Haven't had a chance to update recently, mostly because I've been busy having virtually no social life, thus nothing interesting to say.
Still trying to find the right apartment/roommate situation close to or in NYC in order to stop this ridiculous commuting (I lose about 4 hours a day between driving to the train/waiting for the train/riding the train). Any tips are welcome. I'm doing a lot of looking in Brooklyn.

Anyway, I Was recently reminded of an album I really loved this year, so I thought I'd generate a top 5 of '05. These albums may not all have been released this year, but I didn't hear em till this year:
1) Aimee Mann - The Forgotten Arm: I don't know if it's because I'm seemingly surrounded by people in and out of recovery or battling their demons, or if it's because Aimee Mann is an extremely gifted writer, or because I just love her voice, but I have listened to this CD (in its entirety, a rarity for me) regularly since picking it up in May.

2) Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlantacism: As I believe I've previously mentioned, this is the year I was introduced to Death Cab. This album isn't the most recent, that would be (the also quite good) Plans, but this is the album I listen to more. It features most of my favorites from the band (The Sound of Settling, The New Year, and my current favorite, Expo '86). How a guy can write such catchy tunes and sing with such an airy voice with the most dark and longing lyrics is beyond me.

3) Kaiser Chiefs - Employment: Sure it, might not be as good all the way through as the Franz Ferdinand album, but it features two of my favorite songs from this year: I Predict A Riot (try to avoid humming it. I dare you.) and Modern Way.

4) Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better: Their debut last year was perhaps my favorite CD of 2004, and this is quite a good follow up. The first track, The Fallen, is a song I've played on repeat some nights on the train. Also includes the excellent first single Do You Want To? Their music is as fun as it gets for me. Nice 80s rock, tongues firmly planted in cheek.

5) Morcheeba - The Antidote: While not as good as their last effort, Charango, they changed lead singers (a feat I'd never imagined possible, as I loved Skye) and fell back into a more danceable groove, following the often slow moody and really really sensual Charango. But the new singer sounds like Shirley Bassey, and I love that. Love Daylight Robbery.

6) The Arcade Fire - Funeral: I have no idea what makes me like em. I honestly can't put my finger quite on what feeling it is that overcomes me when I listen to Wake Up. Truly - anyone have any ideas?

Albums that I wish were better (doesn't mean I didn't like them, but I had higher hopes): Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman, Coldplay - X&Y (it's not to say it isn't a good album), Garbage - Bleed Like Me (what a bummer), Beck - Guero, Michael Penn - Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 (I've liked a lot of his previous albums, but apparently only one good album can come out of his house in any given year and this year it's his wife's)

All this being said - I'm looking for new things to listen to. What's everyone else going crazy for?

Oh sweet mother of mercy...

I just read the most disturbing sentence on imdb.com:

Director Oliver Stone promises his forthcoming film
about the September 11 terrorist attacks will be respectful to victims
of the atrocities. The Platoon movie-maker is confident the Nicolas
Cage starring movie will not offend survivors because he is not
attempting to glamorize the incident which claimed thousands of lives.
Instead, he will focus on the accurate re-telling of just one story
from the fateful day - the two policemen who were rescued from the
rubble of the Twin Towers 22 hours after they collapsed. Co-producer
Michael Shamberg says, "We're not doing the 'Towering Inferno-Titanic'
version. We're not doing everyone's story that day. We're trusted with
the accuracy of the particular story that we're telling." Both Stone
and Shamberg have consulted New York residents and families of the
victims to ensure the project is handled sensitively. Most of the
film's scenes will be shot out in Los Angeles, and the movie will
incorporate television footage of actual events.

WHAT?! Oliver Stone is doing a 9/11 movie?
With Nicolas Cage!?
Not shot in NYC!?

This from a guy who's just lucky that none of Alexander's relatives were alive to sue him for his last pile of crazy revisionist history garbage!
Starring the stiff Nic Cage?! Playing a policeman? Is he reprising his role from It Can Happen To You?
Oh god - this is so sickening. Why do people continue to invest money in Stone films? Do they make money anymore? Platoon was a long time ago, and having seen it in the last five years - it wasn't that great a movie. Among Vietnam films, would you say it's better than Full Metal Jacket? Is it even better than Casualties of War? (Brian de Palma - there's another one...)
News like this is why I wanted to make up a new word.

If Larry King wrote my blog...

I don't know what antioxidants do for me, but if they're in 4C Iced Green Tea Mix, I'm for 'em... The last two books I read were both by Sarah Vowell... Does anyone else think that Goblet of Fire will be impossible to fit into a feature film, and the Order of the Phoenix is even harder? ... Is Little Debbie eligible for canonization? ... Did the next Governor of New Jersey really not know the legal drinking age in his home state? ... What's with all the bullshits on cable TV these days? ... And how did Julia Roberts get away with "blowjobs" in Erin Brockovich on TNT? At 9:30 PM!? ... Buy Ginsana. Goodnight.

I may, in fact, be a pussy.

I am finding myself listening and humming Death Cab for Cutie songs all the time. I think this makes me a giant pussy.
I cannot help myself.
Dammit.

But Can They Sing...

I had every intention of watching and posting last night, but the circuit box in my house decided it was as good a night as any to melt.
So maybe I'll get it done tonight...

Damn all you people

Who was going to tell me to watch But Can They Sing?

As we say goodbye to Rocktober....

My cell phone just said, "Goodbye".
She served me a valiant, tumultuous 2+ years, and I shall miss her large, solid footprint and sturdy steel-like exterior.
I can only hope that the new phone is better but without trying to make me forget its predecessor...

Episode II: The Cologne Wars.

As you may know (well, probably not) - I tend to enjoy a quick spritz of cologne after the morning shower.
I've been a big fan of two Calvin Klein fragrances for some time, Truth (which is my default) and Eternity.
Anyway... I'm getting tired of them (though I'll always keep Truth around, cause I love it), so I'm entertaining ideas from you, my devoted readers. Both of you.
I've already begun buying samples from eBay - here's a short list of scents I've already tested and am considering (in no particular order):
Polo Black
Onyx (by Azzaro)
Chrome
Hugo by Hugo Boss
Energise by Hugo Boss

Any other suggestions? Any scents on the list you've had horrific allergic reactions to?

Lucky, Lucky, You're So LUCKY!!!

I saw Franz Ferdinand last night - what a show!
If you're the type of person that likes Franz Ferdinand, than you're definitely the kind of person who needs to see them live. Great energy, played every song (they can virtually play their entire catalog in 90 minutes).
I don't think that there's anyone in music who's enjoying being rock stars more than the guys in Franz Ferdinand. Jumping arond the stage, showing off, etc. They're not the best musicians, and the lead singer has some moments where pitch is a luxury, but it's raw, it's loud, and there's great people watching (the guy I went with said, "Normally you get a real eclectic group of people at shows, but these people came right out of central casting." Lots of hip young thangs dressed in black and begging for verbal abuse.
If you get the chance to see them, see em. And the new album (You Could Have It So Much Better) is worth buying, too.

Anybody have a resource?

One of my clients had a PC blow out on him. He's unable to access data on his hard drive.
I'm researching potential recovery companies - anybody have a favorite data recovery method/company?
Lemme know -
Thanks!

Lucked into a seat...

for U2 at the Garden tonight. What a blast.
I'm not going to say that these shows are as big a deal as Springsteen at the Meadowlands Arena or Giants Stadium, but it's close. U2 is an event.
To see Bono live is to see a rock star - one who is so supremely comfortable in the role of "rock star" is very rare. There are times when he mixes the cadence of a line, or waits an additional vamp before starting a song seemingly just to taunt the audience, who hang on his every word and movement and sing along with every note (even to the songs they don't know).
They stage their shows brilliantly - every seat's a pretty good seat. I know this because I had pretty crappy seats, but still saw the whole thing and enjoyed the shit out of it. There's great lights and sets, nice moments staged all over the place.
And The Edge just blows my mind. It used to be U2 had a singular guitar sound, and every song sounded similar because of it. Now he's learned how to bend his notes and create amazing riffs (Vertigo has an all time great Edge riff all over it. Pity Bono couldn't write a coherent lyric for it.) The Edge just kills all over the place.
Anyway - I've got tennis this morning, so I'm off to bed.

I know he's insane

I was watching about 45 seconds of the Danny Bonaduce show on VH1 last night. Now I know he's batshit insane. He's totally abusing steroids and who knows what else.
But as I watched him dump out some fruit juice to make room in the bottle for booze on the curb outside the liquor store, I couldn't help but think, "Man - look at the guns on that guy."
Sure - he's less chemically stable than nitro gliycerin, but he's got fantastic abs.

you know it's time for a diet...

when even your spam knows you're a blimp.
I'm getting emails addressed to "Ecosystem Brian".

the say...

"Never go to the supermarket on an empty stomach."
I think a corollary should be "Never go to the supermarket with a sore throat in the summer." Anyone want a Toasted Almond? Edy's Fruit Bar? Flav-O-Ice?

Damn my throat's sore...

A Special Place

Here's a couple of fairly recent additions to my list of people or things that I pray will get their own special, hideous torture in Hell:
The latex covered dancing "senior" that does the Six Flags Commercial. May his (or her) face look like Freddie Krueger's.
Anybody responsible for Baby Bob. Especially that poor exploited baby's parents. And the advertising agency that won't let the stupid concept die.

Train People I Love

Now that I've been commuting into NYC for over a month, I feel confident in sharing my three favorite people from the trains:

1) The News Vultures - these are the people who scuttle from seat to seat to see if other passengers have discarded newspapers. They search with this wild look in their eye, like Geoffrey Rush in "Pirates of the Carribean" crossed with Jennifer Wilbanks.

2) The Smokers - Holy Crap! I remember smoking, but I never remember needing a cigarette as bad as smokers on the train need one. They are always perched at the door, smoke in their mouth, ready to bound through the open door and light up. Carl Lewis didn't come off the blocks faster than these folks. Once, a guy was getting off at the same stop as me, and he was trying to time igniting his lighter with the opening of the doors. He false alarmed three times. Addiction is fun!

3) The Drinkers - I love the guys in suits drinking the cans of Bud in the paper bags on the ride home. Like the News Vultures, they have a signature expression - they look like children who know they're getting away with something. The giggle and laugh and act guilty, and I'm like, "You're getting all these jollies from a Pabst Blue Ribbon?" (Not to dis the PBR, but come on) These people are not to be confused with the people who have the beer in the paper bag and the bag of hot, fresh-popped popcorn from Penn Station. Those people always look like they've got it all figured out, and you know, they just might.

First post in a long time...

I've been way busy with the new job, and not much of a mobile blogger, so I haven't posted in a while. The company I work for also owns myblogsite.com, so I feel traitorous posting here...

But anyway - I live!
I breathe.

And last night, I rocked out with The Dan Band at BB King's in NYC with the mighty Mo.
Had a great time, even though we were stuck waiting on 42nd St for about an hour for them to open the doors - happily we were entertained by a group of drunken frat boys and girls a ways behind us who continually sang craptacular Journey and Supertramp songs.
Dan and the boys were awesome. Really a fantastic show. Great, funny, incredibly clever, musically inventive. The choreography alone was exceptional, particularly considering how small the stage was.
Extra kudos to the midget Willie Aames fucilli head who was bouncing all over in front of us for the first half of the show. After a while, we settled our differences and went on to enjoy the show, so goodwill conquers all...
Only other real drawback was it was a midnight show, delayed 45 minutes, so I didn't get home until 4:10 AM, and had to get up for tennis this morning at 7:30. I was wise and forgot the sunscreen, so I've got some nifty red tanlines this evening...

Day One...

OK - finally home and settled in from the first day at the new job.
Forgot to shave this morning, so I thought that was a bad omen, but as it turns out, nobody really cares.
In fact, the guy who's training me remarked (upon seeing my button down shirt/khakis combo), "Man - you know it's casual here. You could have worn sweatpants if you wanted. Though I wouldn't recommend it..."
It turns out that's the vibe for the entire office - extremely casual. Very chatty folks, lots of joking while working, so I think I'll fit in there nicely.
It also appears that they know what they're doing, what their position will be in the marketplace, and where I fit in there.
So onwards and upwards!

Fortune Smiles on Trotsky

So I've got a new job!
I start on Tuesday doing Tech Support/Sales Support for a small (but growing, with my aid) web hosting firm in NYC.
It's been just over three years since I've had a regular 9-5 gig, and I'm really excited to get back to it.
The job's in a nice area of Manhattan (the uptown border of Chelsea), so I'm going to have more of an opportunity to check out that area of NYC for lunches and after-work. There's a gym I'm going to join about two blocks from the office, so I can start to get back into shape. Well, I'm in shape now, it's just that the shape is an amorphous blob.
Commuting's going to be a hassle, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
I'm more excited about it than I've been letting on, mostly because I'm going to miss doing the work I'd been doing, especially the people I've been working with.

Diary Two Times. One for tomorrow. One just for today.

Who the hell is/was Haddaway? I keep thinking he played guard for
the Golden State Warriors in the 90s.
Ah - the snide aggravating Brit is back.
I do like how he says "VanillerRice". It makes me giggle. Or maybe it's
just the thought of Vanilla Ice performing that makes me giggle.

Oh, so George Bush has My Sharona on his iPod. Leave it to this British
jackass to make the iPod uncool.
I'm never going to get tired of that elevating platform that all the artists
enter from.
Here go The Knack... Depending on the camera angle, the lead singer either
looks like Eric Idle or Professor Falken from WarGames. Let's take a moment
and salute the band for having a costume concept and sticking with it. The
sound mix sucks - no guitar. The performance isnt bad at all. And let's
face it - My Sharona is always going to be a fun song to hear. (Now that
it's not 1979 when the radio played it every five songs) Ooh - they're
going to do Jet's Are You Gonna Be My Girl. That's a good choice. I
think...

Oh - so that's Haddaway. He owes his entire life to Chris Kattan. Lucky
guy. Ooooh - Haddaway. From just the walk down the steps, I'm figuring
his answer to "What is love?" involves a cucumber. I just can't find it in
my heart to make fun of the blonde singing backup. The dancer chicks doing
the Roxbury boys head dancing is hysterical. OK - he just he's going to do
a bit of "Brit-kneeeee", "Tawk-sick". Oh - he's in the club. Pick up the
pink courtesy phone, Haddaway - you're tired.

Tommy TuTone! The first song my cousin ever learned to play on guitar.
Tommy TuTone looks like he could use a haircut. Is it me or does he sound
like Neil Young? Come to think of it, I haven't seen Neil recently. He's
got his thumb up on the high notes - Tommy, bubulah, your thumb isn't a
pitch correction machine. Sorry to be the one to tell you. Oh - he's got
some nasty gap teeth. Maybe a bad barfight. Blink 182? Lotsa luck...

Christ - how many people were in the Motels!? There were like 8 people in
that picture. Did you ever think that it took that many people to play
their music? Ooh - the lead singer looks like Linda Rondstadt's hard living
sister. She doesn't sound bad, but there's no power - it's a shame when
people don't learn how to sing. And sing for a living. Damn - there was so
much smoke on that stage, I thought Great White was playing.

Hooray! Vaniller! He gets a dancer too! Yay! The mix really blows - I
couldn't hear the DJ say the "...while DJ revolves it" line. I'm bummed.
Man - he can still roll it with the 818. I like how he yells at the
audience - "LET ME HEAR YOU SAY IT!" He doesn't really give them many
options. It's either they say it, or he beats them up. He's going to sing
Destiny's Child's Survivor. Oh man.

OK - quick editorial. NBC keeps advertising this "I Want To Be A Hilton"
show, and while the girl singing "A Moment Like This" is amusing, I wonder
what this show could possibly be about. Mrs. Hilton is taking these
uncultured people and she's going to try and class them up? Here's an idea,
sweetie - how's about starting with your daughter. You know, the whore.


The Knack return. (You'll note I've stopped making comments about the
smarmy Brit. I've decided I'm just going to ignore him. For now.) So the
lead singer of The Knack is more relaxed now than before his band was big.
Yes - he achieved his goal, #1 record, #1 single, and then just packed it
in. Oooh - for the second song, we lose the neckties. So crazy. Here's a
question - they're playing one song - why's the guitarist got an extra
guitar by the amp? Just am observation. "Now You're Glad You Joined The
Party" - I hate the British guy.

Haddaway plays golf. I wonder if Haddaway uses Callaway equipment. I
wonder if Haddway uses Callaway to hit the Fairway... please stop me.Hooray
- more singers! More Dancers! And Uglier Outfits! Well, I'll say this for
Haddaway, he's singing this song more than Britney does. That's pretty much
where I'll leave it. Why's he crawling around on his belly? Is he looking
for a stray golf ball?

Tommy's a computer geek! Awesome! Funny - it only takes Blink 182 three
people to do this song. During the chorus Tommy/Neil Young pumps his fist
up and down - he looks like he's ragging at the paperboy for missing his
porch "That whippersnapper!". This wasn't that bad - sort of interesting
the way his (Neil Young) voice bends around the song.

Martha Davis' day job looks like the Luxor version of hell. Well, it's cool
that's she's really re-worked Don't Know Why. Excepting that the initial
version is like a perfect song. It sounds like she's singing it to the
backing music of Midnight Oil's "King of the Mountain". After hearing that,
I can safely say I know why she didn't come.

Gawd, can smarmy man make more bad Ice related puns with regards to Mr. Van
Winkle?

Ice is living in Texas? They kicked him out of the 818? Shame. He
shouldn't be riding that motorcycle without a helmet. Well, maybe it's
alright - he'll do less damage to the pavement or the trees when he crashes.
Now - really - can this even be called Survivor by Destiny's Child? He's
yet to sing a lyric from the song outside of "I'm a Survivor". This totally
sucks. God - I hope he doesn't win. Though I fear the genuine possibility
of it happening.

I can't really pick a favorite here. Who will win?

Oh good Christ - it's VanillerRice. Hell freezes over.

See you next week. Oh good God - Irene Cara's on next week. And Cameo!
And Howard Jones! This is like a murderer's row!

Going commando, perhaps?

http://news.lycos.co.uk/querkies/050530150456.966mgvrd.xml.html

Made me howl...

And it might just be because I was just reminiscing about this game with my Xbox cronies, but The Onion has a little pic on it this week:




The caption:
"Atari Releases Updated Adventure Video Game"


MWAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

I remember all the hours spent with my Atari 2600 killing them dragons with that little arrow...
-sigh-

Oh man...

I am soooo there.
Who's with me?

Can you stop reading?

I found this site in an article in today's NY Times.
I couldn't help myself, I read the whole damn thing.
It's oddly addictive. I suspect I'll check it out every week.

for boutell...

We missed out!!!
Guess we'll still have to wait until Sept 30th.

Another Sad Day...

They're Grrrrreat no more...

Dorktastic.

In the same way I've become addicted to my Xbox, I know a lot of people have become completely Word Of Warcraft fanatics. They play in groups and work really hard to level up and collect magical items and stronger abilities. And then there's this guy.

Repeated viewings of the critical moment provide some true joy.

A quick review - no spoilers...

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith will probably provide more genuine (unintentional, but genuine) laughs than the upcoming film, The Honeymooners.
However, if you're a filmgoer who's really looking forward to the upcoming film, The Honeymooners, you'll probably be extremely entertained by Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

If you're any kind of a fan - you must rent...

Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns. It's a really enjoyable documentary about They Might Be Giants, released on DVD in 2003, and filmed (I think) as TMBG were about to release Mink Car in 2001.
It's chock full of lots of professional fanboy (and girl) fawning, featuring Frank Black, Sarah Vowell, Andy Richter, and many many others, but since it's about They Might Be Giants, there are some idiosyncratic moments as well. The best line probably comes from a British interview show from the 80s, where the host says "You're the biggest independent group in the States, right?" and John Flansburgh answers "Yes, but that's kind of like being the tallest midget."

My favorite part, however, was a brief bit of an interview with Syd Straw:
Syd: Um, okay, uh - how serious a documentary is this? I mean, have people-
Guy Behind Camera: Serious
Syd: I mean, have people been, uh, truthful, or..?
GBC: Yeah, people have been pretty much truthful, I guess.
Syd: Have people pretty much said that they're nice guys, or, what's the ...?
GBC: Most people've said they're nice guys
Syd: Have you talked to anybody that really knows them?

I think this is the kind of tone I'd like for the inevitable documentary about my life. That is not to be confused with the multiple biopics my life will no doubt inspire. Nor the Lifetime Original Movie where Judith Light plays my mother.

I don't believe this world...

This makes me think horrible things. People like this shouldn't be allowed to have children. Ugh.

The Commercialization of Vader

Does anyone else think that all these commercials with Darth Vader (M&Ms, Cingular, etc) diminish the impact of the character?
I mean really - I was *scared* of Vader after seeing Star Wars a couple of times. Don't these ads make him less intimidating? Damn - Lucas sucks.

Wacky Morning Shows in England

Now I'd never be one to post some bit from a wacky morning zoo show, but this one is from Great Britain, so they have classy accents.
And truly, once the gag is actually sprung, it's pretty amusing.
So here you go.
Enjoy. Come again.

I'm a bastard.

And that's why I thought this was funny.

The Supermarket Can Teach Us So Much....

The last two times I've been to the supermarket (the Succasunna Shoprite, cause I know you were all curious), I've learned so much more than I normally do.
Usually, I'll pick up the latest details on the Bat Boy, the migration patterns of Elvis, and the fat content of Edy's Ice Cream Sandwich Ice Cream (you don't wanna know).
The last two times have been much more informative.
I've learned that one of the key reasons that the agenda of the ignorant and mean-spirited continues to advance is because the carriers of that message are just so darn outgoing. Seriously, these people have no problem talking to the person in front of them at the checkout (me, natch). The first real eye-opener was an older couple (60s + - well out of my dating range) where the wife was commenting how it's always a delay when one of those people is running the checkout. She was referring to the Indian (or Pakistani, I didn't ask) woman who was doing her job. The bigot managed to ignore the couple in front of me, who split their cart up into three different orders, and questioned the price on every item as it scanned. Obviously, it's all the checkout lady's fault. I was waiting for a bad tsunami comment when I finally escaped.

Which bring us to yesterday. Another light bit o' shopping, and I'm on line and this woman gets behind me in line saying, "Hey - I think I'll join ya!" Now I'm a fairly genial person, so I smiled back at her and gave her as much space on the conveyor as my aluminum foil and chicken breast ($1.99/lb!) would allow. I'm nothing if not a considerate shopper. She proceeds to read all the horrible headlines off of People and whatever, and after mentioning the most recent school shooting, she says, "And you know, it's all because of them."
"Who?"
"All of them PC people who are so worried about everyone's feelings."
"Yeah - those people are just awful."
"Like you shouldn't hit your kids! That's ridiculous! Now who's going to teach these kids respect!? No wonder this American Indian shoots up a school thinking he's a Nazi.!"
"Wait. What? You lost me there."
"That kid in Minnesota."
"You don't think maybe his grandfather could have been a little more safe about his guns and bulletproof vest?"
"You want to blame his GRANDFATHER?!"
"Well, no. But I certainly think he could have-"
"Well who are you to blame his grandfather?!"
"Oh look, I'm all done... Have a nice day!"

New Jersey is a melting pot all by itself...

hmmmmm.... selfish selfish trotsky....

I am finding that I'm commenting on other people's LJs a lot more than I'm actually writing in my own journal.
I think that means that my friends are WAY more interesting than men, and I'm just sponging off of their interesting things and adding my lame two cents. Well, not a lame two cents. I'm a witty mutha.
But whatever.

I'll try to improve.

Book of Note

I've become fascinated by the used books available on Amazon for cheap (next up: Joe Jackson's autobiography).
I happened to stumble upon one recently that I read last night. (It was only 230+ pages, so reading it in one night isn't any real accomplishment)
The Day the World Came to Town is an interesting bit of nonfiction about 9/11 and the people whose planes were diverted and stranded at an airport in Canada. I found myself really moved by the generosity of a community and of the different ways people deal manage a crisis.
An incredible tale, I only wish it was a little better written, the people more fully fleshed out. It seems to me like there may have been a rush to publish (hardcover edition released 9/1/02), which didn't leave much time for research, writing, and editing. But it's still an interesting read. If you're an easily emotional person, have some tissues handy. I may have had my hay fever act up once or twice myself.

Couple of teeny random thoughts.

1) I'm thinking of inventing a new word: Outrageful. It just seems to me that "outrageous" doesn't carry the outrage as much as the crazy tag. And I think "outraged" has been trademarked by Johnnie Cochrane.

2) The best commercial I've seen in a while is the new commercial for the Toyota Prius. If you haven't seen it, it shows a variety of people and machines moving in place. It's visually interesting, pretty effective.

3) The most disturbing commercial is easily the Nike Pro Apparel commercial. The first time I saw it I was really jarred by the music and the images. Great commercial, but spooky. Like Julie Taymor meets Faces of Death.

I started reading Seabiscuit last night

Wonderful so far - grabs you right out of the gates.
Fantastic style, great construction, doesn't go out of its way to describe every detail of 1930s life but leaves it to our imaginations. And I'm only about 50 pages in.

Anyway, it occurs to me:

We used to be a nation built on legends, then on stories. We've now become a nation built on anecdotes.
We used to aspire to be legends and giants, now we want to be personalities, or even worse, we are people who worship personalities or want to be close to personalities. What kind of person dreams of being in someone else's posse?

That's it. Maybe I'm just being nostalgiac because of the book, or maybe the whole Paris Hilton/Fred Durst world that we live in sucks mightily.

I'm going to have some chocolate now...

Fingers Crossed

The reality obsession continues....

On American Idol tonight, we'll see if Constantine Maroulis (who was Jesus in the production of Superstar where I was Herod... and should have been Judas) and his mediocre "Kiss From A Rose" survives to sing again next week. My roomie and I have decided that even though he's a jerk, and his performance Monday wasn't sterling, we'd still like to see him advance. Just so we'll have another week to make fun of him or enjoy his progress. Basically to bask in the reflected glow of his success. (And if you're counting, his fame clock is at about 31 minutes.)

But of FAR greater importance tonight is the Project Runway finale! Where we'll see (I'm watching with 's sister-in-law) if our beloved Jay wins the big prize. Personally, if Jay doesn't win, I won't be crushed, cause I know he's still got a future ahead of him. I'm not even rooting against the show's "villain", Wendy. She's done her best to play the game to win. People have accused her of using tactics and chicanery. I think people are jealous that she's gotten herself to the finals. Wendy's not as good as some of the designers she's left in her wake, but she didn't make the stupid, fatal mistakes they all seemed to make. Sucks for them.

In other news, I watched Conan tonight to see Rufus Wainwright perform his cover of "Stairway to Paradise" - not to be confused with "Stairway to Heaven", mind you. It's a Gershwin tune he recorded for The Aviator soundtrack (and performs in the movie, I hear). Always nice to see Rufus, this time wearing black tie and tails and backed by a swinging rag band.

Ah well, off to bed...

A quick chortle...

Something some of you know about me is that I'm all about my Xbox. I love playing online and have made some very good friends via Xbox Live.
These friends maintain a message board so we can chat, swap ideas, schedule games, things like that. Apparently, when these guys get board, they just spam the crap out of this board. Today produced this gem:
The topic was "Your gay"
And the entire body of the message was " :o "

Now - I understand that boys will be boys, and that "fag", "faggot", and "gay" are insulting words of choice among the immature, but this got my dander up a bit. I can tolerate all sorts of slights, especially minor one where no harm is intended, but seriously, was this even worth this guy's thirty seconds?

So I replied to the post:

"Here's a fun little trick I like to try sometimes - proper grammar.
For instance, "Your gay" is either misspelled or incomplete.
A correct spelling may have been "You're gay", or the more formal, "You, sir, are gay". "You are all gay" or the more vulgar "Y'all are gay" would also have been alright. "Y'all's is gay" would not have been acceptable.
The other option is that you submitted your post before completing it. Some possibilities that crossed my mind are, "Your gay floral arrangement" or "Your gay '90s retrospective is lacking". Personally, though, I think you probably meant to type, "Your gay cousin told me I gave the best blowjob he'd ever had, but he wished I wasn't so loose in the trunk."
Was that what you were saying?"

The guy still hasn't replied....

It's the small things that make us happy sometimes.

Doing Our Part

Due to financial constraints and as a demonstration against the outlandish
prices for heating oil (well, ALL petroleum products) this season, my
roommate and I have been keeping the thermostats low. We've been
extraordinarily successful so far, using roughly 60% of what we used last
year. It's been a very rewarding experiment.
But it's so f$%#ing cold tonight!!!
Sheesh - what's next?
(The answer from weather.com: Snow. 3-5 inches tomorrow evening.)
Stupid winter.
Stupid seasons.
(That will end my rant about the weather. As everyone knows, it's not nice
to fool with Mother Nature.)

What a week...

Lessee...
1) The NHL cancelled their season.
Of course, I'd know this was coming all along, I mean - how could you not
have seen this coming. Of course, knowing my readership, I imagine you've
already moved to the next paragraph.

2) The Jeff Gannon/Jim Guckert fiasco.
How GREAT and TERRIBLE is all this?! For those who may not have been
following this unbelievable bit of news, href=http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/02/man-called-jeff.html>this
link will get you up to date on what's happened (up till Monday), visit
the stupendous Americablog website
for more information about this and other news-type items you won't see on
Fox News.
Anyway - it's a fascinating tale of deception, tax evasion, White House
Press Passes, and gay escorts. (Really. It is. You can't make this stuff
up.)

3) Frank's Dead!!
Holy crap - that kid with the brain tumor who sold the "Frank Must Die"
bumper sticker on eBay for $10k beat the cancer! Amazing story - you can
read a tad more about it href=http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/02/15/frank.tumor.ap/index.ht
ml>here.

Not too terribly much going on around here, just the normal BS.

I don't know why this makes me laugh

there are some truly troubled people in the world.
I support them with my laughter.
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/kittycat.php

The song is much more amusing than the flash, I think.

Ann Coulter: Right Wing Sexpot, Moron

In addition to cool health care laws and a more relaxed attitude towards
marijuana, here's something else Canada has going for it: Giving Ann Coulter
the Smack Down.
Ms. Coulter is a celebrated author and political pundit. She is a fervent
supporter of the President and of his policies. She has frequently come
down hard on those people or entities who do not share her beliefs. Among
her victims is Canada, who have criticized the War in Iraq and refused to
participate in the coalition (US! And Great Britain! And, um, Poland! And
um... uh...). She recently granted an interview with Canadian
Broadcasting's Bob McKeown (a news man). Here's a fun excerpt:

Coulter: "Canada used to be one of our most loyal friends and vice-versa. I mean Canada sent troops to Vietnam - was Vietnam less containable and more of a threat than Saddam Hussein?"
McKeown interrupts: "Canada didn't send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter: "I don't think that's right."
McKeown: "Canada did not send troops to Vietnam."
Coulter (looking desperate): "Indochina?"
McKeown: "Uh no. Canada ...second World War of course. Korea. Yes. Vietnam No."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, took a pass on Vietnam."
Coulter: "I think you're wrong."
McKeown: "No, Australia was there, not Canada."
Coulter: "I think Canada sent troops."
McKeown: "No."
Coulter: "Well. I'll get back to you on that."

McKeown tags out in script:
"Coulter never got back to us -- but for the record, like Iraq, Canada sent no troops to Vietnam."

My guess is they cut out the part where she mentioned the war over Terrence and Phillip.
Hooray Canada!

Ahhh... My Halo obsession...

It hurts to want it so badly.
Ohhhh, Master Chief, with your mirrored visor and armor plating, how I wish
you could be mine.
Okay, not really, but I've definitely played far too much Halo 2 online with
my Xbox cronies.
I think it might be responsible for my bedsores and the fact that I twitch
throughout the night. The fact that I'm constantly harassed by 12 year-olds
with mouths that make truck drivers blush doesn't get me too down. It gets
me down when they beat me (but not too much - I can still drive a car and
buy liquor).
Anyway - I've been lax in my journal writing, and I wanted to make a quick
post between matches to explain my absence.
This will fade soon enough, I suspect. Then I'll get back to reading,
emailing, watching television - all the truly interesting things that drive
me to write here. And maybe I'll get me some kind of a social life, too.
One can only hope.

Johnny Carson 1925-2005

A true great passes on.
And he died of emphysema, that's a terrible way to go.

That's all I got. I had something for today about how miserable it is to dig out of the snow, but I think my complaining about my lungs burning would seem a bit ludicrous right now.
Besides, I was about half through with the job when my neighbor came over with his plow. Thanks, Darren!!!

Things I'm enjoying...

1) Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC, nightly) - I've always enjoyed Olbermann, very much during the SportsCenter years with Dan Patrick (a dynasty never to be touched). This is an interesting, entertaining look at some bullet-point daily stories. It's not as entertaining as The Daily Show (I watch both), but they have an interesting voice, not as liberally biased as some outlets, and not Fox News (gag).

2) The soundtrack to The Incredibles (Michael Giacchino) - fun, mod, swinging, jazzy - whatever you want to call it. Great music to have in the background during the day.

3) Dancer in the Dark DVD - OK, maybe this isn't to be "enjoyed", but I watched it again the other day (maybe my fourth or fifth time through) and it's just a knockout of a film. It slowly involves you in the lives of the characters, then kicks the plot and the music in. And Bjork gives an amazing performance. Also lots of fun to see the extras on the DVD to see all the work that goes into creating a Dogma 95 movie musical.

Too long between entries

Has it really been 18 days since last I touched base with you, my loyal reader(s)?
I apologize for the delay, but truthfully, not a blessed thing has happened in the interim.
My mother and brother turned a year older, I've watched far too many tsunami home videos (it's like a snuff disaster film), and I've been a little under the weather.
That's about the extent of it.

Here's something, though. Not that it's about me, but...
I was in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar some years ago, and the guy who played Jesus was on American Idol last night. It appears he was in a rock band in NYC, and went to audition in DC. They made something of a bit out of him and his band last night, and we got to see some of the worst aspects of reality television. We got the "Band Rehearsal Footage", which one could determine was actually filmed by a Fox crew some time after the audition, when Ryan Seacrest visited Constantine (the guy who played Jesus). Constantine then told his bandmates he's accepted an invitation to Hollywood to go on the show. So... how then did he explain the presence of a camera crew to his bandmates? Also, it was a lot of fun to see Constantine impersonate a human being. It's something he's not extremely good at. He's a bit of an egomaniac, and he can't really disguise it too well. So that's always fun to watch. So I'll keep watching. Stupid television. Stupid Brian...

The Life Aquatic

Saw this with my friend KK the other night, and WOW.
Bill Murray probably won't be nominated for his performance (because the movie isn't REALLY great), but his performance is mesmerizing. He commands every moment of the film, and his journey (if you buy into the somewhat quirky Wes Anderson world) is truly poignant. He never relies on any cheap gag or "Bill Murray-ism" - it's all very real for him, and thus, for the viewer. KK turned to me as the credits rolled and said, "That was an amazing performance". It was all you could really say.
The movie, while pretty charming and interesting, doesn't really know what it's supposed to be. Anjelica Huston is (as always) excellent, and the Portugese, acoustic covers of Bowie standards are superb. The first moment of each one you sort of groove to the music, then you strain to figure out which Bowie song it is, then you just enjoy the moment.
Anderson is really an interesting director (and writer, for that matter). He has such an obvious affection for the older films that told leisurely-paced stories about the regular lives of extraordinary people. He's also very familiar with modern camera moves and techniques. It's interesting to see where (and how) he forgoes the easier modern route for the more labor-intensive, old-fashioned methods. There are some shots that are obviously CG, but even there they have a sort-of hand crafted feel to them. It's a fun style to watch, and The Life Aquatic includes a couple of really incredible cinematic shots and moments where you just knew Anderson was having a blast.
If you liked Rushmore or Bottle Rocket, I'd completely recommend The Life Aquatic. (If your really liked The Royal Tennenbaums, I'm guessing you've already seen The Life Aquatic) I'd confidently recommend it to pretty much any of my friends. It's not for people who thought National Treasure was good, but who has conversations about film with those people?

Happy New Year!

Happy 2005 folks!
I wish you all the best for the coming year.