is sad about the whole thing strikes a chord with me too. As a side note on the Elliot track, Luke Wilson's character in the Royal Tenenbaums makes a suicide attempt with Needle in the Hey playing on the soundtrack, so at least I can end with a cheerful thought... I'll make sure my next post has something happier in it.

Our Friends in Ann Arbor:)

Up until this year we have been used to this kind of Fall. :( But now that the Rich Rod era is starting in Ann Arbor we will have football and basketball on locks:) I hope.

Here are a few cute pics meant to tease our dorky friends down the road.

It doesn't get much dorkier than this!

I didn't know they had a basketball team?

Can anyone say extinct. See the next picture to see what actual wolverines look like in our state.

Wolvie(Cletis), Bo and Fritz: The board of directors of our local trailor parks' U of M football team fan klub, 100k strong. The other 12k people who attend the home games are not members of the fan klub, oh and actually attended the school, and by the way they don't have any children named, Wolvie, Bo or Fritz.

GO GREEN GO WHITE