A survey on a Saturday? What a notion.
Current mood: peaceful
Category: Quiz/Survey
Yep, I nabbed this one from Dewey.
Strawberry Milkshake or Banana Pancakes? Both make me ill, but the strawberry milkshake ill was a long time ago, so I'd give that another shot.
Burger King or Wendy's? Where I'm at, BK is the only choice. If I had the option, nine times out of ten it would be Wendy's.
What time is it? 8:38 PM
Where are you right now? At home, at my desk.
What are you doing right now? I'm doing this, plus checking out the new Beck.
Would you rather go to Tokyo or Paris? Tokyo, hands down. One look at J-List tells me all the weird crap I can see.
Are you listening to music right now? As mentioned before, the new Beck is spinning. After that, we'll see what album shuffles up.
Who else is in the room with you? Kate
In winter, would you rather wear jackets or hoodies? Around here, both.
Do you wish you were somewhere else right now? Not really.
How long can you go without your mobile phone? Quite a while, since I've only had one a few years. I could go back to life before one.
Ever kissed a brown haired, dark eyed person? Sure.
Ever kissed someone else's significant other? Not since college? Maybe? Maybe not in the last five years?
Where did you last sleep other than your house? The in-law's house.
What's the worst way to say "I love you"?
With your mouth full.
If an ex said they hate you, you say? Really?
Are you taken? Oh yeah.
What is your current annoyance? Today I have none, thanks to not being at work.
Do you like drama? Drama tends to be something you don't seek, and only miss when you're not having it for long periods of time.
How many pills do you take a day? Four or five vitamin type pills.
What was the last item you bought? A box of shredded wheat, my favorite cereal!
Are you afraid of roller coasters? Not at all
What is your biggest fear? Probably snakes
What would you do if your best friend told you they were moving? Do you need any help moving boxes? I'm rather used to people moving away, so it doesn't phase me as much anymore.
Apple Bottom jeans or Hollister gift card? Gift card that I'll deftly regift later.
What is/was your school mascot? High School was mostly the Cardinals, with our co-op football team being the Raiders. College was the Mustang. All but one of my fantasy sports teams carries on the Veblen Cardinals mantra.
At what age do you want to be married? 33 worked.
Where is your mom right now? Veblen, probably watching a western.
What are you supposed to be doing right now? Enjoying some time off before sleep and an early morning shift.
Are you slowly drifting away from someone close? Probably
What are you thinking about right now? What I'm going to do after I finish this.
Have you ever kissed anyone who's name started with a P? A last name starting with "P", but no first names.
Can you play Guitar Hero? Poorly
What do you currently hear right now? A commercial on TV and the first track on the CD MC Chris is Dead.
Fact about the person you like? She's very pregnant.
What happened at 11:00 am today? I woke up and watched the season finale of Transformers Animated.
Are you wearing something you borrowed from someone? nope
What is the last thing someone bought you? Kate bought me some weird flavored Pringles (Mexican Layered Dip)
When was the last time you saw number 3 on your top friends? Last year at our weddin'.
Do you plan on moving in the next year? Not at the moment.
Who took your profile picture? I did, but Weevil brought teh sexy.
What's your current problem? Lack of $ and new G.I. Joe product arriving in this town every time I look at Kmart funny.
Last person to lay in your bed? Mac and Eileen, who I think are still napping up there.
Who was the last person you saw? Kate, since she's here right now. Other than Kate, the current Saturday night crew at County Fair.
The last person you freaked out on? I honestly don't know.
Where did you last go? County Fair, for my Sunday morning lunchable.
Something you say when you're mad? "SON OF A BITCH" is a classic.
Do you delete people off of Myspace? Usually just the occasional band/musician I forgot why I added.
Favorite soda? Lately it's Diet Pepsi Max.
Have you cried today at all? Nope
Are you ticklish? Not as much as I used to be.
Are you happy right now? For the most part. If I had a money tree or Citibank just say "you can just pay us back like never ago" i'd be full blown ecstatic.
Who was the last person you talked to last night before bed? Kate
Have you made a mistake this past week? Just the usual ones, mostly involving fantasy baseball and work related stuff
Do you miss someone? I do, but my aim is getting better
Do you know anyone with the same name as you? Not that I recall
When was the last time you really laughed? Last night while watching one of kate's lifetime movies. There was some dramatic scene where Lisa Rinna's character said "I know about Pittsburgh" to Harry Hamlin's character, and I MST3K'd in "It exists, I found a map!" and for some reason Kate found this to be one of the funniest things ever, which got me laughing as well.
How long is your hair? Long enough
Did you have a nap today? I only nap every other sunday.
Have any regrets? Nothing earth shattering, and nothing I let bother me
Do you use an alarm clock? Unfortunately
Do you work? Yep
Are you social or antisocial person? mostly antisocial
Do you have a tan? nope
Who was the last person to disappoint you? Charlie Morton. Seriously kid, you can't get out of the fourth inning? Then there's Tom Gorzelanny. He got sent the F down today? WTF? 14-8 one year and sent down the next? Don't even start me on Barry Zito...
Do you trust people? Rarely and barely
What are you doing tomorrow? work from 5 A to 1 P, then 8 P to 12 Mid
What were you doing at 5 in the morning? I was actually trying to get back to sleep.
Lists, trips and hits OH MY [part 2 of 2]
Current mood: vibrant
Category: Music
Part two takes care of the list portion of today's programming. Inspired (and not copied from) James Montgomery, here's a look a my Top 10 albums of 2008 so far. This list isn't quite complete, as some albums need more time to grow on me (Atmosphere and MotleyCrue spring to mind here).
10. Death Cab for Cutie Narrow Stairs DC4C brings the mellow, but they also flash a side that isn't quite as mellow.
9. Weezer Weezer (red album) This one is really hit and miss, but the hits outweigh the misses by quite a bit.
8. Filter Anthems for the Damned Richard Patrick sobers up and delivers a Filter album worthy of following Title of Record.
7. Airbourne Runnin' Wild This might be the best AC/DC album of the year, and AC/DC is even releasing an album this year. Drop this album into the late 80s and they would be retired by now, or headlining Rocklahoma.
6. The B-52's Funplex A sixteen year gap between studio albums? It sounds like the B-52s are but a year removed from Good Stuff.
5. Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords This duo is ready for business and their business time is now. If not for the sudden electronic swerve on some of the tracks, I'd have put this one higher.
4. The Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely Jack White's first go around with this band left me flat. One listen to this album inflated my hopes about this side project's future. "Many Shades of Black" might be one of my favorite tracks of the year.
3. Spooncat! Higher Than the State On what might be their last album as Spooncat, the band goes out swinging with an album that takes almost as many chances as Tao Babies, and finally gives us some studio versions of live classics like "Tiger" and "Person 3".
2. R.E.M. Accelerate This is the first R.E.M. CD I've paid for (others being dubs and radio freebies) and I don't regret it one bit. The band tries to take their chances and rock out at the same time, and in my book they pulled it off.
1. Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend Indie pop-rock and African touches? I'd have said "it would never work" (had I not read up much before listening) but hearing tells me it not only works, but I'm hoping Vampire Weekend make it work for many years and albums to come.
Any other good 2008 so far suggestions? Lists?
Currently
listening
:
Daft Club
By
Daft Punk
Release date: 2004-01-27
Lists, trips and hits OH MY [part 1 of 2]
Current mood: okay
Category: Music
Part two will not be a remix, nor will it go straight to DVD.
KKCK:
Jonas Brothers "Burnin' Up" When the CD single came in, it had two versions: rap and no rap. I have no problem with rap, and a rap in a Jonas Brothers song would have to be one of the cleanest ever. However, it sounds so awkward, so out of place and so...forced, I put in the no rap version. The song is your typical sanitized rock fare. It will do nothing to sway your opinion of the Jonas Brothers, while the version with a rap breakdown may cause you to question their judgement.
Seether "Rise Above This" When Amy Lee and Shaun Morgan broke up, Amy fired first with "Call Me When You're Sober" from the second Evanescence record. Shaun decided living well was the best revenge, and it looks like Seether's album has a lot more in the "legs" department opposed to the last Evanescence CD. This song walks a fine line between being good for rock radio and good for CHR, and it works the tightrope better than anyone on "Celebrity Circus". Also, if I ever reference that show again, please revoke my internet cred.
Ne-Yo "Closer" One of my co-workers thinks this song will be the next big thing. I'm not quite sold on that, but I do appreciate that it isn't another ballad. This is one of those songs that doesn't inspire me to extol its virtues, nor does it inspire any snark in my snarking place. Where is one'ssnarking place anyway?
Pick to click: Jonas Brothers
I have now caught up on every episode of "The Venture Bros." minus the newest episode, which is waiting on my DVR. I eagerly look forward to the show making slightly more sense now. I'm not sure which episode or character is my favorite, but Dr. Girlfriend might be in the running, along with Henchmen 24 and 21.
Things at home are good, but a bit stressful. Juggling getting ready for a new baby in a few months, along with car repairs and hotel costs for my nephew's wedding next week are proving a small challenge, but maybe I can talk Citibank into letting me work off some debt on the weekends. Some days I really wish they still had debtor's prisons so I could go in and work on the weekends.
The year is now half over. It doesn't seem half over. James Montgomery at MTV's Bigger than the Sound column counts off his top albums of the year so far. I don't have an easy way to look at my top ten of the year so far right now, but I know Vampire Weekend is probably on top. I'll try to grind out my own list later, once I can take a better look at my inventory.
So, we'll call this blog part one of two. Can I get a...
TO BE CONTINUED!!! (read loudly and in your best Doctor Orpheus voice)
3 Songs Sound?
Current mood: grumpy
Category: Music
It might be time...to outsource these blog titles.
KKCK:
Kardinal Offishall w/Akon "Dangerous" The slow migration of Canadian hip-hop to America continues at a slower pace than I'd like. I can't even remember how long ago KKCK played Swollen Members (their song "Breathe" with Nelly Furtado) and I'm still let down that "Money Part 1" by Jelleestone wasn't a huge hit. Mr. Offishall is someone I've kept tabs on thanks to the MuchMusic countdown page, and now that I finally get to hear him, all I can remember are the Akon parts. After pulling up the file and listening again, I realize that Akon and the Kard sound a bit alike, and in casual listening my brain wasn't differentiating. That's my bad.
The Offspring "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" I really wanted to see "Hammerhead" get the chance, but the CHR beast will not have any Offspring song that isn't both catchy and quirky, and hopefully funny. "Hammerhead" is catchy but not quirky (enough) or funny (at all). I'm glad the Offspring decided to skip writing another "Original Prankster", and "Pretty Fly" was a once in a lifetime musical moment for them.
Pussycat Dolls "When I Grow Up" Nicole Scherzinger sure has a rough life. I mean, she has to do almost all of the vocals while the other Pussycat Dolls just dance around and lip words (can they even sing?). Then, when she starts work on a solo album, the songs do so poorly that the album gets put on the shelf indefinitely, even though NINEsongs have been floated as singles in one way or another. Then again, according to wikipedia, she's a salaried employee of Interscope. I could think of worse ways to make a living, or I could just watch them on Dirty Jobs. I wonder if "GWAR roadie" has ever been offered as a dirty job for him to do?
Pick to click: Kardinal Offishall w/Akon (even though I shoul disqualify any song with Akon...it just isn't fair right now)
I had more in mind, but I'll save it for next week (the mood to write has been quashed by a long day).
Disturbia 4: out this September, starring Newton Faulkner and Mark Medlock
Current mood: pleased
Category: Music
...and by "out this September", I mean on the SciFi channel.
KKCK:
Rihanna "Disturbia" Not only is this the third of three new songs on the re-release of Good Girl Gone Bad (now called Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, which sounds like a sequel for a made for Spike TV movie), it's the third one to be a single, following "Take a Bow" and "If I Never See Your Face Again" (with Maroon 5). Three of the album's seven singles are now from the re-release, which begs the question about how relevant the original release is. I'm not sure which is my favorite yet. "If I Never See Your Face Again" has a definite 80s vibe, and "Disturbia" reminds me a little of songs like "S.O.S." and "Pon De Replay" in that it is not another "Take a Bow" type of ballad. Judging by the calls, the listeners don't share my feelings about Rihanna. Ever. I only get calls for "Take a Bow" which is starting to border on how annoying the calls for "Unfaithful" were. The only fast Rihanna song that got the phones buzzing was "Shut Up and Drive" which is my least favorite fast Rihanna song. The moral here? Fast Rihanna songs do alright, but Rihanna singing a ballad is like Rihanna printing money. I'm just happy that on this occasion an artist I said would be around for a "long time" is so far living up to that.
Newton Faulkner "Dream, Catch Me" The first time I heard this I focused more on where I'd heard his voice rather than the song. I was convinced he was the lead singer of some other band I couldn't think of. After deciding it was Blue October, I checked his wiki entry, only to find out he's not the former lead singer of any band, and is only the current lead singer of Newton Faulkner. The song gets the dreaded "pretty decent" mark from me, which is a nice way of saying I don't have a lot to say about it (which I admit here for the first time!)
September "Cry for You" Good news everyone! We added a Swedish pop star with a dancy beat. No, it isn't a song from Robyn. Rather, it's September! No, I know it's June. Her stage name is September, and not even Green Day could sleep through this one. Sorry, I can't resist a bad pun built around "Wake Me Up..." and you know the rest. In the fine tradition of Real McCoy, Ace of Base, Vengaboys, Eiffel 65, Cascada and Ian Van Dahl, we have a new dance-pop song with a fast beat that even I can dance to, albeit badly. This type of music will never be my favorite, but one popping up now and then is good for a CHR station. As a Midwest CHR, we do acknowledge and affirm that no electronic dance song, no matter the beat, no matter the lyric, no matter the sound, will ever touch the Rednex in popularity.
Mark Medlock "Summer Love" American Idol? Been done. Canadian Idol? Uh...moving on. Pop Idol in the U.K.? We've gone there, but now we move on to...Deutschland sucht den Superstar, and their 2007 winner. Now, before I dismiss this as our music director feeling his German heritage again, I ask you give it a listen. It is a formulatic electro-pop song, but the summer vibe and vocals that flow very well with the music (English vocals, BTW) make it a song that I don't mind hearing once or twice a day, probably for a few months at a time. Mr. Medlock's life is an interesting read. I don't know if he'll totally cross the pond, but you can judge for yourself in a varietyofplaces. Also, it is nice to hear a winner of one of these Idol type of shows releasing something with some thump in it. I must be in the mood to dance. I'll let the wife know to close the curtains and move the cats with weak stomachs out of the room.
I don't often write about webcomics, but I'm always meaning to. I read about 80-100 of them every week. I had them in a folder that I could just open as a long stretch of tabs, but I had to break that up when went over seventy. As a kid, one of my favorite activities was reading the comics page every day. I used to save rolls and rolls of the Aberdeen American News, and I had a box or three full of Sunday comics pages. Some days I'd just get them out and read them all again, which is a practice I stopped once I started buying collections of comic strips. My interest in the comics page had waned during the 90s into the 2000s, but webcomics have revived my love of the medium to a point where some days I'm standing in the studio wondering how Shortpacked, Questionable Content, Starslip Crisis, Kevin and Kell, Sinfest, Marilith, PVP, Schlock Mercenary, Evil Inc, and others will wrap up their storylines for the week/month/ever. I'd like to start featuring some of my favorites, mainly because I don't have the resources to buy stuff/donate/help them out any other way. It's about the least I can do, but if my ship ever comes in, or if a ship lands on my house and I net the insurance, I'll buy shirts/books/whatever until I can't.
Kate is painting the kid's room today, with some help from a friend who is in town visiting. She surprised me on Father's Day with a picture frame (with a current ultrasound in it), a card, and a little Seattle Mariners onesie. Hopefully the team doesn't suck so bad by the time he's old enough to root for them, or against them. I had my time rebelling against my step-dad's love of the Cubs, but he, Harry Carey and WGN wore me down within a few years. I want him to grow up liking whatever team he chooses, and I'll try and be supportive even if he picks the *shudder* Yankees.
Mac is back from the vet, and she's been meowing like crazy. The vet thinks her hormones are out of phase, which is causing her to think she's pregnant. Her behaviour is a lot like when she was expecting kittens, so there might be a lot to that diagnosis. I just hope she stays as friendly and close to her daughter Eileen when they wear off. Listening to the two of them meow at each other is about the cutest cat sound I have ever heard.
In quick other blog news, I ranted about FNMTV, and wrote about one of my favorite Kate moments of the life at the old russ4life site.
The sound of new Local H isn't cute. It's angry, depressed, introspective, raw, and everything one would expect from Local H. Too bad Scott Lucas' new muse was his last break-up.
Currently
listening
:
12 Angry Months
By
Local H
Release date: 2008-05-13
I wouldn't want to anyway. Seattle weather for the block!
KKCK:
Plies w/Ne-Yo "Bust It Baby (Part 2)" This summer...get ready...for the ultimate hip-hop big budget team up. Plies...Ne-Yo...in a sequel so big..it...okay I'm done. I'm not watching any more summer movie trailers. I have a hard time believing that the busting was such that a sequel was really necessary. The good thing about this song is the copious amount of Ne-Yo in it. To me anyway, Plies sounds like he's had too much syrup or booze or some mix of both. I expect to hear drunk-sounding vocals in concert, not in the studio. Heck, Dave Mustaine can't remember recording a few of the early Megadeth albums and he at least sounds sober on them.
Safetysuit "Someone Like You" I get the safety angle here. The song is equal parts mid-90s power rock and mid-00s power rock. I don't like to bust a band's balls for not being original, but these guys bring nothing new other than their name. Even their wikipedia page is boring. Now, the suit angle would be different, but not really that different thanks to the Hives. On the plus side, the song is doing well, and there isn't anything about it that's bad. It's a vanilla cone of alt-rock, and some people like those. I prefer my vanilla cones to be the real kind, but that's just me.
Adele "Chasing Pavements" Some have called her the next Amy Winehouse. Amy, if you're still alive and they're looking for the next you, they don't expect you to live very long. I hope Adele avoids flashing the camera, getting arrested, addiction, racist rants, more addiction, stumbling through concerts, and more addiction. She still lives with her mom, so unless her mom is Amy Winehouse she'll be okay. I don't disagree with the comparisons to Amy Winehouse, but she owes her music more to the style of Duffy with less of the slick production of Duffy's slower songs.
Pick to click: Plies with Ne-Yo
If you pick one show to catch up on via DVD and/or torrenting, make it Battlestar Galactica. Sure, some episodes, like the first chunk of season four, are a bit slow and nothing seems to happen. Then you have episodes like last week that take all the slow plot threads and give them a yank that leaves you with a threadbare Colonial uniform. [minor spoiler alert...stop if you don't want it NOW]When Adama and Roslin saw each other again, after what they had each realized each other, it was one of the most real, heartfelt, emotional moments of any TV show I've ever seen. Of any movie I've seen. Of any anything I've ever seen. I'm not ashamed to say it almost made me tear up a little. Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell will probably not win Emmys because the show is science fiction, and that is damn, damn shame.
I wrote another blog about my feelings on AC/DC going the Wal-Mart route, but I posted that here. I revised and reread it a lot, but I'm still not sure I'm happy with it, nor am I sure it says everything I want to say. This is what happens when I get the idea to post something I whipped up with a font download and MS Paint before figuring out what I'm going to write about.
Things at the household are going well. Almost all the stuff I had in the nursery room is now elsewhere, and the few things that are left won't take up much room. We've finally got Mac off to the vet to get fixed, so we'll be dodging the loud heat-meowing from now on. Eileen hasn't been fixed, but she's easily distracted(aided by the fact she's not as smart as her dad, who won't win any "smartest cat" awards) when she's in heat. Since both boy cats have already been clipped, there's not a kitten concern.
Kate has been packing for her eventual hospital stay in a few months. I've been thinking about what to pack as well. I know that there will be some time for me at the hospital to hold and comfort the new arrival, and I know the mom suites at hospitals these days have a DVD player. So, I've been debating what to imprint on the young un's psyche at an early age. G.I. Joe or Transformers (I'm leaning "Revenge of Cobra" unless I get some of the new show on DVD)? Batman or Superman (I'm leaning towards Supes here, since his show actually has an origin story, where the Bat-show didn't)? Star Trek or Star Wars (probably Trek)? I'm pretty sure one of the first things he'll get is "The Trouble with Tribbles", since that is widely regarded as a Trek classic, and it doesn't have any awkward moments where Kirk gets it on with anyone. Also, he's due in September, so I won't be watching the baseball playoffs alone this year. I wonder if he'll be drawn to the World Series winner when he's older. Oddly enough, one of the first baseball teams I liked, when I was old enough to buy one or two packs of cards, happened to be the Oakland A's.
I sometimes think I'm going to talk to the little guy so much his first words will be "shut up".
Speaking of shutting up, I'll sign off for the week here. Write at'cha later.
One song for each of the final five...that we know of...
Current mood: busy
Category: Music
The fifth gets a song of his/her choice once revealed.
KKCK:
Foo Fighters "Let It Die" Dave Grohl takes a lot of heat in some music circles for what he's done post-Nirvana. I don't get it personally. I've enjoyed most of the Foo's output, and in the last few months I've gone back and re-listened to their entire catalogue, and liked most of what I heard. It won't change the world or save the whales or whatever, but most of it is solid "background rock". One needs that now and then. This song fits that mold, although the slow build and power chord crunch that come in might make you wish you hadn't turned up your headphones for the quiet part. Ouch.
Coldplay "Viva La Vida" Russ 2000 "Man, I am so sick of 'Yellow' by Coldplay. This song sucks" Russ 2008 "Hello me, it's me again!" Russ 2000 "Ahhhh! Wait, nice Megadeth reference." Russ 2008 "I'm here to tell you that you will start liking Coldplay in the future. I'm from 2008" Russ 2000 "So, I like this p.o.s. song in eight years?" Russ 2008 "Well, no. You, we, I, however you want to say it, are still sick of it." Russ 2000 "So...you came back in time to tell me I'll like Coldplay in eight years?" Russ 2008 "Actually, you started to like Coldplay a few years ago. I'm here to say that in 2008 you might actually buy their new album, thanks to the hook of 'Violet Hill' and the groove of 'Viva La Vida'." Russ 2000 "Whoa, you just blew my mind." Russ 2008 "I know, when I was you I wouldn't have believed it either." Russ 2000 "No man, I just noticed how much weight I'd gained. Hey, is...is that a wedding ring?" Russ 2008 "Yep. In eight years you are married." Russ 2000 "To Rachel Leigh Cook, right?" Russ 2008 "Was I really that obsessed? Anyway, you'll get over her thanks to a movie called...you know what, I'll let you find out."
Detla Goodrem "In This Life" She has ruled the chart roost in Australia for a long time, and now she's got her cross hairs on the U.S. market with this solid but not spectacular pop song. I was hoping this was a cover of the Canadian hit/United States flop that was "In This Life" by Chantal Kreviazuk. Instead, this is a new song, and while it isn't bad, I still prefer the one by Chantal Kreviazuk. Also, what is it about people with odd names doing a song called "In This Life"?
Sara Bareilles "Bottle It Up" The song itself has some moments, but I don't think it's her strongest option post-"Love Song". Personally, I would have released "Fairytale", which is a rather amusing take on a lot of happy endings. I've been told I bottle up emotions (mainly anger) too much, but lucky my body the soda can doesn't get shaken too badly on most days.
Pick to click: I'll make the odd pick of Delta Goodrem
Battlestar Galactica is finally paying dividends on the previous so-so episodes. There was a ROTFL moment last week, but I don't know if it was supposed to be. With Col. Tigh's back to Adama, he remarks how Tigh "isn't the man he was a few years ago" and Tigh's look was priceless. I'd give Michael Hogan the Emmy just for that. He is by far one of the most underrated actors on TV today. Mark Sheppard came back to play Romo Lampkin, and he slugged it out of the park as well. My Galactica watching friend is going to be away for a few weeks, and I'm not going to wait for him to come back before I watch next week. There's no way I can wait that long now.
I'll be honest. I'm a bit pressed for time today. Luckily, things are going smoothly more often than they aren't. I still need to do a post-vote blog at the blog I do my South Dakota rambling on. In other writing news, I talked about grocery stores at my Farmington blog, and this Saturday will be post 100 at Cliffhanger Theater. I've stayed on one post a day since February with it, and while post 100 is a good jumping on point, I won't be mentioning it a lot in the next few months. I've started reading books about writing and fiction, so by the time I finish those I'll be lucky if I don't scrap it and start over.
7 things about 4 songs
Current mood: mellow
Category: Music
Can he do it?
KKCK:
Miley Cyrus "7 Things" 1. Her dad wrote one of the most annoying country songs ever 2. She has a show on the Disney Channel 3. A show nowhere near as good as "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody" 4. The mom on that show was "Star Trek: Voyager" once 5. Okay, I'm off subject now 6. The song has a bratty vibe that hearkens back to a younger Avril 7. While getting the younger listeners pulled in, it hits me with a resounding "meh"
David Cook "Time of My Life" 1. He won American Idol, duh 2. He went against another David 3. He didn't go against another Cook 4. Unless David Archuleta is a really good cook 5. This song is NOT a remake of the song from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack 6. Is it just me, or do all Idol winners have a similar sounding lead single? 7. If you liked all of those, you'll like this schmaltzy ballad
Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl" 1. She liked it 2. She hopes her boyfriend don't mind it 3. She's no Rachel Perry 4. Unless she kissed Rachel Perry 5. Yowza...uh, what was I talking about? 6. Oh, uh, novelty hit that while catchy, won't be remembered in a few years. 7. Jill Sobule did it first, and dare I say better
Puddle of Mudd "We Don't Have to Look Back Now" 1. Quick what do Paul Phillips, Greg Upchruch, Jimmy Allen, Kenny Burkett, and Sean Samon have in common? 2. They're all former members of the band 3. Wes Scantlin is to alternative what David Coverdale was/is to 80s rock 4. Seriously, who is in Whitesnake these days? 5. This one is a new ballad 6. It's not quite "Blurry" good, but it should do alright 7. Don't be surprised if CHR picks up on "Psycho" later if this one is a big hit
Pick to click: Katy Perry Pick likely to disrobe and wind up on the internet: Miley Cyrus (that girl is going to be trouble)
If I may get back to Katy Perry for a second, I'd like to vent a bit. Yesterday I took a call on the business line at the station. It was a listener calling to complain about "some new song by a girl about kissing a girl". I really wish I'd recorded it, but I'll try my best to sum up his complaints. He complained that it "was bad enough that the queers and homos were allowed in public now" and this song "would steer kids in a wrong direction" and "they wouldn't know which way to turn". He also complained about only hearing music like this and "black rap" music on our station as well. He seemed genuinely concerned about "the kids" and "leading them the wrong way". He did concede we had the right to play "whatever we wanted" (hah, I wish). I calmly listened to him for a few minutes, and told him I'd forward his complaints to our music director (which I did) but he hung up on me after I said we appreciate any listener feedback, although my tone may not have been 100 % polite. I'm not even sure where to begin with this one. First off, he admitted that if he didn't like it, he could turn the station. That's pretty much what I'd have told him if he had called on the request line and had been yelling or using vulgar language (which I've done in the past). What stuck out for me was that he seemed almost fearful of music like this even existing. My mood was pretty much shot when he made the "bad enough they be seen in public" comment. I don't think this is the sort of listener we should be caving to, and so far we aren't. My interpretation of the song isn't even that of a homosexual tone. The song strikes me as more of a "bi-curious mood aided by alcohol" type of song. Some days it is honestly frustrating to work here and deal with some of the issues that shouldn't be issues, but that's a blog for another day, or for when my job is eliminated (and I hope that doesn't happen for a long time, since most days I really enjoy what I do).
I haven't mentioned fantasy baseball on the ol' blog for a while. That's mainly because my pay league team is now 2-6, which is a small improvement from last year's mark at this time of 1-7. I had much higher hopes for this team, which was in every game for the first six, but now is causing frustration with the lack of a bona fide ace on my pitching staff. San Franscisco isn't the only one who put too much stock in Barry Zito. Captain Quirk is starting to pitch well again, but nowhere near the level I was hoping for when I traded Miguel Cabrera for him about three years ago.
Things at the homestead are going pretty well. Monday was project day, and we really kicked butt on most of our plans. Last night was our second to last parenting class, and it went smoothly. I now know the basics of infant CPR, but I really hope I never need to use that knowledge, like a lot of the knowledge in my brain that never gets used for some reason.
Last week I mentioned that we were going to Veblen, and I had plans to do a video blog for the first time. The video blog never happened, partly because of the wind and partly because of reasons I wrote about on my Sunday wordpress blog. If you want to read the rest (if you haven't already), it's still there.
I wish everyone a great rest of the May, and we'll talk again in June.
Currently
listening
:
Coming To Terms
By
Carolina Liar
Release date: 2008-05-20
Three songs. Three letters in May. Coincidence?
Current mood: creative
Actually, yes.
KKCK:
Maroon 5 featuring Rihanna "If I Never See Your Face Again" I am getting a major 80s vibe from this song. I can't think of an 80s song it reminds me of, but I think it could be shot back in time and be a hit. It will be a huge hit now, and it is nice to see a collaboration that isn't purely on the hip-hop side.
Boys Like Girls "Thunder" Stop! Ballad time! BLG usually sounds overproduced, but this song even sounds overproduced for them. Then again, I have three Boston albums on my iPod, so who am I to criticize for overproduction?
Rehab "Sittin' at a Bar" This song will do well for the simple fact most listeners either (A) know somebody like this or (B) are somebody like this. The rest just like hearing songs about it.
Pick to click: The rare 3-way tie. All of these songs have massive potential in our area.
I kept telling my fellow BSG watcher that something big was building. He doubted me up until the last episode. The two weeks between episodes (what, SciFi fans don't watch TV Memorial Day weekend?) will seem a lot longer. At the same time the final season has been on SciFi, I've been watching the final season of Deep Space Nine on Spike. Watching two different Ron Moore series come to their ends has been interesting. I'd say no one wraps up a show like he does (I must confess I've seen the last episode of DS9, but none from the rest of season seven).
The hype is palpable around here for the return of ol' Indy. The second time I ever set foot in a movie theater was for Raiders of the Lost Ark while visiting my brother in Lander, Wyoming. Granted, nowadays most kids wouldn't bat an eyelash towards that film. I had spent most of my life with black and white TV and very little action/violence in my entertainment diet. I won't say the movie scarred me or anything, but some of the scenes left me very uneasy, and I still feel a bit odd when I think about the film. I haven't seen it since, and I've skipped the other two as well. If I make it to Crystal Skull and enjoy the ride, it might be time to borrow the other three.
I've been listening to more Flight of the Conchords lately. I thought I had been listening to the new Death Cab, but there's a funny story about that. I was set to feature the CD on this past week's Shag, but upon listening to the CD before the show to pick songs, I made a choice to look up the lyrics on line, just in case DC4C let a swear slip through. After checking all the songs and lyrics, it became obvious something didn't match. A quick wiki and google search later it became obvious that the burn copy I had was in fact the April Fool's hoax copy of the album, featuring one DC4C song and a bunch by a sound-similar band from Germany called Velveteen. One quick trip to the store later, I had the right album. I didn't have time to listen, so I just went with the track numbers I'd picked from the fake version. As of this writing, I still haven't had a chance to listen to the right album.
Kate and I went to our second parenting class last night. The first half hour was the "what can go wrong talk" which was...interesting. I knew a lot could go wrong, but I had no idea how wrong. After that it was a talk on C-sections and some practice with baby dolls for bathing and swaddling. Our instructor told us there was no wrong way to wrap a baby, to which I turned to Kate and said "Oh, I'll find a way."
This weekend the plan is to head to Veblen for a night. I'm hoping to try this video blog thing, and I'll either post it here or one of my other blogs, which I've now linked to on my main page. Whatever you do this Memorial Day Weekend, do it safely.
Type at ya later.
Currently
listening
:
Songs for Silverman
By
Ben Folds
Release date: 2005-04-26
Five songs and a distraction
Current mood: hungry
Category: Music
How about my MySpace blog? I like the interface here so much I write my MySpace blog here, then cut and paste it to their blog interface, which is pretty bare bones.
KKCK:
Colby O'Donis with Akon "What You Got" I had to go back and listen to this song again just to remember the Colby parts. Akon dominates way too much on this song, to the point people will think it is an Akon song. Since Akon songs usually do well, maybe Colby is on to something.
My Morning Jacket "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream" I'm liking the sound of this one so far. At least, until I saw them on SNL. Now I don't know what to think.
Anna Nalick "Shine" Ms. Nalick is trying to break orbit from the one-hit-wonder system. I wish her luck, but I'm not sure this song will do the trick. I'm in her corner, since here debut CD was surprisingly solid.
Buckcherry "Everything" For a band that was dead to the world no more than three years ago, they've certainly made the most of their unlikely comeback from being known as the band that did the "cocaine" song. This song could also be filed under "Sorry we can't play 'Crazy Bitch' but here's another song of theirs. It's all good, right?"
New Kids on the Block "Summertime" If you want me to hear one song this year that makes me reconsider my stance on an eighties revival, this might be the song.
Pick to click: Akon with Colby O'Donis
Battlestar Galactica is finally showing that oomph I've been waiting for this last week. Next week should be one hell of an episode. I also think the show deserves an award for making Nana Visitor look so sick. If not for her voice I might not have recognized her, and I've been watching a lot of DS9 lately. I wonder if any other Trek cameos will sneak in before the end of the show. I remember the rumor that Scott Bakula was going to be on the show and all the angry message board postings that resulted. Good times.
That reminds me of some of the recent comments I've heard and read about the rancorous, cynical and vile attitude of the internet in general of late. I check one message board I'm almost ashamed to admit I check these days, mainly because of some racist and sexist posters who seem to have nothing better to do than post daily. Still, it's about the decent upper Midwest radio board, so I check and wince every few days. Another place to find discord and venom are the threads at Fark, but I enjoy a good online argument now and then. Does that make me part of the problem? I'm not participating, but I am clicking. I take some issue when all of the internet is lumped into the bin of online jerkwads. There are boards like this one where things are very civil and friendly. When I was a more active member (as opposed to being a lurker these days) it was a very nice atmosphere to be a part of, and I still enjoy reading it on almost a daily basis. I'm not sure why that was on my mind today, but I'm letting my fingers type whatever comes to my mind. So, don't expect anything important to be next.
I could really go for some Taco Johns. Friggin' part timers and their Taco Johns bags totally derailing my train of thought. All I can think about are getting some tacos after work.
Shoot, all I can think about are tacos now. Seriously. The lettuce, the cheese, the soft flour tortillas wrapped around seasoned chicken, or a crunchy shell holding in the ground beef is all I can think about.
Okay, here I go. Changing gears.
Nope, still tacos. Crap.
I give up. I'll be back on wordpress later this week with something else to talk about, and to take CT to part 80. Hopefully I'll add more to my Farmington blog as well.
Four on the floor? Gimmie that broom.
Current mood: mischievous
Category: Music
Where's my dustpan?
KKCK:
Chris Brown "Forever" It's a new single, but not from his old album. Yup, this is one of the new songs on the "re-released, expanded edition" of his last album. I'd like to nominate the "re-released, expanded edition" for "worst idea the music business has had since the year 2000". What a way to see how loyal your fans are, by asking them to buy your CD twice.
Kate Voegele "Only Fooling Myself" I didn't expect much from this song, but it already has sparked more curiosity calls to my show than the other three combined. We were due for a new Vanessa Carlton anyway. BTW 'nessa, it was fun, but we need to start hearing other people. It's not you...it's us. Hey, we'll always have "A Thousand Miles" and maybe "White Houses".
Coldplay "Violet Hill" Most of this song sounds like your basic Coldplay, but the guitar kick in spots really threw me. Much like rap, the older I get the more I like Coldplay. Before you mention it, I know about the Kanye/Chris Martin song, and I think it's rather OK.
The Ting Tings "Great DJ" I didn't expect to see this one on the list of new songs this week. Is it just me, or does the beat and guitar part borrow somewhat from Eddie Money's "Baby Hold On"? Also, why is this male/female rock duo rather ordinary and from the U.K.? I realize the White Stripes are pretty hard to out-weird, but the TIngTIngs aren't even trying.
Pick to click: Kate Voegele
I keep reading complaints about the new season of BattlestarGalactica. I have a firm belief that they're setting up something big, hence the slow burn and build up. Either I'm right or I'm just hoping the last two episodes haven't been filler. When a show is down to the last season, I don't see the need for filler.
The Marshall 6 is still getting renovated. If I have to hear one more person gush about Iron Man before I see it I just might snap. I did break down and watch the "hidden scene" after the credits on the ol' internet. It's worth staying for, so when I see it, I'll stick around.
After integrating Death Cab for Cutie into a wide open shuffle, I've decided to keep them around. They're a good mixer, but they aren't so hot in long stretches. I'd use a mixed drink metaphor, but I don't drink.
Things at the casa are going well. Kate started feeling the young'un kicking and punching, and feeling it from the outside for the first time was really something words can't quite do justice to. I've felt that sort of thing before, but nothing I had a real part in. It gave me butterflies that were greater than anything I can remember, and fluttery tummy is something I remember, because I get it bad. I've almost gotten all my old junk out of the future kid's room, but I'm not sure where to put the tote with my old Mac Plus. I don't want it to get hot and/or cold, and I don't want it near a lot of humidity either. Granted, the last time I fired it up it barely worked, and I don't have an old enough system disk to properly boot it (remember the mini-finder?).
In my last wordpress blog, I talked about my new found love of KerPlunk. If everyone played a bit of KerPlunk a day, Mattel would be quite thrilled. It got me thinking about other marble-based games of my youth. I've been checking eBay for an old King of the Hill game. My mom hated that game, but it was one of my favorites. It had the unique hourglass shaped device instead of a die/dice, and it had a spring loaded crown at the top. The modern version looks much less pointy and much more lame. I also want to find a vintage Aggravation board. I remember my mom and I having some bitter rounds of that. I've been typing by the seat of my pants on CT of late, and today I tried something a bit different. I might do something like it every so often, or maybe I'll read those books about writing I bought years ago and never read and forgot I had until last night, when I noticed them on the bottom of one of my bookshelves. I just wish I hadn't bonked my head really hard and been lying on the floor in pain to notice them.
A man, a band, and a mess
Current mood: working
Category: Music
But enough about Axl Rose...
KKCK:
The man: Judson "A Beautiful Day" He's got a bit more spring in his step than John Mayer, a bit less medicated mellowness than Jack Johnson, and less name than those singer-songwriter types that use a band name. With the right breaks, this song could be a breakthrough.
The band: Carolina Liar "I'm Not Over" Talk about liars, these guys list their base on MySpace as "LosAngeles". I may not have a degree in cartography or navigation, but I'd bet my Denny Hocking and Pat Mears rookie cards there isn't a LosAngeles in either Carolina. California Liar must have been taken. I'll let that slide since the song is an electro-rock delight in the way the second Bravery album should have been.
The mess: Wyclef Jean w/Paul Simon and/or Lupe Fiasco "Fast Car (original or remix)" So, the MD tells me we need the new Wyclef song. There are three ways we acquire songs for the station (legit ways anyway). All three had the remix with Lupe for download/on CD, so I put that in. Now he's insisting the single should be the album version with Paul Simon. I'd love to put that in, but according to two radio websites and our CD hits service, the only version being serviced is the remix with Lupe Fiasco. I don't think the Lupe version is bad, in fact I think it's solid. However, the Paul Simon version has some good points as well. I think the song will do well either way, but why the confusion with NMS, Jones and Mediabase? One would think that if Sony wanted the Paul Simon version to get airplay, at least one of those would offer it, but they all only have the version with Lupe. It's frustrating.
Pick to click: I'll have to go with Carolina Liar, as I don't know which version of Wyclef you'll be hearing by the time you read this.
Now I'd like to offer some baseball advice of the fantasy baseball variety. Last year I pinned my hopes on a prospect to become one of my cornerstones. He got hurt and lost his job. His name was Carlos Quentin. This year, a new White Sox outfielder is taking the league by storm and providing the Sox with a solid bat and a go-for-broke attitude. His name? Carlos Quentin. So, if you want my pick to be a star next year based on my high hopes and bust status this year, remember the name Travis Buck in 2009.
I've read a lot of complaining about last week's BSG episode. I thought it moved very slowly and had too much Baltar. I was willing to let that go for the direction the President is going and for the way Col. Tigh is going slowly further down a spiral that should have hit bottom a long time ago. Seventeen episodes to Earth! I haven't hyped 30 Rock in a while, but I really should be. I've never seen a sitcom work in so many jokes so effortlessly and yet have such a flowing continuity. Tracy Morgan just gets better every episode, and TIna Fey and Alec Baldwin make a perfect pair to lead all the craziness.
After re-watching the finale of season four of Corner Gas, I was in the mood to download the Blue Rodeo song that Hank has in his head. If you don't know what I'm talking about so far, let's just focus on Blue Rodeo. Wikipedia tells me they're a very popular band in Canada, and iTunes seemed to agree. They came up as rock, but when I downloaded their greatest hits it flagged the genre as "country". After listening to it, I think rock probably fits better, and that I should have just downloaded the one song I liked. Maybe a second listen when I wasn't pondering fantasy baseball trades will work better. I've also been sampling a lot of Death Cab for Cutie and Presidents of the United States of America, thanks mainly to my bro-in-law. The Death Cab didn't grab me on first listen, but it probably didn't help that my zero spin playlist fed me almost a steady stream of it for two days. Now that I have it in my one spin playlist and mixing with PUSA, Interpol, Flight of the Conchords, Blue Rodeo and others, I'm starting to get more into it. If they don't mind, I'll keep them as a side dish rather than a musical main course from now on.
As far as my zero and one spin playlists, one might wonder why I do those. Well, the zero spin playlist is for new albums to be listened to as they were intended. Once I have a big chunk of songs in the one spin playlist (and the zero is empty), I listen to those on a wide open shuffle. To answer what might be your next question, I do not have a three spin playlist, or a four, or however many numbers you'd want to ask about. I am looking ahead to the future already, as I have room for about 2,000 or so more songs before my 80 GB iPod is at max capacity. I should be good for this year and most of next, but after that it might be time to upsize...again. Sooner or later I must be getting close to having all the songs I want, right?
In home front news, tomorrow is the day that Kate and I should find out if the baby is a he or she. She's convinced it's a he even though she wants a she, and I'm confident it's a she when I really don't have a preference. I'm hoping for a she, as the name is a done deal for that. The boy name is still a sticky subject that we each have strong opinions on, and they aren't exactly matching up. We may need Jimmy Carter to moderate, or maybe we could name it James Carter or Carter James. On second thought, forget that.
That's all for this one. I had one of my South Dakota news sweeps, another chapter in CT, and I should have a new post on my Farmington blog by the end of the week. Even my fiction blog should get some love soon, as I have a new story I just need to work out one detail on to get going on it. Oh, there's always my daily music news linkfest. If you're bored enough to read all of that, I don't know what else I can do.
peaceful
vibrant
okay
grumpy
pleased
amused
bouncy
busy
mellow
creative
hungry
mischievous
working
irritated