SUNDAY SHUFFLE #89

This is the Post-Prom 2008 edition...and yes, I realize another week went by without any other posts. There's always this week!

1. Flaming Wreck/Pernice Brothers (12)
2. When You're Tired/The Drams (10)
3. Step On It, Jean/Sloan (7)
4. Robbers/Cold War Kids (10)
5. Incommunicado/Harvey Danger (28)
6. Keep Yourself Warm/Frightened Rabbit (5)
7. It's Gonna Be Beautiful/Wisely (2)
8. Bitter Branch/Glossary (3)
9. Black Sheep Boy #4/Okkervil River (5)
10. All the Way Down/Oakley Hall (4)

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #88

Yeah, I've been quiet since last Sunday. I plan on that changing this week, so check back often!

1. Funny Little Frog/Belle and Sebastian (13)
2. [Untitled Track]/The Black Keys (10)
3. Buzz Fledderjohn/Tom Waits (7)
4. Green Field/The Good, The Bad & The Queen (6)
5. Instrumental 3 (demo)/Wilco (5)
6. Nothing Is True/Earlimart (11)
7. Nine Black Poppies/The Mountain Goats (5)
8. Last Word/Archers of Loaf (11)
9. East Coast Time/Warren Zanes (13)
10. No One Here Knows Jane/Warren Zanes (9)

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #87

It's the last Sunday in April already. Hell, the year's almost a third over. If only I didn't have to go into work today...

1. A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene/Okkervil River (10)
2. I Came Here to Say I'm Going Away/Okkervil River (6)
3. Don't Think About Me/Earlimart (10)
4. First Night/The Hold Steady (24)
5. Getting Saved/Portastatic (18)
6. Billy Liar/The Decemberists (8)
7. Hard to Breathe/Irving (6)
8. Tell Me in the Morning/Cold War Kids (12)
9. Watch Out For Me Ronnie/Yo La Tengo (10)
10. Swan Swan H/R.E.M. (3)

HEAVY ROTATION #4

It's been a few months since I've done one of these but lately I have a bunch of albums I can't stop listening to. And really, I don't want to stop.

Kathleen Edwards/Asking for Flowers
Nada Surf/Lucky
REM/Accelerate
Sloan/Between the Bridges
The Whigs/Mission Control
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks/Real Emotional Trash
American Music Club/The Golden Age

MORE SHORTS/PROJECTS

I actually wore shorts on Thursday, which was nice. Of course, I spend my days in a bathing suit so I guess it's not the biggest deal in the world. Yesterday it was in the low 80s and we sweltered in Chicago while seeing a show at Comedy Sportz (drama club field trip); today it's cooler with tomorrow and the next few days set to be even worse. There's even talk of snow. Not unprecedented around here (it snowed the day of my senior prom, which was early May) but still rare.

To completely change the subject, you can now hear two songs of Aimee Mann's upcoming album, @#%&*! Smilers, here. It comes out June 10 and I can't wait.

The season finale of Torchwood was fantastic and completely heartbreaking on a variety of levels. I'm curious as to where they'll go from here. I bet Martha Jones will be back.

Thanks to this week's return of Lost (hello again, smoke monster), Thursday night now features 2 great hours of TV, preceeded by a solid hour (My Name Is Earl is definitely the weakest link, even though Scrubs isn't as strong as it used to be). Oh, the 2 hours is The Office and 30 Rock and Lost. All had really really good episodes this week. And then to get new eps of Battlestar Galactica the next night? I love you, TV.

I was reading through the Summer Movie Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly and realized I had another project to undertake. We are about 3 1/2 weeks away from the opening of the new Indiana Jones movie and I still need to show the first three to my son. Got to get on that.

PROJECTS

I have plenty of things to occupy my time but I'm always thinking about what I can do next. Over the past few days, I've decided to embark on a couple new projects.

The final volume of Y: The Last Man will be published on June 18, which is 8 weeks from today. The series has been one of the best comics of this decade and I have been reading it in trade format from the start. I am eagerly awaiting the last book and I thought it would be good to go back and reread the series up to this point. I did it for Harry Potter and this is just as meaningful. The only problem with this project is I have only 8 weeks to read 9 trades. Ah well, I'm going to give it a shot.

There was a post of Chris Roberson's blog (I really need to update my links, by the way) the other day about Kage Baker's series of novels and story collections in her Company series. I've read a number of the stories in the pages of Asimov's over the years and always meant to get around to the books. Well, Roberson's enthusiasm for the series has inspired me to finally get to the series. This project probably won't start right away but I hope to have many of the books read by the end of the year (if not all).

On the lighter (and easier) side, I think it's well past time for me to do a new mix CD to give out to friends. I believe the last one I did was way back in June (!). That's a long, long time for me to go without doing one. The good news is I have a ton of songs I could put on it. I hope to accomplish this by the end of next week, if not sooner.

DOWN TO ONE

I've managed to hack the DVR back down to my being only one week behind again. Of course, it helps that In Treatment ending a couple weeks ago. However, I captured the last 3 episodes of the 3rd season of Doctor Who yesterday; I'd like to watch them again before I start on the new season (the first ep of which is already recorded) now that I know more about the show and Torchwood.

Speaking of Torchwood, I'm down to only one episode left on the DVR and it's last night's season finale. Today I watched last week's penultimate episode and it was a really good one. A bomb trapped four members of the team and as they were dug out, we saw how they became involved with the outfit. Very interesting. And the finale promises to be a humdinger too.

I also have the final episode of the first season of Mad Men sitting on the DVR. Not sure why I didn't tune into the series when it originally aired but I'm glad AMC ran it again. Looking forward to seeing how things ended so I can start getting excited about the upcoming 2nd season.

I think there's only one remaining episode of Human Giant yet to air as well; I still have one on the DVR.

The final episode of John Adams aired tonight, which means I still have 2 to watch. That's been a very good series as well and I absolutely love the musical theme.

That about covers what I have left to watch...except for the Knight Rider movie from February. We'll get around to it some day...

Oh, and I now have 3 eps of Battlestar Galactica, which I'm saving until I can get Jill through all the DVDs. I know she'll like the show and you all should be watching it too. I looooved Friday's episode and can't wait until next week...

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #86

Let's get right to the music...

1. Last Time in Love/Sloan (15)
2. I Never Want To Go Home/The Whigs (6)
3. Broke Me Up/Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew (6)
4. Beyond Me/Sloan (6)
5. Razzle Dazzle Rose/Camera Obscura (14)
6. Titled Untitled/Kathleen Edwards (3)
7. Vampires in Blue Dresses/Margot & The Nuclear So & So's (6)
8. Blush/The Raveonettes (4)
9. King Kong '76/Patterson Hood (12)
10. Down On the Corner/Creedence Clearwater Revival (5)

SHORTS

It was actually warm enough for me to wear shorts on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. I didn't but I could have. After the long winter we've had, that felt very good.

Earlier this week I finished reading Maps and Legends, the new non-fiction collection from Michael Chabon. The essays collected discuss comics, genre fiction, Sherlock Holmes, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, Cormac McCarthy's The Road, his personal history, his own work, and more. I loved it. He reminds me why I want to be a writer and why I should start being one now. It also has an amazing triple-fold cover by Jordan Crane; McSweeney's knows how to produce beautiful books, don't they?

I've finally managed to finish the March 2008 issues of Asimov's and F&SF. Asimov's was solid with no stories standing out or the opposite (though I didn't quite follow the Steven Utley). I liked F&SF a lot more - a bunch of good stories, my favorite of which is probably Nancy Springer's "Rumple What?," which is a fresh take on that old story.

I'm going to stay on my short story kick for the forseeable future too; my next 2 books are new collections from Kevin Brockmeier and Steven Millhauser. Can't wait.

eMUSIC ROUND TWENTY-SIX

I'm well past due for telling you what I grabbed from eMusic in my last download period; in fact, I'm already close to 2 weeks into the newest period (haven't grabbed anything yet, though). So, here's what I picked up in March...

She & Him/Volume One - This is the collaboration between Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward and you know what? It works. Deschanel is front and center on the vocals with only a couple songs that Ward sings on as well. But his production and guitar is stellar throughout and Deschanel has written some solid 60s-type pop songs.

Destroyer/Trouble In Dreams - You know, I still don't quite know what to make of Destroyer. I like the band but I'm not sure what it is about them. Sure, the music is solid in a classic-rock vein but the lyrics can be very obtuse. Then again, I don't know that meaning is especially important to Dan Bejar. Maybe he's just going for that feeling and this album has a number of tracks that give you something in the feeling department.

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks/Real Emotional Trash - The latest album from the former Pavement frontman and this time around Janet Weiss (formerly of Sleater-Kinney) is pounding the drums. It's a good album and one I want to talk about more in the future.

Nick Lowe/Jesus of Cool (Reissue) - Pretty much what it says, a reissue of the classic Nick Lowe album with a bunch of bonus tracks. Power pop goodies.

Headlights/Some Racing, Some Stopping - This is more modern pop music, quiet and pretty in places. I've only listened twice, so I don't have a ton of insight. I can tell you the last song, "January," is awesome.

FANBOY CATNIP

Geoff Johns knows how to write for DC fanboys in their mid-30s, probably because he is one himself (I think he's a couple years younger than I am). His latest issue of Booster Gold (#8, with co-writer Jeff Katz and the usual art team of Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund) finds Booster and Blue Beetle in an timeline that's been twisted so that Max Lord is overrunning most heroes with OMACs and the two heroes have joined with a disparate band of heroes that features....Wild Dog! Not only that, but Pantha and Anthro too. And what fun it is amidst all the danger and drama and the sinisters machinations of a villainous cabal. The issue also ends with a promise of trying to get the old Justice League International team back together again to fight back against Lord, who was their benefactor and friend. Fanboy catnip, indeed.

The other comic I picked up last week was also written by Johns, Justice Society of America #14. It continues the "Thy Kingdom Come" storyline with the arrival and confrontation with Gog. Along the way, there are nice character bits (like a nice opening with Sandy and Power Girl) and some humor as all the heroes try to pile around the table (also, there's a printing snafu on one page but it is still readable). Of course, all that gives way to the fight in the second half of the book and nice cliffhanger ending. I'm ready for more.

Zack Snyder has found a new way to build interest in his upcoming Watchmen adaptation - a set of 12 production videos that will debut around the web on the 6th of every month (which means that final one will arrive the same day as the movie opens next year). The first video deals with the set-building and creating of New York circa 1985, Watchmen-style. Watch it here.

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #85

We've had some snow flurries this morning, which is rather depressing. Still, the weather is supposed to take a good turn again in a few days. Today is the last Sunday I won't have to go into work until May, so I plan on enjoying it...even though I have to do some progress reports.

1. The Rest of My Life/Sloan (6)
2. The Chinatown Bus/Bishop Allen (8)
3. Rains on Me/Tom Waits (7)
4. Chips Ahoy/The Hold Steady (28)
5. Hot Soft Light/The Hold Steady (24)
6. Trouble/Voxtrot (5)
7. The Gymnast, High Above the Ground/The Decemberists (9)
8. Flashes and Cables/Centro-Matic (13)
9. Wrecking Force/Voxtrot (5)
10. Andiamo/The Twilight Singers (8)

Weird that the same 2 songs by The Hold Steady popped up again this week...

ARRIVALS

It was a big day today, as some boxes of goodies that I ordered with birthday cash and gift cards arrived. Plus, it's a Wednesday - new comics! It's a nice relief to a long day at work. Here's what I got...

Battlestar Galactica Season Three
Big Dipper/Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology
The Black Keys/Attack & Release
Booster Gold #8
Michael Chabon/Maps and Legends
Justice Society of America #14

I also would have gotten Criminal Vol. 2 #2 but my shop had a shortage on it, so maybe next week. I love getting new stuff.

FRAKKIN' SHADOWS

I just finished reading The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford, my 14th book of the year. The novel is an expansion of his novella "Botch Town," which was original to his last story collection, The Empire of Ice Cream. It is very very good and I spent 8 days reading it because I didn't want it to be over, even though I'd read a good chunk of it before. Ford is the real deal and a writer who everyone should be reading; he is adept at both the novel and shorter forms. This year is a big Ford year too, as we will get his third story collection and reissues of a three novel series from Golden Gryphon this fall. Five Ford books in one year that I haven't read? Wow.

I mentioned last week that it took the impending 4th season start of Battlestar Galactica to get me to finally watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor. It wasn't set between the 3rd and 4th seasons but backed up a bit to tell more of the story of the Pegasus, while adding in some teasers and depth for the final season. I liked it and had some fun looking at some of the extras (though not all of them yet).

Friday night was the season premiere and I was all set to watch...but ended up going out to see some friends play. I got half of the episode watched before work Saturday morning and then jumped right back into when I got home. Soooo good. So good. I cannot wait for more. I also saved the ep on the DVR because I want to start Jill on the show and she's willing. Not sure when we'll start but she says we don't have to wait for the summer. Yay.

THE HOOK

Earlier this week I was feeling a bit burned out on comics. It happens from time to time. I love comics but sometimes the sheer amount of stuff I want to read and/or buy overwhelms me, not only for monetary concerns but for space around the house as well. It's just one of those moods and it may well have colored my thoughts on JSA Presents: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol. 1 a bit. I felt like I could take or leave comics for a while...then I read about the trailer at the end of Action Comics # 863 and I was hooked all over again.

I had planned on picking up Action Comics #863, of course, with it being the final issue of the "Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" storyline that I've been greatly enjoying. It didn't disappoint either as Superman gets his powers back and Yera reluctantly kisses Sun Boy and the full Legion is present for the victory and the uplifting end. It was great story and not only for bringing back the Legion I fell in love with, though that certainly helped. Of course, it makes me want to read the continuing adventures of my Legion (well, even better if I could write it) - and that's where the trailer comes in.

Geoff Johns first used a trailer at the end of Justice Society of America #1, which helped cement a great first issue by giving glimpses of what was coming up in the book. The trailer at the end of Action Comics #863 gives us a glimpse at an upcoming mini-series by Johns and George Perez (!) - Final Crisis: Legion of the Three Worlds. Ohhhh yeah. Superman. Superboy-Prime. The Legion I grew up with as well as the Legions of the two reboots (it's cool seeing XS in the ad). The Time Trapper. Universo. Mordru. And Lex Luthor? It begins it August and I already can't wait. Thanks for jolting me back into my love of comics, Johns. Well played.

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #84

It was over 60 degrees yesterday and is supposed to be even nicer today. Thank goodness spring has finally arrived!

1. Chips Ahoy/The Hold Steady (27)
2. Fear City/Elliott Smith (8)
3. Totally Free/Elk City (8)
4. Slow Show (live)/The National (3)
5. Wild West Love Song/Marah (5)
6. The Way The Lazy Do/Dr. Dog (3)
7. Strong Boy/Brendan Benson (16)
8. The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton/The Mountain Goats (10)
9. Hot Soft Light/The Hold Steady (23)
10. The Garden at Night/The Clientele (7)

SING IT, MIKE

I've decided to discontinue my monthly roundups. Fuck the numbers, though I will still keep track of my book totals. Hell, I've been doing that since 2001.

I started on a book this evening, having left the Mar. 2008 Asimov's at work. Twice. Ah well, I'll get back to it at some point. Anyway, I'm now reading The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford. Ford is a writer everyone should be reading.

Picked up the new REM album today. I was a little apprehensive about it, what with all the praise it's been getting. Sometimes it just seems like critics get together and all decide whether to celebrate a "rebirth" or to keep trashing a band regardless of content. I've only listened once but it sounded pretty good - love hearing those Mike Mills harmonies!

JSA Presents: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Vol.. 1 didn't hold up quite as well as I'd remembered it, alas. It was an impulse purchase - last thing spotted, really. Ah well, can't win them all. On the plus side, I dug the head trip that was Casanova: Luxuria - twins, alternate worlds, futuristic aborigines, robots, multiple acronymned organizations...hard to beat. Well played, Fraction.

How excited am I getting for the return of Battlestar Galactica? Enough to finally watch BSG: Razor! Should happen tomorrow...

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #83

Last day of spring break...

1. Mellotron 2/Apples In Stereo (6)
2. I Know That's Not Really You/American Music Club (5)
3. Love To A Monster/Okkervil River (10)
4. Gonna Break Into Your Heart/Earlimart (12)
5. Go By/Elliott Smith (7)
6. People That I'm Wrong For/Warren Zanes (16)
7. The News from Your Bed/Bishop Allen (7)
8. Shaken Baby/Pernice Brothers (14)
9. My Rights Versus Yours/The New Pornographers (14)
10. Stormy High/Black Mountain (3)

THE YEAR OF 35 2: THE YEAR OF 37

Two years ago I embarked on "The Year of 35," in which I decided to start doing all the things I'd talked and dreamed about all my life. I picked up the guitar and started writing songs, played in a band, and just had a great time. I kept on going once I turned 36...but in September I let my new responsibilities at work consume me. I have made very few appearances at open mics since then and haven't played a ton of guitar, let along doing creative things with it.

Today I turned 37 and I'm going to use this birthday to propel myself back into music. I want to get back out there and get back to writing songs and just enjoying making music. In addition, I want to follow through with the spirit of "The Year of 35" and add writing to the palette as well. I've wanted to writer for years and years and years. Now's the time to get started. I like my job but I also don't want to do it forever; I need to start building towards the life I want to have.

I'm not going to make any grand statements or specific goals, nor do I know what this will mean for the blog. Changes? No changes? Long absences? Who knows? I'm not going to inundate you with "Year of 37" updates either. It's not a thing, really, just a rededication to what I started 2 years ago. I'm ready to reload and crank it up. Looking forward to it...

COMICS, OLD AND NEW

Sad to say I abandoned a book about comics the other day. I'd started on David Hajdu's new look at the comic book wars of the 1950s (where the industry was drastically censored and changed), The Ten-Cent Plague. I'm familiar with the story and many of the players, which may have colored my reading of the book. Or maybe reading two non-fiction books back to back wasn't the right way to go. I don't know. I'm not saying the Hajdu is bad book or that you shouldn't read it...it just wasn't for me right now.

I mentioned in my previous post that we took a trip to a cool comics shop yesterday. I try to make it to The Laughing Ogre every time I'm in Columbus - it's a big, clean store just filled with a wide variety of comics and trades. They have super-hero and non and indie and manga and magazines and all sorts of cool stuff. I could spend $100 every time I went, easily. I didn't spend that much. of course. I did pick up two trades, though - Casanova: Luxuria and JSA Presents: Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Volume One. The first is a collection of the ongoing series by Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba; the second collects the first half of the Geoff Johns series from 9 years ago. Thus continues my trend of buying new material to me and stuff that I like but don't have in single issues anymore. I'm already about halfway through Casanova: Luxuria and will do a proper review later on.

TRIP MUSIC

We are now back home after a couple days spent in Columbus, Ohio with Jill's dad and his wife Christine. It was nice to get away for a few days and we spent our time in a variety of ways - checking out what we didn't see this summer at the Columbus Zoo; hiking around a park on a really nice day; heading to a great comics shop (more on which soon); playing Catchphrase and Scrabble (man, I was horrible); eating lots and lots of good food; and just hanging out and relaxing. Just what we needed.

As usual, I packed up 24 CDs and my iPod. Unusually, I stopped at Best Buy on our way out of town to by the new disc from The Racontuers. Here's a list of what I listened to it the car to, around, and from...

The Raconteurs/Consolers of the Lonely
Aimee Mann/Lost in Space
Nada Surf/Lucky
Wilco/Sky Blue Sky
Gary Louris/Vagabonds
Weezer/Pinkerton
Iron and Wine/The Shepherd's Dog
Tim O'Reagan/Tim O'Reagan
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks/Real Emotional Trash - iPod
Nick Lowe/Jesus of Cool (Reissue) - iPod
Material Issue/Freak City Soundtrack
The Mountain Goats/Heretic Pride
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/Hard Promises
Vampire Weeked/Vampire Weekend
Kathleen Edwards/Back To Me - started in the car and finished at home

That leaves me with 12 discs of stuff I didn't listen to, which I'll work through over the next week or two driving around town in my car (amd may or may not mention here).

BASEBALL BEHAVIOR

Yesterday morning I got up at 5:00. Why? To watch the first baseball game of the season, the Red Sox and A's live from Japan. Yes, it's earlier than I normally get up...a lot earlier. And yes, we left on our vacation yesterday. But I can't resist the first game of the season, no matter who is playing. Now I didn't see every pitch - I had left the dishes unwashed the night before and I had to shower and make sure I had my stuff packed - but I watched as much as I could. The only downside was that when I had to leave for work (I did a short lifeguarding shift before we left town) the game was tied at 4 going into the 10th. I got up at 5 AM and couldn't see the end of the game? Ah well, it was worth it.

A short while ago I finished this year's baseball book, Is This a Great Game, or What? by Tim Kurkjian. Kurkjian has been one of my favorite baseball writers and Baseball Tonight personalities because he so obviously loves the game and has so many facts and figures in his head. His book takes a look at all the aspects of the game and is filled with story after story, many of which are hilarious. He also asks questions, such as why 3 centerfielders get voted to receive a Gold Glove and no corner outfielders. I've always wondered that myself. If you love the game, it's a great book to read. It was a great way to get me excited for another season in which anything can happen (the Cubs could win it all for the the first time in 100 years...could).

You know what? I'll be watching Sunday night's game too. I love baseball. Go White Sox!

SMASHING

Last Thursday Grant finally had enough money to buy Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. He's been playing it a lot, obviously, but Jill and I have gotten in the act too. Man, it is a ton of fun. You can fight on a variety of worlds from Nintendo games and as a wide variety of characters. You get to punch and use lightsabers and flip and all sorts of cool things as you try and knock out the other players. Last night I dominated as Mario, cutting way down on getting knocked off and upping my kill power. I love this game.

Yesterday I got a score of 8919 on computer solitaire, which is easily the highest score I've ever reached. I should probably retire, especially since I could be doing more productive things than playing it.

I spent a couple days last week reading through Justice Society of America: The Next Age, which collects the first 4 issues of the relaunched and ongoing series. I read these as they came out last year and liked them enough to get them in a collected edition. Geoff Johns is dealing with the legacy of the JSA, bringing in new characters and tieing into the past. It's the kind of DC comic that I go for and would love to write. Maybe someday.

I watched a cool Doctor Who two-parter ("Human Nature" and "The Family of Blood") over the weekend, breaking my self-imposed rule of watching show off the DVR in chronological order. The Doctor is being hunted by the family and flees to 1913 to hide, becoming fully human in the process. The aliens track him and Martha (masquerading as a servant) isn't sure what to do. It's a look at what it means to be human and what the Doctor sacrifices by being who he is. Really great work by the cast and writer Paul Cornell. This now brings me back to where I came in on the series, as "Blink" airs this coming Saturday. I'll probably watch the end of the third season again, especially now having seen just about the entire series (I missed maybe an ep or two somewhere along the line). Season 4 starts airing in April too, I think.

Speaking of series starting in April, I need to watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor before the final season starts on April 4. Frak yeah. Oh, you can find the cast's appearance on David Letterman doing a Top Ten list on You Tube...in character!

I also watched the first part of HBO's John Adams mini-series yesterday and found it thoroughly engrossing - both for the story and the performance of Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney and John and Abigail. Part two takes John to Philadelphia for the first Contintenal Congress and part three is also on the DVR.

Meanwhile, we're heading to Columbus for a few days tomorrow to visit Jill's dad and his wife. It will be nice to get away for a few days!

FEBRUARY SF IN MARCH

I've spent the last 4 days reading the Feb. 2008 issues of Asimov's and F&SF. I haven't dipped into either magazine since early February and it was nice to sink back into some short SF.

The Asimov's issue was in the classic mode - big name authors, a conclusion to a serialization, some short stories that really were short, and examples of both classic and idea SF. The issue started with Michael Swanwick's "From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled...," about an attack that kills all humans but one and his (and his suit's - possessed by the intelligence of his dead lover) attempt to negotiate with and through aliens to survive. It's followed by a short sharp story from Nancy Kress; there's also another short not quite as sharp story from Edward M. Lerner, though only author I was unfamiliar with. "The Ray-Gun: A Love Story" by James Alan Gardner takes the idea of a kid finding an alien ray-gun and spools out a story of loneliness and heroism and love; I really liked it. Mary Rosenblum's "The Egg Man" shows a future where people in the US do what they can to survive and what one Mexican man does to help; "The Last American" by John Kessel is the story of a future President...and it's not a very nice story. Finally, Allen M. Steele concludes his Galaxy Blues in a sufficiently rousing fashion and reminds me yet again that I need to read all of his Coyote-related works.

F&SF offered up its share of goodies as well. The opening story, "Balancing Accounts" by James L. Cambias, is told from the POV of a ship trying to earn a living that gets caught up in the machinations of humans; it works very well. I love stories about books and stories about time travel, so the combination of the two in Ann Miller's "Retrospect" hit my sweet spot. When I think about writers I like, I never think about Ron Goulart. But his "Memoirs of the Witch Queen" reminds me that he always turns out entertaining stories, usually about regular guys with a few problems who get caught up in supernatural events. Matthew Hughes delivers a story not focused on Guth Bandar or Henghis Hapthorn but "Petri Parousia" still scores with a tale of a scientist who can separate the DNA of your ancestors and takes it a logical extreme (well, in one sense). A troubled marriage and dinosaurs playing soccer makes up "Bread and Circus" by Steven Popkes; a mystery surrounding even more books is at the center of the alternate world in "Philologos; or, A Murder in Bistrita" by the married writing team of Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald. Finally, Richard Bowes gives us "If Angels Fight" about the prodigal son of a great political family who still lives on 30 years after his death, ending the issue on a very strong note.

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #82

Happy Easter!

1. Not For the Season (demo)/Wilco (17)
2. Arms Akimbo/Two Hours Traffic (8)
3. The Decibels and the Little Pills/American Music Club (4)
4. Rose Parade/Elliott Smith (15)
5. Hello Lola/Apples In Stereo (8)
6. Gimme Back My Dog/Slobberbone (14)
7. Rainy Streets/Superchunk (15)
8. Burn That Broken Bed/Iron and Wine/Calexico (19)
9. Introducing Angels/Destroyer (2)
10. Lord, Don't Pass Me By/The Ladybug Transistor (4)

BRACKETLESS

I'm not filling out a bracket for the NCAA basketball tournament this year. I just haven't watched enough college basketball this year to be that informed other than all the top teams. And while I will watch some of the tournament, the next three days will be fairly busy and we will be away next week for a few days. So, I have no predictions...just hope to see a couple good games.

Last night I finished My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru. It's about a man with a past as a violent revloutionary and that past is now catching up to him. He's been living under a different name for many years and has built a life until a visit by somebody else from that past reappears. The novel is mainly told in flashback, though the time periods keep weaving in and out. There's a lot of revolutionary jargon and theory and you can see how people were pushed past their moral codes to be involved in bombings and auto theft and so on. I thought it was a solid book and I got through it in three days, so it was definitely readable.

I had an e-mail this morning letting me know that a book I ordered from B&N has arrived and I need to find a baseball book to read before the season starts (I think it will be one Tim Kurkjian put out last year). Before that, I'm going to read some short fiction and the last remaining trade. I'm still over a week behind on the DVR too.

QUICK

I got up this morning and checked the old e-mail inbox as usual. I had a message from The Raconteurs, explaining that their new album, Consolers Of The Lonely, will be out next week. Next week! They just finished the album the other week and wanted to get it out as soon as possible and so that everyone could hear it at once. It's a cool idea and I am really looking forward to hearing it...and how awesome is it I don't have to wait very long?

Last night I read 70 pages of My Revolutions, a full quarter of the book. I should easily be able to finish by the time it's due at the library on Friday. I'm enjoying it so far too.

I managed to watch Torchwood (from 3/8) yesterday but that was all. Right now, the DVR is 26% full. Yikes. By the way, I gave up keeping track of TV shows last week. It just got to be too much to sustain and I couldn't make myself care that much. I also gave on the DVD tally as well, though I could reconstruct that more easily - I've only watched two more episodes of The Simpsons Season 9.

The good news is that it will be a relatively short day at work today. I only have to go in a teach my classes during the day; I put in a lot of supervisor hours the last two weeks so my boss doesn't want me to come back tonight. I can live with that. It's a dreary day out too, which is conducive to reading and catching up on my TV watching.

21%

That's how full the DVR is right now. Granted, not all of it contains shows I need to watch but most of it is mine. I still have Knight Rider from more than a month ago. I'm more than a week behind on my regular shows too and now that new episodes are starting to come back (new How I Met Your Mother tonight!), chances are I'll only fall further behind. The NCAA basketball tournament will suck up quite a bit of time at the end of the week too.

I have a book out from the library that's due Friday and I've already renewed it once. My Revolutions is only 280 pages long, so do I start it today and race through it? Do I try to renew it again? Do I just drop it off and get to it at some future time? I also ordered The Shadow Year at my local B&N, though that won't be in until later this week at the earliest.

I have three issues each of Asimov's and F&SF sitting around waiting to be read. I have the last of the four trades I bought at the comics sale still unopened. And to top it all off, I plan on using up all of my current eMusic downloads in the next few days - a couple new albums drop tomorrow, the rest has been out, and my numbers add up beautifully.

So, I'll be making quick comments on stuff or I'll just be reading and watching and listening without saying much. Either way, I hope you enjoy your week.

ENDINGS, BEGINNINGS, AND THE LONG MIDDLE

A week ago HBO aired the final episode of The Wire, one of the best TV shows ever produced. While I'm sorry to see it go, I am glad that we got 60 episodes of the series. That's a lot more than many series get, many lesser series even. The finale was 90 minutes long and wrapped things up as much as you could wrap them up. Redemption for some, release for others. We checked in with all of the main players from the start of the series and many since then. It's hard to sum up the show. I do look forward to the day when I can sit down and watch the whole of the series...most likely it will be when I make my wife watch the show. Well done, David Simon and company. Well done.

Today I finished a new novel by a writer who worked on The Wire over the last few seasons, Richard Price. He's someone I've always meant to get around to reading and took advantage of the release of Lush Life to do so. It centers around a robbery-turned-murder and what that does to all the people involved - perpetrators, victims, cops, families, and more. It has a sprawling cast and it told from many viewpoints. It's full of humanity and it feels real. I liked it a lot.

Last Sunday I finished another novel, The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes. Set in the Victorian era, it features a man who lives his life backwards, secret societies, the reanimated corpse of Coleridge, and much more. It's also a lot of fun.

I recently reread Green Lantern: Rebirth (though this time in collected form), a mini-series from 2005 that featured the return of Hal Jordan to the role of Green Lantern. Why now? Well, the current storyline in the ongoing series has been getting high praise and the collected editions of the series are now starting to come out in paperback, so I thought it was time to reacquaint myself. Geoff Johns did a great job creating a reason for what happened to Hal over the years - his fall from grace and murderous nature than was at odds with his previous character - and brought him back in a story full of great moments. Of course, Ethan Van Sciver's art doesn't hurt either. I'm looking forward to getting caught up on the series.

Today I read Powers Vol. 10: Cosmic, another volume in the ongoing series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. Its release was delayed for a long time and during delays like that, you can forget what a good comic it is (and by "you" I mean people who read the series only in trade, like me). The most interesting development is that Christian Walker is given powers once again by taking up the mantel of Millennium, a group of intergalactic cops run by aliens (akin to Green Lantern, which made me laugh). His partner, Deena Pilgrim, isn't doing as well. The next trade in the series has been out for a while and will have to move up the to-be-read list (and to-be-bought list).

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #81

It's been a long week and I haven't given the blog much thought at all. I can still crank out a Sunday Shuffle, though...

1. It Covers the Hillsides/Midlake (6)
2. December/The Lemonheads (14)
3. Neptune's Net/M. Ward (23)
4. Abigail/The Broken West (14)
5. So Come Back, I Am Waiting/Okkervil River (10)
6. Hair Down/Cold War Kids (10)
7. Another Way I Could Do It/Sloan (13)
8. Nothing Up My Sleeve (demo)/Wilco (17)
9. Broke Me Up/Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew (5)
10. Red Wine, Success!/Cold War Kids (8)

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #80

Did everyone remember to set their clocks ahead?

1. Baboon/The Mountain Goats (9)
2. Lie to Me/Tom Waits (8)
3. Half Moon/M. Ward (5)
4. I Know That's Not Really You/American Music Club (4)
5. The Unwanted Things/Ted Leo/Pharmacists (5)
6. Rainy Streets/Superchunk (14)
7. I Came Here to Say I'm Going Away/Okkervil River (5)
8. Jersey Clowns/Josh Rouse (9)
9. The Underdog/Spoon (15)
10. Ghost/Voxtrot (5)

100

I watched my 100th episode of TV for 2008 this afternoon. What was the lucky show? Doctor Who, an episode titled "The Lazarus Experiment." Not the best ep of the series but still a solid one. It's the 8th episode of Doctor Who I've seen this year, which means 8% of my viewing this year has been Doctor Who. What leads the way? In Treatment is at 25%, followed by Biggest Loser at 10%, and The Wire with 9%. Huh. 52% of my TV on the year consists of episodes from 4 different shows.

Last night I also read 100 pages of The Somnambulist, my 10th book of the year (multiples of 10 everywhere!). It's a fairly quick read and is interesting so far (and yes, I've gone past 100 pages by now).

I still have money left on a $100 gift card to Barnes & Noble that I got for Christmas. Yes, I've been hoarding it. I went and bought Saturnalia by The Gutter Twins, which is Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli. The disc is moody and heavy and good. I still have about $35 left too!

ONE YEAR

One year from today Watchmen will hit theaters. I'm excited. Yes, it's a great comic book story, one of the greatest in the history of the genre. And yes, it will be difficult to pack all of the nuance and layering into a two hour movie. However, I have high hopes that Zack Snyder can pull it off; his adaptation of 300 was very well-done and visually stunning. To get a taste of what Watchmen will look like, you can check out the production blog here. Yes, a year is a long time but it's cool to have something to anticipate that far ahead.

GOOD STUFF

Last night I finished reading my 9th book of the year - Shadowbridge by Gregory Frost. It's a rich fantasy novel set on a world full of endless spans of bridges, as well as islands and other land masses. The world is full of magic and darkness and gods and danger and stories, lots of stories. Stories are the business of Leodora, daughter of Bardsham, who was acclaimed as the greatest storyteller ever. She is touring the spans as Jax, collecting stories and entertaining the masses. There is mystery about her and about Diverus, a former mute who is given the gift of music from the gods. The novel is great and my only problem with it is that it continues in a second book yet to be published. Soon, please!

There was a great bit in a solid episode of The Simpsons on Sunday. Willie tells Bart he's going to write something in his journal, then proceeds to pull out a knife and starts carving his arm with "Dear Diary." Random and hilarious.

I picked up Vagabonds, the new Gary Louris solo album, the other week and I've been playing it quite a bit. It's got a bit of a 70s singer-songwriter vibe to it and is full of beautiful melodies and really good songs. He's been out on the publicity trail and you can here some sessions with him here and here.

Due to the writer's strike, we won't be getting new episodes of Flight of the Conchords for a while longer. In the meantime, you can tide yourself over with a documentary they made about their trip to SXSW in 2006. Brilliant.

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #79

Last night I went to a high school basketball game at KV, which is where I went to school and where my wife teaches. It was the sectional championship and the Kougars (yes, with a "K") had a chance to win sectionals for the first time since 1992. I was remembering my junior year in high school (20 years ago) when we won sectionals and when the team won last night and the students stormed the court, it took me right back. Sitting a few rows above us were my friends Jeff and Donna - he played on that team and she was one of my best friends. They've been married a long time now and have 4 kids but all of us felt that rush of memory and emotion. It was a fun night.

If I had a way to give you 10 songs from my playlist of 1988 right now I would...but I don't have a way to randomize cassette tapes (nor do I own those tapes anymore). So, let's just say today's shuffle is in the spirit of 1988 and the good times I had...

1. Drop Me Off/Pela (10)
2. Adventures in Solitude/The New Pornographers (14)
3. Lie to Me/Tom Waits (7)
4. Slow Show (Daytrotter Session)/The National (2)
5. It's Me/Dinosaur Jr. (8)
6. I Know You've Come to Take My Toys Away/The Mountain Goats (5)
7. You Can Stay With Me/Mary Weiss (4)
8. Shadowcat/Canasta (6)
9. Enough to Get Away/Joseph Arthur (15)
10. Silverline/M. Ward (5)

CONSTANTS

Thursday's episode of Lost was one of the best the series has produced so far and that's saying something. "The Constant" focused on Desmond once again - as he and Sayid flew on a helicopter out to the boat he suddenly became unstuck in time and his consciousness was toggling back and forth between 1996 and 2004 (still the present day of the series). It was sharply written and edited with great performances and cool ideas and it made me wish I could rewatch all three seasons of the show right now (of course, I still don't have Season 3 on DVD). Thank goodness the writer's strike is over and we can get 8 more episodes of this season.

Another TV show I love is almost over. I've been watching The Wire "On Demand," where they have each new episode of the season up the Monday before it airs on HBO. The other day I got around to watching the penultimate episode (and 9th of the fifth, final season), "Late Editions," and I felt sadness. Sadness not only for the fates of characters in the show but the fact that the show will soon be gone. I've said it before and I'll say it again - The Wire is one of the best TV shows ever. Ever. If you've never seen it, do yourself and favor and rent or buy Season 1 and dive in. You won't regret it.

Comics are another constant in my life, as I've been a reader for the last 27 years or so, give or take. I've gone through periods of high involvement and periods of keeping myself at a remove. Right now, I'm in a period of not caring that I love them and love super-heroes. Why? I think the energy of this guy might have helped me remember how much I do care. Why do I mention this, other than to tie in with my post title? I bought a big stack of 11 comics this past Wednesday.

I still had some of my Christmas (and Valentine's) cash and why not go ahead and use it up two months later? I bought the new Action Comics, the fifth part of the story with the Legion of Super-Heroes. I bought the 100th issue of Nexus and the first issue of Kick-Ass. I grabbed JSA Classified, which started a storyline about Wildcat written by my friend B. Clay Moore, and the last 5 issues of Justice Society of America, which I've missed reading. Criminal relaunched with a new #1 and there was a new Astro City Special about Beautie. It was a lot of good reading and I loved having a big stack like that. Of course, I can't afford to do that on a regular basis but that makes this week all the more sweet.

This week also saw the release of a new DC animated movie, Justice League: The New Frontier, which is based on the 2004 mini-series by Darwyn Cooke. The movie retains his cartoony, clean line style and does a good job encapsulating the story in a mere 75 minutes. Yes, there was a lot that was cut out but the story still worked. Grant had never read the comic but he really enjoyed the movie. There are a bunch of extras to get to, as I bought the 2-disc deluxe edition (which came with a Green Lantern figure).

eMUSIC ROUND TWENTY-FIVE

Starting my third year as a member of eMusic and still extremely happy with the service. I am never at a loss for music to download and have to continually put things off until next month (or the next..or the next...). Here's what I picked up in February...

Two Hours Traffic/Little Jabs - I read about this band over at Chromewaves, checked them out via MySpace, and then grabbed the album. It is a great guitar pop album and I have been playing it as much as possible. Highly recommended.

Wisely/Wisely - I heard about this from a couple different people and had seen the video for "Through Any Window," which features the gorgeous Jenna Fischer. It's another pop album, a bit mellow in places but the music is solid even if the lyrics get a little cheesy from time to time. Good stuff.

American Music Club/The Golden Age - This is the second album of AMC's comeback after a long absence (and it's on Merge, which is usually an automatic download for me anyway). Mark Eitzel and Vudi are the only two members left but the music still sounds like them - the silky smooth vocals of Eitzel and the guitar atmospherics of Vudi are employed in mostly mid-tempo numbers this time out. It may not be their best album (and isn't it time for reissues of their early works) but it's really good.

The Raveonettes/Lust Lust Lust - Feedback and melody. I've only listened to this once so far but I liked what I heard and will definitely give it many more listens in the coming weeks.

British Sea Power/Do You Like Rock Music? - Yes. Yes, I do. I've only given this one listen so far too but it has some solid rockers and a soaring anthem or two ("Waving Flags"). A word of warning - the eMusic bonus track is just a noise track and not a particularly good one, so you should skip it.

"Your English Is Good" and "Swedes in Stockholm"/Tokyo Police Club - A single and b-side from a good band that will finally put out a full album in April. Yay!

FEBRUARY ROUNDUP

There was an extra day to try and cram in as much pop culture as possible this year...and I spent last night not doing much of anything. Heck, I didn't even manage to get this post done. Ah well.

I read 4 books in February (The Dragons of Babel; Inside Straight; Like You'd Understand, Anyway; and Hunter's Run). I actually read those books in a 20 day period, from the 3rd to the 22nd. That brings my total on the year to 8, which keeps me on pace for 48 in 2008. Last February I only read one book and part of another, so I was much more productive this year.

I read 16 stories in February. The stories came from the Jan. 2008 issue of F&SF and Like You'd Understand, Anyway, a short story collection by Jim Shepard. I read 3 fewer stories this month and my year's total is 35. Last February, I read 22 stories, so I was a bit less productive this year.

I read 14 comics in February, of which only one was a trade (Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol. 1). This doubles my January reading and gives me 21 comics read on the year (5 trades). Last Febrauary I read 17 comics (2 trades and 1 OGN included), which isn't too much more than this year.

I bought 3 CDs and downloaded 5 more, for a total of 8 new CDs in February. I also downloaded two songs, both by Tokyo Police Club ("Your English Is Good" and b-side, "Swedes in Stockholm"). That brings my total on the year to 15 CDs and 3 songs. Last February I got 6 new CDs, so I'm at about the same pace.

I did not see any movies in the theater in February, which marks the 7th straight month that has happened. I didn't keep accurate track of when I saw movies until later in the year but I don't think I saw any last February (Zodiac was in March, wasn't it?).

I had 4 separate DVD viewings in February - 2 movies (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters and Justice League: The New Frontier) and 2 commentaries (from The Simpsons Season 9). That's about 1 viewing a week and brings my year's total to 14 viewings. I did not keep track of DVDs last year.

I watched 62 episodes of TV shows in Feburary (4 that ran for 2 hours; 34 that ran for 1 hour; and 24 that ran for a half hour). Again, I do not keep track of sports and news. Those episodes came from 12 different shows (Mad Men; Life on Mars; Friday Night Lights; Doctor Who; Torchwood; The Simpsons; Biggest Loser; Breaking Bad; Lost; The Wire; In Treatment; and Girls Next Door). The show I watched the most episodes of was In Treatment, with 21 (it helps that it's on 5 nights a week). I watched about 2 shows a day on average and more than doubled my January viewing. I did not keep track of TV last year.

A WALL

Yup, I hit a wall. A reading wall. Last Friday I finished reading Hunter's Run (a fine SF novel by Gardner Dozois, George R.R. Martin, and Daniel Abraham) and had started in on Stephen King's latest, Duma Key. That start was fine enough, not hooking me instantly but not turning me off either, but I had a problem. I was a bit burned out on books and was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had read 4 books in 20 days and had a bunch of books piled up and coming due at the library (you can't renew if other people have requested them, which was the case for a few I had) and just felt like I needed a break. So, I stopped the King and returned it along with a number of other things from my pile. That's what happens when you request a bunch of books that all come out at the same time. Anyway, I will get to most of those books...I just needed to feel a bit of control and to take a break.

What did I do instead? Well, I watched a lot of TV. The good news is that I got pretty well caught up on shows on the DVR. As of right now, I have only 6 things on the DVR that I haven't watched and there's a new ep of The Wire I could watch On Demand as well. Not bad, considering.

I also read one of the trades I'd picked up at the sale the previous weekend - Captain America: Winter Soldier Vol. 1. It collects the first 7 issues of the ongoing series (#35 comes out tomorrow, so I'm still over 2 years behind), of which I read the first when it came out. The creative team for this series is Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting (with flashbacks drawn by Michael Lark, who is also my second cousin) and they do a great job with a mix of action, history, and mysteries. I kinda wish I had bought more trades of the series at the sale. Oh well, I'll get to them at some point.

To add more to my stack of pop culture, I went out to Best Buy and used up the last of my gift cards and some of my cash still left for Christmas to pick up Justice League: The New Frontier and The Darjeeling Limited. I had planned on rereading Darwyn Cooke's DCU: The New Frontier series in preparation for the former but still haven't gotten to it. As for the latter, I didn't see it in theaters but I can't pass up a Wes Anderson movie.

That's about it.

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #78

It's the Oscar-edition of Sunday Shuffle, which means...well, nothing. While I did see more movies in the theater last year than I have in a long long time, I still didn't see anything up for the main categories tonight. No No Country For Old Men. No Juno. The only category I'm truly up on is Animated Feature - I saw two of the three nominees! Still, I'm going to watch (and read during long sections of the broadcast as well). Right now? Ten songs, coming at ya...

1. Bottom of the World/Tom Waits (6)
2. Satellite/TV On The Radio (11)
3. Penpals/Sloan (10)
4. The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton/The Mountain Goats (9)
5. I Understand/Sloan (15)
6. Non-Pythagorean Composition 3/Apples In Stereo (9)
7. Roscoe/Midlake (10)
8. You Know What It's About/Sloan (11)
9. South America/Shout Out Louds (7)
10. You and Me/Archers of Loaf (10)

LISTEN!

Right now Wilco is live on the radio and internet right here. Tune in and listen! That's what I'm doing the rest of the night...

OUT AND IN

Last week I actually got myself out into the world someplace other than work or a store. I decided that Valentine's Day would be a good one to get myself back into the open mic groove at Front Porch (it was also nice to have a night that wasn't freezing cold for it). It was the first time I played there this year and only my second time playing at all. I did "Dear Prospective Employer" (a love song of the desperate) and a slowed down version of "Let's Get Married Tonight" in which I whispered some of the choruses and seemed to go over well. It was also great seeing friends I hadn't seen in months and being a part of the community.

The next night I drove to a town about 45 miles away for a surprise birthday party for a friend. Tom is another musician and has been extremely generous to me ever since I started "The Year of 35." The party was in the top floor of an old building and was a cool space - old but big with a stage in front of windows looking over the county courthouse. A variety of people got up and jammed and I got in on the act too. I hopped up with my guitar and started playing music I've been working on; Graham joined on bongos and Tom eventually hopped up and played the fiddle with it. I liked the sound of the fiddle and think I'll pursue him playing it with me as I get the lyrics written and the song finished. We also played around with "Let's Get Married Tonight" - Tom on guitar and Graham on bass and Barry hopping up on drums partway through; "That's Okay" with Tom on fiddle; and "Dear Prospective Employer" with Tom on bass and Barry on drums. Lots of fun and Tom was definitely surprised.

On Saturday afternoon I went over to the comics shop for the semi-annual sale. I still had a bunch of cash leftover from Christmas plus some extra and thought it would be a good time to splurge. Of course, my usual intent is to take advantage of the sales but I tend to dither as to what I should buy and end up with nothing. This time I had a couple things in mind and then took a little time to decide what else I should get. I ended up with a combination of stuff I haven't read and stuff I read in singles format but no longer own and want to own. I got 4 trades for $53 and change, which is pretty good. I still have money left too!

Last week I managed to read 2 books - Inside Straight (a mosaic novel by many writers and edited by George R.R. Martin) and Like You'd Understand, Anyway (a story collection by Jim Shepard). The first is another in the "Wild Cards" series of which I read many books years and years ago but haven't read any of the more recent entries. That didn't matter as the book was very accessible with a wide variety of characters and a plot focusing on an American Idol-type show for super-heroes and political upheaval in the Egypt. I enjoyed it. The second book had a number of stories on men (or women) on futile quests...quests for yetis or an inland sea in Australia or love in outer space...as well as stories about modern alienation and more. Shepard is a strong writer and I definitely want to delve into his other work.

I'm also 50 pages into a new book but still have another 4 piled up from the library after that (and more on request).

I've watched a lot of TV shows on the DVR as well, though I'm still about a week behind. We did watch Lost, of course, which just gets more and more interesting. Yay for the writer's strike being over too!

There's more but we'll save it for another day and another post...

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #77

It's the first progress report Sunday of 2008! It's 45 degrees outside and not even 8:00 yet! Here's ten songs at random from my music on iTunes!

1. Cream and Bastards Rise/Harvey Danger (30)
2. Truth Lies Low/The Drams (12)
3. American Hearts/A.A. Bondy (10) - also on the iPod
4. Who May Be Lazy/M. Ward (6)
5. Fortunate Son/Creedence Clearwater Revival (3) - also on the iPod
6. Heavy Metal Drummer (demo)/Wilco (11)
7. Rollercoaster/M. Ward (19)
8. Aging Faces/Losing Places/Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew (4) - also on the iPod
9. Burn That Broken Bed/Iron and Wine/Calexico (18)
10. Yawny at the Apocalypse/Andrew Bird (6)

STATUS UPDATE

Here's what I've accomplished the last three days...

I read around 170 pages to finish my 5th book of the year, The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick. Swanwick is one of the finest writers working today and this new novel is proof. In fact, that only problem I had with it is that I had read large parts of it in short story form. A small problem, obviously, when you get a world that has magic and fairies and Joe Louis and cars and anything you could think of and a story that tracks a boy from being forced to obey a dragon to...well, getting there is the fun. All fans of fantasy should read this one.

I am also over 50 pages into the next book and may increase that number before going to sleep tonight.

I finished the issue of Wizard I was working on. This is now the second month in a row that I've picked up the mag, which I've read off and on for over a decade. I miss reading comics on a regular basis when I read the magazine and that's not a bad thing. I'm figuring out ways for some monthly comics to make their way into my budget. Comics are meant to be fun, after all, and I love them.

I watched 10 episodes of TV in 3 days, 9 on the DVR and one On Demand. Not bad. However, I recorded (or will yet record) 6 more episodes by the end of tonight. A net gain of 4 episodes then. I am only about a week behind in my watching now, though. 5 of those episodes were In Treatment, the new HBO shows that airs 5 nights a week with each episode focusing on a different person in therapy with Paul (who sees someone else on the 5th night). It's very interesting so far and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes; my favorite night after one week is "Alex," which stars Blair Underwood. Man, he's good. So is Gabriel Byrne as Paul. The other five episodes were from 5 TV shows and they were all enjoyable.

And no, I didn't go see a movie. And I did send back Ocean's Thirteen unwatched. Didn't watch Battlestar Galactica: Razor either. And that's about it.

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #76

Back to the bitter cold here in NW Indiana, with the temperature at 0 and wind chill at -24 right now. Spring can't come soon enough...

1. Night of The Furies/The Rosebuds (6)
2. I Need All the Friends I Can Get/Camera Obscura (19)
3. Hate it Here (Live)/Wilco (7)
4. I Want to Love You in My Room/Irving (5)
5. Conscience Clean (I Went to Spain)/Pernice Brothers (15)
6. Army Bound/Ted Leo + Pharmacists (5)
7. Midnight Coward/Stars (6)
8. Every Day/Voxtrot (3)
9. Teenage Liberation/The Hold Steady (12)
10. Ella/M. Ward (5)

STATUS REPORT

I had planned on a couple more posts this week - one on the Super Bowl and Super Tuesday and the debut of my long-planned "Midweek Music Review" (on the new Drive-By Truckers album) - but things have been busy and I've been quite tired. I've also been trying to catch up on my pop cutlure intake.

I'm about 150 pages into the book I started reading on Sunday. I like it a lot so far but I just haven't been able to get to it as much as I'd like. I have another book from the library that is due tomorrow and will have to be renewed. Yesterday I picked up 4 more books from the library as multiple requests all arrived at the same time. Yikes.

I still have 2 issues each of F&SF and Asimov's stacked up. I have the 7th trade of Walking Dead sitting in my file at the comics shop and I'd like to reread DC: The New Frontier before the DVD adaptation comes out on the 26th. Oh, and there's a big sale at the comics shop a week from tomorrow and I have my eye on several more trades. I'm still reading Entertainment Weekly from 2 weeks ago and I'm not even halfway through the Wizard I bought last week.

I have 16 episodes of TV shows to catch up on between the DVR and On Demand. 2 more shows will be recorded tonight; 2 again tomorrow night; and yet 2 more on Sunday night (plus another that we'll watch live). I've had Ocean's Thirteen sitting around for about 2 weeks from Netflix and it's probably time to give up on watching it for now. A friend keeps asking me if I've watched Battlestar Galactica: Razor yet...I haven't.

Yep, I'm behind. And coherent blog posts will probably be sparse for a while. The good news is I'm not on call this weekend and we have nothing on our schedule. I am thinking about catching a movie, though. Maybe Juno or No Country For Old Men?

40

A big happy 40th birthday to my lovely wife today. She had a present this morning in the form of a two hour delay and ended up with no rehearsal tonight due to fog. I got out of work a bit early and cooked her one of her favorite meals and once she's done talking to her brother on the phone, Grant and I will sing to her and we'll all have some cake. I love her with all my heart.

F&SF JAN. 2008

I had planned on finished the Jan. 2008 issue of F&SF before January ended but I missed it by a couple of days. Oh well. Life before stories, right? Well, at least some of the time.

The issues open with "The Twilight Year" by Sean McMullen. It examines how legends are born by telling the tale of a bard who creates Arturian as a way to try and throw off Roman rule. It's a good story and you find yourself wishing for things to be true that aren't necessarily...but that's still okay.

Next up is a time travel tale from a different point of view, that of a janitor who has seen many attempts at changing history come and go without success. He has his own theories as to how those changes could be made and he gets his chance. He's also a movie buff, which provides some substance. It's title? "It's a Wonderful Life," of course, courtesy of Michaela Roessner.

Have you ever thought that the fictional worlds created by Jane Austen and Mary Shelley should collide? I haven't but even so, I greatly enjoyed John Kessel's "Pride and Prometheus." One of the Bennet girls meets Victor Frankenstein, which leads to romance and tragedy and a highly entertaining story.

After a minor "Plumage From Pegasus" by Paul Di Filippo, we get a rather interesting story by Ruth Nestvold. "Mars: A Traveler's Guide" consists of information and responses from a computer system on Mars. As those responses unfold, you realize just what is going on. It's very clever and doesn't go on too long either.

One man's search for unknown creatures is the center of "The Quest for Creeping Charlie" by James Powell. It's a short piece that ends in a pleasantly unexpected way (well, pleasantly for the reader, at least).

Finally, Alex Irvine brings the goods once again with "Mystery Hill," a story about tourist attractions, aliens, alternate dimensions, and an odd group of characters. I think Irvine doesn't get enough recognition for his work in the shorter forms.

SUNDAY SHUFFLE #75

It's also a Super Bowl Shuffle, as the Giants will try and take down the undefeated Patriots this evening. I'm not rooting for either team, really; I just hope it's a competitive game for at least a half and hopefully more. I'll probably half watch the commericals and do some reading on my 5th book of the year.

Last night was our annual trip to House of Kobe to celebrate Jill's birthday (tomorrow!). Her dad and his wife drove up from Columbus (we're going out to breakfast with them shortly) and her aunt and cousins and their families come out as well. My parents come too. So, 13 in all for yummy food hibachi style. And it was yummy.

Okay, it's time to get to the music...

1. Slicker Drips/The White Stripes (6)
2. Looking Over My Shoulder/Elliott Smith (8)
3. A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger/Of Montreal (9)
4. No Key, No Plan/Okkervil River (5)
5. Stop And Think It Over/Mary Weiss (4)
6. Hands Up Baby/Camera Obscura (7)
7. Headsfull/Amy Millan (10)
8. Angels/Black Mountain (3)
9. Song Writes Itself/Pela (9) - also on the iPod
10. Split Needles/The Shins (7)

eMUSIC ROUND TWENTY-FOUR

I finished my second year with eMusic in a bit of a rock mood...

The Whigs/Mission Control
Black Mountain/In The Future
Creedence Clearwater Revival/Chronicle Volume One
Sloan/Between the Bridges
Marah/Angels of Destruction!

I also grabbed a Vampire Weekend b-side, "Ladies of Cambridge." On to year three!