And that is the last you will hear from this space.
Thanks for the formz.
Mike
Monday, May 19, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
An Easy Victory
I'm rarely proud of what I do at work, but opening a paragraph with "Today is Earth Day" boosted my spirits this evening. The man who edits my summaries of TV shows was kind enough to leave well enough alone, and he did a great job with the subheds. Further thanks are well in order.
And now I'm off to a coffee shop to meet my favorite Sulkypants.
And now I'm off to a coffee shop to meet my favorite Sulkypants.
Beck's in the Moonlight
Normally I'm not one to go in for the bocks, but to paraphrase an old friend from out West, there's nothing for a successful summer evening like a big huge Beck's.
In my backyard, I could hear Radiohead, probably the new album (slow, minor piano and Thom Yorke quavering as he is wont to do nowadays), playing from the window of the college kids two floors above. The apartment complex next door is nearly finished, and it's a monstrosity -- aluminum, curvy walls. They really gutted that place. But the air was warm and full of the promise of a teenage birthday party.
So I says, not too much can go wrong from here.
In my backyard, I could hear Radiohead, probably the new album (slow, minor piano and Thom Yorke quavering as he is wont to do nowadays), playing from the window of the college kids two floors above. The apartment complex next door is nearly finished, and it's a monstrosity -- aluminum, curvy walls. They really gutted that place. But the air was warm and full of the promise of a teenage birthday party.
So I says, not too much can go wrong from here.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
A Fact About "The Legend of Zelda" and Some Other Things
I'm still on a kick of reading about video games on Wikipedia. Okay enough jibbajabba let's make with some facts!
-Princess Zelda takes her name from Zelda Fitzgerald!
-"The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" deftly uses a pun in a title.
That's it. Not the most research-heavy of posts.
-Princess Zelda takes her name from Zelda Fitzgerald!
-"The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" deftly uses a pun in a title.
That's it. Not the most research-heavy of posts.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Leona Lewis - "Bleeding Love"
Okay so the #1 track this week is a song by Leona Lewis, a British performer who looks like Ani Difranco sorta and tears a half a page out of the Kate Bush playbook, near as I can tell.
Embedded below: a YouTube clip of a Karaoke version by YouTube member Oliviathai, who apparently does numerous YouTube covers.
Now for a slideshow of vidcaps from another music video from Leona Lewis. This time the song is "Better in Time."
Note the 19th-century Brit-Lit imagery of a lady and a guy and a horse, kind of like that book Jane Eyre. I think I'm not wrong about that anyway.
This song had me thinking like, "Okay this is one of those weepy songs like the Fergie ballad that hit the top spot a couple months ago." But when the drums came in with some reverb, I was reminded of songs at parties that ignite a fire in the ladies and offer a chance for the dudes to come a little closer. And Leona Lewis wears a lot of makeup, which is kind of unladylike, in a good way.
And that's all I really care to say about Leona Lewis for the moment. I think she'll be in the #1 spot only for a week. But it's a good week for her to be there.
Embedded below: a YouTube clip of a Karaoke version by YouTube member Oliviathai, who apparently does numerous YouTube covers.
Now for a slideshow of vidcaps from another music video from Leona Lewis. This time the song is "Better in Time."
Note the 19th-century Brit-Lit imagery of a lady and a guy and a horse, kind of like that book Jane Eyre. I think I'm not wrong about that anyway.
This song had me thinking like, "Okay this is one of those weepy songs like the Fergie ballad that hit the top spot a couple months ago." But when the drums came in with some reverb, I was reminded of songs at parties that ignite a fire in the ladies and offer a chance for the dudes to come a little closer. And Leona Lewis wears a lot of makeup, which is kind of unladylike, in a good way.
And that's all I really care to say about Leona Lewis for the moment. I think she'll be in the #1 spot only for a week. But it's a good week for her to be there.
Can It Be All So Simple
I stepped out of my apartment for a minute this morning. My landlord was in the garage. Turns out he has a dinghy, the motor for which was in need of repairs.
"I sail all over -- Cape Cod, Boston, I've been to Florida, Bermuda."
"Sounds great. I hope you figure out what's wrong."
"Oh, I think I got it. There's a bad wire here. Usually, when I look hard enough, I find problems."
A woman was walking her child in a stroller. The little girl waved to me and said "hello." She gave her name.
"Nice meeting you, Eva. Enjoy the weather. I guess it's a little cloudy."
"Bye!"
"I sail all over -- Cape Cod, Boston, I've been to Florida, Bermuda."
"Sounds great. I hope you figure out what's wrong."
"Oh, I think I got it. There's a bad wire here. Usually, when I look hard enough, I find problems."
A woman was walking her child in a stroller. The little girl waved to me and said "hello." She gave her name.
"Nice meeting you, Eva. Enjoy the weather. I guess it's a little cloudy."
"Bye!"
A Special Message to Me From Delaware
1) Cars stacked nearly on top of one another over the Delaware Memorial Bridge and for several miles afterward. As a special "fuck you" to me, the state had narrowed I-95 to two lanes. The loud women from Maryland complained that the bus driver was talking in Chinese.
2) Last night I dreamed I was back in Delaware waiting tables. This wasn't so bad except no one would tell me where my section was. I would start serving a family, and the managers would move them as I was getting drinks. The menu kept switching mid-meal, too, and people were ordering bizarre things like two lobsters with scrambled eggs and noodles. I had wanted to show the other waiters that I had improved since last time but I continued to look very stupid. At least I was not embarrassed about any of this.
2) Last night I dreamed I was back in Delaware waiting tables. This wasn't so bad except no one would tell me where my section was. I would start serving a family, and the managers would move them as I was getting drinks. The menu kept switching mid-meal, too, and people were ordering bizarre things like two lobsters with scrambled eggs and noodles. I had wanted to show the other waiters that I had improved since last time but I continued to look very stupid. At least I was not embarrassed about any of this.
Friday, April 18, 2008
I'm Southbound!
Gearing up for a weekend in the city I fled times before. There, the ratio of time people devote to having an interesting vs. healthy life is probably 70/30. In New York, it's more like 99/1. There will be video games, there will be grilling, and there will be very little blood (with any luck).
DC ahoy, bitches.
DC ahoy, bitches.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Start Over
-Stapleton is still bringing the funny, if you can ever sort through what the heck he's talking about.
-I've been listening to this a lot.
-I just thought of a way to categorize Wikipedia entries: have alphabetical lists of images or ideas invoked in an artist's work. So for Kurt Cobain you'd have a list including Frances Farmer, Leonard Cohen; the Wu-Tang would have Clark's Wallabees, etc. I'm going to check now if they already do this. [. . .] Not the way I'm picturing it.
-I'm looking forward to the new Batman movie. The Joker skateboards in it!
-Tonight I'm gonna see a movie called Priceless. Gonna resurrect my inner francophile, also my inner Audrey Tautou-phile. Is she a gay icon? Lesbian icon? She should be both! She's sort of halfway a straight icon. Bi icon? Bicon!
-I've been listening to this a lot.
-I just thought of a way to categorize Wikipedia entries: have alphabetical lists of images or ideas invoked in an artist's work. So for Kurt Cobain you'd have a list including Frances Farmer, Leonard Cohen; the Wu-Tang would have Clark's Wallabees, etc. I'm going to check now if they already do this. [. . .] Not the way I'm picturing it.
-I'm looking forward to the new Batman movie. The Joker skateboards in it!
-Tonight I'm gonna see a movie called Priceless. Gonna resurrect my inner francophile, also my inner Audrey Tautou-phile. Is she a gay icon? Lesbian icon? She should be both! She's sort of halfway a straight icon. Bi icon? Bicon!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
First the Guys
It's not right.
One day I will put together a list of all the songs still cache'd from my YouTube searches. That list is the soundtrack of everything since the Great Laptop Theft of 2007.
Maybe this weekend. Blame the boredom.
One day I will put together a list of all the songs still cache'd from my YouTube searches. That list is the soundtrack of everything since the Great Laptop Theft of 2007.
Maybe this weekend. Blame the boredom.
Owwwww
Many things in life are discouraging, but among the worst in recent memory is clicking the "send" button with a fair amount of conviction that what's being sent isn't worth the two shits that bookended it.
There's falling flat on one's face, which is what happens if the words don't come at all. It's not clear whether falling to one's knees, which is what happens if the words kind of come, is better or worse.
The incessant fear that this will all crash horribly on my balding head makes sleep a distant and remote possibility.
Someone pass the crutch.
There's falling flat on one's face, which is what happens if the words don't come at all. It's not clear whether falling to one's knees, which is what happens if the words kind of come, is better or worse.
The incessant fear that this will all crash horribly on my balding head makes sleep a distant and remote possibility.
Someone pass the crutch.
So
Liveblogging this mess is only causing disaster. Project ABANDONED. Post-beer, perhaps, or perhaps never again. Too much R&B makes the heart grow sadder.
Okay Okay
-Improved versions of several, aka three, but still probably not at the halfway mark. They may be dumb, but they have hopes of looking pretty one day (tomorrow or not at all, actually).
-So much Red Bull feeling like Ryan Sheckler.
-It doesn't hurt as much as it could.
-One day I will look back on these moments in a separate kind of light.
-Round the block we go.
-So much Red Bull feeling like Ryan Sheckler.
-It doesn't hurt as much as it could.
-One day I will look back on these moments in a separate kind of light.
-Round the block we go.
I'm Having Quintuplets
-But I'm not scared.
-We're looking at 30 on 15 off.
-The jazz is flowing in my veins mighty heavily, but do not worry it's not anything that would make your mama scared (it's Red Bull).
-There will be moments of crushing despair as usual but if there's one *swish* in the bunch it's all a matter of merit.
-Looking at a 1:00 stop time should all proceed properly.
-See you in half an hour.
-We're looking at 30 on 15 off.
-The jazz is flowing in my veins mighty heavily, but do not worry it's not anything that would make your mama scared (it's Red Bull).
-There will be moments of crushing despair as usual but if there's one *swish* in the bunch it's all a matter of merit.
-Looking at a 1:00 stop time should all proceed properly.
-See you in half an hour.
Pearl Jam's "Lukin"
One of my favorite songs that lasts less than a minute. I was inspired by Sulks' recent invocation of the Descendents.
This video, like the Misfits "Skulls" linked earlier, is animated and hilarious. There is some vulgar (and quite gratuitous) imagery involving weiners, so be careful if you're offended by weiners. If you like vulger and gratuitous imagery involving weiners, though, then you'll love this.
In seriousness, I always liked "Lukin" for the things this video makes fun of - imprecise, directionless, angry yelling. And of course the "B" part where he says "Ain't gonna lose it" or "I'm going Lukin" or whatever.
There's a special genre of song where you don't have to understand the lyrics at all to get pumped. "Tourette's" by Nirvana is probably the most obvious case study.
This video, like the Misfits "Skulls" linked earlier, is animated and hilarious. There is some vulgar (and quite gratuitous) imagery involving weiners, so be careful if you're offended by weiners. If you like vulger and gratuitous imagery involving weiners, though, then you'll love this.
In seriousness, I always liked "Lukin" for the things this video makes fun of - imprecise, directionless, angry yelling. And of course the "B" part where he says "Ain't gonna lose it" or "I'm going Lukin" or whatever.
There's a special genre of song where you don't have to understand the lyrics at all to get pumped. "Tourette's" by Nirvana is probably the most obvious case study.
Dead Lines
It's good on occasion to realize that no one cares as much as you whether what you write is any good, and that most people, having no knowledge of what might have been for a given piece, won't even realize you've done a bad job. This realization allows you to continue to write, ignoring your own conviction that what you're doing is subpar.
On the other hand, too much of this realization makes for complacent -- and therefore bad -- writers.
For now, I'm just glad I'm not a complete smoldering wreck over it all. Plus, there's always next time. That is, until the editors wise up, and then there isn't next time, which might not be so bad either.
On the other hand, too much of this realization makes for complacent -- and therefore bad -- writers.
For now, I'm just glad I'm not a complete smoldering wreck over it all. Plus, there's always next time. That is, until the editors wise up, and then there isn't next time, which might not be so bad either.
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