ANTICIPATION
The Chicago Bears have a chance to go to the Super Bowl today, 21 years after they went to (and won) their first. I was a freshman in high school back then and a long-suffering Bears fan (many years of Walter Payton being the old good thing about the team). It was an exciting time. Since then I had the joys of the Bulls winning 3 NBA championships in a row - twice - in the 90s and my beloved White Sox finally getting a World Series victory in 2005. The game against the New Orleans Saints is going to be a tough one and the weather could definitely play a factor - it's cold and snowy out there. I will be glued to the set come 2:00.
The Indianapolis Colts also play for a chance to go the Super Bowl today. They are my second favorite team in the NFL; I adopted them once they moved to Indy from Baltimore back in 1984. It's easy to root for both teams, since they reside in different conferences and have only played each other a number of times over the years. I always want the Bears to win but if the Colts had a better shot at the playoffs, I would be just fine with them winning those games. I have a lot of respect for Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy and the rest of the Colts and I will be rooting hard for them to beat the New England Patriots starting at 5:30. And if both the Bears and Colts make it to the Super Bowl...well, I hope I have to deal with that.
And if that's not enough for one day, tonight is the return of "Battlestar Galactica!"
This week also is the first big music release day of the year, with new albums from The Shins, The Broken West, The Autumn Defense, and The Good, the Bad, & the Queen. I've been listening to Chutes Too Narrow quite a bit in preparation for Wincing the Night Away and I think I like it even more now than I did when it came out. Just a perfect pop album. The Broken West are releasing their debut full-length, I Can't Go On I'll Go On, on Merge. I picked up their EP The Dutchman's Gold from eMusic (listed under their original name, The Brokedown) a few months back and I've come to love it. The new release features only one track in common with the EP and has been getting great word of mouth around the music blog circuit. The new self-titled Autumn Defense album was originally listed for last week but seems to have been pushed back to this week; it's the side project of John Stirratt and Pat Sansone from Wilco and tends to feature sunny 70s-type pop. The Good, the Bad, & the Queen is the new sorta supergroup with Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Paul Simonon (the Clash), the guitarist from the Verve, and production from Danger Mouse. I've heard a few tracks and will definitely pick it up.
And speaking of Wilco, word came out this week that the new album will be out May 15 and will be called Sky Blue Sky. Less than four months!
This week should also bring the 2007 Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly, always my favorite issue of the year. I read through the 2007 Preview issue of Wizard a few weeks ago, which filled me in on all the cool comics coming out...if only I could afford them all...or have the space to keep them.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
eMUSIC ROUND ELEVEN
I waited until after the first of the year to use my eMusic downloads this time around. I wanted to get through Christmas and see what new music I might end up with and also have time to process some of the previous downloads. I love being able to get all this music but sometimes it's hard to digest it all. Anyway, here's what I grabbed in the first few days of 2007...
Cold War Kids/Robbers & Cowards - I'd been digging this band when I heard them on KEXP, so I finally ordered their 2 EPs from earlier this year. While they were on route, I learned that they had a full-length coming that included almost all of the songs from those EPs plus 2 new ones. I was a bit annoyed. But I finally decided to grab this and gave the EPs to Graham. Now he's a fan as well and we're going to go see them in concert in March (Tokyo Police Club is playing too).
Canasta/We Were Set Up - This was Trevor's favorite album of 2006 over at Creekside, so I had to give it a shot. Of course, it's quite good. They do that nice indie rock epic sweep kinda thing as well as the more contained songs. Hmm, did that make any sense?
Tom Waits/Orphans: Brawlers - Can you believe I've never bought any Tom Waits before this? My brother is a huge fan and I've always liked Waits' stuff. So I grabbed just the first disc of his new compilation with plans to get the other 2 discs in subsequent months. Not every song is a winner but many of them are. Love that rasp.
The Mountain Goats/Tallahassee - I have become obsessed with John Darnielle and I have made it my mission to get as much Mountain Goats music as I can in 2007. Seriously, obsessed.
Superchunk/Here's to Shutting Up - I'm a big fan of Mac's other band, Portastatic, but I thought I'd give Superchunk a whirl. I like it, of course. Quite a bit. Another band I wish I'd paid attention to years ago...
I waited until after the first of the year to use my eMusic downloads this time around. I wanted to get through Christmas and see what new music I might end up with and also have time to process some of the previous downloads. I love being able to get all this music but sometimes it's hard to digest it all. Anyway, here's what I grabbed in the first few days of 2007...
Cold War Kids/Robbers & Cowards - I'd been digging this band when I heard them on KEXP, so I finally ordered their 2 EPs from earlier this year. While they were on route, I learned that they had a full-length coming that included almost all of the songs from those EPs plus 2 new ones. I was a bit annoyed. But I finally decided to grab this and gave the EPs to Graham. Now he's a fan as well and we're going to go see them in concert in March (Tokyo Police Club is playing too).
Canasta/We Were Set Up - This was Trevor's favorite album of 2006 over at Creekside, so I had to give it a shot. Of course, it's quite good. They do that nice indie rock epic sweep kinda thing as well as the more contained songs. Hmm, did that make any sense?
Tom Waits/Orphans: Brawlers - Can you believe I've never bought any Tom Waits before this? My brother is a huge fan and I've always liked Waits' stuff. So I grabbed just the first disc of his new compilation with plans to get the other 2 discs in subsequent months. Not every song is a winner but many of them are. Love that rasp.
The Mountain Goats/Tallahassee - I have become obsessed with John Darnielle and I have made it my mission to get as much Mountain Goats music as I can in 2007. Seriously, obsessed.
Superchunk/Here's to Shutting Up - I'm a big fan of Mac's other band, Portastatic, but I thought I'd give Superchunk a whirl. I like it, of course. Quite a bit. Another band I wish I'd paid attention to years ago...
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #21
Yes, I've missed my Sunday shuffle. And yes, there's not as much of my music loaded onto iTunes as there used to be but there are still plenty of artists and albums that I can get a variety. No guarantee that this will be back every week but for today it's here once again...
1. PCH One/Pernice Brothers (17) - One of the songs on my Top Ten 2006 mix
2. Palmcorder Yajna/The Mountain Goats (8) - I'm a little obsessed with John Darnielle these days
3. The Chinatown Bus/Bishop Allen (4) - Another song from Top Ten 2006
4. Meet Me in the City/The Black Keys (8) - I've only listened to the Chulahoma EP a couple times through but I love hearing the songs when they pop up in shuffle mode
5. Shot in the Arm/Jeff Tweedy (3) - A digital download for buying his 2006 DVD; it features Jeff screwing up the song for the first 2 minutes
6. The Weakest Part/Yo La Tengo (4) - You know, I just realized I didn't make it all the way through this album the last time I listened to it because it was time to go to bed. I never went back to finish either. Oops.
7. Endless Supply/Pernice Brothers (7) - I listened to a lot of Pernice Brothers the last 4 months or so of the year. Nothing wrong with that at all!
8. Instrumental 2/Wilco (6) - Yes, I purged most of my Wilco from iTunes but my demos from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot are still here...
9. Losin You/Amy Millan (5) - This is really one of the more underrated albums of 2006 and I still haven't listened to it enough
10. Rubies/Destroyer (6) - This is another of those albums I haven't listened to all the way through more than 2 or 3 times but I love hearing the tunes in shuffle
Yes, I've missed my Sunday shuffle. And yes, there's not as much of my music loaded onto iTunes as there used to be but there are still plenty of artists and albums that I can get a variety. No guarantee that this will be back every week but for today it's here once again...
1. PCH One/Pernice Brothers (17) - One of the songs on my Top Ten 2006 mix
2. Palmcorder Yajna/The Mountain Goats (8) - I'm a little obsessed with John Darnielle these days
3. The Chinatown Bus/Bishop Allen (4) - Another song from Top Ten 2006
4. Meet Me in the City/The Black Keys (8) - I've only listened to the Chulahoma EP a couple times through but I love hearing the songs when they pop up in shuffle mode
5. Shot in the Arm/Jeff Tweedy (3) - A digital download for buying his 2006 DVD; it features Jeff screwing up the song for the first 2 minutes
6. The Weakest Part/Yo La Tengo (4) - You know, I just realized I didn't make it all the way through this album the last time I listened to it because it was time to go to bed. I never went back to finish either. Oops.
7. Endless Supply/Pernice Brothers (7) - I listened to a lot of Pernice Brothers the last 4 months or so of the year. Nothing wrong with that at all!
8. Instrumental 2/Wilco (6) - Yes, I purged most of my Wilco from iTunes but my demos from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot are still here...
9. Losin You/Amy Millan (5) - This is really one of the more underrated albums of 2006 and I still haven't listened to it enough
10. Rubies/Destroyer (6) - This is another of those albums I haven't listened to all the way through more than 2 or 3 times but I love hearing the tunes in shuffle
TWENTY DAYS
I've only managed 9 posts so far this year and I've been doing things a bit differently, so I thought I'd throw up this recap of the first 20 days...
I haven't read any books yet this year. In fact, I haven't even started one. I've still been focusing on catching up on my SF magazines, which I put off for months at the end of last year so I could try and get close to my goal of 40 books. Granted, this doesn't get me off to a very good start in trying to hit 40 books this year either but I like keeping up with the field (I still would like to be a part of it myself). So, I've read 22 stories so far. I've also read 6 single issues of comics (3 of 52 and one each of Fell, Justice Society of America, and Superman), one trade (Fables: Wolves), and one original hardcover graphic novel (Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall). Plus, issues of Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly.
I've seen one movie in the theater (Night at the Museum). I've watched three movies on DVD - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Talladega Nights, and Little Miss Sunshine. I've watched 17 episodes of 24 Season 2, bringing me up to 1 AM of that day in Jack Bauer's life. I've watched 8 episodes of The Office Season 2 as well as deleted scenes from those eps and 5 commentaries. And I've watched 7 episode of The Simpsons Season 8. Don't you just love DVDs?
I love TV too, of course. I've watched all the new episodes of "The Sports Reporters," "24," "How I Met Your Mother," "Friday Night Lights," "Knights of Prosperity," "My Name Is Earl," "The Office," "Scrubs," and "30 Rock." I've watched as much "NFL Live" as I could as well as all the NFL playoffs I could possibly see. Lots of "Sportscenter" and ESPN in general and parts of Bulls games and other NBA and NCAA games. And random shows here and there as well.
I've listened to a ton of music too...it's impossible to keep track of. Sometimes I think it would be fun to keep track and have a record of my music-listening habits for a year. I tried at the start of this year but unless I force myself to write it all down there's no way to remember everything. And that's fine. If I love DVDs and TV, I love music even more.
I guess that's about it. All this listing can't continue for the whole year obviously; I couldn't even sustain it for 20 days. But the blog is always whatever I want it to be for how long I keep it up. So maybe there will be some more listing. Maybe it will revert back to occasional reviews. Who knows?
I've only managed 9 posts so far this year and I've been doing things a bit differently, so I thought I'd throw up this recap of the first 20 days...
I haven't read any books yet this year. In fact, I haven't even started one. I've still been focusing on catching up on my SF magazines, which I put off for months at the end of last year so I could try and get close to my goal of 40 books. Granted, this doesn't get me off to a very good start in trying to hit 40 books this year either but I like keeping up with the field (I still would like to be a part of it myself). So, I've read 22 stories so far. I've also read 6 single issues of comics (3 of 52 and one each of Fell, Justice Society of America, and Superman), one trade (Fables: Wolves), and one original hardcover graphic novel (Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall). Plus, issues of Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly.
I've seen one movie in the theater (Night at the Museum). I've watched three movies on DVD - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Talladega Nights, and Little Miss Sunshine. I've watched 17 episodes of 24 Season 2, bringing me up to 1 AM of that day in Jack Bauer's life. I've watched 8 episodes of The Office Season 2 as well as deleted scenes from those eps and 5 commentaries. And I've watched 7 episode of The Simpsons Season 8. Don't you just love DVDs?
I love TV too, of course. I've watched all the new episodes of "The Sports Reporters," "24," "How I Met Your Mother," "Friday Night Lights," "Knights of Prosperity," "My Name Is Earl," "The Office," "Scrubs," and "30 Rock." I've watched as much "NFL Live" as I could as well as all the NFL playoffs I could possibly see. Lots of "Sportscenter" and ESPN in general and parts of Bulls games and other NBA and NCAA games. And random shows here and there as well.
I've listened to a ton of music too...it's impossible to keep track of. Sometimes I think it would be fun to keep track and have a record of my music-listening habits for a year. I tried at the start of this year but unless I force myself to write it all down there's no way to remember everything. And that's fine. If I love DVDs and TV, I love music even more.
I guess that's about it. All this listing can't continue for the whole year obviously; I couldn't even sustain it for 20 days. But the blog is always whatever I want it to be for how long I keep it up. So maybe there will be some more listing. Maybe it will revert back to occasional reviews. Who knows?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
SMALL SERVINGS
I didn't get around to much of anything yesterday. The huge post and three-and-a-half hours straight in the water and errands and cooking and all of that took up most of my day. Still, I did manage to ingest some small helpings of pop culture.
Two new TV shows last night - "Friday Night Lights" and "Knights of Prosperity." The first gave us the least amount of football yet, as the cast was waiting around to find out if they'd back into the playoffs (in an ep titled "What to Do While You're Waiting"). Lots of relationship work between Matt Saracen and his father, Smash and Waverly, Tyra and her mother, and Lyla and Jason. I'm not sure who the music supervisor is for the show but they do a great job - last week's ep had Tom Petty, Spoon, and Sparklehorse and while I don't know specifics from last night the music was just as appealing. Plus, it's all wrapped up with Exlposions in the Sky.
The other show made me laugh just as much as the first episode last week, if not more. "Operation: Seduce Simone" was just that - they sent their virgin intern to occupy the women with all of Mick Jagger's security codes. The writing is sharp and the cast is great - both Gary and Rockafella threaten to steal the show each time. And I think Simone was played by the actress who played Michelle on "24."
Speaking of "24," I only managed one episode of Season 2 yesterday. That brings me to 9 PM on that day's timeline. They thought they had the bomb...but they didn't. And President Palmer learns something he already knew in his heart. Oh, and Kim Bauer makes another mistake.
I also read 52 #36, which features the death of one of my favorite characters, the continuing decline of another favorite, a return to form for another character (never one of my favorites), a huge clue in the mystery of Supernova, and really solid art from Jamal Igle and Keith Champagne in a story titled "How to Win A War in Space."
I listened to parts of albums by The Shins, The Mountain Goats, and The Autumn Defense and watched the usual sports-related stuff as well.
I didn't get around to much of anything yesterday. The huge post and three-and-a-half hours straight in the water and errands and cooking and all of that took up most of my day. Still, I did manage to ingest some small helpings of pop culture.
Two new TV shows last night - "Friday Night Lights" and "Knights of Prosperity." The first gave us the least amount of football yet, as the cast was waiting around to find out if they'd back into the playoffs (in an ep titled "What to Do While You're Waiting"). Lots of relationship work between Matt Saracen and his father, Smash and Waverly, Tyra and her mother, and Lyla and Jason. I'm not sure who the music supervisor is for the show but they do a great job - last week's ep had Tom Petty, Spoon, and Sparklehorse and while I don't know specifics from last night the music was just as appealing. Plus, it's all wrapped up with Exlposions in the Sky.
The other show made me laugh just as much as the first episode last week, if not more. "Operation: Seduce Simone" was just that - they sent their virgin intern to occupy the women with all of Mick Jagger's security codes. The writing is sharp and the cast is great - both Gary and Rockafella threaten to steal the show each time. And I think Simone was played by the actress who played Michelle on "24."
Speaking of "24," I only managed one episode of Season 2 yesterday. That brings me to 9 PM on that day's timeline. They thought they had the bomb...but they didn't. And President Palmer learns something he already knew in his heart. Oh, and Kim Bauer makes another mistake.
I also read 52 #36, which features the death of one of my favorite characters, the continuing decline of another favorite, a return to form for another character (never one of my favorites), a huge clue in the mystery of Supernova, and really solid art from Jamal Igle and Keith Champagne in a story titled "How to Win A War in Space."
I listened to parts of albums by The Shins, The Mountain Goats, and The Autumn Defense and watched the usual sports-related stuff as well.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
HICCUP
It's easy to get off track, isn't it? You get busy and then trying to catch up seems so daunting that you just give up for a while. Or at least that's what I've done over the course of the blog. Not the worst thing in the world, obviously, but it does become a pattern. That happened over this past weekend and then I started work on Monday and here we are at Wednesday morning already. I'll do my best to cover what I've been taking in the last few days...
I've been spending quite a bit of my time watching 24 Season 2. Last night I finished the 12th episode, getting me halfway through the series and up to 8:00 PM on the day when Jack has to stop a nuclear bomb from exploding in L.A. I'll have more to say once I finish the season, which I hope to get done before Season 6 starts on Sunday night.
As I mentioned the other night, Jill and I watched three more eps of The Office Season 2 - "The Fire," "Halloween" and "The Fight." The show is so funny and uncomfortable all at the same time. How great was the fight at Dwight's dojo between he and Michael?
Speaking of "The Office," I also saw the new ep from last week, "Back From Vacation." Steve Carell was just brilliant - his walk up the warehouse stairs when Jan wanted to talk to him through his reaction to what she tells him...wow. I also watched the rest of the comedy Thursday night lineup on NBC: "Scrubs" ("My House"); "My Name Is Earl" ("Our 'Cops' Is On"); and, for the first time, "30 Rock" ("The Baby Show"). I'd been reading some good things about that last one...the jury is still out for me. I'll give it another try this week.
Grant and I also continued our viewing of The Simpsons Season 8 with "Homer's Phobia" and "The Brother From Another Series." The first one has John Waters guest-starring as a gay man whom Homer has a problem with and the second is the introduction of Sideshow Bob's brother Cecil, played by David Hyde Pierce. Good stuff.
I've also watched the newest "How I Met Your Mother" ("First Time in New York"), as well as plenty of sports-related shows and all the of the NFL playoffs I could catch and partss of Bulls games and the Florida/Ohio State game and some college basketball and so forth.
On Monday, I finished the Dec. 2006 issue of F&SF. It lead off with another Guth Bandar tale by Matthew Hughes, "Bye the Rules"; I really like Hughes and these stories about the collective unconscious are very well done and such a cool idea (the collective unconscious has become conscious is recent stories). We also got a new M. Rickert story, "The Christmas Witch." There was plenty to like but it's not one of my favorites of her work. "Dazzle the Pundit" by Scott Bradfield and "Damascus" by Daryl Gregory were solid - the former being a lighthearted tale of a talking dog who become a lecturer at a German university and the latter being a darker tale of women deliberately infecting others with a disease that allows them to see hallucinations they believe are manifestations of God. And it's not F&SF without a Robert Reed tale - this one ("Pills Forever") deals with the realities of how people have to live in order to have long, long lives. Not his best but he is always, always worth reading. I also skipped the Susanna Clarke story, since I just read it in her collection a few months ago.
Comics? Check. I read Fables: Wolves, the 8th trade collection of the Vertigo series (I'll probably go a bit into depth on this soon). I also read 52 #35 and Fell #6.
Here's the music I've been listening to: Band of Horses, Starlight Mints, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Pernice Brothers, My Morning Jacket, The Mountain Goats, Ben Kweller, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Nada Surf, Tapes 'n Tapes, Led Zeppelin, The Shins, and the 5 albums I've recently downloaded from eMusic (more on those very soon). And John in the Morning on KEXP.
I think I'm about caught up...
It's easy to get off track, isn't it? You get busy and then trying to catch up seems so daunting that you just give up for a while. Or at least that's what I've done over the course of the blog. Not the worst thing in the world, obviously, but it does become a pattern. That happened over this past weekend and then I started work on Monday and here we are at Wednesday morning already. I'll do my best to cover what I've been taking in the last few days...
I've been spending quite a bit of my time watching 24 Season 2. Last night I finished the 12th episode, getting me halfway through the series and up to 8:00 PM on the day when Jack has to stop a nuclear bomb from exploding in L.A. I'll have more to say once I finish the season, which I hope to get done before Season 6 starts on Sunday night.
As I mentioned the other night, Jill and I watched three more eps of The Office Season 2 - "The Fire," "Halloween" and "The Fight." The show is so funny and uncomfortable all at the same time. How great was the fight at Dwight's dojo between he and Michael?
Speaking of "The Office," I also saw the new ep from last week, "Back From Vacation." Steve Carell was just brilliant - his walk up the warehouse stairs when Jan wanted to talk to him through his reaction to what she tells him...wow. I also watched the rest of the comedy Thursday night lineup on NBC: "Scrubs" ("My House"); "My Name Is Earl" ("Our 'Cops' Is On"); and, for the first time, "30 Rock" ("The Baby Show"). I'd been reading some good things about that last one...the jury is still out for me. I'll give it another try this week.
Grant and I also continued our viewing of The Simpsons Season 8 with "Homer's Phobia" and "The Brother From Another Series." The first one has John Waters guest-starring as a gay man whom Homer has a problem with and the second is the introduction of Sideshow Bob's brother Cecil, played by David Hyde Pierce. Good stuff.
I've also watched the newest "How I Met Your Mother" ("First Time in New York"), as well as plenty of sports-related shows and all the of the NFL playoffs I could catch and partss of Bulls games and the Florida/Ohio State game and some college basketball and so forth.
On Monday, I finished the Dec. 2006 issue of F&SF. It lead off with another Guth Bandar tale by Matthew Hughes, "Bye the Rules"; I really like Hughes and these stories about the collective unconscious are very well done and such a cool idea (the collective unconscious has become conscious is recent stories). We also got a new M. Rickert story, "The Christmas Witch." There was plenty to like but it's not one of my favorites of her work. "Dazzle the Pundit" by Scott Bradfield and "Damascus" by Daryl Gregory were solid - the former being a lighthearted tale of a talking dog who become a lecturer at a German university and the latter being a darker tale of women deliberately infecting others with a disease that allows them to see hallucinations they believe are manifestations of God. And it's not F&SF without a Robert Reed tale - this one ("Pills Forever") deals with the realities of how people have to live in order to have long, long lives. Not his best but he is always, always worth reading. I also skipped the Susanna Clarke story, since I just read it in her collection a few months ago.
Comics? Check. I read Fables: Wolves, the 8th trade collection of the Vertigo series (I'll probably go a bit into depth on this soon). I also read 52 #35 and Fell #6.
Here's the music I've been listening to: Band of Horses, Starlight Mints, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Pernice Brothers, My Morning Jacket, The Mountain Goats, Ben Kweller, Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, Nada Surf, Tapes 'n Tapes, Led Zeppelin, The Shins, and the 5 albums I've recently downloaded from eMusic (more on those very soon). And John in the Morning on KEXP.
I think I'm about caught up...
Friday, January 05, 2007
INSTEAD
Instead of doing a nice big post I'm going to pop open a beer and continue watching deleted scenes and some commentaries from "The Office." It's pretty safe to say I'm obsessed. And if not that, I'll be watching "24." Christmas presents are great, aren't they?
Now playing: "The Latest Toughs" by Okkervil River
Instead of doing a nice big post I'm going to pop open a beer and continue watching deleted scenes and some commentaries from "The Office." It's pretty safe to say I'm obsessed. And if not that, I'll be watching "24." Christmas presents are great, aren't they?
Now playing: "The Latest Toughs" by Okkervil River
Thursday, January 04, 2007
TELLING TIME IN INDIANA
That's the title of a new song played by my friend Adam Roney at open mic tonight. It's good. I'm getting to this post late because a bunch of us went out to a Mexican place after we all played our two songs (I did "Woke Up," which got a compliment from one of the owners, and "Holding Pattern"). So, you're not going to get much in the way of depth tonight.
I was going to get to an album review but that will have to wait. I was going to finish the trade I started last night but that will also have to wait. I'm in the middle of an episode of "24," though I did get through "9 AM - 10 AM" (I'm somewhere around 10:30 AM). I finally downloaded something from eMusic today - still have 53 tracks to go before next Thursday. Finished the Cash in the car and started some Pernice Brothers. Got some laundry done. Cooked dinner. Did the dishes. Now listening to the bonus tracks from Boys and Girls in America. Good night!
That's the title of a new song played by my friend Adam Roney at open mic tonight. It's good. I'm getting to this post late because a bunch of us went out to a Mexican place after we all played our two songs (I did "Woke Up," which got a compliment from one of the owners, and "Holding Pattern"). So, you're not going to get much in the way of depth tonight.
I was going to get to an album review but that will have to wait. I was going to finish the trade I started last night but that will also have to wait. I'm in the middle of an episode of "24," though I did get through "9 AM - 10 AM" (I'm somewhere around 10:30 AM). I finally downloaded something from eMusic today - still have 53 tracks to go before next Thursday. Finished the Cash in the car and started some Pernice Brothers. Got some laundry done. Cooked dinner. Did the dishes. Now listening to the bonus tracks from Boys and Girls in America. Good night!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
MORE 2s
I finished the Dec. Asimov's today by reading two more stories. First up was "The Golden Record" by Ian Creasey, about a future where space travel is only done to find relics of the current space age...Voyager 2 in this case. There's a world government but the remnants of the U.S. want to start exploring the galaxy again; others want to hear the "golden record" that was placed on V2 because Carl Sagan supposedly hid a message about a revolutionary new technology he didn't think the world was ready for. I liked it quite a bit.
Then it was Swanwick time. Michael Swanwick is one of my favorite writers and he has been publishing few and far between lately. "Lord Weary's Empire" continues a sequence that started a while back; in fact, the last story was 2 years ago and I don't remember it so well (he has published a couple stories in a different setting since that one). Still, that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this one at all - half-fairy creatures, action, mystery, and subterranean mysteries - how can you go wrong? I believe this is from his upcoming novel, King Dragon, or at least related. Hope that comes out this year.
I'm going to read the Dec. F&SF before I get to my first book of the year. That will still leave me with two months worth of each magazine but closer to catching up to the current arrivals in my mailbox each month. That also gives me time to decide what that first book will be.
I watched 2 new comedies tonight on ABC, both titled "Pilot Episode" (original, I know). "The Knights of Prosperity" lived up to its billing, with Donal Logue as the down-on-his-luck lead who comes up with the idea of robbing Mick Jagger. He assembles a less-than-crack crew, the "Knights" of the title. My favorite bit had the group gaining an intern. This is going on my regular viewing schedule.
The other was the lesser "In Case of Emergency." It wasn't particularly funny, though it wasn't as bad as say, "The Class." I may give it another chance, if only for the hotness that is Kelly Hu.
I also caught 2 episodes of dramas. There was a new episode of "Friday Night Lights" tonight, "Nevermind." I really like the show. The acting works for me and the series is about so much more than football. I liked the focus on Matt Saracen, whose father came home from Iraq on leave...things didn't go quite how he hoped. Paralyzed former QB Jason Street continued to work through his feelings towards Lyla as well (isn't Minka Kelly a cutie?). And all praise to Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton as the coach and his wife.
I also watched the first episode of 24 Season 2 on DVD. Every time Jack Bauer thinks he's out, the threat of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles pulls him back in! Can't wait to watch more...
Did the usual sports talk hour of "ATH" and "PTI" with "NFL Live" thrown in as well. Listened to the latest podcast from The Interface with The Slip; they sounded pretty good - anyone heard the album?
Got 2 new pop culture goodies today - the new Fables trade (which I may start before bed) and 24 Season 3 (Best Buy was selling all the seasons for $19.99 each!).
I started on the latest Johnny Cash in the car this morning and am currently listening to The Whigs' Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip. That is all.
I finished the Dec. Asimov's today by reading two more stories. First up was "The Golden Record" by Ian Creasey, about a future where space travel is only done to find relics of the current space age...Voyager 2 in this case. There's a world government but the remnants of the U.S. want to start exploring the galaxy again; others want to hear the "golden record" that was placed on V2 because Carl Sagan supposedly hid a message about a revolutionary new technology he didn't think the world was ready for. I liked it quite a bit.
Then it was Swanwick time. Michael Swanwick is one of my favorite writers and he has been publishing few and far between lately. "Lord Weary's Empire" continues a sequence that started a while back; in fact, the last story was 2 years ago and I don't remember it so well (he has published a couple stories in a different setting since that one). Still, that didn't diminish my enjoyment of this one at all - half-fairy creatures, action, mystery, and subterranean mysteries - how can you go wrong? I believe this is from his upcoming novel, King Dragon, or at least related. Hope that comes out this year.
I'm going to read the Dec. F&SF before I get to my first book of the year. That will still leave me with two months worth of each magazine but closer to catching up to the current arrivals in my mailbox each month. That also gives me time to decide what that first book will be.
I watched 2 new comedies tonight on ABC, both titled "Pilot Episode" (original, I know). "The Knights of Prosperity" lived up to its billing, with Donal Logue as the down-on-his-luck lead who comes up with the idea of robbing Mick Jagger. He assembles a less-than-crack crew, the "Knights" of the title. My favorite bit had the group gaining an intern. This is going on my regular viewing schedule.
The other was the lesser "In Case of Emergency." It wasn't particularly funny, though it wasn't as bad as say, "The Class." I may give it another chance, if only for the hotness that is Kelly Hu.
I also caught 2 episodes of dramas. There was a new episode of "Friday Night Lights" tonight, "Nevermind." I really like the show. The acting works for me and the series is about so much more than football. I liked the focus on Matt Saracen, whose father came home from Iraq on leave...things didn't go quite how he hoped. Paralyzed former QB Jason Street continued to work through his feelings towards Lyla as well (isn't Minka Kelly a cutie?). And all praise to Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton as the coach and his wife.
I also watched the first episode of 24 Season 2 on DVD. Every time Jack Bauer thinks he's out, the threat of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles pulls him back in! Can't wait to watch more...
Did the usual sports talk hour of "ATH" and "PTI" with "NFL Live" thrown in as well. Listened to the latest podcast from The Interface with The Slip; they sounded pretty good - anyone heard the album?
Got 2 new pop culture goodies today - the new Fables trade (which I may start before bed) and 24 Season 3 (Best Buy was selling all the seasons for $19.99 each!).
I started on the latest Johnny Cash in the car this morning and am currently listening to The Whigs' Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip. That is all.
2x2
I got just a handful of CDs for Christmas and I bought 3 out of the 5 with cash I received; my eMusic subscription meant I got a lot more music than usual this past year. I've now listened to two of them two times each and I thought I'd share some quick thoughts.
My brother bought me the new Beatles album, Love, which was a perfect gift. I'd heard good things (and really, how could it not be good?) but hadn't gotten around to picking it up. The cool aspect of this new album is that the familiar songs are mashed up, with bits of several songs coming together to make something new but still 100% Beatles. This works really well - for example, the drumbeat from "The Word" forms the basis of "Drive My Car" with "What You're Doing" thrown in and what sounds like the guitar solo from "I'm Only Sleeping," or when "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" crashes down into the riff of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." Fun stuff. There's also a beautiful acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with a newly-created string part by George Martin. Hearing great music in new ways and getting to play sonic detective while doing it - how cool is that?
I bought myself Band of Horses' Everything All the Time, which I'd been meaning to pick up ever since I heard a few songs on KEXP. The obvious touchstone here is My Morning Jacket, which isn't a bad thing. They have a nice ringing, jangling sound with soaring vocals like "The Great Salt Lake" and quieter more acoustic songs like "St. Augustine." I haven't even begun to parse the lyrics but I still am glad I picked it up. Looking forward to digging into it more too.
I got just a handful of CDs for Christmas and I bought 3 out of the 5 with cash I received; my eMusic subscription meant I got a lot more music than usual this past year. I've now listened to two of them two times each and I thought I'd share some quick thoughts.
My brother bought me the new Beatles album, Love, which was a perfect gift. I'd heard good things (and really, how could it not be good?) but hadn't gotten around to picking it up. The cool aspect of this new album is that the familiar songs are mashed up, with bits of several songs coming together to make something new but still 100% Beatles. This works really well - for example, the drumbeat from "The Word" forms the basis of "Drive My Car" with "What You're Doing" thrown in and what sounds like the guitar solo from "I'm Only Sleeping," or when "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite" crashes down into the riff of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." Fun stuff. There's also a beautiful acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with a newly-created string part by George Martin. Hearing great music in new ways and getting to play sonic detective while doing it - how cool is that?
I bought myself Band of Horses' Everything All the Time, which I'd been meaning to pick up ever since I heard a few songs on KEXP. The obvious touchstone here is My Morning Jacket, which isn't a bad thing. They have a nice ringing, jangling sound with soaring vocals like "The Great Salt Lake" and quieter more acoustic songs like "St. Augustine." I haven't even begun to parse the lyrics but I still am glad I picked it up. Looking forward to digging into it more too.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM DAY
One of our goals this year is to get Grant to expand his horizons when it comes to movies, to move away from only seeing animated features. One of my goals is to get out to the movies more. Those two goals came together today when we saw "Night At the Museum." All three of us enjoyed the film quite a bit. It's got your big special effects and your smaller character moments and your humor. Plus, Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney. A highly entertaining way to spend close to two hours.
Grant and I also got back to our DVD-watching; we're in the middle of 3 box sets and he got a lot more for Christmas. We had left off on disc 2 of The Simpsons Season 8, doing the commentaries. But we decided we should start off with an actual episode and moved to the disc 3 opener, "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show," a classic where Homer becomes the voice of a new addition to the venerable cartoon within the cartoon series. Cram it with walnuts, ugly! Oh, we also saw a new previws for The Simpsons movie and Grant was laughing hysterically - that is definitely on the summer movie schedule for the Steiners.
Jill and I started on The Office Season 2 tonight, knocking out the first 3 episodes - "The Dundies," "Sexual Harassment," and "Office Olympics." John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer just knock it out the park. I also watched the commentary for "Diversity Day" from Season 1.
Three more stories from Asimov's today as well..."Immunity" by Susan Forest, "Safe!" by Brian W. Aldiss, and "A Dying Fall" by Christopher Priest. All solid work but nothing I feel the need to write about.
I wrote this entry while listening to Spoon's Loveways and also listened to about two-thirds of Love, the new Beatles album (more on that soon). Add "NFL Live" and "Around the Horn" and "PTI" and some "Sportscenter" and the Bulls game and a little of the IU/OSU game and some general flipping and that was pretty much my day. Oh, and KEXP.
Question: Is this more boring than usual?
One of our goals this year is to get Grant to expand his horizons when it comes to movies, to move away from only seeing animated features. One of my goals is to get out to the movies more. Those two goals came together today when we saw "Night At the Museum." All three of us enjoyed the film quite a bit. It's got your big special effects and your smaller character moments and your humor. Plus, Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney. A highly entertaining way to spend close to two hours.
Grant and I also got back to our DVD-watching; we're in the middle of 3 box sets and he got a lot more for Christmas. We had left off on disc 2 of The Simpsons Season 8, doing the commentaries. But we decided we should start off with an actual episode and moved to the disc 3 opener, "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show," a classic where Homer becomes the voice of a new addition to the venerable cartoon within the cartoon series. Cram it with walnuts, ugly! Oh, we also saw a new previws for The Simpsons movie and Grant was laughing hysterically - that is definitely on the summer movie schedule for the Steiners.
Jill and I started on The Office Season 2 tonight, knocking out the first 3 episodes - "The Dundies," "Sexual Harassment," and "Office Olympics." John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer just knock it out the park. I also watched the commentary for "Diversity Day" from Season 1.
Three more stories from Asimov's today as well..."Immunity" by Susan Forest, "Safe!" by Brian W. Aldiss, and "A Dying Fall" by Christopher Priest. All solid work but nothing I feel the need to write about.
I wrote this entry while listening to Spoon's Loveways and also listened to about two-thirds of Love, the new Beatles album (more on that soon). Add "NFL Live" and "Around the Horn" and "PTI" and some "Sportscenter" and the Bulls game and a little of the IU/OSU game and some general flipping and that was pretty much my day. Oh, and KEXP.
Question: Is this more boring than usual?
LAST NIGHT'S LOG
I listened to 2 more albums last night - Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy and Sloan's One Chord to Another. We should get a new Okkervil River album in 2007 and Sloan's double album came out in Canada a couple months ago and will get a U.S. release next week (an eMusic grab, for sure).
I also read another story in the Dec. Asimov's - Robert Reed's "Plausible." It's the story of a Winter Solstice parade on a future planet, full of inventive creatures and good writing. A typical Reed story, really; I find him to be one of the best short story writers in any genre. I didn't quite get the ending, though. Happens.
Finally, I continued moving through The Office Season 1 DVD (Jill and I watched the last two eps of the season and the deleted scenes on New Year's Eve) by listening to both commentaries for the pilot episode. I only starting watching the show somewhere in the middle of Season 2, so all of this has been new to me. I absolutely love the interaction between Jim and Dwight...might be my favorite part of the show.
I listened to 2 more albums last night - Okkervil River's Black Sheep Boy and Sloan's One Chord to Another. We should get a new Okkervil River album in 2007 and Sloan's double album came out in Canada a couple months ago and will get a U.S. release next week (an eMusic grab, for sure).
I also read another story in the Dec. Asimov's - Robert Reed's "Plausible." It's the story of a Winter Solstice parade on a future planet, full of inventive creatures and good writing. A typical Reed story, really; I find him to be one of the best short story writers in any genre. I didn't quite get the ending, though. Happens.
Finally, I continued moving through The Office Season 1 DVD (Jill and I watched the last two eps of the season and the deleted scenes on New Year's Eve) by listening to both commentaries for the pilot episode. I only starting watching the show somewhere in the middle of Season 2, so all of this has been new to me. I absolutely love the interaction between Jim and Dwight...might be my favorite part of the show.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Sunday, December 31, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #19/20
Welcome to the year-end "double issue" of Sunday Shuffle. I loaded a bunch of albums onto iTunes this week for the aborted best-of 2006 mix, so things could be interesting today. I have also decided that this will be the last of this feature - we have over 18 GB in iTunes right now and I need to clear a lot of stuff out that doesn't need to be there. And this has really run its course anyway, I think. So, here we go...
1. The Fitted Shirt/Spoon (4) - Last played on Aug. 19
2. Everything Hits At Once/Spoon (11) - Last played on Dec. 8
3. Dory Previn/Camera Obscura (7) - Last played on Nov. 29
4. Sweetness and Life/Portastatic (11) - Last played on Dec. 26
5. Darling We're Out of Time/Cracker (6) - Last played on Dec. 27
6. Quiet Town/Josh Rouse (22) - Last played on Dec. 21
7. Violin For Mom/Kathleen Edwards (8) - Last played on Dec. 27
8. Hot Soft Light/The Hold Steady (13) - Last played on Dec. 20
9. White Collar Boy/Belle and Sebastian (6) - Last played on Dec. 13
10. Can't Hear You Coming/The Whigs (4) - Last played on Dec. 20
11. Hang Me Up To Dry/Cold War Kids (1) - Last played whenever I listened to Up In Rags on CD
12. The Other Shoe/Eels (3) - Last played on Nov. 20
13. Should've Been In Love/Wilco (5) - Last played on Nov. 18
14. Guide Down Denied/Grandaddy (6) - Last played on Dec. 22
15. What's The World Got In Store/Wilco (9) - Last played on Dec. 17
16. Left And Right/Brendan Benson (8) - Last played on Oct. 1
17. Box Full of Letters/Wilco (6) - Last played on Dec. 22
18. Same Kooks/The Hold Steady (14) - Last played on Dec. 20
19. The Riverside/Cracker (6) - Last played on Oct. 7
20. Nobody But You/The Black Keys (7) - Last played on Nov. 5
Welcome to the year-end "double issue" of Sunday Shuffle. I loaded a bunch of albums onto iTunes this week for the aborted best-of 2006 mix, so things could be interesting today. I have also decided that this will be the last of this feature - we have over 18 GB in iTunes right now and I need to clear a lot of stuff out that doesn't need to be there. And this has really run its course anyway, I think. So, here we go...
1. The Fitted Shirt/Spoon (4) - Last played on Aug. 19
2. Everything Hits At Once/Spoon (11) - Last played on Dec. 8
3. Dory Previn/Camera Obscura (7) - Last played on Nov. 29
4. Sweetness and Life/Portastatic (11) - Last played on Dec. 26
5. Darling We're Out of Time/Cracker (6) - Last played on Dec. 27
6. Quiet Town/Josh Rouse (22) - Last played on Dec. 21
7. Violin For Mom/Kathleen Edwards (8) - Last played on Dec. 27
8. Hot Soft Light/The Hold Steady (13) - Last played on Dec. 20
9. White Collar Boy/Belle and Sebastian (6) - Last played on Dec. 13
10. Can't Hear You Coming/The Whigs (4) - Last played on Dec. 20
11. Hang Me Up To Dry/Cold War Kids (1) - Last played whenever I listened to Up In Rags on CD
12. The Other Shoe/Eels (3) - Last played on Nov. 20
13. Should've Been In Love/Wilco (5) - Last played on Nov. 18
14. Guide Down Denied/Grandaddy (6) - Last played on Dec. 22
15. What's The World Got In Store/Wilco (9) - Last played on Dec. 17
16. Left And Right/Brendan Benson (8) - Last played on Oct. 1
17. Box Full of Letters/Wilco (6) - Last played on Dec. 22
18. Same Kooks/The Hold Steady (14) - Last played on Dec. 20
19. The Riverside/Cracker (6) - Last played on Oct. 7
20. Nobody But You/The Black Keys (7) - Last played on Nov. 5
Friday, December 29, 2006
2006 MUSIC MIX
I've been doing a year-end music mix for a while now, trying to boil everything down to a single disc. I've been trying to do it this year but I keep leaving off songs that should be there - just not enough minutes on the disc. So, I've decided to scrap it for this year. Instead, I'm highlighting songs off of my top ten albums of the year. And from now on, I'll just do a mix every few months or so and won't have to worry about saving songs for the year-ender or anything like that. Yes, I think way too much about these things.
Here's the tracklist...
1. Poison Cup/M. Ward
2. Chinese Translation/M. Ward
3. Half Dead/The Mountain Goats
4. Woke Up New/The Mountain Goats
5. Chips Ahoy/The Hold Steady
6. First Night/The Hold Steady
7. Fire Island, AK/The Long Winters
8. Honest/The Long Winters
9. Somerville/Pernice Brothers
10. PCH One/Pernice Brothers
11. Well Thought Out Twinkles/Silversun Pickups
12. Little Lover's So Polite/Silversun Pickups
13. The Chinatown Bus/Bishop Allen
14. Click Click Click/Bishop Allen
15. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)/The Decemberists
16. Summersong/The Decemberists
17. Don't Know (Why You Stay)/The Essex Green
18. Penny and Jack/The Essex Green
19. For New Starts/Centro-Matic
20. Take A Rake/Centro-Matic
I've been doing a year-end music mix for a while now, trying to boil everything down to a single disc. I've been trying to do it this year but I keep leaving off songs that should be there - just not enough minutes on the disc. So, I've decided to scrap it for this year. Instead, I'm highlighting songs off of my top ten albums of the year. And from now on, I'll just do a mix every few months or so and won't have to worry about saving songs for the year-ender or anything like that. Yes, I think way too much about these things.
Here's the tracklist...
1. Poison Cup/M. Ward
2. Chinese Translation/M. Ward
3. Half Dead/The Mountain Goats
4. Woke Up New/The Mountain Goats
5. Chips Ahoy/The Hold Steady
6. First Night/The Hold Steady
7. Fire Island, AK/The Long Winters
8. Honest/The Long Winters
9. Somerville/Pernice Brothers
10. PCH One/Pernice Brothers
11. Well Thought Out Twinkles/Silversun Pickups
12. Little Lover's So Polite/Silversun Pickups
13. The Chinatown Bus/Bishop Allen
14. Click Click Click/Bishop Allen
15. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)/The Decemberists
16. Summersong/The Decemberists
17. Don't Know (Why You Stay)/The Essex Green
18. Penny and Jack/The Essex Green
19. For New Starts/Centro-Matic
20. Take A Rake/Centro-Matic
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
BOOKS 2006
This is the first time I have not read more books than the previous year since I started keeping track of my reading back in 2001. My goal for the year was 40; I managed 38, the same number I read last year (Crossover by Joel Shepherd was the most recent book. It's not a bad thing and while it wouldn't have been a big deal if I hadn't gotten an equal number, I still would have been disappointed. What wasn't diasppointing were the books I read, from science fiction and fantasy to thrillers and literary fiction with a couple forays into non-fiction as well. Obviously, I don't just read books that came out this year and the list can reflect that; however, 24 of the 38 were published in the U.S. for the first time in 2006 - a very high percentage for me. Here's the 10 I liked the most...
1. The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford
2. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
3. River of Gods by Ian McDonald
4. Map of Dreams by M. Rickert
5. Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff Vandermeer
6. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
7. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
8. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
9. The World to Come by Dara Horn
10. Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle
Publisher of the Year: Pyr (River of Gods; Paragea; Infoquake; Crossover)
Publisher of the Year, runner-up: Golden Gryphon (The Empire of Ice Cream; Map of Dreams)
This is the first time I have not read more books than the previous year since I started keeping track of my reading back in 2001. My goal for the year was 40; I managed 38, the same number I read last year (Crossover by Joel Shepherd was the most recent book. It's not a bad thing and while it wouldn't have been a big deal if I hadn't gotten an equal number, I still would have been disappointed. What wasn't diasppointing were the books I read, from science fiction and fantasy to thrillers and literary fiction with a couple forays into non-fiction as well. Obviously, I don't just read books that came out this year and the list can reflect that; however, 24 of the 38 were published in the U.S. for the first time in 2006 - a very high percentage for me. Here's the 10 I liked the most...
1. The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford
2. Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
3. River of Gods by Ian McDonald
4. Map of Dreams by M. Rickert
5. Shriek: An Afterword by Jeff Vandermeer
6. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
7. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
8. The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
9. The World to Come by Dara Horn
10. Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle
Publisher of the Year: Pyr (River of Gods; Paragea; Infoquake; Crossover)
Publisher of the Year, runner-up: Golden Gryphon (The Empire of Ice Cream; Map of Dreams)
TV 2006
Our TV-watching capabilites changed this year with the addition of a DVR to our digital cable package that also includes HBO (a channel I can't live without for all the great original shows). Not only does it mean my wife can record every episode ever of "What Not to Wear" but we can get 2 shows recorded at once if we're not around (or can record 2 and watch a third on another TV). It's been great. I also discovered a number of shows this past year that have made the list and made me wonder how I could have missed them originally. The good news is that I'm hooked now, I guess. Anyway, here's the list...
1. The Wire (HBO)
2. Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi Channel)
3. 24 (Fox)
4. The Office (NBC)
5. Deadwood (HBO)
6. Veronica Mars (first UPN, now CW)
7. Scrubs (NBC)
8. Lost (ABC)
9. Daily Show/Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
10. Entourage (HBO)
Our TV-watching capabilites changed this year with the addition of a DVR to our digital cable package that also includes HBO (a channel I can't live without for all the great original shows). Not only does it mean my wife can record every episode ever of "What Not to Wear" but we can get 2 shows recorded at once if we're not around (or can record 2 and watch a third on another TV). It's been great. I also discovered a number of shows this past year that have made the list and made me wonder how I could have missed them originally. The good news is that I'm hooked now, I guess. Anyway, here's the list...
1. The Wire (HBO)
2. Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi Channel)
3. 24 (Fox)
4. The Office (NBC)
5. Deadwood (HBO)
6. Veronica Mars (first UPN, now CW)
7. Scrubs (NBC)
8. Lost (ABC)
9. Daily Show/Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
10. Entourage (HBO)
MUSIC 2006
This past year saw me drastically change how I purchased and listened to music. Sure, I still bought a lot of CDs and spent time listening to them in the car, on the stereo, and in my headphones. I also spent just as much time listening on the computer and purchased many albums in download form through eMusic. As a result, I picked up over 100 albums in 2006 (and have gotten 5 more in the last few days thanks to Christmas gifts)...that has to be the most music I've ever absorbed in a year. Really, I'm still absorbing much of that music, both 2006 releases as well as albums from years past. This list reflects what I've been listening to and enjoying the most in a year where I've found plenty to enjoy by artists new to me and old favorites; in a couple months I may have a different opinion (my 2005 list would look very different today) but that's the nature of the beast. Anyway, here are my top ten albums of 2006...
1. M. Ward/Post-War
2. The Mountain Goats/Get Lonely
3. The Hold Steady/Boys and Girls in America
4. The Long Winters/Putting the Days to Bed
5. Pernice Brothers/Live a Little
6. Silversun Pickups/Carnavas
7. Bishop Allen/a virtual album comprised of highlights from 9 EPs
8. The Decemberists/The Crane Wife
9. The Essex Green/Cannibal Sea
10. Centro-Matic/Fort Recovery
This past year saw me drastically change how I purchased and listened to music. Sure, I still bought a lot of CDs and spent time listening to them in the car, on the stereo, and in my headphones. I also spent just as much time listening on the computer and purchased many albums in download form through eMusic. As a result, I picked up over 100 albums in 2006 (and have gotten 5 more in the last few days thanks to Christmas gifts)...that has to be the most music I've ever absorbed in a year. Really, I'm still absorbing much of that music, both 2006 releases as well as albums from years past. This list reflects what I've been listening to and enjoying the most in a year where I've found plenty to enjoy by artists new to me and old favorites; in a couple months I may have a different opinion (my 2005 list would look very different today) but that's the nature of the beast. Anyway, here are my top ten albums of 2006...
1. M. Ward/Post-War
2. The Mountain Goats/Get Lonely
3. The Hold Steady/Boys and Girls in America
4. The Long Winters/Putting the Days to Bed
5. Pernice Brothers/Live a Little
6. Silversun Pickups/Carnavas
7. Bishop Allen/a virtual album comprised of highlights from 9 EPs
8. The Decemberists/The Crane Wife
9. The Essex Green/Cannibal Sea
10. Centro-Matic/Fort Recovery
Sunday, December 24, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #18
Lots to do in the next couple hours - make crab dip, pack up the presents, shower and shave, etc. - so I'll keep things short and to the point today...
1. Muzzle of Bees/Wilco (5)
2. Salesman at the Day of the Parade/Rogue Wave (6)
3. In the Hidden Places/The Mountain Goats (1)
4. Wherever You Go/Built To Spill (1)
5. My Sweet Annette/Drive-By Truckers (3)
6. I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)/The White Stripes (5)
7. Keep Your Hands off Her/The Black Keys (7)
8. Hornets! Hornets!/The Hold Steady (2)
9. Dear Sarah Shu/John Vanderslice (4)
10. The Mighty Midshipman/Centro-Matic (7)
Merry Christmas!
Lots to do in the next couple hours - make crab dip, pack up the presents, shower and shave, etc. - so I'll keep things short and to the point today...
1. Muzzle of Bees/Wilco (5)
2. Salesman at the Day of the Parade/Rogue Wave (6)
3. In the Hidden Places/The Mountain Goats (1)
4. Wherever You Go/Built To Spill (1)
5. My Sweet Annette/Drive-By Truckers (3)
6. I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)/The White Stripes (5)
7. Keep Your Hands off Her/The Black Keys (7)
8. Hornets! Hornets!/The Hold Steady (2)
9. Dear Sarah Shu/John Vanderslice (4)
10. The Mighty Midshipman/Centro-Matic (7)
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 18, 2006
UPDATE
You may have noticed the sparseness of new posts in recent weeks. It's not that I've been busier than normal per se, though the weekends have had more activities than usual since Thanksgiving. And it's not like I haven't started composing posts in my head either. Just one of those periods. Anyway, I'll try and do a big update and touch on at least some of the things I've been meaning to talk about. After today, I might be sporadic again until next week when I plan on doing my Best of 2006 posts. So, I'll stop rambling on about the blog and start actually doing something with it...
5 BOOKS
I am currently reading my 38th book of the year, which would tie last year's total if it ends up being the last one. I would like to try and get another one read but I finally realized I couldn't keep putting off all of the SF magazines that have been piling up for months - in fact, I got around to finishing the Sept. issue of Asimov's and reading the whole of the Sept. F&SF within the last week-and-a-half. And after I finish reading Crossover, I will dive into the Oct./Nov. double issues of both magazines.
The first book of November was The Echo Maker by Richard Powers. I've been meaning to read Powers' work for a number of years and hadn't gotten around to it. The reviews and descriptions of his new novel made me dive in and I'm glad I did. Very glad. It's a novel about someone who gets hurt and losing his sense of connection to the people and things he cares about the most - Capgras Syndrome. His sister is trying to help him while dealing with the fact he thinks she is an imposter. A famous doctor is in the mix too - all of them are trying to deal with who they really are. And if I haven't convinced you to read it, maybe the fact it won the National Book Award will.
Next up for me was Conversations with Tom Petty by Paul Zollo, which is pretty much as advertised - a book-length interview with Tom Petty about his life and music. I've always been a big fan of Petty and the book didn't disappoint. Even better, I used it as an opportunity to listen to his music and was reminded again how good of a songwriter he has been over the years (yes, his last 2 albums have been uneven but there are still some really good songs on them). It also inspired me with my music and the book led to the writing of my "Holding Pattern" in a very concrete way. Last week I covered "A Face in the Crowd" and it was received well. So thanks, T.P.
I followed that up with Firmin, a short novel by Sam Savage. It's the story of a rat who learns how to read and spends his time in a deteriorating area of Boston, first in a bookstore and later as a pet of a science fiction writer. A love of books, of words, propels this story long and it is very good. Anyone who is a reader will come to love Firim the rat, I think. Thanks to the Lit-Blog Co-op for highlighting this book.
I then turned to some short fiction, specifically the debut collection from M. Rickert, Map of Dreams. I've been reading Rickert's stories in F&SF for a number of years and she has been one of my favorite writers during that time period. From the fairy tale update of "Leda" to the nested stories of "Cold Fires" to the longing of "The Chambered Fruit" to the fable "Moorina of the Seals" this is a collection you need to read.
Most recently I read another Discworld book, my first this year. Reaper Man sees Death relieved of his duties and working as a field hand while ancient wizard Windle Poons has found he is still alive even in death. The stories cross, of course, in another funny fantasy romp from Terry Pratchett. After I read one of his books, I want to keep reading more. I probably will turn to another one in the near future.
RECONSIDERED
I recently decided to give Sufjan Stevens another try. I picked up Illinoise last year and while I liked some of the songs, the whole thing just seemed overblown and overhyped. So, I had it on while I was in the car last week and I finally got the whole of it. I liked it. Maybe I let all the blogger hype get in the way last year. It's not my favorite album but I do enjoy the melodic sweep of the entire work.
I've had similar problems connecting the Cat Power's The Greatest, which was released earlier this year. I decided to give it a shot in the car too and I found that I enjoyed it much more than I previously had. Maybe part of my problem was that I was expecting something more along the lines of Jenny Lewis or Neko Case and this Cat Power album is not that. I will say that I loved the title track from the get-go - now the rest of the record doesn't suffer so much in comparison for me.
I guess the moral of the story is that I should always try listening to things in the car...
THE CONTINUING CASE OF COMICS
A couple weeks ago I was ready to go back to reading only trades and cutting out buying single issues except for 52 (at least until that's over in 20 weeks...and yes, I'm behind on writing about the series again). Why? Well, I have nowhere to put the single issues and don't want to go back to the bagging and boxing of years past. We don't have room and it's too much effort. But in the end, I've been enjoying buying and reading things as they come out. So, I'm not going to stress over it. Some stuff I will trade back to the comics shop, some I will keep until collected editions come out, and some I'll just give away or even recycle. But I can accept that I like buying and reading comics.
I was particularly pleased with the first issue of the new Justice Society of America that came out a few weeks ago. I've liked the heroes of the JSA for many many years, stemming from my love of All-Star Squadron and Infinity Inc. back in the 80s. There are only a handful of those original heroes still kicking around in the DCU (Green Lantern, Flash, and Wildcat) but they form the basis for this new team, which is made up of the children and grandchildren of Golden Age heroes or in some cases, the people who have assumed the mantle of heroes like Mr. Teriffic and Dr. Mid-Nite. This issue opens up with a reference to World War III, which appears to be an upcoming part of 52; I like those kind of teases. We meet a new Mr. America, to whom bad things are happening; catch up with Damage, Hourman, and Liberty Belle; are introduced to Maxine Hunkle, a new hero who is very excited to be part of the group; discover a new Starman who lives in a mental hospital when he's not out doing good deeds; and learn something shocking at the end (of course). All of this is followed with a one page teaser for the rest of the first year of the comic and it makes me even more excited to keep reading. That's how you do a comic book.
Grant and I finally finished watching Justice League Unlimited Season One on DVD the week after Thanksgiving. Man, what a great show.
WRAP UP
Okay, I think this post has gotten long enough. I'll cover more in my year-end lists next week...
You may have noticed the sparseness of new posts in recent weeks. It's not that I've been busier than normal per se, though the weekends have had more activities than usual since Thanksgiving. And it's not like I haven't started composing posts in my head either. Just one of those periods. Anyway, I'll try and do a big update and touch on at least some of the things I've been meaning to talk about. After today, I might be sporadic again until next week when I plan on doing my Best of 2006 posts. So, I'll stop rambling on about the blog and start actually doing something with it...
5 BOOKS
I am currently reading my 38th book of the year, which would tie last year's total if it ends up being the last one. I would like to try and get another one read but I finally realized I couldn't keep putting off all of the SF magazines that have been piling up for months - in fact, I got around to finishing the Sept. issue of Asimov's and reading the whole of the Sept. F&SF within the last week-and-a-half. And after I finish reading Crossover, I will dive into the Oct./Nov. double issues of both magazines.
The first book of November was The Echo Maker by Richard Powers. I've been meaning to read Powers' work for a number of years and hadn't gotten around to it. The reviews and descriptions of his new novel made me dive in and I'm glad I did. Very glad. It's a novel about someone who gets hurt and losing his sense of connection to the people and things he cares about the most - Capgras Syndrome. His sister is trying to help him while dealing with the fact he thinks she is an imposter. A famous doctor is in the mix too - all of them are trying to deal with who they really are. And if I haven't convinced you to read it, maybe the fact it won the National Book Award will.
Next up for me was Conversations with Tom Petty by Paul Zollo, which is pretty much as advertised - a book-length interview with Tom Petty about his life and music. I've always been a big fan of Petty and the book didn't disappoint. Even better, I used it as an opportunity to listen to his music and was reminded again how good of a songwriter he has been over the years (yes, his last 2 albums have been uneven but there are still some really good songs on them). It also inspired me with my music and the book led to the writing of my "Holding Pattern" in a very concrete way. Last week I covered "A Face in the Crowd" and it was received well. So thanks, T.P.
I followed that up with Firmin, a short novel by Sam Savage. It's the story of a rat who learns how to read and spends his time in a deteriorating area of Boston, first in a bookstore and later as a pet of a science fiction writer. A love of books, of words, propels this story long and it is very good. Anyone who is a reader will come to love Firim the rat, I think. Thanks to the Lit-Blog Co-op for highlighting this book.
I then turned to some short fiction, specifically the debut collection from M. Rickert, Map of Dreams. I've been reading Rickert's stories in F&SF for a number of years and she has been one of my favorite writers during that time period. From the fairy tale update of "Leda" to the nested stories of "Cold Fires" to the longing of "The Chambered Fruit" to the fable "Moorina of the Seals" this is a collection you need to read.
Most recently I read another Discworld book, my first this year. Reaper Man sees Death relieved of his duties and working as a field hand while ancient wizard Windle Poons has found he is still alive even in death. The stories cross, of course, in another funny fantasy romp from Terry Pratchett. After I read one of his books, I want to keep reading more. I probably will turn to another one in the near future.
RECONSIDERED
I recently decided to give Sufjan Stevens another try. I picked up Illinoise last year and while I liked some of the songs, the whole thing just seemed overblown and overhyped. So, I had it on while I was in the car last week and I finally got the whole of it. I liked it. Maybe I let all the blogger hype get in the way last year. It's not my favorite album but I do enjoy the melodic sweep of the entire work.
I've had similar problems connecting the Cat Power's The Greatest, which was released earlier this year. I decided to give it a shot in the car too and I found that I enjoyed it much more than I previously had. Maybe part of my problem was that I was expecting something more along the lines of Jenny Lewis or Neko Case and this Cat Power album is not that. I will say that I loved the title track from the get-go - now the rest of the record doesn't suffer so much in comparison for me.
I guess the moral of the story is that I should always try listening to things in the car...
THE CONTINUING CASE OF COMICS
A couple weeks ago I was ready to go back to reading only trades and cutting out buying single issues except for 52 (at least until that's over in 20 weeks...and yes, I'm behind on writing about the series again). Why? Well, I have nowhere to put the single issues and don't want to go back to the bagging and boxing of years past. We don't have room and it's too much effort. But in the end, I've been enjoying buying and reading things as they come out. So, I'm not going to stress over it. Some stuff I will trade back to the comics shop, some I will keep until collected editions come out, and some I'll just give away or even recycle. But I can accept that I like buying and reading comics.
I was particularly pleased with the first issue of the new Justice Society of America that came out a few weeks ago. I've liked the heroes of the JSA for many many years, stemming from my love of All-Star Squadron and Infinity Inc. back in the 80s. There are only a handful of those original heroes still kicking around in the DCU (Green Lantern, Flash, and Wildcat) but they form the basis for this new team, which is made up of the children and grandchildren of Golden Age heroes or in some cases, the people who have assumed the mantle of heroes like Mr. Teriffic and Dr. Mid-Nite. This issue opens up with a reference to World War III, which appears to be an upcoming part of 52; I like those kind of teases. We meet a new Mr. America, to whom bad things are happening; catch up with Damage, Hourman, and Liberty Belle; are introduced to Maxine Hunkle, a new hero who is very excited to be part of the group; discover a new Starman who lives in a mental hospital when he's not out doing good deeds; and learn something shocking at the end (of course). All of this is followed with a one page teaser for the rest of the first year of the comic and it makes me even more excited to keep reading. That's how you do a comic book.
Grant and I finally finished watching Justice League Unlimited Season One on DVD the week after Thanksgiving. Man, what a great show.
WRAP UP
Okay, I think this post has gotten long enough. I'll cover more in my year-end lists next week...
Sunday, December 17, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #17
I am planning a giant update post to try and cram in all the things I've been meaning to write about the last few weeks - look for it later today or tomorrow. For now, here's some more songs...
1. Star Sign/Teenage Fanclub (3) - Hey, there's a horseshoe on my door...
2. The Dishwasher's Dream/Marah (5) - Born with a face that life would erase...
3. What's the World Got In Store/Wilco (8) - Close your eyes and go to sleep, baby...
4. Mrs. Robinson/The Lemonheads (1) - Do do do do do do do do do do do do do...
5. Quiet Town/Josh Rouse (20) - I know somewhere there is a party going down...
6. Arms & Hearts/The Hold Steady (3) - To me it just felt like six or seven seconds...
7. Rose Parade/Elliott Smith (9) - You asked me to come down and watch the parade...
8. There Goes the Sun/Pernice Brothers (3) - Now always I wait for you...
9. Out Right Now/Material Issue (5) - Well if the bats in your sky continue to fly...
10. Red-Eyed And Blue/Wilco (10) - We've got solid state technology...
I am planning a giant update post to try and cram in all the things I've been meaning to write about the last few weeks - look for it later today or tomorrow. For now, here's some more songs...
1. Star Sign/Teenage Fanclub (3) - Hey, there's a horseshoe on my door...
2. The Dishwasher's Dream/Marah (5) - Born with a face that life would erase...
3. What's the World Got In Store/Wilco (8) - Close your eyes and go to sleep, baby...
4. Mrs. Robinson/The Lemonheads (1) - Do do do do do do do do do do do do do...
5. Quiet Town/Josh Rouse (20) - I know somewhere there is a party going down...
6. Arms & Hearts/The Hold Steady (3) - To me it just felt like six or seven seconds...
7. Rose Parade/Elliott Smith (9) - You asked me to come down and watch the parade...
8. There Goes the Sun/Pernice Brothers (3) - Now always I wait for you...
9. Out Right Now/Material Issue (5) - Well if the bats in your sky continue to fly...
10. Red-Eyed And Blue/Wilco (10) - We've got solid state technology...
Sunday, December 10, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #16
Today is all about laundry, cleaning, doing my progress reports, and football. And making another token entry to pretend that I'm keeping up with the blog...
1. Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into The Water, Triumph Of/The Mountain Goats (4)
2. Less Than You Think/Wilco (4)
3. A Stone/Okkervil River (5)
4. Railroad Man/Eels (2)
5. Cannot Eat Better Not Sleep/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (6)
6. Poison Cup/M.Ward (12)
7. Chips and Dip/Spoon (7)
8. About You/Teenage Fanclub (1)
9. Priest's Knees/Destroyer (6) - It's been six months since I've heard this song!
10. December/The Lemonheads (5)
Today is all about laundry, cleaning, doing my progress reports, and football. And making another token entry to pretend that I'm keeping up with the blog...
1. Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into The Water, Triumph Of/The Mountain Goats (4)
2. Less Than You Think/Wilco (4)
3. A Stone/Okkervil River (5)
4. Railroad Man/Eels (2)
5. Cannot Eat Better Not Sleep/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (6)
6. Poison Cup/M.Ward (12)
7. Chips and Dip/Spoon (7)
8. About You/Teenage Fanclub (1)
9. Priest's Knees/Destroyer (6) - It's been six months since I've heard this song!
10. December/The Lemonheads (5)
Friday, December 08, 2006
eMUSIC ROUND TEN
Hard to believe this is the tenth download period already...
Aimee Mann/One More Drifter in the Snow - An Aimee Mann Christmas album - how could I not get this? It's good, of course, and I play on listening to it for many many Christmases to come.
Belle and Sebastian/The Life Pursuit - My brother brought his record player and a selection of vinyl to PA for Thanksgiving and I got to listen to quite a bit. I'd heard a few songs off of this (thanks to TJ) but hadn't gotten around to it. One listen to the whole thing and I had to get it. Really digging "Another Sunny Day" and "Dress Up in You."
Amy Millan/Honey From the Tombs - I really like the Stars album from last year, so I thought I'd give this a shot. It's mostly a folk record, though there's some interesting musical jumps within songs. More importantly, it's good. "Baby I" is a great great song.
Sloan/One Chord to Another - Here's another album I grabbed thanks to my brother. I'd heard good things about Sloan and he brought this CD with him to Indiana back in October. I liked it and now I've got it. Key track through the first few listens is "Autobiography."
The Whigs/Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip - I've been hearing good things about this band and finally decided to give it a shot. Glad I did. Solid rock and roll band from the South with a number of great songs - "Violet in Furs," "Written Invitation," and "Technology" are all keepers.
Tokyo Police Club/A Lesson in Crime - A new band on the scene. I'd call 'em a cross between The Strokes and Arcade Fire. A 7 song EP that's over in 16 minutes. My new favorite song ever is "Citizens of Tomorrow."
Hard to believe this is the tenth download period already...
Aimee Mann/One More Drifter in the Snow - An Aimee Mann Christmas album - how could I not get this? It's good, of course, and I play on listening to it for many many Christmases to come.
Belle and Sebastian/The Life Pursuit - My brother brought his record player and a selection of vinyl to PA for Thanksgiving and I got to listen to quite a bit. I'd heard a few songs off of this (thanks to TJ) but hadn't gotten around to it. One listen to the whole thing and I had to get it. Really digging "Another Sunny Day" and "Dress Up in You."
Amy Millan/Honey From the Tombs - I really like the Stars album from last year, so I thought I'd give this a shot. It's mostly a folk record, though there's some interesting musical jumps within songs. More importantly, it's good. "Baby I" is a great great song.
Sloan/One Chord to Another - Here's another album I grabbed thanks to my brother. I'd heard good things about Sloan and he brought this CD with him to Indiana back in October. I liked it and now I've got it. Key track through the first few listens is "Autobiography."
The Whigs/Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip - I've been hearing good things about this band and finally decided to give it a shot. Glad I did. Solid rock and roll band from the South with a number of great songs - "Violet in Furs," "Written Invitation," and "Technology" are all keepers.
Tokyo Police Club/A Lesson in Crime - A new band on the scene. I'd call 'em a cross between The Strokes and Arcade Fire. A 7 song EP that's over in 16 minutes. My new favorite song ever is "Citizens of Tomorrow."
Sunday, December 03, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #15
It's the only post I don't have to think about and since this week was a busy one coming off of a busy weekend when we weren't home...this is all I have to show for the week. Hopefully, I'll post some actual material this week. I did download a couple new albums this week and loaded another one onto iTunes, so we'll see if any show up here....
1. Mr. Grieves/TV on the Radio (9) - A Pixies cover done a capella. Brilliant.
2. Handshake Drugs/Wilco (10) - I've really been enjoying A Ghost is Born tracks when I hit them in shuffle or when Tweedy has done them solo; I really need to listen to the album as a whole again.
3. Powder Burns/The Twilight Singers (7) - The title track from this year's album, which I don't think I've talked about. It's great moody rock and roll. I actually listened to this in the car this week.
4. The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine/Spoon (3) - The new Spoon album can't come out fast enough.
5. A Very Good Idea/Material Issue (5) - I wonder if Material Issue would still be together today if Jim Ellison hadn't killed himself. Well, we have three albums at least.
6. Broken Beads/New Pornographers (4) - One of Dan Bejar's contributions to their most recent album; has anyone heard the Swan Lake album? Worth downloading?
7. California Stars/Jeff Tweedy (3) - I like that you could download these tracks with a purchase of the new DVD. I'm such a Tweedy guy it's sick.
8. Little Round Mirrors/Harvey Danger (39) - Obviously, I've to this song more than any others on iTunes this year. It never gets old.
9. Sell Your Hair/Pernice Brothers (1) - This is off of Discover a Lovelier You, last year's offering from Joe Pernice. I like the new one more but this is still a good album. And no, this is not the album I just loaded this morning.
10. Carolina/M.Ward (7) - This comes from an early EP, Scene From #12, and is the best song on it. And with Ward's music, that's saying something.
It's the only post I don't have to think about and since this week was a busy one coming off of a busy weekend when we weren't home...this is all I have to show for the week. Hopefully, I'll post some actual material this week. I did download a couple new albums this week and loaded another one onto iTunes, so we'll see if any show up here....
1. Mr. Grieves/TV on the Radio (9) - A Pixies cover done a capella. Brilliant.
2. Handshake Drugs/Wilco (10) - I've really been enjoying A Ghost is Born tracks when I hit them in shuffle or when Tweedy has done them solo; I really need to listen to the album as a whole again.
3. Powder Burns/The Twilight Singers (7) - The title track from this year's album, which I don't think I've talked about. It's great moody rock and roll. I actually listened to this in the car this week.
4. The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine/Spoon (3) - The new Spoon album can't come out fast enough.
5. A Very Good Idea/Material Issue (5) - I wonder if Material Issue would still be together today if Jim Ellison hadn't killed himself. Well, we have three albums at least.
6. Broken Beads/New Pornographers (4) - One of Dan Bejar's contributions to their most recent album; has anyone heard the Swan Lake album? Worth downloading?
7. California Stars/Jeff Tweedy (3) - I like that you could download these tracks with a purchase of the new DVD. I'm such a Tweedy guy it's sick.
8. Little Round Mirrors/Harvey Danger (39) - Obviously, I've to this song more than any others on iTunes this year. It never gets old.
9. Sell Your Hair/Pernice Brothers (1) - This is off of Discover a Lovelier You, last year's offering from Joe Pernice. I like the new one more but this is still a good album. And no, this is not the album I just loaded this morning.
10. Carolina/M.Ward (7) - This comes from an early EP, Scene From #12, and is the best song on it. And with Ward's music, that's saying something.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #14
It's the "I Drove 600 Miles and I'm Very Tired" edition!
1. Automatic Situation/Joseph Arthur (8)
2. Future Foe Scenarios/Silversun Pickups (3)
3. Razzle Dazzle Rose/Camera Obscura (9)
4. Christopher's Revolt/Brendan Benson (8)
5. A Glow/Okkervil River (3)
6. Pale Green Things/The Mountain Goats (3)
7. The Dishwasher's Dream/Marah (4)
8. Understanding Salesmen/Eels (3)
9. Dreamer In My Dreams/Wilco (3)
10. Iron Woman/Devin Davis (3)
It's the "I Drove 600 Miles and I'm Very Tired" edition!
1. Automatic Situation/Joseph Arthur (8)
2. Future Foe Scenarios/Silversun Pickups (3)
3. Razzle Dazzle Rose/Camera Obscura (9)
4. Christopher's Revolt/Brendan Benson (8)
5. A Glow/Okkervil River (3)
6. Pale Green Things/The Mountain Goats (3)
7. The Dishwasher's Dream/Marah (4)
8. Understanding Salesmen/Eels (3)
9. Dreamer In My Dreams/Wilco (3)
10. Iron Woman/Devin Davis (3)
Friday, November 24, 2006
THANKSGIVING MUSIC
I meant to post about this before I left but oh well. One of my big projects for any vacation is what music I will bring with me. My CD case has 24 slots in it, so that's what I have to work with. When you're only gone 5 days, it's not so bad. But still, you want music to drive to and to be able to relax to at the hotel. The process is a bit different these days since I have so much music that is just on the computer. I burned six albums onto disc for the trip and brought 2 more I'd burned for summer vacation. Anyway, here's the list; it's a good look at what I've been digging recently...
Beck/The Information
Centro-Matic/Fort Recovery
The Decemberists/The Crane Wife
Drive-By Truckers/A Blessing and A Curse
The Essex Green/Cannibal Sea - burned for summer vacation
Golden Smog/Another Fine Day
Harvey Danger/Little By Little - burned for summer vacation
The Hold Steady/Boys and Girls in America - newly burned
Ben Kweller/Ben Kweller - newly burned
The Long Winters/Putting the Days to Bed
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's/The Dust of Retreat - newly burned
The Mountain Goats/Get Lonely
My Morning Jacket/Z
The National/Alligator
Pernice Brothers/Live a Little - newly burned
Tom Petty/Wildflowers
Portastatic/Be Still Please - newly burned
The Shins/Chutes Too Narrow
Silversun Pickups/Carnavas
Simon Dawes/Carnivore
Sparklehorse/Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of A Mountain
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs/Under the Covers Vol. 1
John Vanderslice/Pixel Revolt
M. Ward/Post-War - newly burned
I meant to post about this before I left but oh well. One of my big projects for any vacation is what music I will bring with me. My CD case has 24 slots in it, so that's what I have to work with. When you're only gone 5 days, it's not so bad. But still, you want music to drive to and to be able to relax to at the hotel. The process is a bit different these days since I have so much music that is just on the computer. I burned six albums onto disc for the trip and brought 2 more I'd burned for summer vacation. Anyway, here's the list; it's a good look at what I've been digging recently...
Beck/The Information
Centro-Matic/Fort Recovery
The Decemberists/The Crane Wife
Drive-By Truckers/A Blessing and A Curse
The Essex Green/Cannibal Sea - burned for summer vacation
Golden Smog/Another Fine Day
Harvey Danger/Little By Little - burned for summer vacation
The Hold Steady/Boys and Girls in America - newly burned
Ben Kweller/Ben Kweller - newly burned
The Long Winters/Putting the Days to Bed
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's/The Dust of Retreat - newly burned
The Mountain Goats/Get Lonely
My Morning Jacket/Z
The National/Alligator
Pernice Brothers/Live a Little - newly burned
Tom Petty/Wildflowers
Portastatic/Be Still Please - newly burned
The Shins/Chutes Too Narrow
Silversun Pickups/Carnavas
Simon Dawes/Carnivore
Sparklehorse/Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of A Mountain
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs/Under the Covers Vol. 1
John Vanderslice/Pixel Revolt
M. Ward/Post-War - newly burned
TRADITION CONTINUES
I'm in a hotel in Williamsport, PA as I write this; I've been at this hotel over Thanskgiving weekend for a number of years now and in Williamsport for almost every Thanksgiving of my life. It's tradition.
We left on Wednesday and actually got to leave earlier than we ever have - 6:45 or so when we hit the road. It was nice to make the drive during the daytime and we made good time. It was weird to be among the first members of the family to arrive rather than the last. I stayed up too late that night visiting with my cousins but I just went to bed earlier last night.
We had 21 people at the dinner yesterday, ranging in age from my 98 year-old step-grandfather to my 9 year-old son. The food at the restaurant was very good as usual - I had a cup of creamy pumpkin soup, a fantastic house salad with blue cheese dressing, and a main entree of horseradish-encrusted prime rib, mashed potatoes, and broccolini. I didn't have dessert there because later on in the evening we had our traditional homemade ice cream and pie (I had a piece of shoofly and a piece of apple crumb). Good food and good company.
Today the men and the women separate for lunch and there will be various shopping excursions (Jill and Grant are on one now) and more euchre later on (I haven't gotten any in yet!). It's a nice relaxing day. I just finished reading a story (in book #36) and am listening to KEXP. I have to call soon to make the men's lunch reservation and I'll probably swing by the local comics shop later. I can see down into the hotel pool. The sun is shining brightly. Hope everyone else has had a good weekend so far and that it will continue.
I'm in a hotel in Williamsport, PA as I write this; I've been at this hotel over Thanskgiving weekend for a number of years now and in Williamsport for almost every Thanksgiving of my life. It's tradition.
We left on Wednesday and actually got to leave earlier than we ever have - 6:45 or so when we hit the road. It was nice to make the drive during the daytime and we made good time. It was weird to be among the first members of the family to arrive rather than the last. I stayed up too late that night visiting with my cousins but I just went to bed earlier last night.
We had 21 people at the dinner yesterday, ranging in age from my 98 year-old step-grandfather to my 9 year-old son. The food at the restaurant was very good as usual - I had a cup of creamy pumpkin soup, a fantastic house salad with blue cheese dressing, and a main entree of horseradish-encrusted prime rib, mashed potatoes, and broccolini. I didn't have dessert there because later on in the evening we had our traditional homemade ice cream and pie (I had a piece of shoofly and a piece of apple crumb). Good food and good company.
Today the men and the women separate for lunch and there will be various shopping excursions (Jill and Grant are on one now) and more euchre later on (I haven't gotten any in yet!). It's a nice relaxing day. I just finished reading a story (in book #36) and am listening to KEXP. I have to call soon to make the men's lunch reservation and I'll probably swing by the local comics shop later. I can see down into the hotel pool. The sun is shining brightly. Hope everyone else has had a good weekend so far and that it will continue.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #13
It's the unluckiest shuffle of them all...or is it? It probably isn't. I've been in shuffle mode all week so I'll be interested to see if some of the same songs pop up or if I get ones I haven't heard all week. I've pushed a lot of songs into double digit plays this week too - will the shuffle reflect that? Let's find out...
1. I Must Be High/Wilco (7) - Last played Oct. 28
2. Sweetness and Life/Portastatic (7) - Last played Nov. 9
3. Today's Undertaking/M. Ward (13) - Last played Nov. 16
4. Boys, You Won't/The Wrens (2) - Last played Sept. 28
5. The Lovers' Rights/The Rosebuds (9) - Last played July 27
6. Confetti/The Lemonheads (1) - Last played when I last listened to It's A Shame About Ray on CD
7. We're Just Friends/Wilco (6) - Last played Sept. 29
8. Call To Arms/Black Angels (6) - Last played Aug. 18 (also includes a bonus track at the end)
9. She's A Jar/Wilco (8) - Last played Oct. 8
10. The Delicate Place (4) - Last played Aug. 12
Only one song in double digits and one song I've already heard this week - and it's the same song! I see we're back to the high Wilco content, which reminds me I need to get that mix out to Paul (it's coming!). Next Sunday we'll be driving back from PA, so the shuffle may have to skip a week. Horrible thought, I know.
It's the unluckiest shuffle of them all...or is it? It probably isn't. I've been in shuffle mode all week so I'll be interested to see if some of the same songs pop up or if I get ones I haven't heard all week. I've pushed a lot of songs into double digit plays this week too - will the shuffle reflect that? Let's find out...
1. I Must Be High/Wilco (7) - Last played Oct. 28
2. Sweetness and Life/Portastatic (7) - Last played Nov. 9
3. Today's Undertaking/M. Ward (13) - Last played Nov. 16
4. Boys, You Won't/The Wrens (2) - Last played Sept. 28
5. The Lovers' Rights/The Rosebuds (9) - Last played July 27
6. Confetti/The Lemonheads (1) - Last played when I last listened to It's A Shame About Ray on CD
7. We're Just Friends/Wilco (6) - Last played Sept. 29
8. Call To Arms/Black Angels (6) - Last played Aug. 18 (also includes a bonus track at the end)
9. She's A Jar/Wilco (8) - Last played Oct. 8
10. The Delicate Place (4) - Last played Aug. 12
Only one song in double digits and one song I've already heard this week - and it's the same song! I see we're back to the high Wilco content, which reminds me I need to get that mix out to Paul (it's coming!). Next Sunday we'll be driving back from PA, so the shuffle may have to skip a week. Horrible thought, I know.
Friday, November 17, 2006
COMING DOWN
I've been on an adrenaline high the last 28 hours or so and it's finally starting to wear off. Why? I started writing a new song on Wednesday night, finished it yesterday afternoon, had Graham work out a guitar solo/accompaniment to it, and then we performed it last night right around this time. It got a good response from the crowd and friends - the owner of Front Porch even came over to tell me it was a good song, a keeper. That made me feel very good. I am proud of the song and I'm still surpirsed at how quickly it came to me. It's called "Holding Pattern" and when I get around to recording it will definitely make the cut.
I've been on an adrenaline high the last 28 hours or so and it's finally starting to wear off. Why? I started writing a new song on Wednesday night, finished it yesterday afternoon, had Graham work out a guitar solo/accompaniment to it, and then we performed it last night right around this time. It got a good response from the crowd and friends - the owner of Front Porch even came over to tell me it was a good song, a keeper. That made me feel very good. I am proud of the song and I'm still surpirsed at how quickly it came to me. It's called "Holding Pattern" and when I get around to recording it will definitely make the cut.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
52.21 - 52.26
DC's weekly series hit its halfway point the day after Halloween and we're still getting more questions than answers, though that ratio will have to shift in the second half if 52 will ultimately prove to be worthwhile. There's definitely enough happening to keep my interest 26 weeks in, which is enough for now.
Much of these six issues deals with the growing "family" of Black Adam - Isis's missing brother is found and becomes Isis. They change the terms of their deal with China and meet with Dr. Sivana's family. We also see more of Intergang and The Crime Bible. Bruno Mannheim is up to something...
The Question and Renee Montoya parts ways with the Black Marvel Family, meeting up with Richard Dragon. The question once again comes up - who is Montoya?
Lex Luthor's metagene project and his new heroes of Infinity Inc. are also a heavy focus. We see Luthor take away the powers of one of his team, resulting in her death. This concerns the Teen Titans, who are seen in full for the first time in the series. Steel is always continuing his investigation as well.
We are introduced to Super-Chief, see him in a new version of the JLA led by Firestorm, and die. Why? It does tie-in somewhat to Ralph Dibny's tour of magical places by Doctor Fate's helmet in search for his dead wife. Wow, that sounds really odd when you write it down.
There's been no sign of our space heroes; we see more signs that Skeets is up to something terrible. Ambush Bug turns up with the new JLA and it's as funny as ever. The sees of Checkmate are sown. And what's happening at the island where all the mad scientist have gathered... Egg Fu?
Who is Supernova? What is Luthor really up to? What is Black Adam really up to? What is Skeets up to? How will all of this tie together? 26 issues to find out...
DC's weekly series hit its halfway point the day after Halloween and we're still getting more questions than answers, though that ratio will have to shift in the second half if 52 will ultimately prove to be worthwhile. There's definitely enough happening to keep my interest 26 weeks in, which is enough for now.
Much of these six issues deals with the growing "family" of Black Adam - Isis's missing brother is found and becomes Isis. They change the terms of their deal with China and meet with Dr. Sivana's family. We also see more of Intergang and The Crime Bible. Bruno Mannheim is up to something...
The Question and Renee Montoya parts ways with the Black Marvel Family, meeting up with Richard Dragon. The question once again comes up - who is Montoya?
Lex Luthor's metagene project and his new heroes of Infinity Inc. are also a heavy focus. We see Luthor take away the powers of one of his team, resulting in her death. This concerns the Teen Titans, who are seen in full for the first time in the series. Steel is always continuing his investigation as well.
We are introduced to Super-Chief, see him in a new version of the JLA led by Firestorm, and die. Why? It does tie-in somewhat to Ralph Dibny's tour of magical places by Doctor Fate's helmet in search for his dead wife. Wow, that sounds really odd when you write it down.
There's been no sign of our space heroes; we see more signs that Skeets is up to something terrible. Ambush Bug turns up with the new JLA and it's as funny as ever. The sees of Checkmate are sown. And what's happening at the island where all the mad scientist have gathered... Egg Fu?
Who is Supernova? What is Luthor really up to? What is Black Adam really up to? What is Skeets up to? How will all of this tie together? 26 issues to find out...
LAST YEAR
My second post a year ago talked about how I had achieved my goal of 36 books read; I had even accomplished that goal a few weeks before the post (on November 11). I was also confindent that I would reach 40 books read by the end of the year; in reality, I only read 2 more books the rest of the way.
For comparison's sake, I am currently working on book #33 and have just under 100 pages to go. I am hoping to finish it today, though I will be distracted by football and the laundry (I suppose blogging counts too). If I manage to finish, I'll have 49 days left in the year to read 7 more books. The margins for falling behind just get worse and worse. Oh well. I'm enjoying the process anyway.
My second post a year ago talked about how I had achieved my goal of 36 books read; I had even accomplished that goal a few weeks before the post (on November 11). I was also confindent that I would reach 40 books read by the end of the year; in reality, I only read 2 more books the rest of the way.
For comparison's sake, I am currently working on book #33 and have just under 100 pages to go. I am hoping to finish it today, though I will be distracted by football and the laundry (I suppose blogging counts too). If I manage to finish, I'll have 49 days left in the year to read 7 more books. The margins for falling behind just get worse and worse. Oh well. I'm enjoying the process anyway.
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #12
It's the golden birthday of Sunday Shuffle! Ha ha heh. Here's the music...
1. Little Round Mirrors/Harvey Danger (38)
2. Monday/Wilco (6)
3. El Otro Lado/Josh Rouse (7)
4. On a Freezing Chicago Street/Margot and the Nuclear So and So's (4)
5. 6 String Belief/Son Volt (3)
6. Sounds Better In The Song/Drive-By Truckers (1)
7. Ain't That Enough/Teenage Fanclub (1)
8. Little Lover's So Polite/Silversun Pickups (2)
9. Dinu Lipatti's Bones/The Mountain Goats (3)
10. Oxygen/Aux Send/Grandaddy (7)
Fun Fact: The totals plays for the last nine (34 combined) don't even add up to the Harvey Danger track (38)
It's the golden birthday of Sunday Shuffle! Ha ha heh. Here's the music...
1. Little Round Mirrors/Harvey Danger (38)
2. Monday/Wilco (6)
3. El Otro Lado/Josh Rouse (7)
4. On a Freezing Chicago Street/Margot and the Nuclear So and So's (4)
5. 6 String Belief/Son Volt (3)
6. Sounds Better In The Song/Drive-By Truckers (1)
7. Ain't That Enough/Teenage Fanclub (1)
8. Little Lover's So Polite/Silversun Pickups (2)
9. Dinu Lipatti's Bones/The Mountain Goats (3)
10. Oxygen/Aux Send/Grandaddy (7)
Fun Fact: The totals plays for the last nine (34 combined) don't even add up to the Harvey Danger track (38)
Friday, November 10, 2006
ONE YEAR
Yep, it's been a year since I made my first post on my third blog. Today is my 153rd post, which means I've average one every 2.4 days or so. That's not too bad for me. Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings; I hope you continue to do so as I begin year 2.
To help me celebrate, go here and watch this spiffy new trailer for "Spider-Man 3." Can't wait!
Yep, it's been a year since I made my first post on my third blog. Today is my 153rd post, which means I've average one every 2.4 days or so. That's not too bad for me. Thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings; I hope you continue to do so as I begin year 2.
To help me celebrate, go here and watch this spiffy new trailer for "Spider-Man 3." Can't wait!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
eMUSIC ROUND NINE
Second month with a higher number of downloads and now that they're changing the pricing structure, I'm very happy that I upgraded. Anyway, here's what I grabbed...
Portastatic/Be Still Please - Lots of string and trumpet on this nine song set, which is very very good. I especially love "You Blanks."
Yo La Tengo/I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass - This is my first experience with Yo La Tengo and I'm glad I grabbed this album. Lots of jazzy touches. My only problem is that it's a bit too long; a few songs are disposable. But come one, how can you not love "Mr. Tough?"
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's/The Dust of Retreat - Huge indie band from Indianapolis that works both in the small and more epic musical styles. The more I hear it, the better it gets. Current favorite (it shifts with every listen) is "Jen Is Bringing the Drugs."
Okkervil River/Black Sheep Boy - Yes, I know I'm behind the times on this one. Their "The President's Dead" single is what made me finally grab it. So, so good. It's hard to go wrong with "For Real" or "Black" or "A Stone."
The Mountain Goats/We Shall All Be Healed - Since I can't stop playing the new one, I figured I should delve into the back catalogue. I've only listened twice so far but it's good.
The Decemberists/Picaresqueties - Same thing here, although I've already started grabbing their back catalogue. Nothing major here but it's solid.
Second month with a higher number of downloads and now that they're changing the pricing structure, I'm very happy that I upgraded. Anyway, here's what I grabbed...
Portastatic/Be Still Please - Lots of string and trumpet on this nine song set, which is very very good. I especially love "You Blanks."
Yo La Tengo/I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass - This is my first experience with Yo La Tengo and I'm glad I grabbed this album. Lots of jazzy touches. My only problem is that it's a bit too long; a few songs are disposable. But come one, how can you not love "Mr. Tough?"
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's/The Dust of Retreat - Huge indie band from Indianapolis that works both in the small and more epic musical styles. The more I hear it, the better it gets. Current favorite (it shifts with every listen) is "Jen Is Bringing the Drugs."
Okkervil River/Black Sheep Boy - Yes, I know I'm behind the times on this one. Their "The President's Dead" single is what made me finally grab it. So, so good. It's hard to go wrong with "For Real" or "Black" or "A Stone."
The Mountain Goats/We Shall All Be Healed - Since I can't stop playing the new one, I figured I should delve into the back catalogue. I've only listened twice so far but it's good.
The Decemberists/Picaresqueties - Same thing here, although I've already started grabbing their back catalogue. Nothing major here but it's solid.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
GIDDY
Today's news that Donald Rumsfeld will no longer be the Secretary of Defense makes me very very very happy. In fact, it almost makes me happier than the election results do. Almost. Democratic control of the House and Senate (looks like); a woman as Speaker of the House; a black governor elected for only the second time; even a Muslim candidate winning. Wow. Makes me feel good about the country and goes a long way towards erasing the despair from a couple years ago. A good day.
Today's news that Donald Rumsfeld will no longer be the Secretary of Defense makes me very very very happy. In fact, it almost makes me happier than the election results do. Almost. Democratic control of the House and Senate (looks like); a woman as Speaker of the House; a black governor elected for only the second time; even a Muslim candidate winning. Wow. Makes me feel good about the country and goes a long way towards erasing the despair from a couple years ago. A good day.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
GET OUT THE VOTE
I did this afternoon around 2:45. It was very quiet at the polling place, which meant a quick in and out. I was flabbergasted to learn that our method of voting has changed since the last time - we now have to fill in bubbles on paper! How does that happen? Sure, the punch hold method we used to have wasn't exactly state of the art but using a pen?!? Technology did come into play at the end of the process, as we fed our ballot into something that looked like a copier. Wha? Anyway, I hope I wake up tomorrow in a world where the Republicans took some serious losses.
I also made another vote this week, one with my purchasing power and palate. For a number of years, I would use Taco Bell brand taco mix - I always liked eating there and the taste was fine. However, it would give me pretty good heartburn and I've been going longer and longer between having them for dinner. Well, this week I decided to try Old El Paso, a package that included both hard and soft shells (a necessity in our family). I just finished eating dinner a short while ago and I quite enjoyed the taste. Plus, no heartburn (and their hard shells are pretty good). Sure, not as hard-hitting as an election but important to me nonetheless.
I did this afternoon around 2:45. It was very quiet at the polling place, which meant a quick in and out. I was flabbergasted to learn that our method of voting has changed since the last time - we now have to fill in bubbles on paper! How does that happen? Sure, the punch hold method we used to have wasn't exactly state of the art but using a pen?!? Technology did come into play at the end of the process, as we fed our ballot into something that looked like a copier. Wha? Anyway, I hope I wake up tomorrow in a world where the Republicans took some serious losses.
I also made another vote this week, one with my purchasing power and palate. For a number of years, I would use Taco Bell brand taco mix - I always liked eating there and the taste was fine. However, it would give me pretty good heartburn and I've been going longer and longer between having them for dinner. Well, this week I decided to try Old El Paso, a package that included both hard and soft shells (a necessity in our family). I just finished eating dinner a short while ago and I quite enjoyed the taste. Plus, no heartburn (and their hard shells are pretty good). Sure, not as hard-hitting as an election but important to me nonetheless.
Monday, November 06, 2006
DVR DAYS
We added a DVR to our cable subscription at the end of September. We immediately loved being able to record something on the main TV without having to leave that channel on. I also started using the ability to pause and rewind live TV while watching football and baseball. Then we discovered you could record 2 things at once, which comes in very handy when no one is home to watch anything. It's been great.
Naturally, I took advantage of the opportunity and captured a lot of the new fall shows. My days would be spent trying to catch up on the previous nights' TV, albeit at a faster pace. I've noticed something, though. All that TV is starting to dwindle.
I gave up "The Nine" after only a few episodes. I tried and discarded "Help Me Help You." Just tonight I have given up on both "Heroes" (which started out so promisingly) and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." I've still been watching "Gilmore Girls" but I'm not really sure why, which means chances are good it will be gone soon.
There are still good shows to watch, of course. "The Wire" remains one of the best shows ever on television and this season has been fantastic so far (I watch it On Demand before it airs on Sunday night). My new favorite show is "Battlestar Galactica," which is just incredible. How did I ever live without it? And while "Veronica Mars" started out slow, it's still really good. Yes, I'm still watching "Lost." I'm having some frustrations with how the story is being told but part of that is having too many characters to focus on. The last drama I'm still watching is one of the new ones, "Friday Night Lights." I've always found Kyle Chandler interesting to watch, as well as Connie Britton (plus, she's hot). And the story has been good if not incredibly original.
And the comedy side, there are only 3 (at least until "Scrubs comes back in a few weeks) - "How I Met Your Mother," "My Name is Earl," and "The Office." All three still make me laugh several times a half hour but "The Office" is the cream of the crop ("Tuna!").
Oh yeah, still watching "The Amazing Race" too. The only reality show I still find worthwhile.
Hmm, 7 1/2 hours of TV a week not counting sports. Well, it was worse...
We added a DVR to our cable subscription at the end of September. We immediately loved being able to record something on the main TV without having to leave that channel on. I also started using the ability to pause and rewind live TV while watching football and baseball. Then we discovered you could record 2 things at once, which comes in very handy when no one is home to watch anything. It's been great.
Naturally, I took advantage of the opportunity and captured a lot of the new fall shows. My days would be spent trying to catch up on the previous nights' TV, albeit at a faster pace. I've noticed something, though. All that TV is starting to dwindle.
I gave up "The Nine" after only a few episodes. I tried and discarded "Help Me Help You." Just tonight I have given up on both "Heroes" (which started out so promisingly) and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." I've still been watching "Gilmore Girls" but I'm not really sure why, which means chances are good it will be gone soon.
There are still good shows to watch, of course. "The Wire" remains one of the best shows ever on television and this season has been fantastic so far (I watch it On Demand before it airs on Sunday night). My new favorite show is "Battlestar Galactica," which is just incredible. How did I ever live without it? And while "Veronica Mars" started out slow, it's still really good. Yes, I'm still watching "Lost." I'm having some frustrations with how the story is being told but part of that is having too many characters to focus on. The last drama I'm still watching is one of the new ones, "Friday Night Lights." I've always found Kyle Chandler interesting to watch, as well as Connie Britton (plus, she's hot). And the story has been good if not incredibly original.
And the comedy side, there are only 3 (at least until "Scrubs comes back in a few weeks) - "How I Met Your Mother," "My Name is Earl," and "The Office." All three still make me laugh several times a half hour but "The Office" is the cream of the crop ("Tuna!").
Oh yeah, still watching "The Amazing Race" too. The only reality show I still find worthwhile.
Hmm, 7 1/2 hours of TV a week not counting sports. Well, it was worse...
Sunday, November 05, 2006
SUNDAY SHUFFLE #11
This feature doesn't feel quite so pointless now that I've posted some actual content this week. Your mileage may vary...
1. Them & Me/Brendan Benson (4) - Wonder if we'll get a new Brendan Benson solo album or a second Raconteurs album first?
2. Broom People/The Mountain Goats (3) - I really need to do a review of their latest album - it's so so good.
3. the sun fell on you (ps 119:82)/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (17) - They have an EP up at their website for free that is well worth grabbing.
4. Mother Mary/Eels (3) - I bet it's not too long before we start hearing talk of a new Eels album.
5. The Slow Decay of Some Radio Afterglows/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (4) - Long song title; long band name; long song (7 minutes plus).
6. Paper Kitten Nightmare/Margot and the Nuclear So and So's (4) - Second song of the year with "Meow meow meow" as a lyric, along with "Where I'm Anymore" by Grandaddy.
7. Might/Archers of Loaf (6) - I still haven't picked up Eric Bachmann's solo disc from a few months ago - anyone have it?
8. Oceans/The Format (5) - Check out TJ's site for a scary promotional e-mail he got from this band.
9. Questions?/Dramarama (1) - Is Dramarama one of the most underrated bands of the last 20 years? Yes.
10. Fireflies/The Drams (6) - These guys have been touring with Drive-By Truckers - that's a show I'd go see.
This feature doesn't feel quite so pointless now that I've posted some actual content this week. Your mileage may vary...
1. Them & Me/Brendan Benson (4) - Wonder if we'll get a new Brendan Benson solo album or a second Raconteurs album first?
2. Broom People/The Mountain Goats (3) - I really need to do a review of their latest album - it's so so good.
3. the sun fell on you (ps 119:82)/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (17) - They have an EP up at their website for free that is well worth grabbing.
4. Mother Mary/Eels (3) - I bet it's not too long before we start hearing talk of a new Eels album.
5. The Slow Decay of Some Radio Afterglows/The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers (4) - Long song title; long band name; long song (7 minutes plus).
6. Paper Kitten Nightmare/Margot and the Nuclear So and So's (4) - Second song of the year with "Meow meow meow" as a lyric, along with "Where I'm Anymore" by Grandaddy.
7. Might/Archers of Loaf (6) - I still haven't picked up Eric Bachmann's solo disc from a few months ago - anyone have it?
8. Oceans/The Format (5) - Check out TJ's site for a scary promotional e-mail he got from this band.
9. Questions?/Dramarama (1) - Is Dramarama one of the most underrated bands of the last 20 years? Yes.
10. Fireflies/The Drams (6) - These guys have been touring with Drive-By Truckers - that's a show I'd go see.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
STREAMY
I've got plenty of music to listen to - albums I've barely had time to digest, all sorts of stuff on podcasts, lots of great music from earlier this year that I haven't played in a while, let alone all the great stuff from previous years. But is that enough? No. I'm listening to streams of Silversun Pickups (Oct. 27 at around 3 PM) and The Shins (yesterday at 1:20 or so) on KEXP and The Long Winters from the other day on NPR. There's also a Decemberists concert to get to, also from NPR. Now if I could only get paid for it...
I've got plenty of music to listen to - albums I've barely had time to digest, all sorts of stuff on podcasts, lots of great music from earlier this year that I haven't played in a while, let alone all the great stuff from previous years. But is that enough? No. I'm listening to streams of Silversun Pickups (Oct. 27 at around 3 PM) and The Shins (yesterday at 1:20 or so) on KEXP and The Long Winters from the other day on NPR. There's also a Decemberists concert to get to, also from NPR. Now if I could only get paid for it...
Friday, November 03, 2006
FRIDAY NIGHT FOLLIES
Drove down to DeMotte tonight (about 25 miles away) to meet my wife and parents for dinner before an open mic at a local place. We ate at a Mexican place that makes great burritos (chicken and pork combo!) and it was good as usual, if a bit slow due to a large crowd. We were just finishing right before 7:00, so I ducked out early and went across the street to the open mic. Well, there was the opposite of a big crowd. The host was there by himself. We waited for a few minutes but no other performers came and the only potential audience members were supplied by me. So, we packed it in.
The good news is I finished a new song about 20 minutes before we left, the first one I've finished in a couple months and my 6th song overall (#5 has only been played once and won't really outside of a band setting). I did go to the open mic in Valpo last night for the first time in almost 2 months, which was nice. And now I have something new to play next week; I also have another song that just needs lyrics and should be done by Thursday.
What am I doing instead of performing? Having a beer and using up the rest of my current eMusic downloads while watching basketball on mute. Go Bulls!
Drove down to DeMotte tonight (about 25 miles away) to meet my wife and parents for dinner before an open mic at a local place. We ate at a Mexican place that makes great burritos (chicken and pork combo!) and it was good as usual, if a bit slow due to a large crowd. We were just finishing right before 7:00, so I ducked out early and went across the street to the open mic. Well, there was the opposite of a big crowd. The host was there by himself. We waited for a few minutes but no other performers came and the only potential audience members were supplied by me. So, we packed it in.
The good news is I finished a new song about 20 minutes before we left, the first one I've finished in a couple months and my 6th song overall (#5 has only been played once and won't really outside of a band setting). I did go to the open mic in Valpo last night for the first time in almost 2 months, which was nice. And now I have something new to play next week; I also have another song that just needs lyrics and should be done by Thursday.
What am I doing instead of performing? Having a beer and using up the rest of my current eMusic downloads while watching basketball on mute. Go Bulls!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
BOOK BACKLOG
It's been a while since I mentioned books around here, so I thought I'd give an update. I have managed to get myself back on pace to read 40 books this year; the pace is actually a fast one since I still have 8 books left to go. The good news is that I hit September with 16 books left to go, so I know I can read 4 in a month. And it won't be the end of the world if I don't make it; I read 38 last year, so if I at least get to 39 I'll be happy. Anyway, here's what I've been reading the last two months...
25. Infoquake/David Louis Edelman - A different sort of SF novel, with an economy set up around Bio/logics (upgrades for the body, such as NiteFocus 49) and a possible revolutionary change in that business. The main character, Natch, is an ass but an interesting ass. I really liked the book and eagerly await the two sequels that are forthcoming.
26. The Book of Fate/Brad Meltzer - I picked this up because I read the first chapter in an issue of Justice League of America, the comic Meltzer is currently writing, and was intrigued. The book falls more in that John Grisham vein, though it's more concerned with power and the Presidency than the law. It was a page-turner but nothing that blew me away. Let's put it this way, I won't be picking up any of his other books (and his JLA is losing steam too but that's another post).
27. The Washington Story/Adam Langer - This contiunes the stories of many characters from Langer's debut, Crossing California. I really liked that book and this is more of the same. It is set in Chicago, so I recognize events from my childhood, and it deals with the college adventures of several characters. Art, sex, relationships, radicalism, loss, longing, and hope. And more, of course.
28. Fragile Things/Neil Gaiman - The new story and poetry collection from Gaiman, one of my favorite writers. As is the case with all collections, I liked some stories better than others but the overall quality is very high. I particularly enjoyed "A Study in Emerald," which involves both Lovecraft and Doyle, and "Sunbird," a story about an eating club with mythical aspects.
29. The World to Come/Dara Horn - This novel falls in the category of an "everything" novel for me, a book that concerns itself with multiple ideas and characters. It deals with Vietnam, the Soviet Union, art, stories, twins, relationships (both romantic and familial), theft, Jewish life, and more. It's very well-written and very very good.
30. Third Class Superhero/Charles Yu - This is a small story collection, the debut by Yu. The title story appealed to me the most, a look at a super-hero longing to join the big leagues. The stories are not the norm and have some math apsects to them as well. Yu reminds me of George Saunders in tone if not it content (though sometimes in content too). Solid.
31. The Ladies of Grace Adieu/Susanna Clarke - I loved Clarke's debut, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. This is a set of stories set in the same milieu with some of the same characters popping up. Most of them deal with the intersection of Faerie and "the real world" or with magic or sometimes both. Written in unusual dialects or structures, the stories are very rewarding. I'd still start with the novel but this is well worth your time.
32. Stardust/Neil Gaiman - Yeah, I'd never read this before. But one of the stories in the Clarke collection shares a setting with this book (Wall, where you step through a gap in a stone wall and into Faerie) so I thought I'd finally read it. Now I can't believe I put it off. It's full of whimsy and wonder, action and humor, wonderful ideas. I highly recommend it and can't wait to see how the movie turns out (coming out in early 2007, I believe).
It's been a while since I mentioned books around here, so I thought I'd give an update. I have managed to get myself back on pace to read 40 books this year; the pace is actually a fast one since I still have 8 books left to go. The good news is that I hit September with 16 books left to go, so I know I can read 4 in a month. And it won't be the end of the world if I don't make it; I read 38 last year, so if I at least get to 39 I'll be happy. Anyway, here's what I've been reading the last two months...
25. Infoquake/David Louis Edelman - A different sort of SF novel, with an economy set up around Bio/logics (upgrades for the body, such as NiteFocus 49) and a possible revolutionary change in that business. The main character, Natch, is an ass but an interesting ass. I really liked the book and eagerly await the two sequels that are forthcoming.
26. The Book of Fate/Brad Meltzer - I picked this up because I read the first chapter in an issue of Justice League of America, the comic Meltzer is currently writing, and was intrigued. The book falls more in that John Grisham vein, though it's more concerned with power and the Presidency than the law. It was a page-turner but nothing that blew me away. Let's put it this way, I won't be picking up any of his other books (and his JLA is losing steam too but that's another post).
27. The Washington Story/Adam Langer - This contiunes the stories of many characters from Langer's debut, Crossing California. I really liked that book and this is more of the same. It is set in Chicago, so I recognize events from my childhood, and it deals with the college adventures of several characters. Art, sex, relationships, radicalism, loss, longing, and hope. And more, of course.
28. Fragile Things/Neil Gaiman - The new story and poetry collection from Gaiman, one of my favorite writers. As is the case with all collections, I liked some stories better than others but the overall quality is very high. I particularly enjoyed "A Study in Emerald," which involves both Lovecraft and Doyle, and "Sunbird," a story about an eating club with mythical aspects.
29. The World to Come/Dara Horn - This novel falls in the category of an "everything" novel for me, a book that concerns itself with multiple ideas and characters. It deals with Vietnam, the Soviet Union, art, stories, twins, relationships (both romantic and familial), theft, Jewish life, and more. It's very well-written and very very good.
30. Third Class Superhero/Charles Yu - This is a small story collection, the debut by Yu. The title story appealed to me the most, a look at a super-hero longing to join the big leagues. The stories are not the norm and have some math apsects to them as well. Yu reminds me of George Saunders in tone if not it content (though sometimes in content too). Solid.
31. The Ladies of Grace Adieu/Susanna Clarke - I loved Clarke's debut, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. This is a set of stories set in the same milieu with some of the same characters popping up. Most of them deal with the intersection of Faerie and "the real world" or with magic or sometimes both. Written in unusual dialects or structures, the stories are very rewarding. I'd still start with the novel but this is well worth your time.
32. Stardust/Neil Gaiman - Yeah, I'd never read this before. But one of the stories in the Clarke collection shares a setting with this book (Wall, where you step through a gap in a stone wall and into Faerie) so I thought I'd finally read it. Now I can't believe I put it off. It's full of whimsy and wonder, action and humor, wonderful ideas. I highly recommend it and can't wait to see how the movie turns out (coming out in early 2007, I believe).
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
DELAYED TRICKS
Outside of the cold tempartures for candy-hunting yesterday, the day was pretty much a treat. Sure, I could have done without the 45 minute break between classes but I can't blame the kindergarteners for not coming down to swim - they were in costume. Grant got compliments on his costume (Superman) and his fake black hair and filled his pumpkin to the brim with candy (then promptly rejected half of it, which isn't a bad thing). A good day overall.
Today has been a little different. The tip of a cotton swab fell off while I was cleaning my ear this morning. My attempts to get it out only lodged it in further. Jill was at work, of course, so I enlisted some of my co-workers to help (susbstitute wives, who are all married and therefore used to dealing with idiot men). Two of them couldn't see anything but after being in the pool I knew it was still in there - my ear was closing up and not immediately unclogging. After I was done for the day and my boss took a look, thinking she spotted it. I had brought some tweezers along in case that happened and she was able to successfully remove it. What a relief.
We've had a clogging kitchen sink drain the past few days, which periodically happens in our old house. Jill put some stuff down it to loosen things back up and then I heard her shout. The pipe was leaking under the sink, spraying nasty gunk all over. Turns out there was a crack. She went out to Menards and got some supplies and was able to fix it. Plus, the drain seems to be fine now.
Hmm, maybe the moral of this day is that the women in my life are awesome and I'm not so useful....or it was just a bad day made better by others. Either way, I'm hoping for a calmer tomorrow.
Outside of the cold tempartures for candy-hunting yesterday, the day was pretty much a treat. Sure, I could have done without the 45 minute break between classes but I can't blame the kindergarteners for not coming down to swim - they were in costume. Grant got compliments on his costume (Superman) and his fake black hair and filled his pumpkin to the brim with candy (then promptly rejected half of it, which isn't a bad thing). A good day overall.
Today has been a little different. The tip of a cotton swab fell off while I was cleaning my ear this morning. My attempts to get it out only lodged it in further. Jill was at work, of course, so I enlisted some of my co-workers to help (susbstitute wives, who are all married and therefore used to dealing with idiot men). Two of them couldn't see anything but after being in the pool I knew it was still in there - my ear was closing up and not immediately unclogging. After I was done for the day and my boss took a look, thinking she spotted it. I had brought some tweezers along in case that happened and she was able to successfully remove it. What a relief.
We've had a clogging kitchen sink drain the past few days, which periodically happens in our old house. Jill put some stuff down it to loosen things back up and then I heard her shout. The pipe was leaking under the sink, spraying nasty gunk all over. Turns out there was a crack. She went out to Menards and got some supplies and was able to fix it. Plus, the drain seems to be fine now.
Hmm, maybe the moral of this day is that the women in my life are awesome and I'm not so useful....or it was just a bad day made better by others. Either way, I'm hoping for a calmer tomorrow.
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