Randomness...

The weekend is upon us. Yesterday was such a long day. For some reason time was standing still. Weather looks good and I can't wait to spend part of my Saturday at a 3 year old birthday party. Ahh, as long as there is cake I'll be good.

On my ride in to work today I daydreamed about what I think would be a cool job to have. I know the people that have these jobs would say "you don't want this job" but still. Now barring "movie star/rock star" a few come to mind.

-afternoon drive time on-air personality at a top 10 market radio station.
-scuba or snorkeling guide
-espn sportscenter host
-play by play announcer (for me) the NHL. Being able to see all the games and scream about them..ahh sounds nice.

Hey, did you know that cows have no upper front teeth. Ask one to smile for you and you'll see.

U2 on mon and tuesday next week so there will be some music ranting going on soon enough.

I have also decided to turn comments back on. I am sick of the spam so I'll see how it goes.

The good the bad and the just plain sad..

The Good.
Real good news for us in New England: based on the incidence of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, blizzards and wildfires, the two states where a person is least likely to die in a natural disaster are Rhode Island and Connecticut.

The Bad.
300,000+ kids have been uprooted from schools in the gulf coast area. They are now enrolled in schools in every state...except Hawaii (drat!)

Shri Lanka has lowered the age of consent from 16 to 13..the intent..to arrest less men for having sex with underage girls (I just threw up in my mouth)

Just plain sad
There is no legal requirement that jumbo shrimp need to be a certain size, but one group thinks the # should be no more than 18 per pound. By that..2 chains fail horribly. Outback serves 28 jumbo shrimp per pound whole red lobster serves 32 per pound.

Chinese offials preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, unveiled tough new cleanliness standards for the capitals public toilets. Under the new regulations, no toilet is allowed to have more than two flies at any one time.

The Danish government unveiled a new program that pays prostitutes to sleep with disabled people. "The disabled must have the same possibilities as other people" said lobbyist Stig Langvad.

Casual Male Big and Tall has changed its names to Casual Male XL. The customers said they were embarrassed to be see carrying shopping bags that had the old name. Insert your own zippy comeback here.

Horribly slow today..

Late update today. I know most of you want to come in to work and have a new topic to read up on but today I was just busy I guess. Suddenly I realized I needed to do an update.

been getting a few requests to trade for my white stripes and Sigur Ros shows. It bums me out that people ask you for a trade then when you are ready they tell you they got it elsewhere. Thanks for making me "hurry up" ya jerk.

The tad bit of the sox game I saw last night was pretty dismal. They are going to shoot themselves in the foot. Games they should have won they have lost. Around these parts the only rule seems to be "anyone but the yankees". I am not a big baseball person so I am glad that we are a week away from the start of the NHL season. I know I am in the vast minority on this one but still, it will be great to have it back.

finally regarding baseball: Red Sox Pitcher David Wells said that if the sox win the world series this year he will retire. This was reported by a New York paper no less.

Drat...

On my ride home from work yesterday I heard something on the news and said I'll need to blog about this tomorrow. Here is sit..anyone anyone?

My Name is Earl was pretty good last night. I like the pilot a lot so I hope it continues being strong. The Office was great. I am sure a lot of people don't get it but it makes me laugh like few shows have. On a final note on TV Lost is on tonight. I am not sure I'll tune in. I feel "lost" since we didn't watch season one. everyone raves about it and even Howard Stern was going on and on about it today. We shall see what the evening brings. Its "IS" trash day tomorrow so I'll have chores.

How freaking cool is this???

yyahoo.com

Few notes and observations...

Last night was watching NECN to get the weather for today. As I sat through one story after another on the hurricane one story stood out. They did a story on how the Red Sox making the playoffs last year had ER visits down some 15% during "game time". They actually had a spokesman for some hospital talk about how people would delay their care. The most subtle of looks right as the camera cuts away says it all even he was had a look of "WTF people"? It made enough news that Paul Harvey mentioned it today in his news report on WBZ. (man I listen to AM radio?!)

Today when I got to work I got on the elevator and immediately was drawn to the feet of a fellow elevator rider. Navy blue pants, black shoes and white socks. I try not to let little things like that bother me but come on..seriously. Go to TJMAXX and get a three pack of blue, black and tan socks. That covers the most common pant colors. This is an adult to boot.

On a final note I threw on the new Coheed and Cambria cd for the first time today. I was immediately drawn to one name on the liner notes. Their A&R rep is Matt Pinfield. I immediately wanted to talk about rare Smiths import singles and move my hands around really awkwardly to get my point across. (for about 2 people this will be funny. Matt Pinfield used to host MTV's 120 Minutes. He is a bigger dude that is bald and has an encyclopedic knowledge of music but he'd always reference some rare import B'side when talking to a band). Its funny..trust me.

I know what I want for x-mas...

Tabletap.com

Weekend...

Kinda the same old same old. Errands gallore it seems. Weather was good and I seemed to get a few things done so I can't complain too much.

Watched 2 movies over the weekend. I finally saw all of Dawn of the Dead. Its a shame that as good as the movie is for its genre its just "silly" now since there are so many bad horror films these days. I'll still be sure to check out George Romeros other stuff. I have the documentary on the film coming this week as well.

Amelie was second. I have wanted to see it and the IMDB fans have it ranked as one of the top 30 films of all time. It was great. I'd watch it again right now if I could. I recommend it to anyone.


Saturday night I went to Providence to catch the band Nashville Pussy. It was a pretty good show. I left my house later so I didn't have to suffer through a slew of no-name bands (sorry if you are one). The band went on after 12 and they were really solid. If you are looking for straight up rock this is the band for you. Ruyter is the guitar player. She is about 5 foot 2 and she just rocks. Very animated on stage and she works the audience in to a frenzy. The band played for about 1hr and 20 minutes so it was worth the free ticket/parking and ride down. I got a week off from shows but 2 U2 shows next week.

testing

psacake.com

Must see TV Thursday..eehhhh

I wish I taped both CSI and ER. I am a big fan of both but neither had me overly excited. CSI was average I am not sure where they will go with this marriage etc. ER was a let down. First I hate re-casts. I just do. Unless that kid grew that much during the downtime you are not kidding anyone. ER can be great, I wish they'd stop introducing so many cast members and concentrate on more ER "stories". Love lives and personal lives are drab. Where is Weaver?!! Just like 90210 I started at episode one and went to the end. As much as I like ER I think its time to consider its run to be over.

Headed to a show this weekend. Nashville P***y down in providence. A buddy I dj'd a wedding for wants to go and he asked me..I was ehhh on it then he offered to pay/drive and all that jazz. Heck..why not.

TV Land

So the new fall season has started up. So far My Name is Earl and the Office are winners with me. Thursday is my big night CSI (don't mess w/the orginal) and ER(still a fan). I am curious about the Chris Rock show too but I'll never see it since its an 8pm show (gotta do my chores!) Other than that its the Simpsons and the Housewives on sunday.

Watched "Lost" last night but I didn't see season one. I have it in my queue on netflix but its got a "Very long Wait" on it. So I am lost while watching lost..but it has potential.

I am going to hell and a few other things...

I guess the White Stripes in Boston night 1 were great (bastards!)

Its a blessing and a curse (more of a blessing) being able to work from home.
One of the worst parts is the telemarketers that call you during the day. On non-work days our answering machine is caller ID. I have to answer the phone like I am in the office. Immediately they know its "me" and start asking me for donations.

Today it was the Special Olympics. Mind you..we donate ALL the time. This one was for the "soccer tournament". We try our best to spatter a little bit of $$ to cancer, aids, walks for this, rides for that. Even if its just 25.00 here and there it feels good to spread it out some. I understand they need to be firm and get you to donate but when I say "not right now due to financial issues" what is so hard to understand. I even said "We donated some money to the Red Cross recently for the Hurricane and I am short now" That didn't matter. I had to hang up cuz he would NOT stop. What part of "i can't help you NOW". Look at our record..we have donated..and may again. I try to be good, I should give more I know..but I did buy some of my kids school fundraising stuff.

right now I just need to work on getting a shady spot in hell.

Hmmm

Rock and Roll...well almost.

The White Stripes
Providence Performing Arts Center
Monday September 19, 2005

I have to admit I was curious to see the White Stripes. I am a fan, not a fanatical fan but a fan none the less. I knew of Jacks guitar virtuosity and Meg holds down a pretty hard/steady beat that Jack has gone on to defend saying I'd never be able to do what I do without her.

I had never been to the PPAC so I arrived, wired up my DAT and headed to my seat. I was 13 rows back in Right Orchestra Center. I was on the isle, good and bad for taping I guess.

the greenhornes were on stage and were actually pretty good and refreshing. it was straight up rock and roll in my eyes and they did a great job of getting the audience fired up. I'd check them out again for sure.

the stage started the change over and the crew was pretty quick to get things broken down and get backdrops set. it went on way too long though. the band has 2 or 3 roadies that are dressed up in suits and ties that moved around the stage for what seemed like ages.

finally a little after 9 the house lights went down and jack made his way down the center isle and played the house whurlitzer organ. It was pretty neat but nobody could really see him. When you could finally see him as he crawled up on stage he had on white pants, white t-shirt a white hat and his face was painted white. from what I have read it was in tribute to Bob Dylan but it reminded me more of that 80's gang movie "the warriors". The band took off on "Blue Orchid" and the band was in fine form. Jack has 5 vocal mics he worked all night. Meg was good, strong and right on the money and jack is one hell of a guitar player. I was impressed with his skills. Then it seemed to go horribly wrong.....

approx 35 minutes into the set Jack and Meg leave the stage. A bit awkward for sure so soon..but..what goes from the 1-2 minute "set break" suddenly goes on..and on..and on. TEN F'ING MINUTES later the band FINALLY comes back out. Jack had changed his shirt, hat and took off his makeup. being a father of 2 I can't tell you what I can accomplish in 10 minutes. I was pretty pissed off. again, in reading message board posts fans said the band felt the audience was lame, dull or what have you. I don't care. I really don't. Mariah Carey probably doesn't take this long in all her diva ness.

finally the band came back out and gave us..get this 30 minutes more. That was it...done. Total DAT running time 1hr 9 minutes. I'd say w'd be lucky if we got
60-63 minutes of music.(think guitar changes etc too add to "no music")

I learned my lesson.

Ho hum.,,

Monday is here again. White Stripes tonight in Providence. i don't have a ton to say today. I'll be more inspired soon enough.

Now that is what I am talking about....

Sigur Ros - 15/09/05
The Opera House, Boston MA

Where does one even begin? First I'll talk quick about the Opera House. Amazing views, amazing architecture, amazing sound. They did a marvelous job renovating this theater. I hope, although only in part, they do more rock shows there. Its really nice so i don't expect too much to come through there.

My friend and I arrived to the venue just about 730 and took our time finding our seats (checking out the merch etc). We made our way down to our seats w/the help of flash lighted and knowledgeable ushers (classy!) I took my seat in Orch RC Row H Seat 20. It was about 15 rows back on the drummers side. Anima was on stage
and were very soothing. Where else can you see someone play wine glasses and a saw with a bow? They were good and the audience was very respectful. Their set wrapped up and a large white curtain came down and the set change over began.

It seemed rather quick and before you knew it the intro music was playing. We were about to begin! Rather than doing a song by song account I'll point out some amazing (at least for me) moments.

Intro->glósóli not only starts the new cd but started the show. It was perfect. The white curtain remained down and the swell of glósóli just overwhelms you. The sweeping boom/crash that occurs towards the end had me covered in goose bumps. The band would work the stage pretty well. Jonsi would go from front/center on guitar to the side to play some keyboards and what not.

During viðrar vel til loftárása there is a "stop" in the song. A lot of times there are clappers, talkers or what have you. I'd say the band stopped
for a full 45 seconds and you could hear a pin drop. It was beyond eerie. Jonsi holds his bow over his head and it almost seemed like he was waiting
for the audience to "false clap". We didn't. I can think of no band anywhere anytime ever that could get away with this. The audience was
stopped, stunned. Then it all started back up. The only silly part was a few people felt they needed to clap after that point.

hafssól is probably my all time favorite Sigur Ros song. It appeared originally on the Von cd but that version is totally different. In the live/new version
the bass player uses a drum stick on the strings to create a very cool sound. The drumstick is taped then almost muted on the string. Its repeated over and
over and over and as soon as I saw him grab the drum stick the hair on my neck stood up. I just love this song. I love when music does this
to me.

After smaskifa in which each member slowly left the stage the the band returned for almost and "encore" of popplagið (aka pop song or #8 on ( ) )
the only down side to this song is knowing this is it, this is the last song of the night. It builds and builds and builds and they have me in the palm of their
hand. The curtain comes back down as the band begins to head to the explosive end. I can't take it, my heart is racing, my legs are bouncing I want to stand up
and yell..they have me. I feel like I in the the church of Sigur Ros and I want to stand up and scream AAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN. I don't but my mind is racing I
know how this goes..it keeps swelling the band is freaking smashingly (is that a word?) and I am at complete peace amongst the chaos. This is a true musical moment
everything is right. The band hits the final note and I shoot to my feet. FUCK MY AUDIENCE TAPE I need to clap my ass off. Two curtain calls later the house lights come up and I stand there wishing that was just set one, act one, take one..anything.

On the way out i got the set list from the sound board. intro/ glósóli/ ný batterí/sæglópur/ vaka/ gong/ andvari/ viðrar vel til loftárása/ hoppipolla/ med blodnasir/hafssól/smaskifa/ e: popplagið

I know I am biased and this is hardly a "review" other than an account of a show. I will go on record with the following. Top 5 show of all time for me personally.
and to shove my "ego laden musical snobbery" when I see a show like that I feel so bad for people that listen to whatever is spoon fed to them as well as
people that say "I don't like much music", or "music has never moved them".

If I won the lottery I'd take you all and at the end I'd just say "see..that is what I am talking about".

This really is not a bush bashing site..but

i need to remember to NOT open emails with a mouthfull of beverage.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah..oh yeah..

last night it was Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at the super small TT The Bears in Cambridge, MA. I timed this one perfect. I arrived at the venue and Dr.Dog (the second to last band) was already in their set. I had read about them
in Alternative Press and they honestly were not too bad. The guitar player was having technical issues and that grinds any band to a halt. They had some pretty good hooks and the jingly pop sound that can be so much fun.

The stage was cleared and I got a new sight line/tape spot during the set change. I was about 12/15 feet back a little off to the left of the stage. The band took the stage (well they set up their own gear so they were already on) right before 11.

It was a good set. The band only has one record (see the great review that got me to by the record here)
http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/c/clap-your-hands-say-yeah/clap-your-hands-say-yeah.shtml (I need to figure
out links!) The downside was only having one record of material to work with. The band, which has five members, stuck to their groove barring 2 players that would alternate keyboards to guitar etc. The biggest issue I had with the night
is how the lead singer seemed so freaking bored with it all. I understand your rock star strutting and posing but for the love of god you have a potentially ravenous sold out crowd..a simple "Hi" or "thanks for coming" from the front man I think is important. Sure its "lame" but Springsteen, Jagger and Bono for example have no issues with saying "hello (insert city here)".

That was really my only gripe. A little happier to be there and a hi. Its still early in the tour so try to catch them if you can but shows have been selling out.

Ride home was quick..head on pillow about 12:50am. I'll do it all over again tonight (not as late) for Sigur Ros.

Busy few days...

Tonight is clap your hands say yeah at TT The Bears in Cambridge. A sold out event none the less. Late show start too..uggh but it will be worth it. I'll get home, sleep put out the trash go to work then go see Sigur Ros.

I'll do a review on CYHSY for sure.

DAT Deck/Batteries/Earplugs/tickets/mics...CHECK

The day has arrived...

Lunchtime..best buy..9.99. Awwww yeah.

George and George spend some time together..

Amazing...

Most mornings on my way to and from work I pass Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. Last night the Patriots played the Oakland Raiders in the NFL Season kickoff. The game started after 9pm EDT and I went to bed a little after half-time which was oh..10:50ish? A neighbor of mine has season tickets and at the bus stop I asked "What time you get home" a little after 3 was his response. So on my ride in today I passed the stadium a little after 9. The main stadium lot you'd NEVER know there was a game. It was amazing how clean it was. Sure there were some trucks around but it was just amazing that the lots were that clean in less than 6-8 hours. It could be that most folks took their own trash home, I don't know. Still it was impressive to see it as clean as it was.

The count down is on....

for perhaps my most anticipated cd of 2005. Next week I'll see them in Boston 2 days after the cd comes out. Lots of music updates next week for sure. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sigur Ros then the White Stripes all live. Ah-mazing.

It might be time to...

Kill my (or your) television. Neds Atomic Dustbin sang about it years ago and it just might be time. I am a tv watcher. I don't shy away from that fact but the last few years I have been pretty selective and I'd rather watch a movie or have it turned off. I have a few showsI need to see each week, or tape but barring sportscenter or a bruins game i'll not care one way or the other.

I think what has killed it for me is reality tv. I admit I watched the Real World 12+ years ago now and liked Season one of the osbournes..but I never have watched a single episode of anything else, that includes American Idol and Survivor. I just hate them. So on a daily visit to the yahoo mainpage I see that Fox is responding to ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" in a show called "Skating with the Stars". Now if this were a roller derby I'd watch..but its figure skating. No offense to figure skaters, they are better and stronger skaters than most elite NHL'ers..its just the cast of NOBODIES they have. Todd Bridges??! Even curiosity has not swayed me..but 100 Million idiots will tune in and everyone at work with be saying "Did you watch" and when I say "No I read last night" I will be the "odd ball".

Ever feel like you get a rock....

I think the picutre is funny. I have nothing to be sad about or felt like life has given me a 'rock'. The image might sum up your day though. Hope it gets better

Little to add..

Its late in the day and I have little to add other than.

RIP Bob Denver (aka Gilligan)

and Kayne West is either gonna sell a crap load more of his fantastic new cd..or it will suddenly tank.

Spam and Junkmail...

For a long time I used my work email as my "main" email. If I ordered something on line I'd use my work email. Well over a few year span of that I now get my fair share of spam. Its annoying I don't need to tell you that but sometimes just reading them is comical. Part of me wants to click the links just to see where I'd go. I just got one that I had won a beauty makeover! I'd love to click over and see what I can get with my prize. I won't bore you with the "adult" offers I get. Actually those seem to be down as of late. The latest seem to be for medications or some African nation wanting my bank account #. Someday...I want to click over..just to see what happens.

Latest cd purchases

Grabbed a few things yesterday (all for less than 10.00 each).
Kayne West - Late Registration. after one listen I am hooked..a great great
follow up to the College Dropout. This record will be huge and highly rated come the end of the year.

Death Cab for Cutie - the new major label release. Its pretty mellow so far..haven't completed it yet so I can't say.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - howl. Still have yet to open. I kinda know what to expect but reviews say its not what you think. More on that later.