My Favorite quote for Christmas that's not really about Christmas

and, actually, I think it's the best quote for life.
"It seems every week the Simpsons go through a situation like this. My suggestion is to just ride it out, make the occasional smart-aleck quip, and next week we'll return right to where we were, ready for another wacky adventure." -Lisa Simpson

FYI, Marty Rowles is the boss of life

Jury Duty, New Tunes, THIS is hardcore

Oh man, yesterday was jury duty, freaked out to no end. I didn't see it as a "privilege" or a "chance to have my voice heard" but rather deciding the fate of another human being. And that is totally above my pay grade. I couldn't handle it. HOWEVER, yesterday was an awesome day. I sat in a blend of a library reading room and an airport lounge, reading books, watching snow fall onto a pond and hills thru giant windows, whilst TVLand played I Love Lucy, Bonanza, etc. all day. It was awesome! Didn't get called, we've got this "one trial or one day" policy, so i'm done. Anything that happens today, I can say, "at least i'm not in court".
Fav New Music:
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall
This is the music he was born to sing. I still think his debut was one of the finest albums of the 90s, but, my god, this album knocks my socks off.
The 1900s: Cool and Kind
Best new music TO ME. Not brand new, but I finally hopped on the orch-pop train, and I'm loving it. So good, so fresh and so clean.
Bishop Allen: The Broken String
Another one that's been on my eMusic wishlist for some time, finally did it, totally worth it. Best pop rock album of the year.

Best grindcore album of the year: The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza- Danza II The Electric Boogaloo

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Best New Music

I'm in love with Ida Maria
The best new band (Bonus: from Sweden!)
so good, the dream of what I want to listen to.
Listen, love, live

Team Obama

"At a news conference, the Illinois senator was asked about Hillary Clinton’s attack on his qualifications. Making an economic speech in Knoxville, Iowa, earlier that day, the New York senator had touted her own know-how, saying that “there is one job we can’t afford on-the-job training for — that’s the job of our next president.” Her aides confirmed that she was referring to Obama.

Pressed to respond, Obama offered a zinger feathered with amused disdain: “My understanding was that she wasn’t Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration, so I don’t know exactly what experiences she’s claiming.”

Everybody laughed, including Obama.

It took him nine months, but he finally found the perfect pitch to make a trenchant point.

Her Democratic rivals had meekly gone along, accepting her self-portrait as a former co-president who gets to take credit for everything important Bill Clinton did in the ’90s. But she was not elected or appointed to a position that needed Senate confirmation. And the part of the Clinton administration that worked best — the economy, stupid — was run by Robert Rubin. Hillary did not show good judgment in her areas of influence — the legal fiefdom, health care and running oppo-campaigns against Bill’s galpals.

She went on some first lady jaunts and made a good speech at a U.N. women’s conference in Beijing. But she was certainly not, as her top Iowa supporter, former governor Tom Vilsack claimed yesterday on MSNBC, “the face of the administration in foreign affairs.”

She was a top adviser who had a Nixonian bent for secrecy and a knack for hard-core politicking. But if running a great war room qualified you for president, Carville and Stephanopoulos would be leading the pack."

Oh, how I love Sparky

So, there's this really cool guy I've known for like 3 or so years. He's gone on mission trips, etc., and cracks me up to no end. His sense of humor is top 5 material. Seriously. Well, he's studying to be an architect and attends Arizona State, a fact that makes me entirely too jealous. Beyond all that, he has one of the sweetest gigs in the world: Sparky the Sun Devil. He is the ASU mascot. And he just dropped by and tossed me an awesome tshirt. Sparky, I love you.

Who are you?

For the past week & a half, I see about 2-4 MN license plates a day. We are 6+ hours from the border, and 40 minutes from any reputable university, so who are you? Why are you hovering?

On a lighter note- 3-9 sucks, but it's over & done with, as the Proclaimers say, and we can get on the recruiting trail right away.

Devin "G.A.I.F.D.Y." Hester makes me giddy.

Designing a Nervous Breakdown

I don't know how I'm going to make it thru today, this week, this year. If I can make it to June 15, I can make it any where. This life is gonna be the death of me. And just as I almost put my face thru a wall, I put this tiny disc on and this tune saved me again. It don't work without the sound, though.

Its nine-eight-teen
It's coffee colored evening
The headlights spin shadows on the ceiling
I'm left here with the Gideon Bible
Long strands of her hair
Trickle down the bed

And in my soul there's a little Alaska
It's 80 below and it's dropping
Sweet Ecclesiastes won't you preach to me
Corner store assassion with a Glock 19
Coffee makes my hand shake
I'm a running boy
If I were Jack the Ripper would you still kiss me?

She's smooth like the girl with the leather-like bonding
You fall into the snow, yeah you make a little Angel
And I read straight through the book of Revelations
I saw the Astronaus on TV jumping on the moon

And all the horses that I bet on
Are lame and shot through the head
and Sweet Ecclesiastes, won't you reach to me?
Corner store assassion with a Glock 19
Coffee makes my hand shake
I'm a running boy
If I were Jack the Ripper would you still kiss me?

Mwah

Tuesday: kinda tired, too long til any relief, just tryin to git er done.

Helpful to do so:
Okkervil River's Daytrotter session. Damn these guys are good.
Paste's cover story of Ryan Adams. You don't like him? Fine. Your an idiot.
Cool panoramic painting of Milwaukee from City Hall, circa 1898. Very well.
Like Christmas music? Like indie rock? Like supporting Toys for Tots? Perfect, says It's Hard to Find a Friend.
I got the soundtrack to I'm Not There. Boo-Yah. That's some mighty fine pickin' and a-diggin'.

Joe Sorren

Sorry to bother you, but I really think you should know about this. There's this artist, Joe Sorren, and he's awesome. He's got this show, "While the Trucks on the Highway all Howl"
and man is it good. Gaze in yer free time.

Radiohead: just can't get enough.

Sports Rehab

Lasted mmmm about a week, til I got a ticket for the Notre Dame game yesterday. Totally worth it. My tushy feels sore and I think my lungs/respiratory stuff got real bad from being out there and screaming all afternoon, but, whatever.
If you've never been there, I'm sorry. It's the greatest spot in all of humanity, nothing more beautiful in the world. I'm bummed out that I can't go next week, cuz there's 2 tickets open for it. Sigh.
But you can never be too sad after marching with the band, chilling in front of Touchdown Jesus, lighting it up in the Grotto, standing in the Basilica, breathing in the Holy of Holies.

I'm Dying Tomorrow

I feel like crap, but less like crap than yesterday, or the last 3 days for that matter. BUT I should plan on still technically having The Flu until Saturday. Whatever.

Green is Universal: kinda cool, worrying that it's now a full-fledged trend, considered lame in 6 months. Yeah right, you say, but, I respond, where are all the LiveStrong bracelets today? Also, me thinks the apartment complex is taking it a little too far: still no heat. Brrr.

I can think of at least one little lady who might like this sight: Campus Gossip

Help me, Obama-wan, your my only hope.

Thank you, BOOMERS, thank you very much.

I quit

sports for the rest of 2007. It's too hard, it hurts too much. I need a colonic. Hopefully next year goes better.

FYI: watch Monster Squad. Best movie you've never seen, unless you've already seen it. Then, you know.

The Lights are Back!

Oh it feels so good! Took a few weeks but finally a solid episode. Sure, it wasn't epic, but it hit all the right spots. Please start watching this gold mine. Kyle Chandler is so hot. But let's ditch the Law & Order subplot.

On a lighter note, tonight's This American Life was one of the most depressing I've ever listened to. Very interesting, but very depressing.

Keep the Lights on!

(Manifest)

i want to call requests through heating-vents,
and hear them answered with a whispered, "no."
to crack the code of muscle, slacken, tense.
let every second step in boots on snow
complete you name with accents i can't place,
that stumble where the syllables combine.
take depositions from a stranger's face.
paint every insignificance a sign.
so tell me nothing matters, less or more.
say, "whatever we think actions are,
we'll never know what anything was for."
if "near is just as far away as far,"
and i'm permitted one act i can save,
i choose to sit here next to you and wave.

Mashup of the Cranes

I don't know who you get down with, but I think Marissa Nadler could float your boat. I think she fits in with the fall/winter seasons, and she got raaal purty voice tuh.

Weakerthans, weakerthans, weakerthans. You don't have to listen to me, you don't have to think they are phenomenal. But please, please, listen to Craig Finn of the Hold Steady: best songwriters: Dylan, Young, Springsteen, Blake Schwarzenbach, John Samson. Believe it.

Okkervil River, Band of Horses, Devandra Barnhardt, what? Be you angels? No, we are but HARP Magazine. Rock on.

I don't know how to say this, but The Playing Favorites are awesome.

Don't forget to watch Friday Night Lights tonight!

Isn't it annoying when people keep telling you that Halloween's bad, even into November?

Movies watched & to watch this weakend:
SpiderMan 3
The Thing
Grindhouse: Death Proof
Ken Burns Civil War
Decemberists: A Practical Handbook
Van Helsing
Supernatural
Northern Exposure
Sports Night
Notre Dame (hopefully) victory over Navy (oh please God)

We are the Pipettes

Finally, finally, finally, I got my dirty little hands on this awesome album. It came out over a year ago in England, but was intouchable for under $25 in the U.S.. I first heard them back in the winter of '05-'06 on a couple of comps and singles. These gals had me smitten from the first note, and so I'm thrilled to finally own these tunes.
The Pipettes are like a '60's doo-wop girl-group crossed with post-indie rock equals awesome. Probably not for everyone, but good enough for me.

Side note: I think Be Kind, Rewind is going to be an awesome movie, but here's the thing that screws with my head: When they insert awesome music into previews, I'm sold. The song could not even show up in the actually flick, I'm going, and I'm going to go in with great expectations. Sometimes it works out: "Mr Blue Sky" in Eternal Sunshine, and now in Be Kind, Rewind (Jack Black- not too shabby, not brilliant, Mos Def- Phenomenal, one of my favorite famous people evah) they are spinning Billy Preston's "Nothing from Nothing", which is a divine song from one of the most criminally underrated artists of all time.

Gravity's Gone

It's only wednesday but i keep wishing it was thursday, but really hope I'll wake up the day before a vacation or a day after retirement, but it's still wednesday. Blah Blah Blah, it's just an excuse to post this:
Current Mood:
I went stumbling through the fog trying to find a reason for the things I told her
She woke up sunny side down and I was still thinking I was too proud to flip her over
Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved
Cocaine rich comes quick and that's why the small dicks have it all

So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating

Those little demons ain't the reasons for the bruises on your soul you've been neglecting
You'll never lose your mind as long as you're heart always reminds you where you left it
And don't ever let them make you feel like saying what you want is unbecoming
If you were supposed to watch you're mouth all the time I doubt your eyes would be above it

Between the champagne hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved
What used to be is gone and what ought to be ought not to be so hard

So I'll meet you at the bottom if there really is one
They always told me when you hit it you'll know it
But I've been falling so long it's like gravity's gone and I'm just floating

Driving home from work

I enjoyed seeing all the kids & moms trickertreating. I remember going out after dinner and it being kinda spooky. This isn't a rant, I feel sorry for this children. But anywho, I'm driving along, kids everywhere, until I turn onto my road. I see...nothing, not a one child, no joy in mudville, nuthin. It was kinda creepy, I thought it must be like "kid murderer lane" or something, but I guess they were probably just with their "other parents", since I've always thought of our complex area as the "Just Starting" or "Starting Over" compound.
Best day to be Halloween: Saturday or Sunday. Though as a weekday, no one thinks twice about leaving work early.

The Best of What's Around

Oh Halloween, what a crazy day you are. I love eating candy til my teeth hurt and getting my spook on. Yeah, right. This is gonna be another lame one, but that's okay, I will survive. I've had a few good ones, I still remember being bummed out at how lame Chicagoland Halloween is, compared to the Philly ones, but I think that was mostly because I came from an unbelievably awesome neighborhood, the perfect trick-or-treat one. I remember going out as a cowboy with homemade chaps in High School, walking into a white hen pantry, and realizing i had a fake gun.
I still remember having to travel to Moline, IL (edge of Iowa) to play a state playoff game, and not getting back until the witching hour of Nov. 1. There are a few that are a blur, but I haven't really done anything since I got to college, except use it as an excuse to watch scary movies and read ghost stories. I took the long way round to work this morning, scanning the radio to hear "Monster Mash" but to no avail. I hope you get to hear it today!

Jury Duty

Got a letter in the mail today telling me I need to report for jury duty downtown, in Cook County. Only problem is- I don't live in Cook County anymore. This should be fun to figure out.

That's the good stuff

I'm sure you are all aware of the "applesauce". Sure, it's tasty & oldschool. I remember the Mott's from my younger days. If you're like me, you enjoy a nice bowl of "applesauce" on the side with a sandwich and potato chips. But, well, some days, gosh, I don't know, it just seems, somehow, geez, how do I put this, over done. That's why I'm so grateful for a new sauce that's really had a major impact on my life: The Peachsauce. That's right, just like the super tasty fruit treat, only you can sip, sup, and slurp this bad boy down. It tastes just like peaches, and can be totally saucy, too. It's like The Applesauce's punky little brother, coming at you with a whole lot of attitude. Before you can say, "Gosh, I think I might like to try that...", it's already gone, baby, gone. I commend this tasty treat to you as a gesture of goodwill, on behalf of all who have come before us. God Bless America.

Jumbalya!

My boss was in San Diego this week, no matter how busy/sick I was, at least I didn't have to deal with this. Different town, but why you'd want to live there?, or, as I sometimes prefer, Antennas
(though we pray for the safety of all impacted)

Could be the best movie next year:
Where the Wild Things are
Writer: Dave Eggers
Director: Spike Jonze
I won't say another word.

This could be a scary movie weekend, after TAL/FNL Friday & Retreat/Fall Fest Saturday. We Netflix'ed The Thing, Bug, The Invisible, Supernatural Season 2 Disc 1, and a movie that shall not be named cuz it's a surprise. So it's a soft scary, but it's got that Halloweenie vibe.

I've been flip-flopping about how much I want the soundtrack to I'm Not There. On paper it looks jaw-droppingly good, but in reality I feel like there's no way it can work out. Impossible. But maybe it could. No way, dude. You never know. I think you do. This is what I'm going thru, and I don't know when I'll make my decision. Maybe I'll lust over it until Xmas time and put it on my naughty and nice list. UPDATE: Well, actually, I've heard the Sufjan Stevens, Cat Power, Jim James (MMJ) with Calexico, oh my, that is some good tunes, worth the price of admission on those tracks, so I've come to terms with my fear and I'm wholeheartedly looking forward to listening.

My Google Reader is usually around 240 items, I can't get ahead with that bastard.

Forgive me Al, I hath boughten thine first Christmastide album of thisen yeahr.

Lucky to be alive

Here's the scoop: You know that feeling about how you having to give a report in class, and it's friday afternoon and you might not have to give the report until monday if everything works out and you're just watching the clock and hoping you can make it to the bell?
That's how I feel about the reign of the only-history-will-tell-if-this-genius-will-be-remembered-as-the-worst-president-of-all-time. I feel like if we can make it to January 2009 without something terrible (well, worse than the last 7 years) happening, I'll be satisfied. We've passed the point of redemption, and the only thing we can hope for is a holding pattern, unless we all hunker down, isolate ourselves from the world, hit reset, and start over with President Obama or President Gore or even President Clinton (she makes me feel safe). I know my analogy falls short, what would you say?

The Year of Living Biblically

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible was, without a doubt, the best book I read all of last week. It tracks the author's pursuit to follow every rule in the bible for a year as best he can. I thought it was great, since he tackled the Old Testament for the first 8 months, which provided me with a much clearer understanding of the Jewish perspective, without having to read more books!
This would be great for someone just starting to get interested in Christianity OR Judaism.
It was also refreshing to see an agnostic approach Judeo-Christian faith that isn't bitter or angry, as is the style of the day. So I got down with A.J. and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good time. Oh man, this was a really lame review.

My eMusic

One of the best decisions I've made since January 2006 has been to join eMusic. I've picked up some great random stuff, hot new drops, and things I totally forgot about but am bummed out about cuz some jerk stole that cd in 1998.
This month I picked up
Maritime- Heresy and the Hotel Choir: pretty good, though the one flaw is that Davey von Bohlen doesn't re-create "Nothing Feels Good", which is a ridiculous concept. In spite of my ignorance, Maritime has improved with each album, and I would recommend it to you.
Jens Lenkman- Night Falls Over Kortedala: Beautiful album, poppy, indie-songwriter, basically, you know how you think, "oh yeah, ABBA could be kind of cool if...", well, this is it. But that is kind of misleading, so don't live or die by it.
Sunset Rubdown- Random Spirit Love: Just as good as SUIAD, but since this one didn't come up out of nowhere, I brought some baggage with me. But it worked out in the end, though I am more than ready for some new Wolf Parade.
Los Campesinos- The International Tweexcore Underground: Another EP, either their LP will be off the charts awesome or mweh. I just can't tell, and wouldn't be surprised either way.
Quasi- The Sword of God: Great example of stepping out on eMusic. Wanted to pick em up for awhile, and this seemed like the perfect month. Didn't change my life, but perked up a few hours. Gonna go for more in November...maybe December.
Besnard Lakes- Volume 1: This one surprised me, and I don't know why. Here's a rule: unless you are one of the most brilliant bands of all time, re-releases of early recordings are not very good. Why didn't I believe it? Don't know, but even after previewing all the tracks, I was still expecting something different. I don't get me. But if you're in the mood for more experimental tracks, it's fer you. I think I'll be up for it in a few months, so I'll just try not to lose it 'til then.
Boy's Life- Boy's Life: This is a great example of an oldie that has dispparated, then reemerged thru the power of eMu links. So good, forgive me for using the word here, but when I think of emo, I think of Boy's Life, Mineral, onelinedrawing, Rainer Maria, Promise Ring, Joan of Arc, Belle and Sebastian, Braid, Christie Front Drive. Ah, the twisting/distortion of semantics & linguistics.
So, to recap, I got all these albums for $20? Yes, my friend, I did. So step up and make your own memories thru eMusic.

Fresh Starts, Stale Farts

Cubs failed, Irish hurt me, Bears tease me, Bulls are months from making me care, but it seems like a good time to start over. I'm battling a cold, it's winning, but it ain't over yet.
I've been berry busy lately, let me give you a taste: I was gonna post about the Twins game I went to (it would be titled (B)oof!) but I'm doing the work of 2 people, but that's not so bad since I usually do the work of one poorly, so now I'm only on the verge of ignorance.
Heroes is so hott, I love Peter's new haircut. I don't mind the slow burn as long as the payoff is jackpot (think Lost last year).
It's always sunny continues to pleasure me richly, all-in-all Thursday nights are totally done right.
Reaper & Aliens in America are 2 great surprises, with the bonus that I'm not all depressed if I happen to miss an episode (we'll have to test this in a few weeks, so far I'm all talk on this one). Pushing Daisies has been enjoyable, but my schedule doesn't really allow for it, so if it sticks around I may Netflicks it next summer (along with Greek, which I'm totally depressed I missed the boat on).
On the other hand, Fridays just aren't as hot as I hoped. This American Life will never disappoint, but I just can't handle the heavy that Friday Night Lights is bringing. Maybe I could handle it on another night, but IF they keep going down this road...well, I just don't know. BUT last week gave me some hope at the end. I hope Al's wrong and it isn't just becoming a soap. (BTW, Kyle Chandler is sooooo CUTE!!!)