Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Work work work.

Sorry folks,
I've been biblio-graphing most of the night, and my eyes are getting very heavy. I'd love to be witty and funny, but honestly, I just want to curl up and go to sleep.

So to help you pass the time, here's a fun little video clip. It's the official music video for the song "Stuttering" by Ben's Brother (yes, that's the name of the band, not a reference to someone I know). They had really quite an ingenious idea: they had their fans send in webcam footage of them making asses of themselves to the song, then spliced it all together to make the official video. Most of you will recognize this song as "that Dentyne Ice" song. But hey, I like it....

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Sitting.


I took the bus to and from the ballgame yesterday. In the last leg of my journey home, I was seated near an older Asian grandmother lady with two young boys. I'm talking like six and nine or so. Young kids. One was playing some old school handheld video game - like the ones I had when I was a kid, with two buttons and maaaaybe a directional control thing too. The younger of the two was playing games on the grandma's cell phone. All was well and good until the grandmother needed to see the phone for some reason or another. At that point, the little kid started freaking out and grabbing at the brother's game.

This incident got me thinking: kids today never just sit, unless it's a punishment and they get sent to time out. I was taught from a very young age to sit and behave myself. Granted, looking like you're in your twenties at the tender age of twelve doesn't help, but long before that, I just had to sit. I had old country Swedish grandparents who took no guff, so we had to sit quietly and at least attempt to follow along with what was going on. We didn't get hand-held games. We didn't have a TV in any room that we could run and watch while the grown-ups talked. Once in a blue moon I'd get to bring some comic books along, but that was a rarity too. So we did one thing: sit. We'd sit for hours at times. Conversation around my sister and I wasn't always even in English, but we'd sit quietly and try to piece together what was going on. Yes, there was some time for fun or goofiness, but there was also a hell of a lot of sitting. Don't even get me started on car trips. Let's just say I got my first walkman when I was like eleven, and have LOVED music ever since. But before then, I just had the comfort of a humming engine to keep me company in the car. We didn't have in-dash DVD players, there were no captain chairs that swiveled to gather around a table, and there sure as hell were no video game consoles.

If you look at the average day for most kids outside of a classroom, there is either a cell phone going off or a TV or computer or ipod or video game or something going at all times to keep these little shits stimulated. Every moment there is some sort of crazy noise in the background, or some video thing that kids can go into a trance watching. Yes, I do it when I'm out at the bar and there's a TV too, but I grew up without a lot of that. Still, all of this thinking brought my mind back to teaching; this whole tech culture and world of distraction has led to this fact -- teachers these days are fucked. How the hell can you be expected to keep kids in one seat, focused on one subject for an hour at a time? I know it's the role of the teacher to mix things up here and there, but even still, there are points where you have to lecture, and how the hell are you expected to do that if everyone's looking for like an interactive menu or some sort of multimedia entertainment in the middle of it?

The irony of it all is that half of these kids are the ones who end up going to coffee shops and all that later on in life. What is it they do at these coffee shops? That's right: sit. It's all a vicious cycle. Just look at me. I'm sure there is some young up-and-coming kid out there in my cafe right now talking shit about me on the internet because I read with headphones on when I'm in public, and it doesn't make sense because I can do that for free at home. Well fuck you, imaginary kid; I come to the cafe for coffee and an escape from the distractions that are in my personal Bagg's End.

On a loosely tied in note, I have again discovered the wonders of putting your whole iTunes collection on random and seeing what the hell comes up. I recommend you try it. Wait and see what turns up....

Monday, April 28, 2008

A weekend's worth.


Okay, don't blame me. I haven't been home hardly at all this weekend. Before I get started, I want to say thanks to the folks that came out to see me play on Saturday, I was pretty overwhelmed with the response. I also wanted to say that I don't really care for hippies. But most of you already knew that. That statement only has a little bit to do with the ridiculous picture at right. You'll get the rest if you keep reading.

Now, let me back-track to Friday. One of the great advantages of being connected to high school teachers is the opportunity to go to the prom well after you've left high school yourself. This Friday was one of those instances, as I got to go to the Mercy High prom. It was great, I had a wonderful time, but it did lead to discussion which was hatched between Courtney and Brian: what is the deal with high school girls and prom? Why do the spend all this money on hair, nails, dresses, shoes, and all the other accoutrements that go along with prom if everything is over in four hours? Here is my theory: this is the one day for girls, other than their wedding, to dress up and basically be a princess for a night. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's like the dry run for a wedding celebration, but it isn't far off. You've guy the guy, usually in rented pants. You have your closest friends in attendance. There is dancing. There's a shitty DJ who "wants to get the party started." There's a sliding scale of drinking and promiscuity. There are more pictures, professional or otherwise, than people would take the other three hundred sixty four days of the year combined. Whether they realize it or not, prom is like a wedding without the nuptials and with chaperones.

On a quick side note which I mention because I saw this after prom on my way to the bar, but Black Oak Books is closed. You know the one -- the used book store that used to be across from the other used book store (Chelsea Books). Now it's more like the shoe store across from the vacant storefront that used to be a book store. I am a little sad.

Other than prom and the show Saturday, I have just been running around playing tour guide to various folks who have come to visit SF this weekend, in addition to some mandatory bar time on Thursday through Saturday nights. I'm sunburned to all hell, and I am slipping slightly behind in school work, so I'm going to call it a night. I can guarantee you that I have good post in the works for tomorrow. I even have a note about it here next to my computer to be sure that I remember.

So I'll leave you with the question that will explain the ridiculous picture I have at the top of this page: have you hugged your peace pole lately?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Sorry.

It's grown a bit late tonight, and I've been on a roll today in helping damn near everyone who has come to me for advice or assistance, so I'm not going to push my luck. Rather, I'm going to bed. I can all but guarantee a good blog tomorrow...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Random smattering.

Arright, it's three a.m. and I have been staring at this blank screen for like fifteen minutes now. Here are a few random things that have crossed my mind recently:

- They're allegedly making a film adaptation of On the Road. I don't quite know how I feel about that.

- Had anyone else out there heard of the term "Opera Queen" before tonight? Neither had I. Apparently it's a label reserved for homosexual men who obsess over opera and particularly, opera divas. Who knew?

- Cyber stalking. I'm curious about this. What is the line between stalking and taking an interest in information available to you? I've heard a few people talk recently about obsessive exes who would keep ridiculously close tabs on people via the Internet and social networking sites. Is this really such a commonplace thing? If so, why don't more people do it to me? Or are they...... (dum dum dummmmmmm)

- I kind of miss teaching. Well, not the grading or the long hours or the lesson planning. Does that mean that I just miss high school in general?

- Does anyone outside of the world of the literati read short stories anymore? We had this discussion in class today about the fact that it's near impossible to get published anywhere as a short story writer unless you put out an earth-shatteringly good collection. How about you non-book nerds? Is the short story a dying art?

- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a highly underrated movie. Yes it was critically loved by all, but it's dropped out of our public consciousness already. I say go watch it again.

- I miss having time to read. School or otherwise.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

A quick giggle.

Sorry folks, I don't have a lot to offer tonight. I didn't even make it out to the coffee shop. So I guess I'll turn in for the night with the frightening realization....

Hitler

Monday, April 21, 2008

What a difference.


I know this can turn into a chicken-or-the-egg kind of argument if I'm not careful, but I've noticed recently that what you wear around the house makes all the difference in the world.
Having said this, let me qualify my statement: I am not a lounging person. I don't spend hardly any time in my bed if I'm not sleeping or trying to sleep, and I tend to be a happier and more well-adjusted person when I'm wearing shoes instead of slippers.

Okay, now that I've given a little background, let me move forward. I find that I feel renewed and invigorated when I wear clothes at home, even if I know I'll be changing before I leave. I just can't hang with the idea of wearing sweats or pajama pants around with a wife beater on if I'm not going out anywhere. I feel lazy, I feel like a slob, and I tend to get a hell of a lot less done. So why is this? Why is there such a marked difference in ideologies between clothes people and loungewear people? My main thought is temperature: if you wear pants and shoes with socks and a real shirt all the time, you don't get half as cold as you would with bare feet or some lightweight shirt on. When you aren't always freezing, you don't feel the desire to cozy up in your bed longer than you need to. You also don't burn as much of your energy getting to a comfortable body temperature.

I'm not saying I'm against loungewear. I have actually grown to like a lot of it, but I feel like if I'm really going to get something done, I need to be dressed. I'm one of those crazy folks who wakes up and gets dressed, and doesn't change clothes when they get home. (Notice I didn't say home from work because, well, you know...) In my teaching days I might change, but I'd change into a t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes, just so I wasn't wearing my dress pants or a button-down shirt, but I was still attired in a way that I could walk out the front door at the drop of a hat and not break any of the cardinal fashion rules that I laid out way back in one of my first blogs.

Clothes people, show some love and let me know that I'm not alone. Loungewear people, let me know what I'm missing. My guess it's an inherited thing: my parents have always been clothing people (thank heavens), and many of the loungwear people I know have parents who are loungwear enthusiasts. What do you think?

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Drinks.


With the exception of the frigid weather we're experiencing tonight, things have been on a warming trend today. There are a lot of implications that go along with a change in the weather, but the change I am most looking forward to is the change in drinks. I've been holing up a lot of this past winter re-acquainting myself with my old pal whiskey. It's a perfect drink for cold nights -- splash a little bourbon or scotch over the rocks, and despite the chill of the drink, it will still warm you up inside and out. There are also all those wonderful wintery beers to be had: porters, stouts, dark Belgian beers, the possibilities are limitless.

However, now that Summer is just around the corner, there are three words that I need to dust off before the warm weather hits: gin and tonic. That's right, dear readers, I can't wait for those lazy days of summer with a G&T in my hand, sitting on someone's deck or porch since I don't have one of my own, and just kicking back and relaxing. Granted, the summer beer selection lacks a bit; apparently there are some people who look forward to the return of Coronas as much as I do the gin, but I'll take a Pacifico any day.

One other little tip for the upcoming season that I'm trying to circulate: I am hoping to bring back the popularity of the Gimlet. There are a number of theories on just how the drink should be made, but in my book there is just one: equal parts gin and Rose's Lime Juice. You can serve them straight or on the rocks, but either way, it will do you well. I think they're the perfect summer cocktail, and are also popular when made with vodka.

And as a closing thought, just remember; nothing out there says "Good morning, summer" like a Bloody Mary. Its message has finally reached beyond "good morning, hangover" and I couldn't be happier. But do yourself a huge favor, and learn to mix your own, rather than using a mixer.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Out of the frying PAN...


Okay folks, as I promised - here's the flip side of the coin. Before I get cranking, I wanted to wish a happy anniversary to Jennifer and Brian, two of my more dedicated readers.

Now that I've gotten the happiness and warm wishes out of the way, on with the bitterness and spite!

PANS

1) Single people's conversational ambiguity - I'd like to think that I'm not alone in this situation. Follow along if you will: you're single, and you kind of have your eye on someone. After a few conversations, or some manner of prolonged exposure, you're about to get up the nerve to say something to this person about getting a drink or something equally cheesy. Then, all of a sudden, they mention their significant other. I don't hold the people responsible. I know it's completely normal to have conversations with the opposite sex all the time, regardless of your relationship status. I also do NOT expect people to be like "Hi, I'm *insert name here*, I have a special someone. I'm just saying that it drives me up the wall when I (or any single person, for that matter) builds something up in their mind like that, just to have the hammer dropped when you least expect it.

2) Protesters - At the risk of sounding like a Republican, I just have to say that I really don't get it. Something like a walkout for involved parties makes perfect sense to me, but we're getting a little protest happy. Take for instance this whole Olympic thing: do you think foreign warlords really give two shits that Americans are unhappy that the Olympic torch is going through their town? Will someone with a sign on the torch route really make a Chinese soldier think twice before killing a Tibetan? Yes, I realize you have to make a stand, and that silence is like consent, but come on now - focus your energies better. Could you have taken the time it took you to camp out for a good protest spot to actually do something useful in fighting for your cause? Another example: the war protests. Yes, the "war on whatever the great bush says this week" is completely absurd. It's going to end up making Vietnam look like a grade school recess. But does marching en masse to Civic Center in SF make a single fucking shred of difference? Hell no. Write to a politician, donate your time to actually help the soldiers overseas, do something more worthwhile than stand around waving a sign or slapping a bumper sticker on your car about what you think.

3) Heartburn - Yes, I know this is nature's way of telling me that I drink too much coffee, or maybe I should start taking a little cream in my Java, but dammit, coffee is a way of life. It's my way of life. But this is getting bothersome -- I get wicked heartburn a lot. To the point where I can feel the burn in my wrist from time to time. Don't ask me the connection, it has something to do with neurotransmitters and similar reception areas in the brain. I know my pops gets heartburn easily, but my gramps would drink like four to five pots of coffee a day and it didn't bother him. Yes, I meant to say pots, not cups. Why the hell do I lose sleep with acid reflux after like three cups of joe?

4) Over-sharing - It's time I speak out about this. There are parameters. I know everyone has different comfort levels with different things, but it seems to me that a LOT of people are WAAAAY too comfortable around me. It's been happening since high school. I don't want to know about your weird sexual enjoyments. I don't really care about your latest bowel movement or lack thereof. No, I really don't want to see your rash. I know that I'm self-conscious at times, that I am more private than some, but your discussing whatever it is you feel the need to discuss this week will not get me to share my more intimate secrets. How about we discuss something intelligent instead of the quality and frequency of your flatulence. I'm not above some of this chatter; I will join in occasionally, but more often than not, I'm not the one to initiate that line of questioning.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Another installment.

That's right, gentle readers, it's time for another round of "Picks and Pans". I think today's magic number is four. I may have made this trickier, since I did a music list last night, but I think I can make it on non-musical items. So without any further ado, here we go:

PICKS

1) Lava Lamps - It's cheezy, but I have two, and dammit, I love them. For the last few years, mine have not gotten enough use due to the fact that I couldn't really see them on my once-cluttered desk, but now that the desk is clear, I am enjoying their amorphous glow almost every night. It's fantastic. Random memory specially catered for Augustin: one of those lamps is the same blue lava lamp that sat in out window that we used as the one distinguishing characteristic of the old days in Pioneer Heights. Good times.

2) Wes Anderson Movies - I was worried there for a bit. I will be among the first to admit that The Life Aquatic was a bit of a letdown. Of course, it's hard to follow up the greatness of Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, but I thought he could have done a bit better. Fortunately, The Darjeeling Limited has brought his stock right back up. It's gotten back to his roots more, even if he didn't have any of those clever cutaway shots with the labels or items on desks or tabletops. Then again, Bottle Rocket, his first film didn't have those either. Well, regardless of the highs and lows, I don't think there is another modern filmmaker whose catalog I like top-to-bottom as much as Anderson.

3) Comfort Food - This seems like it should be a gimme, but far too many people overlook some of the classics in their pursuit of classy dining. You know what I'm talking about; barbecue, mac 'n cheese, pasta, mashed potatoes, all that good stuff. I realize it's far from healty, but dammit, regardless of calories, that food is just good for you.

4) The Beach - My fellow Bay dwellers, I think we take our beaches for granted far too much. I know we seldom have weather that most people would consider "beach weather" but dammit, that doesn't mean that the beach disappears. There isn't much in this world that's quite as soothing as just sitting on the beach, preferrably at night, listening to the waves come and go. I may just be sappy, but I always marvel at the thoughts that come to me when I'm doing that; the idea that the water crashing upon the shore in front of me has traveled thousands of miles just to be there, and it will keep on going infinitely (or presumably so - back off, you friggin hippies). To my landlocked readers, I don't mean to make you jealous or anything like that, I just want those around here to appreciate having a beach as much as I do.

Eh, it's getting late -- I'll do my four pans tomorrow. Gotta keep you folks guessing a little bit from time to time.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Interconnectedness.


I hate to seem redundant, but I had a very interesting conversation with my friend Liz over dinner tonight about relationships. In the course of this conversation, we discussed the almost narcissistic need that some people have when it comes to relationships and dating. For instance, the situation we discussed was people's willingness to stay in relationships with others who they don't find interesting or compelling, just to stay "in a relationship". This idea made me think: how much of our single lives do we spend earnestly looking or waiting for a special someone to come along? Why are we, as a whole, so focused on finding someone to spend so much of our time with, even if it turns out that we don't like spending our time with them all that much? Being single for as long as I have, I can't really find a logistical question to these answers. Yes, I feel the need for connectedness with someone else, the need to love and be loved, and despite the wonders of my own body heat, I still find it cold in my bed from time to time. Still, I have a lot of trouble compromising my standards just to have "someone"; I'd rather be alone and happy than with someone and melancholic. Plus, another thing that drives me absolutely nuts both as a slave to logic and as a single person is the idea of "not dating" someone. I have friends who exclusively have "not relationships" -- in other words, they hang out with the person, make out with them, have occasional (or not so occasional) sex, but all the while they adamantly insist that they are not really dating that person, that they're just "hanging out" or some lame excuse like that. Have I done it? Of course. But as I grow older I have less and less patience for people like that. If you like the person enough to sleep with them, have the cajones to say "Yes, we are dating." I know that some people freak out at the concept of being "in a committed relationship" but then again, I don't see why people place such a high importance on such labels. To be honest, if you are happy with the person you are with or "not with", you shouldn't want to look for anyone else; with that being the case, labeling it or not shouldn't matter, as you're ideally not flirting or anything like that.

But enough of this madness. I want to give you five quick recommendations for some albums that you might be into. I'll try to keep it limited to stuff that's been released in the last year or so

1) Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk it Off: These guys are one of those bands that gained a lot of buzz due to favorable ratings in music blogs. This is their second (that I'm aware of, at least) release, and it's great. Somehow, no matter how hard I try, I can't get the song "Say Back Something" out of my head. And that's a good thing.

2) She & Him - Volume One: Cute, folky tunes sung by Zooey Deschanel, who just so happens to be ridiculously cute herself. It's a kind of modern folk re-working of a bunch of older tunes. Very much in the vein of Camera Obscura, but it always puts me in a good mood.

3) Headlights - Some Racing, Some Stopping: I love Headlights. There, I said it. Everyone who hears this album in my car always gets intrigued by them. This is the new album, and it might not quite stack up to "Kill Them With Kindness" but it's still a very solid release, and is definitely worth checking out.

4) DeVotchKa - A Mad & Faithful Telling: Don't ask me how they do it, but these guys manage to hit the ball out of the park on every release. For you folks who have no idea who they are, you probably know them as the band that did all the music for "Little Miss Sunshine". This miiiiight just possibly be their strongest album yet.

5) Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone: This band fascinates and confounds me at the same time. They're instrumental and, a word I despise seeing thrown around too freely in music reviews "ambient". I really dig them, but couldn't sit and listen to them too terribly much, but it makes amazing background music. They do one hell of a job of layering and texturing music; it's hard to find a band that does it as well as these guys.

Monday, April 14, 2008

So many things to write about.

And such little time. I know I was somewhat lame this weekend, but in my defense, I've been running around like mad for the last few days. I haven't hardly seen my family, let alone my computer.

So, now that I've gotten that out of the way, I've gotta say "gawwwwd damn, I love seeing the ladies when it's warm out." I went out to the 500 Club last night, and everywhere I looked there were cute little honies running around wearing little tiny outfits. As it's the Mission, they're not necessarily skanky, which is also nice.

I've also spent a good deal of the past few days reading. Mind you, in this instance, it's not exactly "pleasure" reading -- I am finishing reading the last book I haven't read yet that I'll be using for my thesis. In reading this book, which was first published in 1916, I've come to realize something: Henry Ford can suck my ass. Yeah, I know our beloved "Captain Assembly Line" is an American icon, and I honestly tip my hat to the man's ingenuity, but for all the benefit everyone has reaped from the automobile and its mass production, he's damned us all too. For those of you reading outside the Bay Area, let me first explain that I filled up my gas tank today. It cost me $73.75. That's a nice dinner. For all the talk I do about drinking and living it up, I realize that I probably spend more on my car in any given month than I do on myself or going out.

So what about this book? Well, it's all about a road trip from New York to Indiana. It doesn't sound like much, and honestly, reading with a modern eye, it isn't much of a book in the end. But this book is sort of what got the ball rolling for all these people who want to travel the country and write the great American novel upon their return home. I once entertained this fancy for a brief while. I still want to travel a hell of a lot more within the US, but at the way gas prices are going these days, I can't hardly afford to get out of the Bay Area, let alone the state. In the other books I've read, there has been some sort of compelling or interesting occurrences going on around the journey - be it romance, recreational drug use, or just a whole lot of sociopolitical landscape. This is just a couple of guys driving from spot to spot, and writing about and drawing pictures of the towns they pass through. Now I am dragging Ford into this for a very specific reason: he made things affordable for motorists. In these early road novels, you had to be someone just to have access to a car. Nowadays, for anyone who has driven in the last year, you all know people can't drive for shit anymore. The time of this book was an era when driving was like an Olympic sport. And I'm not talking racing either, just the act of keeping your car straight ahead and on the road, even at five miles per, was really something. Now we have cars that can parallel park themselves. It makes me sick.

You'll have to excuse me if I seem to be tip-toeing around and through this topic, but it's all kind of half-formed in my head, and at this late hour, I'm not especially coherent. Maybe I'll sleep on it and see if I can come up with a more cogent addendum tomorrow afternoon.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Sorry

I'd love to write tonight, and I've got a lot to say, but unfortunately, I have to wake up in about three and a half hours.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Annoyances.


Okay, it's late, so I'll be brief. Number one topic for tonight is Karen O, lead singer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I love the band, and she's a pretty decent singer. Now, I have a live bootleg of a concert they did a few years back, and I have to say, that girl annoys the hell out of me. I have seen videos and pictures in the past of her "crazy stage antics" but I have to say, plain and simple, I'm not impressed. Yes, she sings well when she's actually singing, and yes, I know that it takes more than talent in order to entertain people. But gargling beer and spitting it on the crowd, or deep-throating a microphone... it's more one of those "look at me" kind of things than it is an earnest attempt at entertainment.

The second topic is this: punk is dead. Sorry kids, but the only good punk that I've heard come out in a long time now has been from bands who don't take themselves seriously at all. Look at Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. They're geniuses. NOFX, one of the best punk bands on the planet. Even Against Me was pretty friggin awesome up until this last album. Still, none of these bands are really like the down-and-dirty punk bands that used to exist. There will never be another Sex Pistols or Misfits in our lifetime. Yes, I'd like to be proven wrong, but I just don't buy it as of the right now.
You may be wondering where that second point came from, so let me tell you. I was sitting on campus tonight having an early dinner when this kid whom I refer to as "young know-it all punk". I've had the misfortune of sitting near him once before when dining on campus, and the kid is a total approval-seeking showoff who thinks he's really punk. Not just punk, but the Henry Rollins young punk punk. He loves discussing (a) how much he smokes, (b) how much smarter he is than everyone, and (c) how much more punk he is than most people who try to be punk. Last time he was praising all the nasty stuff he hocks up every morning due to his nicotine habits. Today, he was bragging about how he got a concussion from a particularly violent pit over the weekend. I just sit back and roll my eyes. Yes, I've gone soft in my old age, and I don't have the deep and abiding love for punk I did when I was a teenager, but someone needs to lay a beat-down on this kid in a major way, then leave him to sit and think about how punk he actually is if some weak loser can kick his ass.

Wow, considering I'm in a pretty good mood, this has been an incredibly bitter and spiteful post. Sorry for that. To make up for it, I'll end everything with an NPC-classic joke:

Why did the koala fall out of the tree?
Because it was dead.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

A bit of randomness...

I've got a paper to write before six tomorrow evening, so I need to be brief, but I wanted to give you all a little something in a special early edition tonight.

- It's no secret at this point that The New Kids on the Block are re-uniting for god only knows what. So does this mean their name has to be changed to "Those guys who moved away, but came back home to the block because they ran out of money"? Plus, if they're now an all growed-up boy band, does that make them the first "Man Band"???

- For some odd reason, I'd love to go fishing somewhere. Granted, I don't know crap about baiting hooks or anything like that, but it sounds like fun to go out somewhere, rent a rowboat, and drink beers while sitting on a lake with some of my good friends. For all the wonderful things there are to do in SF, we lack a good fishin' hole.

- Does anyone else find it disturbing that you can now buy DVDs with a special "digital copy" disc as well? What this means is that you can buy the DVD, watch it at home on your giant TV or on your computer with a DVD rom, and since you shelled out some extra cash, you can also get a disc formatted specially for iTunes, so you can watch it on your computer with DVD rom, or on that teeeeeeeny little screen on your iPod. Yes, the new iPods have bigger screens, but not by THAT much. Come on now, isn't this a tad redundant? Have we as a society lost the ability to just sit and watch a movie from start to finish? Or is that something else we have to do on our commutes so that we can more effectively ignore the outside world?

- Do you know what our generation lacks? Handymen. Those guys who can do a little bit of everything when it comes to home repairs. They know how to fix your toilet, they can install shelving or hang sheet rock when needed, they can make shit out of two by fours and plywood if need be. What do we have instead? The Geek Squad. Sure, they can re-configure my wireless router, but can I call up a friendly Geek Squad employee and get him to come help me cut some lumber down to size, or ask his opinion on modular storage units? No. I'm not saying that one is any better than the other or has a different value. Granted, I wouldn't want someone running in with a tape measure if my hard drive was seizing up. Still, I think our consumerist society has fallen victim to what I call "Ikea syndrome": we get stuff of only moderate quality, and as soon as something goes wrong with it, we throw it away. Can you imagine how many of those "frundi" paper and wire lamp fixtures must be laying in tatters in landfills across the US? Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying anything against Ikea - I'd never badmouth anything conceived of in the motherland. They really do provide a great service to people like myself in that they make things even I can afford. I'm just saying that I have a basic crafty know-how, and I have the infinite wisdom of my dad, an engineer and relentless tinkerer, both of which come in very handy when that caster falls off my rolling cabinet or a shelf is about to give way. Stuff like this makes me wonder: what will happen in another generation? Will the old "workbench out in the garage" be replaced by a treasure trove of USB cables and memory cards? Will the old mason jars and cigar boxes filled with random bolts, washers, screws, and nuts be replaced with a box full of RAM sticks and microchips? I can say with a great deal of certainty that the answer is no, because unlike screws and nails, technology becomes obsolete in no time, so it doesn't make a damn bit of sense to hang on to anything once you stop using it, because it's probably already antiquated in comparison to whatever the computer companies are churning out now.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

At long last.

I am back in the basement where I belong. Everything is set up in a manner much more conducive to the Bill way of life.

So in my ongoing questioning of the hipster way of life, I have to say the following: I don't think Broken Social Scene is that great. Yes, they nail that "indie with electronic beat" thing pretty well. Yes, I am impressed with the number of instruments these kids can make sound with, but that doesn't mean they're the greatest thing since Frank Black sliced a loaf of bread, then ate the whole thing. I don't understand how "You Forgot it in People" which I am currently revisiting scored a 9.2 on Pitchfork, a site notorious for panning EVERYTHING. Maybe I'm not as cool as I once believed I was, or maybe these kids are one of those bands that everyone claims to love because of that particular review. Hmm... I'll call the sitation "the pitchfork conundrum" and see what pans out....

Here's my recommendation: if you want cool indie-ish music that has awesome programmed beats, check out Ratatat. They're two British guys who play mostly guitars over beats and loops, and they're pretty friggin' awesome. Yes, it's all instrumental, but I still really like it. I like it better than Broken Social Scene, that's for sure.

Either way, I have a new and freshly made bed calling my name. And I have a little teeny mini-bar in the bookcase next to that bed which might help to assure that I have a wonderful night's sleep.

Monday, April 7, 2008

A quick one while he's away.

I know I'm lame again, but I spent the whole day moving/arranging/cleaning, and spent the whole night getting sweat on in Santa Cruz.

I would be ashamed to admit that I went to see the Alkaline Trio, but they were actually pretty good. Not "I'm going to buy a VW van and follow them across the country" good, but good nonetheless. So screw you for judging me - I keep my options open.

Before I call it a night, I have four words that will make you sound both intelligent and interesting at the same time. Throw them into conversation intermittently, and people will think more highly of you.

1) adroit: This has long been a favorite of mine. I picked it up sometime in high school or college, and loved dropping it in letters of recommendation. It means skillful and adept, especially under pressing conditions. Toss it in when you want to say that someone is good at something, and you'll automatically sound smarter than whomever you say it to.

2) monkeyshines: As many of you know, anything to do with monkeys makes me laugh, and this word is no exception. It most commonly refers to a trick or prank, but can be any kind of tomfoolery. Tomfoolery is also an acceptable antiquated word that is under-used, and you can also substitute the ever-popular shenanigans. Whatever floats your boat.

3) donnybrook: It's much, much cooler than saying "rumble" or "brawl" and it makes me think of crusty old guys who have giant handlebar moustaches and box with tiny tiny leather gloves on. You can also say "row" but that confuses people too much.

4) ballyhoo: it's a big bunch of noise, basically, but it sounds intelligent. You can also say cacophony, but that's not quite as much fun. Add a little zing to it, and hold the "o" to make it hilarious: ballyhooooooooo!

So there you go, I made you sound just a bit more intelligent. Try to use one of these words today, and let me know if it did you any good. I'm out this beezy.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Just a quick update.

Sorry folks, I know I'm lame. However, I've been running around like mad the last few days between nights filled with various fun and exciting bars, and days filled with completely emptying my hermitage. As it stands right now, the room is COMPLETELY empty, and I have a new carpet.

Let me also say this: you never know just how much stuff you have until you see it strewn all about the garage. I was just this side of blown away. Granted, there is a bunch of stuff in my hovel that is not mine, but still.

Well, I know it's lame of me, but it's late and I have a full day of moving tomorrow before hauling ass down to Santa Cruz with some pals to go to a show. In other words, I needs me some sleep. Hopefully tomorrow I can crawl into my wondrous new bed down in the basement for the first of many good night's sleeps.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

It only takes a spark.


Then, before you know it, you've got yourself a fire.

So what the hell am I talking about? Simple: my hermitage. As I've stated before, I'm down in a basement, under my folks' place, living in a tiny room (twelve by fourteen to be exact) with a bunch of stuff that isn't even mine.

So for the past twenty seven years of my life (yeah, I know probably more like twenty four, but still) I have been sleeping on a twin bed. At first it was just a matter of youth, then it became a matter of space. Either way, I have never really owned a proper "big boy" bed, and as many of you know, I'm quite a big boy. So, as a way of saying thanks for helping he and his special lady friend move, my good buddy Pete gave me his old double bed. I was excited at this prospect, and gladly accepted. This began my fire.

So I know I could have just as easily dropped the double bed into my tiny little room. That would have been fine. But I'd have more bed space than floor space if that were the case, so I discussed things with the 'rents and we decided to do a bit of cleaning and organizing. Soon I'll have a very nice custom cabinet built for my CDs, a new old TV set to replace the giant-ass console set that I currently have, and there's even a remote chance that my pops will get rid of one of the giant-ass 1920s radios that currently gathers dust in my humble abode. As part of this moving and measuring madness, I realized I could much more efficiently stash some stuff if we could move a pair of huge bookshelves a few feet towards a corner. I guess this idea, which would of course necessitate the removal of the contents of the shelves, when paired with the fact that the carpet (I almost wrote "crapet" and it would have been a very accurate typo) in here is at least thirty years old, my pops realized that it would make sense to re-carpet my humble abode if we were already removing two thirds of the contents of the room.

So, while I am very excited about the prospect of a new and improved hermitage, I am slightly concerned as to when this will all take place. I thought that by beginning this project a bit before my aunt and uncle came to visit, I might spur the old man into a little more rapid action. Now that I spurred the horse, it done run off on me. I have no idea how long I'll now be sleeping in the bed I inhabited as a youngster, but I guess I just have to keep that light at the end of the tunnel in my sights while all this work goes down.

All the Dude ever wanted was his rug back...

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Ouch.

Wow. I'm not nearly as young as I once was.

My back feels pretty fucked at the moment. Maybe I can't leap tall buildings in a single bound, and maybe my back isn't the bulwark of muscle it once was, but dammit, I shouldn't be in this much pain still.

I also find it ironic that the first nice sunny day that I could have taken my bike to school, I'm having issues just standing up straight. Thank heavens I naturally slouch all the time.

Well, I'm off to bed. Hope that ibuprofen kicks in, or else it's going to be a loooong night. I haven't felt like this since I last played a full day of football, which coincidentally happened to be another day on which I realized I am not as young as I once was. Tell you what -- the next time I find myself in a situation with a lot of lifting of heavy boxes or some manner of high-exertion exercise, someone do me a favor and remind me ahead of time that I'm getting old and don't have the back for those shenanigans like I used to. Then point me towards this blog.

Bill, if you're reading this in hindsight, you're a dumbfuck for getting into this situation again.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Mostly musical musings.

Oh, how I do love alliteration.

So, as those of you who keep in somewhat regular touch with me may have heard, I undertook a vast organization of my iTunes catalog. I found release dates, I tracked down album art, and basically assured that everything in my library had the information that I might consider of interest. Most of you would say "wow, you're a geek, devoting a few hours to double-checking your music library." Well, you'd be partially correct. Yes, I am a geek. Very much so, thank you. However, the degree of this geekiness goes a little deeper than some of you might realize. I didn't spend a few hours on this project; I spent a few days. I burned lean tissue into the night to track down some of this stuff. I have obscure music. I have random bootlegs. I have old discs that aren't usually available online anywhere. Plus, I have a TON of music. "Now Bill, don't go exaggerating" some of you might say, but I assure you I am not exaggerating. This music library I waded through consists of 28.2 days worth of music. That's right. I could hit play on February first, and when I stumble home the night of my birthday, I would never have heard a song repeated throughout the entire month. This collection spans over forty gigs of memory, and is currently six songs shy of reaching the twelve thousand mark. I am a geek. I am a hoarder of music. I have everything from Bach organ overtures to The Roots, from A-Ha to Zoot Sims. It goes far and wide.

Now, after undertaking such a project, you might expect me to write a blog about my need to hoard music. You might expect me to write about how I need to pare down my CDs, or even to how I may die with CDs or songs in my collection that I have never heard. Alas, you'd be wrong. Instead, I will be spreading my love of music. Going through this epic list of songs has made me remember some WONDERFUL music that I haven't heard in ages.

* First and foremost, let me say this: modern jazz can't hold a torch to anything put out before 1970. It's amazing -- old Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, anything with Wes Montgomery; these guys put out an ASTOUNDING number of records, all of which are phenomenal. With modern music, jazz or otherwise, you're doing good if you can put out five albums that maintain artistic integrity throughout. Most of these guys have ten-plus gold records, plus allllll the albums which they were part of a supporting band for.

* Another interesting realization: lots of newer indie music is absurd. Sometimes that is a good thing. Sometimes it is not. I'm fascinated by bands like Explosions in the Sky, who are a band that I enjoy, who can put out albums of songs that range from five to thirteen minutes in length, all instrumental, that people are riveted by. It has long been the consternation of the surf community that the general population doesn't like instrumental music because they don't have the attention span. Despite the fact that most surf songs don't ever scratch four minutes. How can you explain it? How about the recent anachronistic trend of some of these bands? The Ditty Bops sing songs that sound like they came out of the bubblegum pop sounds of the 1940s. Circus Contraption sounds exactly like you'd imagine them to based on the band name. The Dresden Dolls remind me of everything that high school drama kids have been singing since they discovered musicals. It just seems that a lot of indie music these days is trying to push the envelope right off the table. For instance, Fleet Foxes, who are a pretty awesome band recommended to me by a friend. They call their music "baroque harmonic pop jams." Does anyone out there even know what that means? It's fascinating, and it's more musical than a lot of stuff that's coming out, but do people that haven't taken courses in theory or music history have any idea what they're talking about?

* Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are geniuses. Where else can you get an all-star punk band covering Blondie's "Heart of Glass"?

* I've realized I want to play in a band with a keyboardist. I don't care if they play straight piano-style music, or just have a knack for adding in all that cool noise that keyboards can play, I have never been in a band with a legitimate keyboardist. I'm very curious. Then again, I've hardly played in bands with a "legitimate" vocalist either. (Mel, if you're reading this, I think you're legit as all hell, but we've only played one show so far)

* I think Colin Meloy and Ben Gibbard were separated at birth. They both have great bands and unique voices. They both do solo acoustic tours. Plus, they both have that "indie hair sweep" down perfectly, along with the chunky glasses. I mean, see for yourself. Try to tell me I'm not right:
Don't be sad, Colin Meloy
ben gibbard

Eerie, isn't it? I guess I know what I have to do if I want to become a cool indie frontman -- straighten the hair, wear glasses all the time, wear western shirts, and play an acoustic.

* Early nineties "alternative" is every bit as good today as it was when it was first released. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, early Weezer, Jawbreaker, Failure -- all these albums I have from the early and mid nineties are still awesome.

* Eels is one of the most underrated bands of the last ten to fifteen years. They are the modern day Pixies. I think that E has gotten a little over-eccentric in the past few years, and while the acoustic Live at Town Hall album is good, it ain't "Beautiful Freak" or "Daisies of the Galaxy". Still, those kids set the table for a lot of modern indie bands.

I could keep going, but I've been at this for too long, and if you made it this far in one sitting, I commend you. Guess this kind of makes up for my last few days of scarcity, huh?

Oh, and in unrelated news, I saw a guy at the coffee shop tonight who was eerily like me -- he pulled his iPod and book out of a Chrome messenger bag, had plastic frame glasses, and either read or poked on his laptop while tapping his foot to whatever he was listening to at the time. It's one of those people where if it weren't weird, I'd introduce myself to because I'm pretty sure we'd have a hell of a lot in common. Oh well.