people say she's bad, but they don't see the way she is with me

I'm not dead. I'm just a little .... underinspired. Is that a word?

I've sort of crawled into a corner ever since my accident. Yes, I was uninjured, but I haven't done anything remotely social or extracurricular since then. Hockey games don't count. When I go to (or even watch on TV) hockey games, I'm actually "working" for my non-paying job. That, coupled with the onset of Festivus, which always puts me in a strange mood, has meant that I haven't had a whole lot to say.

One thing that I have been doing with regularity is playing real life Scrabble. Every Wednesday, my friend Kevin and I get together at a neighborhood watering hole for a few games and a few libations. Alcohol and Scrabble are a terrible mix, and there are way too many distractions (ie girls), which would suggest that it's a terrible idea to play there, but we've had some really good games. I may have mentioned this before, but Kevin is a much better player than I am. Out of every 100 games we play, he beats me badly (more than 100 points) 15 times, beats me "soundly" 50-100 points) maybe 20 times, beats min a "close" (25-49 points) 35 times, beats me in a "tight" (less than 25 points) 15 times, and I'll beat him in close games 15 times. He insists that we're more evenly matched, but he only says that to make me feel better.

Here's where I get to brag.

In one of our recent games, I had my highest single word play I've ever had in over-the-table games. By "single word", I mean that only one word was scored. No hooks, no overlays. Just the one word.
Through a Q that already existed on the board at A 12 (four spots up from the bottom, on the left edge, on the double letter score space), I was able to play from A 8 and get a triple-triple on

ANT0QUES

wherein the blank is an I. The word itself would be 16 points straight up, but since I hit two triple word score spaces, I get to multiply it by nine. That's 144. I also get to add 50 for the bingo (using all seven of my tiles in a single play). So for that single word, I got 194 points. I once got 212 for a single word (QUEUEING), but that was in an on-line game.

For the record, the highest single word score possible would be 392 points for

CAZIQUES

provided, of course that the play was made from one of only four possible places: 1 H, 15 H, A 8, O 8. Pops and buzzes, I know. If you're curious about it, nobody has ever made that play in official tournament play, and it is a noun (plural). A cazique is a tropical bird, which can alternately be spelled CACIQUE.

Anyway, like I said, a bar seems like it would be a bad place to play for sooooo many reasons, but it's actually gone well. In addition, the bartender loves the fact that we're there and actually wishes that more people would follow our lead. Also, over the weeks, we've got some little groupies. Sounds funny, but it's true.

There's a big tournament coming up in Charlotte at the end of January, but I won't be able to go because of a very important hockey obligation I have that weekend. And speaking of hockey obligations, I plan on traveling to our nation's capitol on Saturday January 21 for a Hurricanes road game against the Capitals. I've made good friends with the couple who sit next to me at the games, and we're trying to organize a big group to go up there. If any of you dc-ites are interested in going to the game and/or hanging out, please let me know. As far as I know, our plan will be to drive up there that morning, go to the game, spend the night, and head back sometime Sunday.

On another note, I got everything resolved on the insurance settlement for my car. They gave me significantly more than I was expecting. They even gave me a lot more than what I was hoping for. That should help me to breathe a little easier.

Right before, or maybe right after the new year, I'll post a list of goals/wishes/resolutions for the new year. One of them is to write in this blog more frequently.

Now playing:

The Shins Chutes Too Narrow

first gear, it's alright....

This whole ordeal with the car wreck has been a pain in the ass, but I've got a few parts of it resolved.

One, the insurance company from the other driver automatically assumed liability and automatically assumed total loss, so they're going to (eventually) write me a check for what they think my car was worth. I figured as much, but it was still nice to know it for a fact. No word yet on how much I'll get or when I'll get it.

But the thing that's way more exciting than that is that I bought a new (to me) car on Friday. Nothing fancy. An '02 Civic. I love it, though. I wanted to get that chapter of this story closed as quickly as possible, so I decided against waiting around for the insurance check. I put some money out of my own pocket, and I'll use the insurance check as a big payment/restock of my bank account.

One slightly funny thing about my car buying experience. I pretty much knew that I wanted a Honda. I loved the one I had a while back, and I wanted to get something that would last a long time, would be reliable, and cheap, and with inexpensive maintenance. Honda or Toyota is the way to go there, and like I say, I loved that Accord I used to drive. So I took my first large chunk of free time and looked at their used lot. The date was Wednesday December 7. Pearl Harbor Day. A lot of old-timers would gasp at the thought of setting foot on a "Jap car" lot on Pearl Harbor Day, but I needed a car, and I don't take patriotism that far.

I found two that I liked that were essentially the same. Just different transmissions. Although the automatic transmission one had fewer miles, the straight drive has a cd player, and I found the color of it to be more appealing. When I went back on Friday, the automatic was gone, so it made my choice a little easier. So that's the one I went with.

That Pontiac I had been driving was really advanced for its year. Although it was a '94 model, it had keyless entry, power everything, the seats were computer controlled and adjustable in like 8 different ways, photosensitive headlights, etc. etc. etc. I'll have to get used to not having those luxurious things. But I do have a cup holder!

I don't have a title for this

Dang.

I was just involved in an automobile accident.

I'm totally fine. My car, on the other hand, will never see the light of day again.

I was headed west on a boulevarded street. Minding my own business. A car in the eastbound lane was attempting to turn left. We both have green lights, but she did not have the arrow. She turned anyway, and before I could react, the airbag was in my face. Front end totally crushed, all the lights and plastic bits smashed to a million pieces. Windshield shattered. Driver's door panel slightly crushed. I don't know if any of you have ever been in an airbag-deployment accident, but the smell is horrible. Thank goodness they worked, though. That's all I have to say. I was only going about 30mph, but I'm sure I would have been injured without them. That's the good thing. I'm not hurt, and neither was the other driver. It's a pretty cut and dry issue of who's at fault, so I'm not really worried about that.

Here's the misfortunate bit. It's the weekend, and I don't use one of those 24-hour insurance companies. I'll have to wait until Monday morning to file a claim. I'll also have to wait until Monday morning to get a copy of the accident report. I'm not totally sure whether my insurance policy allows for a rental in this situation, but I could actually function without a car for a little while. I can walk to and fro work. I don't have any hockey games to go to for two weeks, so I don't have to worry about that either.

I guess I'll have to get a new(er) car, and that sucks because I've never had a car payment in my life. I guess that means I have to start getting serious about finding a different job.

Dang. I was really hoping I could make it my whole life without totaling a car.

i was swimming in the caribbean

Yeah, so I was gonna make a more detailed post concerning the Dandys show, but somehow it ended up being very truncated. Now, I shall provide you with some of the details.

Some band, presumably Shit Cereal was opening, but we didn't pay them that much attention. We arrived when they had just a couple of songs left, anyway.

For those of you who haven't been to the Cradle in a while, the best thing happened to it. No... Not air conditioning. They made it non-smoking. Going back about four years or so, bands started to request it for one reason or another. Mainly due to band members being pregnant. The first time I ever saw it "non-smoking by request of the artist" was Cibo Matto. Soon, other bands started to follow suit by requesting it. I have no idea when the change to full time non-smoking happened, but it's been great. Granted, I don't get to shows nearly as often as I used to when I was in my twenties, but I used to hate coming home and having to wash my clothes immediately because of the smoke. And since there isn't smoking, you see pregnant ladies in the crowd. I saw at least three last night. I thought that was pretty cool.

One thing that has not changed is the crowds. By that, I don't mean that anyone is ill-behaved or anything like that. It's just that when you go to rock shows at the Cradle, it's always the same thing. It could be Elliot Smith or it could be Superchunk, and it's always a crowd of the most unemotional people in the world. Nobody moves, nobody smiles. Everyone assumes the "Chapel Hill Crowd" stance: arms folded across chest, staring straight ahead. People bob their heads slightly, or if they're feeling especially crazy, they might lip-synch along with the song, but that's about as much reaction they're gonna give. But everyone in the audience has that ONE SONG that they'll respond to. They'll jump a little bit, smile a little bit and scream like crazy when the first chords of the song ring out. Believe it or not, that song in the case of the Dandys wasn't "Not if You Were the Last Junky on Earth". It wasn't even "The Last High" (which is what I secretly suspected it would be). It was that "Bohemian Like You" song. People went slightly nuts for that, and then they resumed the Chapel Hill crowd thing.

I'm not exaggerating this, and I'm not making it up. And yes, it is a thing that happens just in Chapel Hill. I've heard lots of bands bitch about it. For years it's been that way.

When they have hip-hop shows there, forget all that. I think those crowds tend to be a little more into it.

Although I liked the show, I was disappointed at the brevity of it. It seemed like they played for just barely an hour and fifteen minutes. Something like that anyway. No encores. I think Courtney "I think I am god" Taylor Taylor (I have no idea where the second Taylor came from) was in a real hurry to smoke reefer with college kids.
Also, in a bit of a role reversals, all the members of the Dandys EXCEPT Zia took their shirt off. I was really hoping to see boobs, but I guess I can go to the Southern Culture on the Skids show. There'll be all kinds of boobs at that show. And chicken.

I didn't mean to suggest that Chapel Hill crowds suck. I only meant to suggest that they are and always have been very unenthusiastic.

don't listen to your grandmother's advice about us

The first order of business today is to pass along something that I should have caught on my own, but it was brought to my attention by Great White Bear, who suspended his "Hockey Friday" post and also took time out from his political rantings to report the death of George Best. Best was, as most of you loyal readers know, one of the best footballers the world ever saw. He passed away on our Thanksgiving day following complications from a liver transplant. Aside from being a fantastic soccer player, he was also as much of a pop icon, with his good looks and his hard living. In honor of him, you should play The Wedding Present's fantastic album George Best (which is currently out of print.)

I had a rock and roll good time over the weekend. Friday night was a Canes game, which we won. Afterwards, I went out with my seat-neighbors, who are the best ever. We went to a few Raleigh bars including a shitty one owned by former Hurricane Bates Battaglia. The other places we went were cool, so it made up for it. I had to work Saturday morning, and then back to the triangle area to see the Dandy Warhols on Saturday night. Beforehand, we went out to Peppers, and to my delight, the "Party of four, let's rock and roll" guy is working there. He was gone for a while, but he's back! Only now it isn't "party of four, let's rock and roll". He likes to do the fist pound with everyone.

The Dandys show was pretty good. The sound was good in my opinion, but I wasn't crazy about the lights. Anyway, they played a good mix of new stuff, old stuff, and some stuff I wasn't familiar with. They were putting on a good show, but sadly it was a Chapel Hill crowd. Chapel Hill crowds have always been Chapel Hill crowds, and they always will. It's gotta suck for the bands.

I might be a little more active around here in the coming weeks, as the Hurricanes are embarking on a two week road trip. I'll try to be more active, anyway.

Now playing:

The Wedding Present George Best

it could have been a brilliant career

I know, I know. I haven't been around much. I don't know what to say. Not much has gone on that's been post-worthy.
Today, though is the first birthday of this blog. So,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BLOG!!!

I got my XBOX 360 in the mail the other day, and I've gotta say that the folks at Mountain Dew did it right. They gave away the full-tilt version of the game console. Complete with a the hard drive, wireless controller, ethernet cables, xbox live headset, remote control for the device (which can store photos, music, movies, whatever), and some crazy fantasy game. I also, apparently have a game of my choosing on the way, but I don't recall picking anything. I imagine I would have selected Madden, but I'll have to wait and see. The graphics are indeed pretty amazing.
I've heard some negative reviews of 2K Sports' NHL 2K6, so I'll hold off on spending the $60 on that. More video game updates as they (slowly) develop.

The college basketball season has begun, and I got a chance to watch the second half of the UNC game on Tuesday night, in which they decimated Cleveland State 112-55. Even taking into consideration that Cleveland state is awful, the Heels looked good. I think they'll be a little better than most folks think.

I also watched the ultra-exciting conclusion of the Gonzaga-Michigan State game, which went to three overtimes. Those Zags have a good squad. This Adam Morrison guy is really good, and he also bears a striking resemblance to actor (and narrator for Mastercard ads) Billy Crudup.

While I was watching that game, the name of UNC legend Mike O'Koren came up, and a friend who I had just run into relayed a great story about O'Koren. Now I shall relay it to you.

In 1976, O'Koren was a heavily recruited high school ball player. I think he was New Jersey player of the year that year. UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian was one of many who were going after him. Tark thought he had a brilliant plan. He was friends with Frank Sinatra, and Sinatra was a big fan of UNLV basketball. Tark asked Ole Blue Eyes (also a Jersey native) to help out in recruiting O'Koren. So Sinatra went to Jersey City and showed up on the O'Koren's doorstep. He sang for them and hung out with them for an entire evening and pitched UNLV in the process. I have no idea what Dean Smith did to top that, but O'Koren chose UNC only two days after Sinatra sang for him.

Anyway, that's it for now.

now playing:

Death Cab for Cutie Plans

being a rebel's fine, but you go all the way to being brutal

Hey, remember when I was lamenting about not being cool?

I just became extraordinarily cool without even knowing it. Actually, the defining moment must have been a few weeks or even months ago, but I just caught wind of it 20 minutes ago. And to be truthful, I'll only be cool to dudes between the ages of 9 and 40, and on a materialistic basis. To explain:

Yesterday, the UPS guy left a slip on my door. I didn't order anything, and I'm not expecting anything, so I was really curious. According to the UPS tracking thing, the package weighs five pounds and originated somewhere in Minnesota. That automatically precluded any cool gift from the Hurricanes, which was actually my first thought. I don't have any strange charges on any of my credit cards, so it was a big mystery, but I had them hold it at the holding tank so I could pick it up.

I opened this box in the parking lot, and I saw a bag of Mountain Dew ballcaps. Okay, whatever. Maybe five of them. And a bag of t-shirts. Whatever. Then there's all these postcards in the bottom of the box, and I think "holy shit". In the very bottom of the box, a note indicating that I am a winner. They even called me that.

Dear Every 10 Minutes Winner:
Congratulations! Enclosed is your Mountain Dew Every 10 Minutes 'Party in a Box' prize. For updated information on when you will receive your Xbox 360 game system please check your account history over the next few days ......
Blah blah blah
Very truly yours,
Pepsi-Cola Consumer Care

Jeez. I've won a really fancy video game system.

You remember that contest they had? I had forgotten all about it. I had forgotten that I even entered.

The thing is, I'm not that much of a "gamer". I like to play the sports video games, but that's it. However, it would be a shame to let this thing go to waste. They're not for sale yet, but they'll be going for $400. One of my co-workers is really stoked about the release of these things. It's all he's talked about for the past few days. I could offer to sell it to him for $250 or something, but he's kind of a douchebag, and I'd feel dirty doing him that favor. I could sure use the dough, but I have principles.

So.... Who wants to come over and play video games? I rekkon I'll get this thing sometime next week.

By the way, these hats are really nice. Black, with the Mountain Dew logo on the front and XBOX360 on the back. The best thing is, they're made with that stretch-fit stuff, so it looks like a fitted cap, and more importantly, it fits my enormous melon.

Since I won this Xbox by entering the contest once, I should capitalize on my luck by purchasing powerball tickets.

now playing:
The Dandy Warhols Odditorium, or Warlords Of Mars

I was moved to kick the crutches from my crippled friend.

This may be a shock to some of you, but for most of you this will not be news:

I am not cool.

I haven't the foggiest idea about the newest hippest indie rock that the kids are talking about.

I don't play the guitar.

I don't have a new car.

I don't have a fancy I.T. job.

I know there's still hope of being cool even without those things, but here's the real telling factor -- the inbox of my text messages.

Some of you have posted the contents of your inbox, which indicate that you and your friends are doing really cool stuff. Brace yourself to be utterly bored by the contents of my inbox

• Roy did it!
  
• Dude? What's up?
  
• Call if u r up
  
• What's up?
  
• Be there in a few
  
• U @ work?
  
• Schwag
  
• U @ work? Call me
  
• If you kickin it later on, holla! I owe u some beer
  
• When I get back from vacation, let's start a Sunday wiffle ball league
  
• Halftime 0-0
  
• 1-0! US!!!
  
• 2-0! Beasley drills it! 60 min
  
• Usa! Usa! Its final. We qualify!
  
• Dude! I gotta close!
  
• Fuck off u rump ranger
  
• I'll call you when I wake up around three. Want to plan on getting here at 430 or 5ish?
  
• I'm sorry bout sat night. there was a change in plans and i didn't have your no. in my phone. I'm wicked sorry
  
• Omega Mu
  
• Game time
  
• Dear god. fucking bauhaus is playing in my town on tuesday.
  
• gd, you ain't lying.

See! Nothing ever happens on Mars.

now playing:

My Bloody Valentine Loveless

....

Congratulations are in order for our great friend Kevin, who played in his first competitive Scrabble tournament over the weekend. He won his division, going 14-1 and had a cumulative point spread of something like +1600.
Misfortunately, I couldn't play, as a hockey game interfered with it. You know how I won't let anything stand in my way when it comes to my hockey games. Only once since I've been a season ticket holder have I missed a game.

The one game I missed was to attend the funeral of a dear friend who passed away two years ago today. Obviously, that's way more important than any hockey game, so it was a no-brainer decision. I've been struggling with whether I should write something about this, but it's heavy on my mind right now, and well, the point of this thing is to get stuff off my mind. Forgive my sloppy attempt at a tribute.

I can't possibly say anything in the memory of Erin that could do her justice. I only had the privilege of knowing her for a few short years, and I was only beginning to know her well. She was a beautiful woman who made a lasting impact on every person she touched.

Please take the time to visit the above link and read the eulogy that Kevin beautifully delivered at her funeral.

there's a chance that things could get weird, yeah that's a possibility

I don't know what to think of this.

On Monday, this blog had 840 pageloads. Of those, roughly 813 of them came from one single visitor. In New York City. Whose ISP is Yipes Communications, Inc. Who uses Internet Explorer version 5.5 as their browser, Windows 2000 as their OS and had Javascript disabled. I know the IP address, but I'm withholding it. This person refreshed the main page once every 21 seconds for a very long time.
I figure this is either (a) a robot who was foiled by the robot insurance (aka comment protection) (2) an extremely obsessed fan waiting for a new post, or (III) a deranged lunatic. I don't have any ideas.
On Wednesday, that same IP address clocked in two times.

What on earth do you want from me?

you kiss like a rock but you know i need it anyway

Do you like chess? Sure you do. What about boxing? Yeah, sure, why not. How 'bout mixing the two? this has to be the most fucked up thing I've seen in a very long time. Talk about a niche sport! I read about it in Sports Illustrated, to which I got a free subscription as part of a promotion (and subsequently forgot to cancel). I normally don't care that much about SI, but once in a while there's something good in there. Maybe even a picture of Biba Golic, who is known as "the Anna Kournikova of ping-pong".
Anyway, the chess boxing is for real. And people go nuts over it. This clip of a chessboxing event proves even further that Germans are weird. My favorite bit is the heartrate monitors on the contestants.

now playing:

Cocteau Twins Blue Bell Knoll

zurich is stained and it's not my fault

Allow me to toot my own horn for a second.

I am loved.

At least in Canada and the Russian Federation. And Slovakia. And certain parts of the United States. And by one lone person in Latvia.

One of my nuggets of genius over at the hockey place, concerning really bad hockey jerseys, was recently the subject of much talk. I was featured in the 11th Carnival of the NHL, hosted by the brilliant Jes Gölbez. I was also linked in some sort of online edition of the Toronto Star. Since then, my pageload numbers have skyrocketed. I typically average about 35 pageloads a day over there, but the last four days have been 118, 85, 285(!!) and 101. The Carnival, to which I submitted the article, helped a lot. I never could have imagined the explosion I got the next day when the Star found me and referenced my blog.

Unfortunately, I haven't been offered any MOWs or any book deals or any multi-million dollar product endorsement deals, but I'll take the attention while I can get it.

Now if there was only a way to get the newspapers to start talking about THIS blog, I'd be really happy.

now (still)playing:

Stereolab Dots and Loops

I am not one half of the problem

Here's to hoping that folks have the sense to google something, get a result that seems too bizarre to be true, and do the research to find out it ain't true.

OR

Isn't it funny how unreliable the "information" in the internets can be?

Per our discussion about the inappropriateness of dating a girl in her teens, I got to thinking about that song from 1981 by Benny Mardones. The one about statutory rape. You know the one. "Into the night"

She's just sixteen years old
Leave her alone, they say.
Separated by fools
Who don't know what love is yet
But I want you to know

If I could fly
I'd pick you up
I'd take you into the night
And show you love
Like you've never seen
Ever seen

I had to google the song to get the lyrics just right, and there were a couple of places who have a very important piece of information dead wrong. On two levels. These are only four of "about 50" sites that list the author of that song as "Paul Harrison, Larry Mullern, Adam Clayton and Dave Evans". You might glance at that list of names, and if you know your rock music trivia, you might say as I did:

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!


Those names are strikingly similar to those of the members of U2.
However, there are two things wrong here:

1. Someone is maliciously trying, for some reason, to get us to think that U2 wrote this song. They didn't. The song was written by Mardones and his buddy and frequent collaborator Robert Tepper.


2. Whoever started this rumor and got people to believe it got the names wrong in the first place. Those names would be Paul "Bono" Hewson, Larry Mullen, Jr., Adam Clayton, and David "The Edge" Evans.

Who knows why some evil demon started this rumor and got the publishers of 50 some websites to believe it?

That just goes to show you....

now playing:

Stereolab Dots and Loops

I was shipwrecked with this frog who was endlessly testing my faith

I went back to the open mic night thing last night. This time, sans friends. My reason for going there was simple: I was in search of a woman who I talked to last time. Sadly, she wasn't there.

However, I did get approached, and I wouldn't exactly say hit on, but approached by a girl who is about half my age. Okay... probably not half, but I would say considerably younger than the Hales Law¹ lower limit of 24. A cute girl who plays at the open mic thing, and plays some really cool stuff. On paper,irresistiblee. However, too too young for me. This week, she played a Pavement song, a Belly song ("Untogether") and the same Michael Penn song ("No Myth") that she played three weeks ago. A couple of weeks ago, I thought that it would be fitting if she did a Camera Obscura song, so I asked her about that, and she didn't know them. I strongly encouraged her to give them a listen, but I don't think she'll remember.

That out of the way, I wanna talk about some observations from last night and the previous three weeks at open mic.

I saw a couple of guys up there two weeks ago. One was playing the guitar, and the other was air guitaring. I found it to be both comical and, in a strange way, really inappropriate. What do you think?

One guy answered his cellphone while he was on "stage". I know it's really informal and all that, but that's pretty lame.

Lots of people use cheat sheets for the lyrics. At first I thought it was cheesy, but I guess it isn't that bad. It is, after all, informal.

I thought I had some other observations, but that's it. That's all.

Now playing:

Small Factory For If You Cannot Fly
¹ The Hales Law of Minimum Age for Dating Consideration dictates that the threshold of appropriateness for a man dating a younger woman is that she be half his age plus seven years. Minimum. In my case, the minimum appropriate age would be 24. I think that might be a little too young, but the Hales law deems it to be appropriate.

your favorite colour is that of red wine, which brings me around to your favorite pastime.

After getting a big kick out of the Sidearm Delivery band name project, I decided to play along while I was at my internetless work.

I came up with a few, and I'd like to encourage all of you to submit your own, or maybe to play along by doing this on your own blog.

• Archers of Meatloaf
  
• Belle, Biv, DEVO & Sebastian (a three band combo!)
  
• Katrina and the Rogue Waves
  
• Bow Wow Wowhaus
  
• Sleater-Kenny Chesney
  or
  
• Sleater-Kevn Kinney
  
• The Slant 6ths
  
• Velocity Girls against Boyracer (a three band-combo)
  
• G Love and .38 Special Sauce
  
• Innocence Mission of Burma
  
• Ecolyn & the Bunnymen
  
• L7 and the Ragged Tigertrap(this one is kind of cheating, since I'm joining a band to an album title to another band)
  
• Dub Narcotic Sound System of a Down
  
• Air Miami Sound Machine
  
• Aztec Camera Obscura


• The Shipping New(s) Pornographers

Whattaya got?

now playing:

The Decemberists Picaresque

should have been a west coast bride

I'd like to encourage everyone to stop by Sidearm Delivery today for Dave's exercise in combining band names to come up with funny stuff. Remember Malmsteen Can Dance? Four Non-Malmsteens? It's like that.

It is also my suspicion that Reid from areseven has ghostwritten Kevin's latest post at Southpaw Grammar.

now playing:

Bettie Serveert Attagirl

one of us is a cigar stand and one of us is a lovely blue incandescent guillotine

I'm still alive.

I should report, first of all, that the sports gods came through on the second part of my birthday wish, giving me a 3-2 shootout victory by my Canes over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both the football game and the hockey game had positive endings, but both had a little more tension than I would have hoped for.

There is lots of stuff that I should be commenting about. From a horrible traffic accident on the interstate last week (one that I was not involved in) to the idea of singularity, to the state of things at work, to music, to talking to a really cute girl at a bar, to my latest Netflix rentals, to the changing face of over-the-counter medication as we know it.

I'm just not really on the ball so much.

More on all of these topics later. Probably in reverse order. I have to get ready for tonight's hockey game.

now playing:

Innocence Mission Glow

he knows how many freckles she's got, she scratches his beard

Part one of my sports/birthday request came true. I could have lived without the tension of the furious comeback by Favre and Co./massive collapse by Carolina, but the end result was good, so I can't complain.

The day itself was kind of strange.
I stopped by work to check on something before I left town, and I had a couple of beers. Good times. Then I went to the record store and picked up the new records by Death Cab and Echo & The Bunnymen. Good stuff. I really like the new Death Cab, and I gave the Echo & The Bunnymen record only one half-assed listen, so I can't really say, but I liked it.

I listened to both as I made the drive from Greensboro to Charlotte. As is par for the course, I hit some really heavy traffic about half way there. Stand-still interstate traffic for a little while. After one of the times that we got to move a couple of feet, I didn't stop as quickly as the car in front of me, and I literally tapped her bumper. Lady got out and looked at it, and didn't appear to be all that concerned, as there wasn't any damage, but she insisted that we exchange contact information and insurance information. Nothing will come of it, and like I said, there was no damage, but it wasn't a fun thing.

When I got to my folks house, we kind of sat around for a while, and they had a cookout planned for the entire condo association, so we did that. Big fun (not really).

Later, but before the game, I got a call from a friend I haven't really talked to in ten years, but who has been calling me a lot lately. She didn't know it was my birthday, so it was sort of lucky. It's really strange, reconnecting after so much time.

The game seemed like it was going to be a blowout, but suddenly took a turn as Brett Favre showed us why he's so damn good. It came down to the nail-biting end.

Now, I just need the other part of my sports/birthday wish to come true. Although the NHL season starts tonight with all teams in action, our home opener is the one I'm talking about. I'm so incredibly excited about going to hockey games again after an 18 month layoff.

I've got the DVR fired up to record the Canes game tonight and also the OLN game, which I think is the Flyers and Rangers. I'll be working tonight, but as soon as I get home, I'll watch the Canes game. I'll also be interested in seeing OLN's coverage. Although there's plenty of doubting Thomases about the NHL going to OLN, I think it's great. I wrote about this at the other place, but the nutshell is that Comcast and OLN are owned by the same guy who co-owns the Flyers. So he knows hockey and he wants to make sure it gets terrific treatment. It was not getting it from ESPN. Down the road, he wants to make an NHL Network for broadcast in the United States. Canada already has such a thing, and it would go a long way in the promotion of the sport in the United States. 24 hour hockey programming? I love it!

That's it for today. I have to go to the other place.

now playing:

Kristin Hersh The Grotto

there's something wrong with my toast

After work last night, I went to that birthday party. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was kinda cool. Dr. A's girlfriend had already been drinking for a few hours by the time we got there, so she was pretty hammered. So was the (sort of) Birthday Girl. Her real birthday isn't until Friday, but she got the party a week early. Anyway, DA's old lady kept trying to introduce me to people that I already know. And she knows that I know them. It was kinda funny.

To end the suspense, there was no "making out". The birthday girl was really hammered and REALLY horny. She was being quite direct about what she thought she wanted. Thankfully, all of the guys there had the decency to leave it alone. If she had been sober and demanding that one of us lay her, that would be a different story. She ended up passing out pretty early. As a side note, one of the funniest things I've heard in a while was said to the birthday girl about me:

David is my favorite neighbor, and he'll totally fuck you.

Of course I didn't. It was quite an adventure, though.

That other girl, the one Bridgett wants me to hook up with ... um, no. First of all, I don't like being "set up", and I just don't have any interest in her. I'm sure she's nice, but I don't really want to pursue her or anyone right now. I'm perfectly happy to have a silly harmless crush on a lesbian.

Fortunately, the birthday girl has no recollection of the parts about last night that might have caused embarrassment or uneasiness.

Now, moving on to my own birthday...

Since I don't get to spend it with a hot girl or any fantastic friends (unless you think my mom is hot and my parents are fantastic friends), I'll be asking for two things. I'll ask the sports gods to give me two things:

1. A Carolina Panthers victory over the Green Bay Packers on my own birthday, with me in attendance


2. A Carolina Hurricanes victory (in their home opener) over the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 7 as a belated birthday for me, and on the actual birthdays of Eleanor, and of the aforementioned drunken lesbian birthday girl. The drunken lesbian doesn't care, but Eleanor does.

Don't look for me as you watch Monday Night Football. You won't see me unless they send a cameraman into the nosebleeds. You have a very good chance, though, of seeing me on TV at the Canes game, provided you live in the Hurricanes TV market.

now playing:

Brita Phillips & Dean Wareham L'Avventura

my parents think my robot is trouble

I have been forced to buy some Old Glory robot insurance. Those comment bots have been awfully pesky, and although I don't like the tackiness of it, I've turned on the word verification for comments option.
I don't even know why the scientists make them.

now playing:

Explosions in the Sky Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die/Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever

you've been chosen as an extra in the movie adaptation of the sequel to your life

I'm going to break a longstanding tradition this coming Monday. Monday will be my birthday, and instead of spending it with a girl I have a crush on, the way I have for the past (I think) six birthdays, I'll be spending it with my parents. Thinking about this, by the way, has made me recall that one of those was my most crushing crush ever. Six years ago. A girl I had every chance in the world with, but I never made it happen. She was single, and we had mutual attraction to one another, but she was emotionally unavailable. Boy did I like her, though. Anyway....

I'll be going down to Charlotte to partake of the Panthers game. Probably the only one I'll make it to this season. Interestingly, this will be the second year in a row that they've had a home game on my birthday. I didn't go last year because I was in Canada at some boiling hot shopping mall with Amanda. I didn't even hear the score until after we got back to North Carolina two days later. We lost that game (27-10 to the Falcons), and the only other time we played on my birthday (1999), we got beat by the Redskins 38-36 on a last second field goal.
That 1999 game was crap. Tshimanga Biakabutuka had three touchdown runs (60 yards, 1 yard, 45 yards) in the first quarter alone. I believe at the end of the first quarter he had five touches for 123 yards. Then, dumbass George Siefert did something that Panthers fans still talk about to this day. He benched Biakabutuka. Dude was glowing hot, but coach had to stick with his retarded game plan of platooning Biakabutuka and Fred "Dead Boy" Lane.
Third time's a charm? I hope so. The last two Panther games on October 3 haven't ended so well. However, we've got the unenviable task of hosting an 0-3 Packers team that has no business being 0-3.

Alas, I will not be going on another fake date this year. Nor will I be lavishly treated to fancy dinner by good friends. Read two different accounts of the same birthday dinner that Reid treated this mysterious "Megarita" to. I will be eating a football stadium hot dog with 70,000 strangers. And I'm gonna love it.

Actually, I'm going to a surprise birthday party for someone else on Saturday night, and it's also be a celebration of my birthday. Sort of. I'm told that I'm halfway expected to make out with the birthday girl, who is a close friend of Dr. Awesome's girlfriend. I've met her on several occasions, and I wouldn't mind making out with her. There's a catch, though. Sort of. She's a lesbian. However, they say she likes to make out with dudes when she gets drunk. If this were to happen, there obviously wouldn't be any strings attached, so it would just be fun. I'm not sure, but there might also be another girl there who DA's lady has been trying to set me up with.

The details I'll provide about that will be vague at best. Chances are, nothing at all will happen, but we'll see.

now playing:

Explosions in the Sky The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place

open up your purses and the boys will reimburse us

Yeah..... another Scrabble post.

See, I went through a spell for about a week and a half where all I could do was lose. I could blame the tile gods for doling out the cruddiest vowel-heavy racks, but I won't. I know that it was more than unlucky draws. I was playing like ass.
My biggest weakness as a competitive player is that I try too hard to bingo. I swing for the fences instead of settling for extra-base hits. I try to manage my rack to make it more bingo-prone, and I cast off undesirable tiles two or three at a time for nominal points. By the time my fishing bears fruit, I'm too far down for the bingo to do me any good. I have to learn to sacrifice some of those bingo-friendly tiles in the name of points.
I've been working on that lately, and I've been working on being more patient. It's done wonders, as I've turned my game around and got it right about where it belongs right now. I had to go on a massive winning streak to do it, but I'm there now.

I just had a game that was on the sensational side. I'm not as good as Kevin, but I think even he would be happy if he had a game like this. I had four very easy bingos. I didn't even have to work hard to get them, and they were pretty common (at least in Scrabble circles) words.
Very early in the game, I missed a relatively easy ENABLES, but one play later, the bingos began.

A lower case letter indicates the use of a blank. A letter in parentheses indicates that it was already on the board

• TRAINE(E)S 66 points


• (C)ErATINS 80 points


• INFARES 66 points


• FOAMERs 104 points (double-double)

Infares and foamers came back-to-back, but my next rack was CDILNUY. No bingo in there. No turkey for me.
I finished that game with 529 points, and I've got my rating almost where it should be.
Incidentally, if I had noticed that ENABLES was available, then my TRAINEES play wouldn't have been. There's no telling how the game would have panned out.
Sorry for geeking out on you guys again.

Lately, the Spaniards at work have been listening to the same mix CD a lot. It's latino music from the eighties, and some of them sound like very specific songs in English from the eighties. They aren't covers, but there's this one, for example, that sounds almost exactly like "The Painted Desert" by 10,000 Maniacs. I am, therefore listening to 10,000 Maniacs right now.

now playing:

10,000 Maniacs In My Tribe

i thought i could organize freedom -- how scandanavian of me

Some things have gone on at work.

A week ago, one of our bartenders was feeling really under the weather. We were really amazingly slow, so I made him some soup. The amigos watched in amazement, and one of them asked me "how do you know how to do that?". What, are you kidding? I've been cooking professionally for 13 years and managing kitchens for 10 years. Yes, I can make soup from scratch. Actually, I can make a couple of really kickass soups from scratch. Evidently, the recipient of the soup was equally amazed. It was all he could talk about for like three days. I think it's funny when people are surprised that I have skills. I'm no CIA or Johnson & Wales graduate, but I have a few skills.

The next night, some crazy wild stuff happened. One of our regular customers was there late night having a few drinks. Apparently, he was under a lot of stress, and his blood-sugar level was low and whatnot. He was fine one minute, then he suddenly fainted. Not "passed out drunk", but fainted. He came back to, and was fine for a little while, but then it happened again. We made the decision to call 911. So it was a Thursday night, not a whole lot going on, and it was about 12:30 at night. Say what you will about Emergency Services, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that firemen were on premises in less than two minutes. Ambulances were there in less than three, and cops in less than four. Of course this was more commotion than was necessary, and it kind of frightened some of our customers, but everything was fine.

In other work news, I've been officially offered a salaried position. The terms of the deal aren't known at this point, but I've agreed to it in principle. I've enjoyed the past couple of months being just a regular joe, but I knew it wouldn't last forever. I've also recruited one of my favorite guys from my previous place, and I've got another one of those on stand-by. I think it's going to shape out just fine. I had a long talk with the owner (who happens to be an extremely beautiful woman) yesterday. Some of it was about the job, most of it wasn't. I had to make sure of one thing before I even agreed in principle, and that was that I didn't want my hockey schedule to interfere with her expectations of me. I have taken every stride to make this a known variable since I was hired in May, but I just wanted to make sure. No problems there.

Yesterday, somehow I let it out that I was a bit of a Scrabble enthusiast, so I ended up playing two games against some of our other employees. I held back a little bit, laying off of the odd three-letter words, but I was still trying to do well. I won both games handily, and I actually kinda felt bad in one of them after getting the pretty common complaint made by living room players "man, I just played five tiles and got 9 points, then you laid down two tiles and got 36 points! That's not fair!" It's okay, though. They'd crush me if we played chess.

now playing:

Sigur Rós Takk...

your sister says that i'm no good

In the spirit of the list posted by my good friend Kevin, and in keeping with my obsession for posting bulleted lists, here's another.

My top seven nine single plays (of 100 points or more)ever in Scrabble:
(a lower case letter indicates the use of a blank tile)

• QUEUeING 212 points


• STARKERS 194 points


• REPRISES 149 points


• aBORTIoN 144 points


• DETOXING 125 points


• QUILTERS 118 points (not landing on a triple-word)


• WRINKLED 113 points


• sNAGgIER 113 points (added 09.18.05)


• INMATES 100 points (not landing on a triple-word; same game as 'sNAGgIER')

Unlike Kevin's VINEGARs which was for 149 points in an over-the-table game against yours truly, none of these have come in real over-the-table games. They've all been on isc.

Also, unlike Kevin, I've never had a natural hat trick¹, or a "turkey"² ( getting three consecutive bingos). I've had quite a few games with two consecutive bingos (including some in over-the-table play), but I've never been able to get the turkey. I've got quite a few (including some over-the-table) games where I was able to get a hat trick (three bingos) or better. Just none of the "natural" variety.

One of my favorite consecutive bingo plays came just a few days ago when I played RAINiER vertically for 73 points and on my very next play, I went horizontally through the N to play RAINIEST for 62. Not a ton of points, but it was pretty flashy. If that had occurred in a tournament, I would have won some prize for that. But alas,... I just get to boast about it and sound like a neo maxi zoon dweebie .

¹ In hockey (or soccer), a natural hat trick is when one player scores three goals in a game without a teammate or opponent interrupting the streak. Much less common than the garden variety hat trick. I've been witness to this rare feat once in my life (Josef Vasicek of the Hurricanes versus the San Jose Sharks on 10/28/03).

² We don't really call three consecutive bingos a "turkey" the way you call three consecutive strikes in bowling a turkey. It just doesn't come up that often.

wanted to show you all the records i bought

The New Record gods are quite cruel.

In a penny pinching effort, I haven't set foot in my favorite record store in a couple of months. As punishment for this, the New Record gods have bombarded the store with records I ought to buy.
I didn't jot down the list of new records that made me go "Oh, hell yeah!", but it was long. Here's a partial list:

• The Dandy Warhols Odditorium


• Sigur Rós Takk...


• Portastatic Bright Ideas


• Björk Drawing Restraint 9


• Michael Penn Mr Hollywood, Jr 1847


• Rosebuds Birds Make Good Neighbors


• New Pornographers Twin Cinema


• Death Cab for Cutie Plans

You see my predicament? That's just the short list!

I only walked away with the new Dandys and the new Sigur Rós. I'm not a gozillionaire. So far, I'm only a few songs deep into the Dandys record, and I like it. Tonight I shall listen to Takk several times.

now playing:

Dandy Warhols Odditorium or Warlords of Mars

minerals, ice deposits....

I don't really have anything of great import to talk about here, so I thought I'd introduce a fun list. Two lists, actually. One of things with which I am obsessed, and another of things with which I was recently, but no longer, obsessed.

THINGS WITH WHICH I AM PRESENTLY SO VERY OBSESSED¹:

• Explosions in the Sky. A wonderful post-rock band out of Austin, TX. In the same vein as better known bands like American Analog Set and Mogwai. I've been listening to them a whole lot lately.


• tsn.ca. Hockey news from a source that is infinitely better than nhl.com. I go back dozens of times a day every day.


• Carolina Hurricanes message boards. I spend a lot of time there every day. Some of the people are complete imbeciles, but I'm sure there are some of you among us who can relate to spending way too much time on sports message boards (I'm looking at YOU, areseven and southpawgrammar)


• whiffle ball, and its vastly superior cousin, whiffle beer. Although we didn't play this past Sunday, and I won't be playing this Sunday, it's still an obsession.


• Gene Hackman. Maybe Netflix "made me do it", but I sure have been watching a lot of Gene Hackman movies lately. The Conversation was great, but anyone who says it's better than The French Connection has got to be on the heroin.


• the four-pack of Solitaire games I downloaded for my phone. Totally retarded. Do I play the game because I'm insomnic, or am I insomnic because I'm playing the game?


• Crystal Lite lemonade. Mmmmmmmmm! I drink a lot of this stuff. It isn't as tasty as handmade lemonade, but it's much easier and cheaper. If it'll prevent me from drinking soda, then I'm all for it anyway.


• using Pavement lyrics to title my posts. This has a backstory, which I will perhaps share. Sometime soon.


• my hockey blog and the universe surrounding it. What? I've gone 18 months without NHL hockey, and opening night is (check the timer) almost upon us. You didn't really expect me to sit on my hands the whole time, did you?

THINGS WITH WHICH I WAS RECENTLY, BUT AM NO LONGER SO VERY OBSESSED:

• Badly Drawn Boy. This comes and goes, but I have presently gone about a week without listening to him.


• Tetris I have a Tetris game downloaded on my phone which used to keep me up all the time, but I've thankfully gotten off of that. Reminds me of our 1993 Tetris Tournaments.


• Jessie, a "new girl" at work, who I have seen exactly once. I developed a crush on her right away, but we never work at the same times. As I've said before, though, it's never a good idea to fish off the company pier.


• Yetisports. Remember a couple of years ago when we all discovered that little flash game where you were a Yeti and you hit your penguin buddy (who was dropping from the edge of a cliff) with a bat, trying to get him to fly a long way? There's a whole series of games where the Yeti and the penguin are the characters. Go there with caution, but I should warn you to stay away from "Seal Bounce" unless you want to find yourself staying up all night, calling in sick to work and forgetting to even eat dinner.

now playing:

Dirty Three She Has No Strings Apollo

¹ Heather Creegan, who writes the dandy hockey blog [so.very.obsessed] explains that when she got into hockey a few years ago, a friend commented about her obsession. She replied that it was beyond obsession. She wasn't obsessed -- she was "so very obsessed". She used it as the title for her blog. I like it.

it could have been a brilliant career

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS CONCERNING THE FILM "THE CONVERSATION". AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU HATE SPOILERS

Maybe I need to cancel my Netflix subscription. Every time I write about a movie I've just seen, it starts with "I finally got around to watching (movie), which I've had for about two weeks".

I finally got around to watching The Conversation, which I've had for about two weeks now. I liked it a lot, but I know I'm gonna have to watch it again.
Gene Hackman is great as the best wiretapper/surveillance expert "on the west coast". Like a contract hitman, he's not supposed to care about the subjects he surveils. It's just a job. On this job, though, he's haunted by past demons and becomes maniacally obsessed with keeping these people out of harm's way. In the process, he becomes quite paranoid, thinking that he himself is the subject of a surveillance project.
So here's what I want you folks (I'm looking specifically at you, Mrs. Howard) to think about and share your thoughts with me.

I think it's obvious that the couple know that they're being watched and eavesdropped. This is why they do the "walking around in circles" thing. This is also why they move to a particularly noisy area to discuss some of the important points. They may have known they were being surveilled, but they had no idea how sophisticated and elaborate the equipment was, or that EVERY WORD was captured on tape. One of the key points is the sentence "He'd kill us if he had the chance". The first time we hear it, there's no specific stress on any word. Later on as Caul replays the tape again and again, he suddenly hears emphasis on the word "us". "He'd kill US if he had the chance". Certainly changes things and makes it clear that they're plotting a murder that they feel the need to justify. However, it's quite possible that the stress wasn't really there, and it was a product of Caul's mania.
Right about the same time of the conversation, the couple walks past the "half-dead" bum on the park bench. The man says "He's not hurting anyone", and Shirley from TV's Laverne and Shirley says "Neither are we." That has to mean something, but I don't get it. Obviously, they are hurting somebody. I'm not sure why she says this.

Okay... to the big question. At the end, where's the bug? OR... is there a bug at all? Is he just going crazy with paranoia like that guy in Pi. If there is a bug, some folks think that it's inside the actual saxophone. To support this, they point to a very brief flash across the screen of a dude carrying a saxophone at the surveillance expo. Why on earth would a guy have a saxophone there? I don't think I can support the "in the saxophone" theory, as the recordings would have been horrible at best. Too distorted to be useful. I like to think that the girl who took the tapes while he was sleeping also planted a bug somewhere in the frames of his glasses. There's a bunch of theories about how they used some telephone activated satellite recording, but I don't think I can subscribe to any of those theories.

Like I say, if there was a bug, I like to think it's in his glasses. It is fun, though, to think about the possibility that it's all in his head.

What say you?

now playing:

Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

i have the password to your...

I had another one of my crazy imaginary mix tapes going through my head the other day at work. It all got started when I was thinking about a fantastically brilliant song that I, unfortunately, can't share with you.
To explain:
I was thinking, because it's early September, about the song "September Gurls" by Big Star. Little did I know, but their frontman, Alex Chilton, lives in New Orleans and was rumored to have been washed away by Katrina. Fortunately, he's safe and well.

Anyway, thinking of "September Gurls", which is an incredible song, got me thinking about a month-name mix tape. I didn't quite finish off, and I had to stretch a little on some of these, but here's what I came up with without the benefit of access to my own library or to the internet:

January -- "Happy New Year" by Camera Obscura. I know.. A bit of a Stretch.
February -- "Valentine" by Lois (a really big stretch)
March -- (I couldn't come up with anything)
April -- "April 18" by Neutral Milk Hotel
May -- "Cinco de Mayo" by Liz Phair
June -- nothing
July -- "Fourth of July" by Galaxie 500
August -- nothing
September -- "September Gurls" by Big Star
October -- "October" by U2
November -- "November Spawned a Monster" by Morrissey
December -- nothing

Help me out here. I need one song for each month. This list isn't that good.

I was all set to come home and host an mp3 for "September Gurls", but then I realized that I don't own "Number One Record", so I can't do it. Curses!

now playing:

Big Star Third/Sister Lovers

i'm taking these dumb paper lanterns down

In the wake of the ado/adieu discussion the other day, I stumbled upon something that made me laugh. Really hard. First I laughed, then I felt actual pity. Okay... I'll explain. It'll take me a while to get to the point, but the point is that I stumbled upon someone writing a phrase the wrong way, and in a way that was "breathtakingly bad".

As you well know, I'm into hockey, and I've been spending WAY too much time reading up about all the free agency moves and rumors and the like. I spend lots of time following stories about players on teams that I hate. Example: The Detroit Red Wings are having a lot of trouble getting one of their star players signed. The rising star Pavel Datsyuk (DAT-sook) is threatening to stay in his home country of Russia if the Wings cannot satisfy his contract needs. No surprise there, but his agent gave the Red Wings a deadline of today (September 5) to work out a deal. That's a little odd, but there's a growing trend of players making ultimatums (or is it ultimati? Ultimata? Ultimatae?) and otherwise dictating the terms of negotiations.
Anyway, I've been following this because it's kind of a big story. I was reading about it on tsn.ca, and I went to one of the bulletin boards to see what other fans are thinking and writing.

One guy lamented Datsyuk's demands, and he said "it's Pre-Modona crap and selfish". Um. Wow. Obviously, he meant "prima donna" What exactly does he mean by "Pre-Modona"? Maybe he meant "pre-Madonna". I also saw someone else write that Marian Hossa, of the Atlanta Thrashers, is a "Pre-Madonna". I'm actually trying to make sense of this, and this is what I get:

pre-madonna
before Madonna
before the Virgin Mary
more important than the Virgin Mary

This might be their line of thinking for calling someone a pre-Madonna, but it just doesn't make sense.

It's much simpler. In opera, the leading lady (prima donna) is sometimes a bear to work with because of her unreasonable demands in the dressing room and on the stage, her overinflated sense of self-worth, and her general attitude. There's where the derisive term "prima donna" came from.

For the record, I do think that Datsyuk is a prima donna. I think that Hossa doesn't get enough respect, but he still comes off as a bit of a prima donna in my book.

now playing:

The New Pornographers Electric Version

she, she, she, she's got it. world cup fever

You may or may not recall that I work with a bunch of Mexicans. I've been taunting them for weeks about tomorrow's USA v Mexico soccer matchup. I've been telling them all along that it's going to be either 2-0 or 3-1 in favor of USA. To be honest, I know very little about our team, but I do know that Kasey Keller has some insane shutout streak going. I admit that I'm not really a soccer fan, but in this case, it's a national pride thing.
Every day, we tease each other about the game. We'll all be working tomorrow night, and we probably won't know the outcome of the game until after we've all gone home.

Last night, one of the amigos was lingering around quite a bit after he was scheduled to be gone. I didn't need him anymore, but he looked like a guy who was desperately trying to do anything but go home. I asked him what was up, and I finally got out of him that he's having troubles at home. He isn't very confident in his English-speaking, but I think he does fine. Anyway, he told me that he and his wife have not been getting along and that their personalities are clashing so much that it isn't working out. They've got two kids (aged 4 and 1). He said they've been having problems for a while, and they've been staying together "only for the children" but that he doesn't want to do it anymore. I feel so bad for he dude. He was confiding this stuff in me, and I have no idea what to say to him. It isn't a language barrier thing, I just don't know what to say. I'll leave him alone when I gloat after the USA wins against Mexico.

now playing:

Belle & Sebastian Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant

the people we have met in the worst five years, and will we remember them in ten more

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT IS IN EXTREMELY POOR TASTE (CONCERNING HURRICANE KATRINA). PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION


Sometimes, if I get bored at work, I start thinking about strange things like bizarre movie connections, or people I haven't seen in 10 years, or some dumb shit that happened in the fall of 1993. Sometimes my thoughts flow into pretty good ideas, but more often than not, it's stupid stuff. I usually make plans to share those thoughts in this forum, but I sometimes have a hard time getting it to make any sense. Once I start writing it, I realize that it's no good.

I'm going to share some of the sick, twisted shit that was in my head last night. I will also offer the caveat that the following is in extraordinarily poor taste. I am fully aware that if Hell exists, they have a place reserved for me there.

Because of all the really bad Katrina and the Waves references lately, I started thinking about the worlds most tasteless mix-tape. Actually, I only came up with seven songs. What do you want from me? I was at work(i.e. not able to cheat by doing internet searches), and although I'm pretty good, I'm not a walking Trouser Press guide. Without further ado, here's the tunes. Some more tasteless than others.

THE WORLD'S MOST INSENSITIVE MIX-TAPE

Katrina and the Waves -- Walkin' On Sunshine
Scorpions -- Rock You Like a Hurricane
Bob Dylan -- Blowin' in the Wind
John Denver -- City of New Orleans¹
Pixies -- Stormy Weather
Love and Rockets -- Waiting for the Flood
Led Zeppelin -- When the Levee Breaks

That was about all I could do. I started to feel bad about how wicked I am.

I do feel bad for those hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are in complete turmoil right now, and making light of the situation isn't a very nice thing to do, but I did offer the caveat. Several times.

now playing:

Cat Power You Are Free

¹ I know that John Denver didn't write this song, but at the time, I had no idea who did, and this is the version we all know, anyway.

electricity and lust won't break the door

Just as soon as one member of the red and black is the new black and red family leaves us, another joins us. I ran into my friend Kevin tonight, who informed me that he's been blogging for a few weeks now. Here's his link. He's kinda new to this, and from what I've read, he likes to run a G-rated site. Don't let it stop you. He's a very intelligent and witty guy. Give him a read.

Kevin turned me on to a site, which I'd like to introduce to the lot of you. This guy Jamie Rieger has a site that I might not have thought twice about, but there's something really amazing there. He decided to read Homer's epic poems The Iliad and The Oddysey. Just for shits and giggles. When he discovered how daunting the task would be, he decided to take comedic notes as he read, and he indexed those notes for the Iliad here and the Oddysey here. I strongly encourage you to stop by and give him a read. You might want to empty your bladder first, though. Start with the backstory to the Iliad, which had me in tears.

Now. Here's the question. Who reads The Iliad for funsies? I seriously have to give this guy mad props for undertaking the Sisyphean task of not only reading it, but taking notes the whole time, then taking the time to catalog those notes for our pleasure. And then to make it all be funny?

now playing:

Pixies Doolittle

i've got a lot of things i want to sell, but not here babe.

It is with a tear in one eye and adobo sauce in the other that I must announce the de-linking of a dear friend to the red and black is the new black and red family.

The author of You Think You Know, but You Have No Idea has given up. Upon noticing the dead link, I actually was a little worried about the safety and well-being of its author, but she's totally fine. At a 1:00 press conference in Chapel Hill today, she offered a couple of reasons for pulling the plug on the blog. The chief one among them was that she didn't really like what she had written. Dang. I'd have given up on this a long time ago if that was the case with this blog. However, she has her other reasons, and although it saddens me, I must find a way to get over it. The good thing is that I still get to be her friend, and you poor saps will be missing out.

I hope that Amanda someday finds a way to get back in the blogosphere. She's a wonderful woman, and I wish that you all could know her (even if only in the blogosphere).

now playing:

The Decemberists Picaresque

mixing cocktails with a plastic-tipped cigar

I will thoroughly enjoy this day off. I got irritated with some of my co-workers yesterday, and my two days off are coming just in time.
If all goes according to plan, we'll have Whiffle Ball in the Park, version 2.0. If it indeed goes down, I'll get some photos for you to enjoy.

Last night was insane. The city was promoting this "get downtown" theme, trying to get the college kids to come to the downtown area and hang out. They had a couple of bands playing right in the street between my current place of work and my former place of work. Lining the streets were all sorts of crap. T-shirts, hotdog stands, information kiosks about area businesses, beer stands, and the like. It was a damn madhouse. I didn't think it would be as successful as it was. There were still several hundred people roaming the streets at midnight. Frame of reference -- normally on a Saturday night at midnight, I might see a dozen pedestrians. The only thing is, it won't be like that next weekend or the weekend after. Unless there's a big production like that, there just isn't that much to do. There's 3 restaurants on our corner, then there's a boom-boom club a couple of blocks down, but that's about it. No music venues, no sports bar (yet), no movie theatre, a very weak "arts district" and the baseball team only has a few home games left. If the kids come back downtown next weekend expecting another fun-fest, they'll be sorely disappointed. Everyone takes the re-active "if they come, you will build it" approach, rather than the pro-active "if you build it, they will come" approach.

I'll get some pictures tonight of our rock and roll good time.

now playing:

Björk Vespertine

i was dressed for success, but success it never comes

I forgot to mention this the other day. I had the day off on Monday, so I took care of some important car issues, then I took myself to the picture show. After a long and furious debate (with myself), I finally decided on March of the Penguins.
I thought it was incredible.

I actually thought it was going to be a documentary about the Pittsburgh Penguins and their two consecutive Stanley Cup (1990-91 and 1991-92) victories, but I liked it anyway. Who knew that it would be a documentary about actual penguins? The preceding joke was brought to you by our good friends at red and black hockey

Anyone remember smell-o-vision from the sixties? I think the theatre I saw it in was experimenting with a similar concept called feel-o-vision. We all know that movie theatres are notoriously cold in the summer. But this was ridiculous. All kidding aside, I genuinely think that they may have been asked by the studio to keep it slightly colder in the rooms showing "March of the Penguins" for dramatic effect.

I really enjoyed this film. If you haven't seen it, run out and do so now.

After the first few minutes, you won't be bothered by Morgan Freeman's droning.

One complaint, though. They never explained if there is a way for us to visually distinguish a male penguin from a female. It doesn't seem like there is a way.

now playing:

Mojave 3 Spoon and Rafter

and the jokes, they are so bad. but they're not as bad as this

I finally got around to watching Catch 22, which I've had from Netflix for like a jillion years. Somehow, I managed to make it 33 years without reading that book. I don't know how. It seems like something I would have read in high school, but I haven't.
Holy crud! What a cast that movie has! I've said it before, and I'll say again: Alan Arkin is great. Although he's a gifted comic talent, most of the funny bits belong to the other people. Most of the funny stuff is Bob Newhart or Anthony Perkins.
So.... What's the deal with war/comedy movies? They all have hysterical bits in the first 45 minutes, and then it sort of drops off after that. This one is no different.

Anyway, I liked it quite a lot even though it stopped being funny after the midway point. I'll recommend it to all of you.

If for nothing else, Bob Newhart's character is hilarious.

Up next, I have two Gene Hackman movies: The Conversation, and Heist

now playing:

Built to Spill Ancient Melodies of the Future

i'm the only one who laughs at your jokes when they are so bad

I've been meaning to pay more attention to this thing over here, but I haven't been doing a good job. I'll attempt to bring something to the table each day this week. Hopefully it all pans out.
I know for a fact that Hansy hasn't seen the series finale of Six Feet Under, but I'm gonna go on about it anyway. Hans, avert your eyes....

Holy crudballs. I haven't wept like that in a long time. There was no one thing in particular that made me weep. I guess it was just the overall sadness of it. I dunno. I actually kinda liked the way they wrapped it up. I was thinking that maybe they would give us the written version of everyone's ending (the way they do in non-fiction movies), but I kinda liked how they did that. My only thing... Claire living to be 102?!?!?! I doubt that very much. I also doubt very much that she would have married that Ted dude. What do you think?

In other news, despite my inactivity on these pages, I've been getting lots of google search hits. Here's some of the new ones:

fantastic four coming soon film database
pimento cheese sandwich
watch six feet under greensboro bar
are red and black good for a room
progressions hair salon in greensboro
czechoslovakia neko
music by the magnetic fields tv
vijay calls phil a phony
american analog set lyrics girls all give reports on the hour
vijay singh and phonies
sun kil moon kentucky woman blog
que lastima mas tequila

Sadly, nothing raunchy. Not even anything suggestive. None of the usual "black girls butts" or "girls shaking their asses" or "roman gladiator helmet" or "full frontal crash test". Incidentally, I don't think I've ever written about Vijay Singh or Phil Mickelson, so I don't know how that one came back.

Last night, I had a wicked awesome time at our neighborhood park. A bunch of us gathered there to play whiffle ball. We actually managed to gather enough to where there were five players to a squad. My team got decimated. I think it's gonna be a regular Sunday night thing, but I'd be surprised if we can duplicate the feat of getting 10 players. I hope so, but a few of the people there were marginal characters. I wouldeven go so far as to call two of the players "guest stars".
After the whiffle ball, we partook of the kiddie playground and, of course, the beer we brought with us. Yes, it's illegal to have alcohol in a city park, but we're so bad-assed that we don't give a damn what John Law has to say. That's how we roll.

now playing:

Superchunk Here's to Shutting Up

feel the city air across your body

In the spirit of areseven and hansthecat, I decided to change the way things look around here. I haven't added any cool features, but the template change has been a long time coming. Although it went along with the name of the blog, I though that the blackness of the old template was just a little much. I think the new look is much softer and more pleasant.
Truthfully, I was just jealous of everyone's new digs. When my buddies get new cars or new houses, I'm happy for them, but I can't copy those maneuvers. This one is a cinch though.
I hope you like it.

I am open to suggestions for additions or omissions.

now playing:

Dismemberment Plan Change

they say i got brains, but they ain't doing me no good

Due to the inactivity in the free agent market, I'm able to step away from the mistress for a while. (pats kids on the head) (pets dog) (kisses you on the cheek)

Last time I was here, I mentioned a synchronicitous "Personal Jesus" listening. I'll explain that, but first, let's flash back to March 1 of this year. On that day, I had a moment of synchronicity with "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes". I had a similar think with "Personal Jesus". Since I was closing, I brought some of my CDs with me. One of them, which was in the "sort of Neglected" category was "Violator" by Depeche Mode. I was enjoying that. I had to leave the kitchen to run some food. Playing on my cd at that moment was "Personal Jesus". Out in the bar, the music on the satellite radio was Marilyn Manson's cover of "Personal Jesus". Kinda creepy.

Lately, I cannot stop listening to Pet Sounds. The song "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" is particularly knocking my socks off. (I am presently, by the way, not wearing socks). Those vocal harmonies are freaking amazing. I dare you to listen to that song and not be thinking about it two hours later. I dare you to NOT attempt to simultaneously sing along with all four (?) parts at once. For the sake of emphasizing those harmonies (especially the second time into the chorus), I've posted an mp3 of the "vocals only" track. I double dog dare you to not be blown away.

I was gonna drag myself out of the house to go watch "Batman Begins", but I remembered the showtime wrong. Maybe the next one.

now playing:


The Beach Boys Pet Sounds (Sessions)

I need someone much more mysterious.... to be my mistress

I'm still alive.

I've just been so busy with the mistress blog that I haven't had time to post here.

I've also had a mixed up schedule at work, and I've gotten out at 2:00am three of the last four days. That kinda wreaks havoc on the sleeping schedule. Oh well.

Did anyone else think it was riotously funny that in the preview for this week's SFU, the voice-over said "Be sure to watch the second-to-last episode of Six Feet Under"? Amanda and I both laughed our asses off when they said that. Often, though, we laugh our asses of at things that nobody else does. Maybe it's just us.

I'll make an effort to be more present around here.

Coming soon will be the re-telling of a really bizarre story of synchronicitous playings of "Personal Jesus", which occurred last night. For now.... it's time to go to work.

now playing:

Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Love Bad News

it could have been off the hook

(yawn) Six feet under last night (yawn)

Actually, I got to see Amanda last night, which was cool because I hadn't seen her in about a month. She came over to watch Six Feet Under. Yawn.

After she left, I watched the Director's Cut of Donnie Darko, which I have from Netflix. I liked the flow of the movie a lot more, but I didn't like the changes to the music.

In the original, the first scene features "The Killing Moon" by Echo and The Bunnymen as Donnie rides his bike home. The music really fits the action on the screen. In the Director's Cut, it was replaced by "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS. It's a fine song, but I think it's a terrible fit. HOWEVER, it makes a neat juxtaposition against "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division. That song, which shows up at the Darko Halloween party isn't in the original. I don't recall it, anyway. This change, I DO like. I don't know if the director intentionally did that "Never Tear Us Apart" / "Love Will Tear Us Apart" thing, but it's a pretty neat coincidence if he didn't.

Another musical change that I don't like is when Gretchen and Donnie come downstairs (during the Halloween party) after having sex. In the original, the song is "Under the Milky Way" by The Church. It was replaced by "The Killing Moon". I love "The Killing Moon", but like I said, I think it's a perfect fit at the beginning and that "Under The Milky Way" is a better fit there. Also, they let the song go way too long in the Director's Cut party scene. It clearly wasn't the song at the party, so it didn't make sense for it to go on so long.

Aside from the musical changes, there were a lot of changes made to the audio mix. The dialog and everything else sounds great. I have no complaints there. Just with the choice to change the music.

Overall, the Director's Cut looks and sounds better, and it makes more sense. Check it out.

now playing:

Echo & The Bunnymen Ocean Rain

The blogger gods are smiling on me, and I'm smiling back

I've been noticed!

My "mistress" blog was recently written up in the Carnival of NHL #4 . This time, the carnival is hosted by two RedWing fans. I don't know how they found me, but I'm glad that they liked me enough to include me in the carnival.

The article mentions my blog and 20 other hockey blogs from across America (and Brazil)that they find to be noteworthy. I'm really flattered because I'm mentioned in the same article as some well-known bloggers, a prize-winning bloggers, and some others who make money from their blog.

I have, apparently, a "unique perspective" on things. That's all they said in the two-sentance paragraph about me, but the article linked to me, which should get me about 3.5 minutes of fame.

Frankly, I'm just happy that somebody's reading it.

the puzzle piece behind the couch that made the sky complete

I owe this blog an apology. And the readers of this blog. All two of you.

I'll admit I haven't been paying much attention to this blog, and I haven't been doing the work that I normally do to keep it going. Last Thursday, for example, I took a Neglected Record to work, but I didn't even go through with the project. I listened to about half of Stephen Malkmus' Pig Lib, but I gave up on it. Monday night, I took a Neglected Record, but I made no attempt to make mental notes in preparation for blogging about it. For the record,though, it was Morphine's Cure For Pain. I liked it.

The other night, I took in one of my Netflix selections, and it was a real winner. I can highly recommend Novocaine, featuring Steve Martin and the super-sexy Helena Bonham Carter. Now, I know what you're thinking. Steve Martin, screwball comedy. No! Not at all, actually. This is sort of a thriller/dark comedy/romance/dentistry flick.
It has a lot of Hitchcockian style to it, which is a big plus for me. There's a scene that mimics Vertigo, and the music is slightly Bernard Herrmann-esque. I kept thinking that it also reminded me of North by Northwest but I wasn't able to put a finger on it. When I listened to the commentary, it turns out that they intentionally made up Steve Martin to look like Cary Grant. If you haven't seen it, you should see Novocaine.

See, the thing is, I've been monumentally busy with the other blog and with the Hurricanes message boards. I'm feverishly trying to keep up to the minute on all the rumors and signings and all that stuff. I won't bore you with all the details (those are available here), but I'll just say that this is an exceptionally busy off-season for the National Hockey League. In a nutshell, more than half of the players are free agents, so there's a lot of action going on. Teams trying to re-sign their own players and pick up superstars out of the free agency market. The first day (Monday) was really slow, but yesterday was very busy. Not a lot has gone down today, but there are a bunch of big names who are rumored to be on the brink of signing new contracts with new teams.

I need to get my hair cut.

now playing:

This Mortal Coil Blood