Ping.

This is a test to make sure my login still works. wow 5 years.

Really infrequent

You may have noticed it's been nearly a year since the last post. Likely that isn't going to change.

I'm not pulling down the blog - I did that once before and regretted it, but I am not likely to post to it again... not for a while anyway (years).

So this is mostly a "it's been fun while it lasted" post.

See ya on the flipside.

Disney buys Marvel Comics.

Yep, that is right, Disney is buying Marvel.

I'm sure it's just to get access to the characters, movies and games. But I hope they take some editorial control of the actual comics, and kick Joe Q to the curb.

I've not often been a big fan of the "Disneyfication" of other source material, but to be honest, I can't see how anything they could do would be worse than what has been done to the Marvel U for the last 4 or 5 years: Avengers Dissembled, The mutant eraser, Illuminati, Civil War, Skrull invasion, Spiderman: One more Day - the list of shame goes on.

It would be nice to read Marvel comics again. Not this twisted parody of what they once were.

On Movies

Partly to make sure my really negate post about Father's Day is moved down, and inspired by seeing Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (and the critical response to it).... a post on movies.

First off, I loved Transformers 2 (I want to abbreviate it T2 but that is taken). I really enjoyed the first movie, and pretty much knew I'd be getting more of the same. It was a great ride, had some really cool visuals, some great lines, and a plot that was serviceable. Was it worth the 12 bucks it cost to see it - absolutely. But then it is a Micheal Bay movie, and I've loved every one of his films I've seen. (And as a note to Joe, should he read this - I love Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin too. :) )

I work at Blockbuster part time. I hear a lot of opinions of movies. And stuff like this gets trashed talked a lot. By critics too. And it annoys me to some extent - yeah the movie isn't the end of the world, but so what. I see a movie for entertainment... not for some searching for "art" that may or may not exist. For example, the only movie Woody Allen was involved in that I actually liked was Antz. I don't watch a lot of serious dramas either - as I said I watch movies to be entertained and and hour and a half or two or someone else's angst isn't that entertaining to me (with a few exceptions).

I don't mind formula movies (I'm a huge fan of sports movies, and enjoy romantic comedies... probably the two most formulaic genres in film). I love SF of any stripe (fantasy, Science Fiction or related). I admit I am very picky about the comedies I watch, and I tend to think of animated movies as a lesser art form than live action... so I only watch animated stuff I'm pretty sure I will enjoy based on previews and such.

Just because a movie is made for the masses, doesn't make it bad. I love the fact that Transformers is raking in the money when it is sitting at 20% as Rotten Tomatoes (whereas Up is at 97%, and I won't bother with that 'till it hits DVD).

The other movies I plan on seeing in a theater this year - GI Joe, Harry Potter and New Moon.

Fuck Father's Day

It's father's day.

I hate it.

Why you may ask.

2 reasons – my father and my lack of children.

Father's day is to remember your father. I don't like to. I have no really good memories of him. I have a bunch of the other kind.

Mocking me saying that I should drop out of choir because I couldn't sing “You don't have any fucking talent”.

I was 8 or 9, and my room wasn't clean to his specifications – so he swept everything I had on dresser or table tops on the floor, emptied every drawer I had into a pile on the floor, and knocked over every dresser (breaking one of them). I was told to have it perfect in two hours or else.

Giving me heatstroke because I accidentally hit a sprinkler head mowing the lawn, and didn't notice. So I dumped the bag into our little area between the garage and fence (when had been dumping grass clippings all year). So I was told I had to find it before I could come inside. I dug through that grass for 2 hours and couldn't find it (in the sun in June). I was not let in to get a drink or shower for another 4 hours, because I couldn't find the broken sprinkler head.

I had an open wound on my shin – cut open from a fall. My father made me crawl around in the lawn working on things while secondary water was being used to water the lawn (secondary water isn't purified or filtered like culinary water is – you never drink it, because it is unhealthy). A few days after this he was working on the roof and my leg felt funny (it was weak and it hurt), and I didn't want to climb the ladder – of course I was called a “Fucking Pussy” for that. My mom took a look at my leg and it was really swollen. I was taken to the emergency room by my mother (after a two hour argument from my dad who didn't think I was really sick); I had staff infection from crawling in the secondary water and the doctor told my mom that if I had been in the next day, I would have died, as it would have been too advanced to treat.

I got pushed, and subtly physically abused. I was called worthless all of my life. I was mocked because I could not do sports, and the things I was good at (intellectual pursuits mostly, and really good grades) were worthless and unimportant.

After my mother and I moved out on him (I was 18), he showed up and pulled a gun on my mother. I knocked his arm aside.

So you know what – let's ignore any memories of my father. Nothing good there.

But father's day is also a day to celebrate being a father right?

I'm 42. Due to medical situations, the wife and I have not yet had any children. I want them. Time is running short. I may never be a father.

So on that aspect I really have no interest in celebrating a state of being (fatherhood) that I may never have, and fell profound loss because of it.

So, to re-iterate the title of this post -

Fuck Father's Day.

Taking some time off

As you may have noticed I'm not posting much - I tend to go in cycles like that. So this is just a formal notification of things that have been going on. I'll not be posting for while.

I'm not having fun with the memes things (my position, not that they have gotten worse), and well, my life situations hasn't changed much, so I don't see much point in commenting on the same things over and over. I will be posting on my Video Game Blog and as a member of Army of Dorkness though, so I won't be completely absent from the blogsphere.

See ya on the flipside.

Music of Your Life

From the Music Memiors


Music of your life:

Pick one album you remember the most about every 5 years of your life and tell us why its important to you.

Mickey and the Beanstalk. I was a little kid,It was a Disney kid's album that had the story, music, sound effects. I had a cheap little kids turntable to play it on. It was the first album I can ever remember having owned.

Shaun Cassidy - Self Titled. The first non-kids album I ever had, I was about 10. Parents bought it for me. I listened to it to death. Da do Run run run. That's Rock and Roll. When I met the lady who became my wife, she only had about 20 albums (I have 400 or so). She also had this one. It's something of a special album for us because of that. :)

Queen - A night at the Opera. The first album I ever bought with my own money. I was 13 or so? It's what started me on my path of loving and acquiring music - as well as showing (or teaching) me a preference for intricate, experimental music rather than simplistic pop (which is okay, but not my main course or music - more a side dish). Oh yeah, and a lifelong love of Queen. Still my favorite band after all these years.

Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior. I was about 17 or 18. I had been asking friends for recommendations for music, and this was one. I got it, not knowing what it really was. I got it home and was blown away. Now I had been listening to light jazz and new age already (mostly from stuff I taped from the library records), but this was so unique and so good, that for instrumental music, it shaped what I listened to for the rest of my life. It is still my favorite Jazz album of all time. And like Queen - this is experimental and really unusual.

Venice - Venice. The first album by the california band - I was 23, it was 1990, and they didn't release another album for almost 10 years (grunge took over the airwaves). It was a really nice find of regular rock, around all the pop and hair metal (I love Hair metal, but hey, you need other stuff too).

Two way tie for the next one - Todd Snider - Songs for the Daily Planet, Young Dubliners - Breathe. It was mid nineties, Grunge had taken over the airwaves and I despaired. (I like Grunge, but hey, you need other stuff too). Then there was a station here that was a AAA (Adult Album Alternity). By this point in my life I really studied music, and knew lots about lots of bands - and this station played music I'd never heard of. It was a complete breath of fresh air. I discovered 10 or more bands from the stuff they played - the two listed are the ones I liked the most. It helped open me up to blues more, and I really found there were some other stuff out there. And that radio actually didn't suck. Other bands they played (some I knew, some I didn't) - John Hyatt, Crash Test Dummies, a lot of the Lilith Fair women singer songwriters, k d lang, bb King. In fact what sold me on the station was when they played a three song set - k d lang to B B King to Nirvana (unplugged). Any station with that variety was one I had to listen to.
Sadly it went out of business about 3 years later.


Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Self titles- Grunge was done, and music was dominated by boy bands and pop tarts. So I ignored pop/rock and dove into Neo-swing. This was among the best of the bunch. By this point in my life I don't listen to albums anymore, I listened to discographies and genres. :) I still love the stuff.

Rocket Scientists - Brutal Architecture This only a few years after the above, but it is important. I love Progressive rock. I love Progressive Metal. But All I had was the stuff from the 70s (Yes, Asia, King Crimson, Floyd ect). I knew it all. I had found mp3.com, when they sold music by up and coming artists with no record contract. Found some decent prog there. I also saw an ad in Guitar Player magazine for a prog label (Magna Carta IIRC). So I thought.. "Maybe there is some prog hiding on the internet". I went looking. Found a prog label Kenesis. One of the bands had the name Rocket Scientists, which I thought funny, and just took a chance and ordered their second CD. I got some other stuff to, sound unheard. I get it, and it is amazing - so I immediately ordered the rest of their stuff. This opened me to the thriving world of progressive rock that I still enjoy, and is probably the largest single subgenre of music I own. The Rocket Scientists are nestled nicely right behind Queen for my second favorite band. :)

Big and Rich - Horse of a Different Color. This album showed me that modern country wasn't just pop/rock with a country key that was what dominated the 90s. We had honest to goodness fiddles, artists bending genres (like Cowboy Troy) and really opened modern country (and later Alt-country) to me.

Rock Band. I know, not really an album, but it has had as much influence on me and how I view and listen to music as anything else, and so I am including it. One - I got to "play" the music. Yeah, I know, not really, but still fun. Playing drums or bass really let me start to hear individual parts of a song much much better, and so I can appreciate this aspect more than I used to. Two - Play list. There is a large cross section of music, and a lot of bands I never really listened to, as well as some I'd never heard of. I have bought more music based on what I have heard from rock band than anything else other than my prog and the Mountain (that radio station above). It has really opened my eyes to music I never had exposure to.

Album cover meme

Band: Champion of the Sea
Album: Beyond all Grace and Youth
Single: Accept what People Offer




Make Your Album Cover Meme

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"
or click
The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.

3 -Go to Quotations Page and select "random quotations"
or click
From the top of the page count your out your age in that many words. The next four or five words following your age is the title of your first song.

4 - Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

5 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together

New releases from Tuesday Tunes

From Music Memior

Do you preorder new music or do you wait and buy it at a store on its release day.
Usually buy it on release day. I'll pre-order Queen related (Brian May or Roger Taylor's stuff), or if it is a really obscure album that may not be carried and the only way I can get it is to special order it.

What's your most anticipated release this year?
I haven't been paying attention to what is coming out to really say. The Young Dubliners have an album coming out (tomorrow actually). Aside from a very few bands (Queen related, Al Yankovic, Rocket Scientists, Ayreon) I don't really get hyped about new music, if I get it six months later, I still have it and enjoy it.

Have you ever been so excited about a new release only to have it disappoint you? If so what was it?
The most recent Roger Clyne. His first three albums were fabulous. His fourth was only very good. :)

Have you ever expected the worst of a new release and then were pleasantly surprised when the album was better than expected?
Often. I go into music with low expectations so I am usually surprised by what I hear. :)

From the Music Memiors

Top 5 "Forget" ful songs...(interpret as you see fit)


Unforgettable - Nat and Natalie Cole.
Don't you Forget about me - Simple Minds
Rock and Roll never Forgets - Bob Seeger
Don't forget to Dance - Kinks
Forget about it - Alison Krauss

Tuesday Tunes

From the Music Memiors


What is your favorite song from a Disney Movie?
That is a toughie - I'll have to go with:
Everybody wants to be a Cat from the Aristocats. Jazz music, about felines. You just don't get any better than that.

Do you like any of the current crop of Disney pop stars?
To do that I'd have to know who they are, and I don't. No kids in the house.

Old school Disney music or new and why?
Middle. :) I don't go in for the Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White era stuff, and the recent stuff is really hit or miss for me (Loved Aladdin, Mulan, Hercules, didn't care much for Little Mermaid, Lion King, Pocahontas for example).
But I love the music from Aristocats, Jungle Book, and Robin Hood.

If I had to go old or new, I'd go new, I do tend to like a greater percentage of it than the old stuff.

Tuesday Tunage

Tuesday Tunes: Week 67

Word Association again! Remember give us an artist song band etc that you think of when you see these words.

TV: TV Guide - EBN OZN
Entertainment: The Show Must Go On - Queen
Drive: Drive - Incubus
Dark: The Darkness
Job: Take this Job and Shove it - Johnny Paycheck
Cat: Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
Silence: Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkle *
Noise: Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution - AC/DC
Creep: Creep - Soundgarden (no not the Radiohead one)
Rose: The Rose - Bette Midler

* I wouldn't be surprised if that one shows up on a lot of lists.

Ups and downs of the last few weeks

I'm not even thinking about a year in review.. the last few weeks were bad enough.

As I may have mentioned we had sold our house, and were looking for something suitable to move into, and having so so luck in getting something to stick. The house was sold based on an option that was over a year old, so that we are getting pre housing crisis payment for our place, and buying a post crisis prices - yay for us.

And I know I have crowed about the great things I do in my day job - work from home, easy work, and doing odd jobs like getting PS3 for a week to test it for my boss' son - he bought a used one, and wanted me to make sure it worked right for him.

Well that ended. Between the economy and some other situations, my day job went bust about 2 weeks ago. The owner declared Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for the business.

So I am out of a job. Which also means no home loan, as we don't have enough income to get something. So we had to switch gears, in a hurry.

Luckily my second job (at Blockbuster) is giving me more hours - I'm still part time, but part time with more hours. I am sure I will have no problems getting unemployment.

But that left us with lots of cash in the bank, but not enough for a house, and a looming deadline to vacate the house we are in. The funny thing is, if I were to lose my job, that was the perfect time - a month earlier, and we would have had money flow problems on the sale of the house. A month later and we would be in a new house, and not able to make the payments. As it is, even with all the expenses, we should have 3 or 4 thou in the band while I find a new job.

So we bought a mobile home. A very nice one in fact - great condition, and smaller, so less work to keep up. Lower rate on bills, and the lot rent at the park is lower than our old house payment (and with paying off every last penny of our consumer debt, no bills that way either), we should be doing okay.

We are moving this week, and Lord willing, will be in the new place by Saturday. My 42nd birthday. We actually closed on the house we own on our Anniversary. Sorta funny that.

To add on top of that, the video bus (PCI Express) on my computer went kerflewie - so I am using basic onboard video to use the internet. So I have to replace my mobo in the near future. I'm hoping my graphics card is okay, I don't want to replace that too.

Talk about an interesting end of year/start of year.

I've seen 129 out of 239 films

Got this from a friends blog, who got it from someone elses and on and on.... :)

Interesting list. I would have thought on a list like this I would have seen more, but I guess I am more discriminating that I though on movies.

There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list to your blog and paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 8

(x) The Princess Bride
() Anchorman
() Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
() 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 12

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 15

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
(x) Resident Evil 1
(x) Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 23

() Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 29

() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
() KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total so far: 32

(x) A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 39

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
() Chicago
() Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
(x) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
() I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 43

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
(x) Bride of Chucky
() 10 Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
() The Grudge
()The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
(x) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 53

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 64

(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
(x) Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 72

() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
() Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
Total so far: 79

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
() Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 91

() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 93

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 99

() Baseketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 101

() The Jacket
(x) Kung Fu Hustle
(x) Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
() Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
(x) Willard
Total so far: 107

() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
(x) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 113

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 116

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x)Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 122

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
(x)Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
Total so far: 129

Now Add them up and...

Put "I've seen ... out of 239 films" in the subject line and repost it.

Holiday Greetings: How it should work

From the Hero Board by Input.Jack, posted by permission:

I keep hearing people getting mad at each other because person A didnt use the "correct" holiday greeting for person B's religious beliefs.

As a public service, I present to you how it SHOULD work:


Vondy, Prodigy Duck, and I are all walking down the street, when we happen to converge on an intersection at the same time. Its the holiday season, and all three of us are in a pretty good mood.

"Merry Christmas!" I say, with a smile and a wave.

Vondy nods and smiles, and says "Happy Hannukha!"

ProdigyDuck waves at us both and adds "Joyous Festivus!"

And we all go on our way, having shared our good cheer with one another, and basking in the goodwill of our fellow human beans.


Here's how its NOT supposed to work:

I approach another corner, where I see someone I dont know, but Im still in a good mood, so I wave and say "Merry Christmas!"

"I DONT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS YOU ARROGANT PUSHY OBNOXIIOUS RELIGIOUS FANATIC!" Stranger Bob screams. "I CANT BELIEVE YOUD TRY TO PUSH YOUR RELIGION ON ME LIKE THAT!" *Hits me with a brick*.

Once I wake up, I stagger to my feet, make sure the bleeding has stopped, and try to remember which way "home" is.

As I approach another corner, I see someone who smiles and waves. Not wishing to offend (or take another brick to the head) I say the more neutral "Happy Holidays!"

"OMG ITS SUPPOSED TO BE MERRY CHRISTMAS! YOURE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY MY RELIGION!" she screams, pelting me with rocks as I run off into the darkness.

As I huddle in the shadows, I wonder what the heck happened. When did people suddenly start expecting everyone ELSE to somehow be telepathic, and know -exactly- what flavor of holiday they celebrate?

When did people start taking offense at other people trying to NOT be offensive, and using a more neutral expression?

For that matter, when did people start assuming that freedom OF religion means freedom FROM other peoples' religions? I thought that tolerance and understanding were what this country was supposed to be all about!

As I ponder all of these things, I am lifted from my reverie (and possible concussion) by a gentle voice and helpful hand, from a kind man who helps me get to my feet.

"Thank you" I say.

He asks, "What happened?"

I explain how my day has gone, and he looks concerned and sympathetic.

"What holiday is this for you?" I inquire.

"I am Muslim, so it is nearing Eid ul-Adha, this year."

"Well, happy Eid ul-Adha to you, then." I say.

"And merry Christmas to you." he replies. I thank him again for his help, and we part ways, both smiling.

Now, in the above examples, who was truly in the spirit of the holidays, and who wasnt?

Bottom line: If someone expresses a friendly greeting and hopes that you have hapy holidays, I hope you all will do them the courtesy of understanding that they mean well, and try not to overreact because they werent telepathic and omniscient and didnt know the -exact- brand of holiday you prefer. Just accept the happy greeting in the spirit its been given and reply in kind, and spread a little goodwill

Splurging today

From the Music Memiors

Top 5 reasons you splurge on a purchase of music.

This one should be interesting.. I had to think about this one. I think of splurge as at least 3 or more CDs at the same time (I don't buy digital music much).

1) - New Artist. I have a quirky taste in music, which crosses many genres, as any long term reader of this blog knows. When I find an artist/group I really like I really get into them.. because it doesn't happen that often. When it does, I'll buy one album, and if that is a hit, I'll go get the rest of the stuff from them. This happened recently with Brad Paisley - I got his 5th album, loved it, then bought the rest.

2) - New Genre / exploring a genre. Similar to above, I find a new style of music I like and just go nuts getting single albums from bands to survey the genre. I did this with Europowermetal (I likely have 50 CDs of that stuff now), Modern Progressive Rock in 1999/2000. Neoswing. And most recently Goth/Metal (and/or Beauty and the Beast) bands. I'm getting the urge to do something similar with country music of the last 15 years, something I never really listened to, but really like now. I sense a lot of greatest hits collections in my future.

3) - Freaking out the store clerk - Yeah this one is silly, but I do it occasionally. I have money I have earmarked for music, because I want some new music dang it! But no real idea what stuff I want, so I'll go to the CD shop and get 5 or 8 CDs (usually used) that span as many genres. I remember one time I picked up some that had Janet Jackson, k d lang, some fusion Jazz, and a heavy metal cd. The clerk asked if I wanted any of them gift wrapped. :)

4) - The wife likes it. I tend to control the music in the house. If we hear something the wife enjoys, I tend to get it in a hurry to add it to the collection so she has more options she likes.

5) - Rock Band. This is my primary digital music purchases. And it isn't as much splurging and a steady money drain. I've got between 2 to 8 songs a week for nearly 9 months. I have over 150 songs downloaded for the game. It can get expensive. But I love it.

Tuesday Tunes

The Meme Mistress is going to a concert tonight, so that's going to be our theme this week.

If money were no object, what band would you see in concert?
Two come to mind - Queen with Paul Rogders or Gary Numan. It would be really expensive because they tend not to tour the US.

Where were the closest seats you've ever had for a show (that was non-general admission)?
First row dress circle. Might not seem close, but it was at a Billy Joel concert, and he always puts his piano the same place on the stage. We could see his fingers on the keys.
Alternately - about 8th row back in a small ampitheater. I was less than 50 ft from from the stage. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

What type of venue do you prefer to see a show?
Small ampitheater. Intimate setting. The kind of place my wife works.

Obama Throwing his weight around

Obama made some comments on 60 minutes, and here is a presidential stand I can get behind. :)


From Here

President-elect Barack Obama pledges to throw his "weight around" to push for the creation of a college football playoff system on Sunday's night's 60 Minutes.

During Obama's interview with CBS's Steve Kroft (7 p.m. ET), he'll propose an eight-team playoff system to determine college football's national champion.

“Eight teams. That would be three rounds to determine a national champion. It would add three extra weeks to the season. You could trim back on the regular season. I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this,” Obama tells Kroft. “So, I'm going to throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do.”

Obama adds a playoff system is the only fair way to decide the college football championship. “If you've got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there's no clear decisive winner…We should be creating a playoff system,” he tells Kroft.

Some people are already whining that this is ignoring important stuff. Well so what. I don't know of a college sports fan that hasn't been unhappy about the bowl system. Here is a president (Elect) who listens to what the common man really feels is important.

It may be trivial, but to be honest, when was the last time that a president did something that may be trivial but was on the mind of much of the American people. So I never really thought I'd say this but "Go Obama!".

Thoughts of the Nautical

More Word Association from the Music Memiors:

Ocean: Songs of the Ocean by Star One (a project group of Arjen Anthony Lucassen, the dude that is Ayreon)
River: River of Dreams by Billy Joel
Sea: Captain / Closer to Home by Grand Funk Railroad
Sailor: Son of a Son of a Sailor by Jimmy Buffett
Ship: Wooden Ships by CSNY
Wave: Katrina and the Waves
Sand: Sandrider by Star One (see Ocean above)
Sail: Sail Away by Styx
Navy: In the Navy by the Village people
Deep: Deep Purple

Country

Top 5 on Friday from the Music Memoirs

Top 5 "Country" or "Alt-Country" songs

Walkin' After Midnight - Patsy Cline.
No list of country songs is complete without Patsy in it.

The Last Cowboy Song - The Highwaymen
The outlaw country supergroup - Johnny Cash, Kris Kristopherson, Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings. Like Patsy, no country list is complete without Johnny Cash.

Number - Cross Canadian Ragweed.
Alt country at it's finest, and the song that introduced me to the genre, and the band.

Rolling (The Ballad of Big and Rich)- Big and Rich
Upbeat, energetic, and has a rap (thanks to Cowboy Troy) - I love the music mafia trying to break down barriers of genre.

I Believe in You - Don Williams
One of the best balladeers in country.

This is a toughie to keep to five, I want to mention Antsy McClain, Mickey and the Motorcars, Brad Paisley (man can that guy play guitar), Oak Ridge Boys, Statlers, Loretta Lynne ect ect ect..