The Phoenix Rises

Wow. So, I missed an entire month of posting. That kinda sucks. AND... I missed a month's Mixtape! That _really_ sucks.

I won't make the crazy promise to post every day but I'll attempt to do better.

So, what happened in May? The Lakers are out... the Dodgers are winning... ECW is returning... the original Star Wars Trilogy is coming out on DVD... weird stuff.

May was season finale month for most of the shows I watch and what a crazy month it was. I knew a few of my loyal readers haven't finished up the finales yet so I'll hold off on discussing that for the moment.

The new job is going well... and now that I've been there over two months, I have to start wondering when you stop calling it a "new job." My former place of employ has gone down the shitter in those two months... well, if it was possible to sink much further... from what I hear. A former colleague got let go today and I've had a few former co-workers tell me how crappy it's gotten. Really bad stuff. There's still a lot of good people there and I hope they can get out before they go down with the ship.

What else?

Let's leave it there for now.

Good to be back!

Song I'm Listening To Currently: "Driftwood" by Travis
Book I'm Reading Currently: None
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Thank You For Smoking

LAKERS!

Sorry for the very inactive blogging as of late but it's playoff time and my brain is elsewhere.

On a side note, if you want to chat about random stuff in between listening to me ramble here, I set up a Message Board at www.youremyboyblue.net/board for that very purpose. Stop by and say hey.

But back to bidness... how 'bout them Lakers?

They've developed a killer gameplan for this series and have stuck to it no matter what. Pound the ball in... control the paint... control the tempo... do not get baited into a run and gun.

Game One should've been theirs. They _just_ missed stealing it.

Game Two was all Lakers, baby!

I just hope they can keep it up. Hopefully the Staples crowd will be roaring and will carry them through Three and Four to send them back to AZ with a 3-1 lead looking to close the door.

Time to do what you're supposed to do... hold the home court.

Purple and gold all the way! Let's do this!

LAKERS IN SIX!

Seeing as the playoffs are about to start, I thought I'd throw down my NBA predictions for posterity.

Before I get into it, I'd like to put my support behind Steve Nash for the MVP. As I said in one of my first posts on this thing, Kobe just didn't lift the team up enough to deserve it under my definition of that award. If you have a "most outstanding player", then by far, it's him. But for an MVP, it's gotta go to Nash. Who would have imagined the Suns as the #2 seed after Amare went down? Not me for damn sure. The guy went above and beyond to keep his team in the elite and to me, he takes that award hands down.

Not that I'll complain if Kobe wins, mind you. But just saying.

Okay! Prediction time!

I'll preface this by saying that while I consider myself an NBA fan, I'm primarily a Lakers fan. As such, the teams throughout the league will be judged mostly on what I saw of them against the Lakers. And it'll also explain things like "LAKERS IN SIX!"

Here we go...


(8) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (1) Detroit Pistons
The Bucks? Milwaukee?! To quote Major League, "I didn't know they still had a team." So, it's the team that time forgot taking on the brutal juggernaut from Detroit. How the hell could you pick against the Pistons? They just seem so incredibly unstoppable at times.

PISTONS IN FOUR


(7) Chicago Bulls vs. (2) Miami Heat
What I'd like to see happen is for Dwayne Wade to take a billion shots in Game One ending in a Bulls win... then Shaq going insane, screaming at everyone in sight, demanding someone get him the fucking ball, and ending with something about not getting paid enough. Game Two would see Shaq slaughter his own teammates in an attempt to get more touches, culminating in him ripping out Alonzo Mourning's good kidney as the PA announcer calls out "FATALITY!" The rest of the series would see Shaq play one on five and still say, "I'm the most dominant player in the league. They can't stop me unless they foul me. And Kobe eats ass." Bulls in the most shocking sweep ever.

But that won't happen.

HEAT IN FIVE


(6) Indiana Pacers vs. (3) New Jersey Nets
Well... the Pacers seem to be on life support to me. They dumped Artest [and rightfully so] and really seemed in shambles for the bulk of the year. The Nets somehow managed to not have Vince Carter's leg explode at the All Star Break and are really making one hell of a run. And to think they wanted to trade Kidd... for three years.

NETS IN FIVE


(5) Washington Wizards vs. (4) Cleveland Cavaliers
Admittedly, I haven't seen much from the Wizards this season but I'd almost have to imagine they're the worst five seed in quite some time. King James shall not be denied in his postseason debut... not this early anyways. He'll will his team of scrubs to victory... but it may take some time.

CAVS IN SIX

************

(8) Sacramento Kings vs. (1) San Antonio Spurs
The West is a very dangerous place this year. It's not completely out of the realm of possibility to envision the Kings beating the Spurs... four times in seven games though? Not too likely. The Kings will show some toughness and make it a series that'll take some wind out of the Spurs' sails.

SPURS IN SIX


(7) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (2) Phoenix Suns
Lemme start this one by saying that I'm damn proud of this team this year. They've gone from a lottery team to a seven seed based on one of the greatest individual seasons in league history... plus the sudden decision from Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown to actually... you know... play! The Lakers can't run with the Suns and expect to win. Games that break the hundred point mark are likely Suns victories. They need to slow down the tempo... they need to clog the paint... they need to post Kwame and Odom as much as possible and grind the game out. It may not be fast-paced and exciting, but to win, it's what they need to do. Let Nash get his. Don't double. Don't crowd when he penetrates. Stay at home on his shooters. Let Nash get 40 but if you can make the other guys shoot with a hand in their face, you might have a chance.

And now that my amateur strategy session is over, I say that the Lakers have had a hell of a season... and I think they just might extend it.

Of course... I could be biased.

LAKERS IN SEVEN


(6) Los Angeles Clippers vs. (3) Denver Nuggets
Well, well, well... the Clips have made it to the dance. And you know what? They're not half-bad. On a "normal" team, Elton Brand would be a major MVP contender. Unfortunately, he's on the Clippers... and like it or not, the Clippers will always be seen as a wannabe until they win in the postseason.

Luckily for them... this is that year.

CLIPPERS IN SIX


(5) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (4) Dallas Mavericks
Memphis put together a great season and major props to Jerry West for dragging his team out of mediocrity. The former Canadian team has gotten to the playoffs... which is more than the horrid Toronto franchise can manage. Unfortunately, the Mavs look just too strong for them. Plus? Somewhere along the way, the Mavs learned how to play some defense. Gasp. Shock. Horror.

MAVS IN FIVE

*********************

Second Round!
------------
Pistons vs Cavs
In what should be a network showcase for Lebron and a cash cow for the league, the Pistons will continue to show why overwhelming defense and incredible team play will shut down an individual player [and has] every time. Sorry, King James. Not your year to take the throne.

PISTONS IN FIVE


Nets vs Heat
After attempting to become the Yankees of the NBA by stocking up on overpriced veterans and going with "star power" over designing a team, I'm sure Pat Riley never dreamed he'd be staring down a possible second round exit. But with the roll that the Nets have been on, that's exactly what he's doing. This should be a tremendous series to watch though and the league will be very happy to see Kidd and Carter vs Shaq and Wade. In the end, I expect the Heat to "find a way."

HEAT IN SEVEN


Spurs vs Mavs
The reason that the seeding system will change next year, the two best teams currently in the West meet in the second round in what should be a damn fun series. Unfortunately for Mavs fans [that's you, Ivar], it'll also be the series that shows why the Spurs a step above the Mavs still.

SPURS IN SIX


Lakers vs Clippers
In the series that the fans of LA will love and the rest of the nation will hate, cross-town rivals will square off in the postseason. It'll be a tremendously exciting series with both teams getting home-court advantage. In the end, Number 8 will wlll his team into the WCF by showing the postseason experience that the Clips are lacking.

LAKERS IN SIX


Conference Finals
---------------
Pistons vs Heat
Since Day One of the season, everyone guessed this would be the ECF and they won't be wrong. Barring any severe injuries, this should be your showdown that the Heat have waited for since getting bounced last year. They went out and re-tooled, stocked up on firepower, hoping to outgun the Pistons when this came around again.

But I just don't see it. I look for this to be the Heat at their finest... bickering, fighting over the ball, and total rage because their number isn't getting called enough. Which means once again the Pistons will show why this is a team game.

PISTONS IN SIX


Spurs vs Lakers
Well, it's been a good run for my Purple and Gold... but if they make it this far, this is likely where the Cinderella story ends. The other teams, while maybe unlikely, I can see a win. If the Mavs got here over the Spurs, I could even imagine the Lakers beating them to make the finals. But I've just seen the Spurs kick us around like dogs for too long now. I don't see it happening. Not this year anyways. So while my heart will pick the Lakers to win the whole thing to bring another trophy home... my brain picks the Spurs.

SPURS IN SIX


FINALS
------
Pistons vs Spurs
The big rematch that both teams have expected since last June... and I still don't know what to think. Last year, I rooted against the Pistons to drive a co-worker crazy but... they're just so damn good. I have a lot of respect for the Pistons since they offed the Lakers in the Finals in a season I thought that title was a lock. The Spurs are scary good as well though. It should be another tremendous series but in the end?

PISTONS IN SEVEN


And that's that. Enjoy your weekend and GO LAKERS!

Guilty Pleasures

Well, firstly... so much for my "posting every day" pledge. I suck. Sue me. I just need to figure out when to shoehorn a semi-regular posting period into the day... plus need to get my brain in that mindset. It'll happen, dammit.

Second... the challenge was made. After the R&B vs Jazz mixtape showdown, the challenge was thrown down to make a disc of your guilty pleasure tracks.

Admitting your guilty pleasures is a very interesting concept. You're exposing yourself to rampant embarassment and humiliation... while at the same time it's a little bit "cleansing." Very interesting indeed.

And so... this CD is made. The criteria was this: It had to be a song that if someone you barely knew picked up your iPod and heard, you'd probably try to blame someone else for it. Oh, and at B's insistance, I had to ban TV Theme songs and wrestling themes from the disc. Makes sense, right?

Now, the most horrifying thing is when you go through your music library to find these things and realize that about 25% of it are somewhat guilty pleasures. But after hard work and dedication... I've narrowed it down to one disc.

Here we go...

1] "Everything" - FeFe Dobson
See... some of these can be blamed on B quite easily. She gets these catchy little poppy songs, tosses them on the iBook, I stumble across them while playing stuff at random and get it stuck in my head. Why is this embarassing? Well, it's a little po song! And she says things like, "Ay oh." Snappy little pop love songs are quite entertaining though. The lyrics in this one are fairly silly and sappy and kinda remind me of an Ashlee Simpson song that we once discovered was the absolute worst lyrics in the history of the music industry. This is the vein of something like "Sometimes" by Britney Spears. Shiny, happy, sappy. A tale of a man not ready to commit and the woman dying a little inside each moment that he can't. *tear*

2] "You're The Best" - Bill Conti
I have a hard time naming this as a guilty pleasure. Find me a guy my age who didn't love this song after seeing Karate Kid and you've found an empty shell of a human being. Maybe not even a human being. Maybe a Scientologist! A story of ultimate triumph... of the struggle versus evil... of overcoming the odds that we all face! It's an inspirational piece to be sure. But... the look on people's faces when they hear it? That puts it in the guilty pleasure category. I'd say it makes me feel sorry for those people but we do not train to be merciful here... mercy is for the weak.

3] "Lady Of My Heart" - Jack Wagner
To truly make you understand this... I must reveal another very guilty pleasure.

I'm a soap opera fan.

*cringe*

Okay, okay... let me explain. I was brought up watching them. It's not my fault! It's one of the hazards of growing up in a house filled with women! So, anyways... since my very early days, I remember watching General Hospital. And although I'm not currently watching it... you know it's always coming again. I tend to watch religiously for a period... then stop... then start again at some point. And with the return of Robert Scorpio and Holly and... well, I'm just making a fool of myself now. Suffice to say that I'm sure I'll be tuning in religiously again very soon.

Back to the music. For any General Hospital fan, you know they're famous for their supercouples. Whether it's Luke and Laura, Robert and Holly, Robert and Ana... or Frisco and Felicia... they make that show go 'round. This was Frisco and Felicia's love song and as a GH geek, it'll never leave my brain.

And you may mock me...

...now.


4] "How Do I Deal" - Jennifer Love Hewitt
If you have to ask why this is a guilty pleasure, you must not know who the Ghost Whisperer is! I believe this is from the "I Still Know..." soundtrack but if I remember right, it only played during the credits. I'm not sure what the obsession is of TV/movie stars of trying to make it in the music industry but... well, this one worked. I think there must be some kind of warped ego thing that makes musicians long to be TV/movie stars and vice versa. It'd probably make one hell of a thesis paper actually. Erm... well... this is a poppy love song. So, I'm guilty as a Catholic in... well... just a Catholic period generally. Catholic joke on Easter! Yes! I'm so going somewhere warm and toasty. The original J-Lo has a nice little pop song here that anyone who can get past the fact that she's a failed movie star and musician now barely clinging to a CBS TV show will enjoy.

5] "Leave (Get Out)" - JoJo
We definitely get to blame this one on B. I would never listen to anything by anyone named JoJo if it wasn't shoved into my ear where it got stuck in the waxy buildup. I think the secret formula to a hit pop [or rap] song these days is: "catchy hook" + "decent beat" = $$$$. I'm a musical genius. I missed my calling as the man who scours the earth to find young innocent girls to sully and shove into tight spandex for 13 year olds to burst into puberty to. All A&R guys probably dream of finding someone who'll change the music world... but they should just be shooting to find someone to make little boys shoot. Money, baby. Oh, and I think this girl is 14 or something... which makes this even dirtier. Like when lil' Christina was telling us to rub her the right way. You dirty little minx.

6] "The Old Songs" - Barry Manilow
I fought with myself to put this here. I'm a very proudly admitted Barry Manilow fan. I'm a sucker for the sappy pop that he used to put out in the 70s and 80s... not so much his attempts to stay relevant by covering songs from the 50s now. I'd prefer more poppy greatness like this. How many songs _really_ tell you a story anymore? This is how a love song should be written. Ol' Barry weaves a brilliant tale of a couple on the rocks... the man desperately hoping that he can rebuild that relationship through the joy of music. Music makes the world go 'round. It builds us up and tears us asunder but if there's always the hope that those old songs will bring love back into your heart, it can't be as bad as we're thinking it is. Christ, that was corny but dammit, it's Barry Manilow! He's so much more than Mandy and Copacabana! OPEN YOUR MINDS AND HEARTS, PEOPLE!

7] "Invisible" - Clay Aiken
The thing about this one is... you really could plug any American Idol winner into this slot. I mean, I've got Kelly Clarkson songs I'm embarassed to like... I've got Diana DeGarmo songs I'm ashamed to listen to [you should see my Top 25].. Bo Bice.. Carrie Underwood... you name it. But Clay Aiken takes this spot because it's just wrong. It's just wrong that weasely little fuck can stick in my brain like this. It's a sign that I've done a lot wrong in my life, I think. Karma's a bitch and so is Clay Aiken. Did you ever hear the story about him at Christmas last year with this little school choir? The rumor was that he had hired the choir to perform with him somewhere with a promise to make a donation to the school, pose for pictures with them, hang out for a bit and shoot the shit, etc. Come showday, he ignored the kids, refused to sign autographs, and handed over a pay envelope that was ultimately empty. SOME AMERICAN IDOL! There's a reason Ruben won, you skinny piece of- anyways... this guy is apparently a world-class cock and yet... his damn little pop song is stuck in my brain. Also, I think this song just might be about stalking and sexual assault. "If I was invisible, then I could just watch you in your room. If I was invisible, I'd make you mine tonight." Pervy lil' fuck.

8] "The More You Ignore Me" - Morrissey
Sigh. I really hate having this one here. For years, I've held firm to my hatred of all things Smiths and Morrissey. Not because I have issues with him being a celibate bisexual. Who he wants to fuck... or in this case, doesn't want to... if perfectly fine with me. But he's so damn whiny! Men shouldn't cry like that in music! But... but... now, it must be told. As a high schooler...

...I had this single.

And that's all I will say about this... ever... again.

9] "Come Clean" - Hilary Duff
What the hell is wrong with me?! WHY DO I LOVE POP PRINCESSES?! This one I can blame on wrestling. I was at an indy show where someone used this music as an intro as a joke kinda. Somehow, it got stuck in my head and won't leave. This is one of those songs you know you should skip when it comes up on the random... but somehow can't bring yourself to hit the button. "It's just a few minutes... it'll be over soon... it'll all be okay." Beat + Hook = Money. Works every time. Someone front me the cash to start a record company! I'm onto something here!

10] "With You" - Jessica Simpson
FUCK! FUCKING FUCKITY FUCK! WHY?! Well, Miss Daisy Duke herself appears here after crushing Nick Lachey's heart and soul. Did she really dump him for the guy from Jackass? I'm secretly hoping it was something far more sordid. Maybe a drunken tryst with Jess and Ashlee... an a2m gone very, very wrong... a Dirty Sanchez on the wrong sister. There must be more to it. They seemed so happy together! HE WAITED TIL THEY WERE MARRIED! THAT'S TRUE LOVE, DAMMIT! Maybe she stumbled upon him and the rest of 98 Degrees trying to make the next Creed/Kid Rock video. Oh, and this is the video where she pokes fun at herself for being the dumbest blond on TV since Christmas Snow herself. Cheers, Jess. Enjoy your singledom. Go see if you can get the Lakers to run a pre-game train on you as part of Phil's Playoff Zen Strategy. To cleanse the mind, one must cleanse their- well... you get the idea. Oh, the song? I like it. Kill me.

11] "Think of Laura" - Christopher Cross
Annnnnnd... let's go back to the GH obsession. If you were a GH fan in the 80's, Luke and Laura were your damn world. Your lives revolved around their lives. And when Laura vanished into the mist of the docks one night presumably to die at the hands of David Grey. So, years later when Luke was about to become the mayor of Port Charles when a mysterious lady started appearing in GH and following him around? Your heart was aflutter. And then? The capper? This damn song! This song they'd play everytime someone would mention Laura! My god, your heart must be made of stone if you didn't get teary-eyed, you cynical fucks.

12] "Rush Rush" - Paula Abdul
To this day, I will not allow anyone to speak poorly of Ms. Abdul. So what if she's so lit up on American Idol she's one step away from walking out to the judging table with a syringe hanging from her arm? So what if she's one of those "mysterious glasses" they drink from away from climbing on stage, shedding her clothes, and having a giant orgy on stage? Is she still not a former Laker Girl? Is she still not the one who taught us about cold hearted snakes and that oppposites attract? And is she still not the one who put together this touching ballad of romance and... well, rushing. She says she can feel you all through her... and dammit, I believe her.

13] "Lost In Your Eyes" - Debbie Gibson
Dammit, I was a kid! I didn't know any better! To a wee lad like myself, Debbie [now Deborah... que chigon!] was just a hot little blond who sung about sappy crap but... she was hot! I'm fairly sure I had two of her albums on tape... and I have no idea why. But I do still like this song. You know how much I like Debbie Gibson? I even have [and like] the Circle Jerks song that she performed on... I guess you can call it a performance... she pretty much just yelled along with the chorus... and appeared at one of their shows to stage dive. Oh, those lucky bastards who had to catch her. Mmmmm.

14] "Stronger" - Britney Spears
Aha! The one who started it all! _The_ Pop Princess herself. Once again, I could probably slot any Britney song into this slot... but I've gotta go with the one where she told the world she was a new woman... not a girl... and that she was gonna do whatevah the fuck she wanted! Once again, hook + beat = money... and it's topped off even nicer when it's Britney [Ms. Spears if you're nasty] belting out the vocals in her trademark fashion. She's stronger than yesterday... it's nothing but her way. A song of self-confidence and... uhh... bitchiness? I don't know. But it's catchy, dammit. Enjoy it.

15] "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" - Kid And Play
Oh, come on. You all mark for the huge flat top. Don't deny it. Everyone's got these in their closet. Everyone's got the cheesy rap/hip hop song that kinda introduced you to the genre that you realize now that you probably shouldn't like, but can't help it. Everyone's got their "Bust A Move" or "Wild Thing" or something with the Fat Boys. Maybe "Baby Got Back" for a newer generation. NO ONE STARTED WITH PE OR NWA, DAMMIT! DON'T TELL ME YOU DID! Add to this one that it's not from House Party... BUT HOUSE PARTY 2! THE ONE WITH THE PAJAMAJAMMYJAM! OHHHHHWHATARUSH! Ahhh... even now I can picture these two stylists trying to do that little dance thing they did with one another in the first House Party. Kid And Play made movie freestyle battles cool long before Eminem walked down 8 Mile.

16] "I'm Gonna Miss You" - Milli Vanilli
How did we not know? Seriously. How the hell did we not look at these two rejects from the wedding scene in Coming To America and not know? These guys could barely speak English... yet they had silky dulcet tones to serenade the pants off all the white women in the world? We're all such fools. And all it took for enlightenment? A skipping record.

Oh my god.

SOMEONE GET ME THE MONEY TO START A RECORD LABEL! I could make _twenty_ Milli Vanillis now! With digital technology, we'd never have another problem! Milli Vanilli 2k6 would be off the hook! Well, until we got the Blue Screen of Death in mid "Girl You Know It's True." Anyways... this was my fav of the MV songs. And yes, I had the whole album... and no, I didn't burn it protest.

Oh, if Milli Vanilli had to give back their Grammys, Barry Bonds better give back every piece of hardware that cheatin' sumbitch ever "earned."

17] "These Words" - Natasha Bedingfield
Uh huh. B's fault. Totally. I wouldn't even ever hear songs like this if it wasn't for her! I don't watch MTV... I don't listen to KIIS... I have no opportunity to be exposed to crap like this! IT'S ALL HER FAULT!

And this one drives me absolutely crazy. She's whiny... she's bitching about writer's block... about the troubles of being a creative arist for a living. Oh please. I should have such problems. Maybe I should write a novel about being too fucked in the head to write a novel and make a BILLION FUCKING DOLLARS FROM IT!

I hate this woman... I hate everything this song represents... yet...

The song is stuck in my head. I think it's the whiny voice... it's like a siren's cry. Maybe she's not human either. She's like those singy things in Goblet Of Fire [the book] that made all the men do stupid shit... like buy her fucking music.

18] "Voices That Care" - Voices That Care
Ahhhh... here's a good one. "We Are The World" was a moment... an institution. An epic event that will likely never be recreated. But that won't stop the music industry from trying. For every disaster... for every war... for every famine... there's a song with a bunch of musicians trying to "help the cause." They're really trying to catch the WATW lightning in a bottle again. WATW was massive. Everyone had the song... everyone knew the song... everyone could tell you everyone singing on the song. The video was everywhere... the song was everywhere.

Voices That Care was a song released during the first Iraq war... a tribute to the troops. A fine sentiment because as much as we hate this current Iraq war... at least the first one seemed to have a legitimate reason for it. We were liberating an invaded country. Let's forget that if it had happened anywhere else in the world where there wasn't a shitload of oil involved we probably would've turned a blind eye...

I've lost my point.

Anyways... the song has Will Smith rapping about "right or wrong, we're all prayin' you remain strong, that's why we're all here and singin' along." That tells you why this song didn't reach the level I'm sure they were hoping for... although if I remember right, it did have a Fox special to promote it.

But I dig the song. I dig the sentiment behind it. I applaud the effort... even as I'm listening to it now and hearing a fuckin' Kenny G sax solo in the middle of it.

Sigh.

Never mind.

19. There's Gotta Be More To Life - Stacie Orrico
B's fault! TOTALLY B'S FAULT! I don't even know what else to right about these pop princesses other than this one at least let me quote it once in a blog posting which was quite amusing. I wonder how much money someone like this chick made off this song. I mean... to the best of my knowledge... she really only had the one hit single. What does one hit single = in dollars? In years gone by, I bet it's a small fortune because to get the one song, usually you had to buy an entire album of shitty songs. With iTunes and other music services [both legal and illegal] now, I would think the power of only having one single would be rapidly declining. And therein lies the real reason the music industry hates being able to sell one song at a time...

They simply don't have enough talented musicians to make full albums that people want. Gone are the days of Pearl Jam's "Ten" or Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" or so many countless others... "Pretty Hate Machine"... "Live Through This"... "Nevermind"... even things like "Like A Virgin". Usher in a new era of one hit wonders who couldn't write an album's worth of quality material to save their pampered little lives.

So off point.. but take it!

20] BONUS TRACK!
So, I said no TV themes... but this is the Bonus Track... and it wouldn't be a Guilty Pleasure album without a TV Theme song. But it couldn't be just any theme song... it couldn't be something that people would instantly recognize and be able to sing along to... no "Who's The Boss" or "Growing Pains"... no "Cheers" or "Dukes of Hazzard"...

You can't even get Joanie Loves Chachi.

When it comes to embarassing TV songs... you gotta dig deeper.

You go to "Go For It!"

You go to the song that the Saved By The Bell girls sang as part of their great musical group "The Hot Sundaes." You go to one of the most famed episodes of all time as Jessie Spano got hooked on speed and had a horrible on-air crash where she told Zack that she could sing! That she was ready to sing for the talent scouts!

"I'M SO EXCITED! I'M SO EXCITED [sobbing] I'm... so... scared."

Classic television. Classic music.

Oh, and if you want to read the recap of the episode [and check out the awesome picture at the bottom right]...

http://www.lightsoutfilms.com/tv_jessiessong.html

And that's that. Musical challenge anyone?

LET'S KNUCKLE UP!

Season 3 of the Ultimate Fighter started tonight.

God, I love this show. Much like I enjoyed the hell out of WWE's Tough Enough, seeing these kids train and battle for their dream is absolutely fascinating stuff. A more "manly" version of American Idol, I guess.

I truly believe that MMA is the next great sporting craze. How people can still watch boxing while turning up their noses at MMA is bizarre beyond words. You see politicians calling it human cockfighting... calling it barbaric... whatever. Yet not a single soul has died on American soil in a sanctioned MMA match. Can boxing claim that?

And this year's Ultimate Fighter is even better as your coaches are Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock... and those fuckers hate each other. Beautiful stuff. When the coaches want to break each other, you know the students are gonna have one hell of a year.

Keep your eyes on this one, peeps... it's gonna be hella fun.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: None
Book I'm Reading Currently: None
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

It Reminded Me Of A Two Dollar Whore Singing Showtunes Behind The Church On 57th Street To The Thai Unemployed Midgets

Guilty pleasure admission time...

I am an American Idol fan.

(insert cringe)

I hate admitting it... because during the first couple of seasons of AI, I was a hater. I was the one spewing vile insults about it when people were talking about it at work. I was the one who hadn't seen a second of it and had no desire to... but had no problem with mocking those who did.

I was wrong.

The show is the guiltiest of the guilty pleasures. There's so much wrong with it that we all obviously should despise it... and even those who despise it [or say they do] seem like they're almost trying too hard to dislike it. Like if they gave themselves a chance to watch it, they might be wrong and hate themselves for it.

Ever notice how many people preface AI comments with, "Oh, my girlfriend makes me watch it" or some slight variation of it? Or how many people claim only to watch the audition shows where people make total fools of themselves?

But yes... I now find myself every Tuesday and Wednesday watching, listening, critiquing, wondering when Paula's gonna OD on stage with the rest of you. Who will it be this week? Who will have their dreams crushed and be sent packing? Will it be the "Too Dumb To Be Real" country bumpkin Kellie? Will it be the "Hard Rock Only For AI" Chris? All these personalities become engrained in your brain... and you're almost a little bit sad to see them go when it's their time.

But sooner or later... they all have their time. It's the American dream... and on this show, only one can win it all.

(tear)

Plus, there's Badunkidunk! Ohhhh mama!

Song I'm Listening To Currently: "The Old Songs" - Barry Manilow
Book I'm Reading Currently: None
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

Dueling Holidays

Well, well, well... it's been a while, my friends.

Between starting the new job and going to Vegas last week, I've been keeping pretty busy and haven't had a lot of time but I'm going to make an honest effort to get back to regular posting on here... maybe even daily if I can manage to come up with that much to bullshit about.

But today... I have a very specfic topic in mind.

Dueling Holidays.

You see... as a non-football fan, I've always felt a little deprived as a human being. No, not that I'm missing out on something great on the gridiron... but rather I've always felt just one holiday short.

I have no Superbowl Sunday. Sure, I'll watch the game but I don't really give a damn.

In response, I propose two new holidays be added to the schedule.

WRESTLEMANIA SUNDAY!!!

Oh come on... don't roll your eyes at me. For any and all wrestling fans around the world... hell, to people who haven't even watched wrestling in years... everyone comes together on Wrestlemania Sunday. Even when the lineup looks like ass, you've got better odds than any other day on the calendar of seeing something truly special unfold inside that squared circle.

On Saturday night, I was in Vegas drinking with my friend Steve, an old high school chum, his wife, and a couple of their friends that they happened to be going to a concert with. Somehow, the topic turned to wrestling... and then... to Wrestlemania. Steve's Friend #1 said: "It's Wrestlemania! Let's go to Sam's Town and watch it!" Friend #2 replied with a, "But wrestling sucks now." F#1: BUT IT'S WRESTLEMANIA!

You're damn right it is... and that's all it takes to be a special day to me.

And my other proposed holiday?

Baseball Opening Day!

Yes, that was two days in a row this year... but what a great two days it was. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take Opening Day off this year since I was just coming back from Vegas but the feel was in the air all day. It's that one day of the baseball season when absolutely anything can happen... when everyone is even and even the Tampa Bay fans can dream of the World Series.

For baseball fans, our sport has become the redheaded stepchild of sports. It's "too boring" or "too slow" for the instant gratification masses who don't appreciate the subtleties of the game... for those thimbles of humanity who are too shallow to realize they are watching a living artform unfold.

There's no one scoring every time down the floor... there's no one getting tackled every forty seconds.

But there's art... there's the glory of victory... the agony of defeat...

The dreams of what's possible.

There's baseball... and that's enough for me.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: "My Son Mystic" - Gay Dad
Book I'm Reading Currently: None
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

FUN HOUSE!

There are moments in everyone's lives where you feel just a little bit older... and just as many that make you feel just a little bit geeky.

Such a moment occurred last night.

Anyone who watches 24 or The Shield or Nanny Swappin' Mothers or whatever else that Fox and FX shovel out there have seen commercials for this new gameshow "Unan1mous" and yes, that's how they spell it. Everytime I've seen the commercial, something in the back of my head told me that it looked kind of interesting.

So, as American Idol ended last night [praise God that little bastard is gone, btw] and we were deciding if we should watch Lost or Veronica Mars first, Unan1mous started. And very quickly I see that the co-creator is J.D. Roth.

Bells and whistles... a damn Vegas slot machine goes off in my brain.

"J.D. ROTH FROM FUN HOUSE?!"

Of course, B looked blankly at me.

We continue to watch and while the show is a little forced, it was actually not bad for a game show. And when the host appeared on the video wall...

It was J.D. Roth! I knew it was instantly! That little bastard who held the dreams of every young child my age in his hands as people got crazy cool prizes for what we all would have done for free on Fun House... he's still on TV.

If you don't remember Fun House, a curse on you. If you do, you know exactly what I'm talking about and I don't need to say another word.

Oh, and just for reference's sake...

Then...



And now...

AND NOW?!

Now he's not even famous enough to warrant a current picture. Bummer.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: None
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Prestige - Christopher Priest
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

I Quit South Park Too

Days! It's been days since I've posted!

What have you missed since then? A very soggy but fun "going away" party last Friday from my former colleagues. A very sincere shoutout to those who attended and a very heartfelt "Hope everything is going well" to you all as well.

Saturday saw me feeling "not so fresh" from Friday so I didn't go to either of the wrestling shows I intended to hit. Makes me sad but it was a necessity.

Sunday was me sitting around the house going "Fuck, I have to work tomorrow"

And as Monday arrived, so I did.

But it was cool. It's an enthusiastic atmosphere where suddenly if I put in an effort, I might see that effort reflected in my paycheck... perish the thought, I know. Everyone seems happy to be working there [another new experience] and seem happy to have me working there. It was a very stark contrast to my first day at my last place of employment and I'm hoping it continues to be that way for some time to come. I've gotten to leave work early two days running since I'm still training but it sounds like, as our good pal JR would say, business is fixin' to pick up real soon.

Speaking of which, it was damn fine to see JR back on Saturday night... and even finer to see the return of Saturday Night's Main Event to NBC. I have many, many fond memories of WWF on NBC and just the opening segment last weekend using similar music to the old days was enough to make me giddy. The ratings didn't turn out so well but hopefully they'll be sufficient to make it an occasional happening for the WWE.

I've got a busy couple weeks ahead here. The craziness of starting a new job... the start of baseball season [fuck that WBC crap... gimme Opening Day]... the home stretch heating up for the Lake Show... Wrestlemania is just around the corner... plus I've got a trip to Vegas. Busy times but as always, I'll do my very best to keep you all abreast of my comings and goings.

In closing, DON'T FORGET TO WATCH THE SHIELD FINALE TONIGHT! Best damn show on TV, my friends... period.

Oh... and remember, as our good friends from Bell Biv Devoe would say... never trust a big butt and a smile. Words to live by, amigos. Hasta.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Prestige - Christopher Priest
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

I Am Like Superman And You Are All The Residents Of Gotham City

So, it occurs to me today as I enjoy my last day of unemployment that in the not-so-distant future I'm going to be enraged at myself that I did almost absolutely nothing this week.

Ah well. Those are the breaks, champ.

I don't really have anything to say today... so I'll go with the "picture says a thousand words" theory.



'nuff said.

EDIT: Ok... I've got a little more to say. My absolute favorite blog [of the few that I read] is Kevin Smith's. I haven't been there for a while and wandered upon two absolutely great ones he's done recently. Check them out...

The Middle East

And... [this one's not exactly safe for work]
Brilliant!


Song I'm Listening To Currently: Obsession - Animotion
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Prestige - Christopher Priest
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

Storm Shadow Was A Bad Motherfucker

Well, well, well... it's been a few days since I've posted anything.

There's dueling reasons for that. For one, I've been enjoying my forced "vacation." One of my ex-coworkers told me, "It's your chance to go out and do all the stuff you always wanted to do but had to work." If that's the case, then I guess my heart's desire was to sit home and watch everything on WWE 24/7. I had goals of going out and doing stuff this week but it never shook out. B was busy at work so couldn't call in sick. Poff's a big loser who always wants me to call in sick and do stuff during the week and when the week arrives where I could do something, he doesn't want to go anywhere.

So, I sit and wait. Trying to amuse myself as the hours slowly trickle past. It's been a long, long time since I've had this much free time and I just don't know what to do with myself. So, here I am.

Last night was the penultimate The Sheild for the season and I feel super-confident in standing by my statement that The Sheild is hands down the best show on television at the moment. There's been some great stuff on 24... on Grey's... on Housewives. There's been some absolutely incredible stuff on The West Wing that makes me shed a tear that we're losing it this season. Lost has been pretty good as well not to mention Veronica Mars [which returns tonight, baby!] Comedies have been kicking ass with Scrubs, The Office, AD, not to mention the surprise of how great How I Met Your Mother is turning out.

But above them all by a good margin is The Shield. There's been rumors that this season [which is actually being split in half] is the final season for it. If that's the case, then they're going out in a major, major kingsized way. The show has been absolutely fantastic each and every week and I find myself waiting for the next week's show in a way that I reserve for few others. Next week is the finale and then it'll be replaced by Thief which actually looks like it might be quite amazing as well. I'm also hoping to catch the Prison Break marathon on Sunday on FX to see if that show is as good as the rumors are saying.

I was pretty annoyed yesterday because I couldn't get on to post on here because of technical difficulties.

Why was I annoyed you ask?

Because I wanted to write about G.I. Joe.

Yes, G.I. Joe.

I was watching something on Monday that brought a big smile to my face as I was reminded of G.I. Joe. Now, I'm not talking about the "knowing is half the battle" cartoons [which was great] but rather the comic books. Recently at my former job, I went through the timeline of my comic book fandom.

As a kid, I started with things like Archie and Richie Rich and the Disney books. I segued into the horrid Star Wars book that Marvel put out that was absolutely horrid.

And then came G.I. Joe. I have a very large portion of the original Marvel run and could read them countless times and love every second of it. Well, maybe not _every_ second of it. But a great deal of them. It amazes me what great storytelling was in those issues. You can compare them to the best selling books nowadays and GI Joe smokes them nine out of ten times.

After the Joe series got canned, I wandered into the superhero world towards the early high school years, picking up things like Batman around the Knightfall arc as well as my friend Brian trying to get me into the whole Death of Superman craze.

Well, it worked. I was hooked once more, going for all the big Image books as well [Spawn, Wildcats, Cyberforce, etc.] and even dabbled a little in the darker stuff like Sin City and the Dark Knight Returns series. Frank Miller at his best.

I fell out of it during college as there wasn't a store nearby.

But a couple years after college, I discovered that a new GI Joe series was being launched which got me into a comic store for the first time in several years to pick it up... and pick up everything else in sight.

After all those years, it was GI Joe that got me back into the comic store and got me hooked once more. It all had come full circle. I've stopped picking up the Joe books now since they went a drastically different direction with them that I didn't find appealing anymore but I'm still in the comic store at least once a month to keep up on the adventures of the Ultimates, the Young Avengers, the Astonishing X-Men, and many, many, many, many more.

It all comes full circle.

Oh, and what sparked this little rant? Well, I don't want to say exactly... just remember that Storm Shadow wasn't quite as dead as he appeared to be. Now you know.

And knowing is half the battle. Yo Joe!

Song I'm Listening To Currently: I Love LA - Randy Newman
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Prestige - Christopher Priest
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

Mixtape!

Here you go, peeps. The challenge has been answered.

Markus, the disc is in the mail.

I couldn't tell you why i picked any of these... I just did.

Enjoy.

BREAKING NEWS!

Well, ain't that a bitch?

After four years at that shithole of a company, I was summarily dismissed this morning... yes, one full week before my scheduled last day. And why?

Apparently, I'm too popular for my own damn good.

And no, that's not even ego talking... that's my cock chuggin' manager talking.

"The company's going to go ahead and let you go today. There's just been too much conversation in the department. Too many people standing by your desk talking to you. You're just a distraction right now and no one's answering the phones."

Got that?

Because other people wanted to talk to me to find out why I was quitting, where I was going, and more often than not, why they wanted to leave too... I was let go.

And I tell you right now that the only reason there wasn't a major confrontation is because they decided to pay me for next week as well. I was so much of a distraction, they're willing to pay me to not show up.

So, in a way, it's a relief.

In another way, it's maddening. Four years, people. I worked [fairly] hard for them for four god damn years, ignoring the shitty working conditions, ignoring the ineptitude of the entire management core, ignoring two years of a "wage freeze" because they were hemorraging money, ignoring lie after lie after lie...

And as a reward for my hard work and loyalty?

I get my access to my computer locked out so I can't even send my personal stuff to myself. How's that for a going-away gift?

I once told my former manager that I didn't mind getting fucked in the ass by the company from time to time as long as they gave me a reacharound.

There shall be no reacharound today. Just raw, unadulterated ass fucking.

(deep cleansing breath)

One chapter ends... a new begins.

And I'm spent.

It's Gonna Be A Bright... Briiiiiight Sunshiney Day

Like the new digs? I thought something a little brighter was in order for our old eyes ruined by years of Duck Hunt and NBA Jam.

So, eight more working days until I blow this popsicle stand and I couldn't be happier. I'm sure there'll be some degree of sadness on my last day though. After nearly four years here, I've made some friends that I'll be sad to not see everyday so I'm sure that'll hit me then. I've warned them all against crying... because that'll make me cry... and then someone will mock me and then asskickings must commence.

This month's Mixtape has a scheduled "street date" for Sunday as part of a musical challenge going on. Markus decided that we should both pick genres we don't particularly know much about and delve into it to find something mixtape-worthy. So, on Sunday, I'll be showing off the world of Jazz while he tangles with the R&B scene. Should be fun.

I'm working my way through this "The Plot Against America" book kinda slowly. It's a tough read as the author has a tendency to twist and tie himself up into these massive run-on sentences. Plus, there's no linear flow as he hops around a lot in timeline by a few days. But the premise is solid. What if FDR's third term never happened and was replaced by an Anti-Semite, Nazi sympathizer in the White House like Charles Lindbergh? Anyone know if Lindbergh was actually Anti-Semitic? I've been meaning to look it up but haven't yet. I'd be more curious to see a broader version of this "What If" story rather than focused on this one family. I suppose it gives it a more personal tone but the wannabe historian in me wants to see a bigger picture.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: None
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Plot Against America - Phillip Roth
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

And The Oscar Goes To...

Award shows have really started to bug me over the years. I used to watch 'em all... MTV...AMAs... Grammys... Golden Globes... Oscars. Now, I can barely make it through them. And it's even worse when you don't know anything about the nominees.

This is one of those weird years that I haven't seen any of the movies up for Best Picture... so I just didn't give a damn.

Jon Stewart and the Three Six Mafia almost saved the show for me... almost. Stewart was golden as one of those hosts that is damn funny but not so funny as to completely overshadow the rest of the show. And the Oscar going to a song about a pimp? Gold, baby... gold. When that was announced, if you felt a strong breeze through your living room... don't be alarmed. It was just the collective assholes of Hollywood puckering in an instant.

Why were there only three best song nominees? To me, the performance of those songs usually is one of the show's highlights and to have it cut down to Dolly Parton and the Three Six Mafia really watered down an already watery show.

While I value the contributions of visual effects and cinematographers and sound editors... is there a need to have that on the broadcast? It means less to the people at home than it does to most of the people in the crowd. In fact, the only thing I learned from those awards is that a lot of people in the industry owe their asses to Peter Jackson.

Oh... and in case you've forgotten in the handful of hours since it was mentioned a dozen times...

GO WATCH MOVIES ON THE BIG SCREEN! NO TV! NO DVD! NO IPOD VIDEO!

Seriously... is there really no one who appreciated the irony in doing a video montage to show movies that should only be seen on the big screen... for a show that will never be shown on the big screen?

Ten days and counting. TEN DAYS!

Song I'm Listening To Currently: Into The West -Annie Lennox
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Plot Against America - Phillip Roth
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

Celebration!

So, I said I had big news... and I do.

It may have taken an extra day to announce but it is well worth the wait.

Often times, people start up a blog to document a journey... a trip... a year before a big birthday... whatever. This wasn't designed for that purpose but in a way, it kind of became one.

What had started as a nice, fun, easy writing about miscellaneous crap like wrestling or the Dodgers or what was on TV became a very depressing, dark journal telling the story of how much I hate my job and how much I wanted a new one. A friend of mine said it basically stated the same things that everyone feels about their job but just hate seeing written down since it's so depressing.

Well, if you're feeling that way about your job as you read this page, I can finally tell you that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

As of this morning, I have given my two weeks notice and on March 17th, I am a free man.

On March 20th, I start a new job... step onto a new road... and I'm quite frankly pretty damn excited about it.

People keep stopping by my desk to talk about it so I'm actually a little busy today. More to come though... and hopefully it's a hell of a lot cheerier.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: Superman - Lazlo Bane
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Plot Against America - Phillip Roth
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

It's still February!

Just barely.

I've got some big news to talk about... but it's only February for four more hours. Gotta do the Mixtape explanation!

Let's get to it!

B wanted a "new music" CD... so the "rule" on this one was that it had to be music added to the Mac in the last calendar month. Here's the results...

CHAKA MAD
-----------
"Hip Teens Don't Wear Blue Jeans" - Frank Popp Ensemble
I've been racking my brain trying to figure out where I found this but simply haven't got a clue. But it's great, isn't it? No one really makes music like this anymore. This is the kind of gem you'd expect to find on a Tarantino soundtrack... but it's not from one! I looked! I wish I could figure it out... driving me crazy. Fantastic groove to it though. It makes me smile at the first few notes.

"Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" - Travis
Travis has been a band that I tend to check out now and again for a while now. They had a cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" on one of the Kevin and Bean X-Mas CDs a few years ago that I dug. This is a great track. Mopey but in a peppy fashion. Kinda reminds me of James a bit too. I just noticed that someone put it on a Jim & Pam iMix too. Fuckin' rad. The lyrics to this one rock the casbah too. I'm not usually a huge lyric guy, delving into the depths of them... but check these out.

"Crooked Teeth" - Death Cab For Cutie
I don't know what I ever did without this band. I feel guilty even admitting that I'm a newbie to them. Some of the greatest songs I've heard in recent years. I'm still pissed that I didn't make it to the concert with them and Stars last year. I picked this track because there was an acoustic version of it featured on iTunes recently. This isn't that version but a soddin' brilliant piece of work nonetheless. Also, much props to DCFC as I dug through their entire celebrity playlist on iTunes to find stuff for this mix.

"Forever Lost" - The Magic Numbers
Gaaaah. Another one that I don't remember where it came from! Okay! Next month? I do this on the spot so I can tell you where everything came from. I want to say this is from a TV show but I can't recall. Some of the very best music is being used on some of the very best TV shows these days. Pretty sure this is one of them.

"Am I Just One" - Carey Ott
Speaking of great music on great TV. Grey's Anatomy had this one this year. By the by, much thanks to the music supervisor for having the forethought to realize people like me would be saying "What was that song?" and putting up their own list of the music every week. It seems to be a more and more common thing to do. Oh, this song rocks.

"Get Through" - Mark Joseph
Another song from Grey's. I always had the ambition to be a music supervisor... well, maybe not always but those few months when I worked in music licensing and got the opportunity to get a taste of what that job would be like. It's gotta be one of my dream jobs. Sitting around all day and listening to music to see what fits a scene? Beautiful. This song is great too. It's a little more pop-rocky than I usually go for these days but it's a great tune. This guy has great vocals.

"The Man Of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" - Sufjan Stevens
Uhhh... pretty sure I heard this on Indie 103. But you can't go wrong with a guy who has a song [or album?] called "Come On Feel The Illinois." And a song about Superman? Holy Guacamole! [we've got chips!] I'm all over this song. Plus, it's actually a fucking fantastic song. The background singing is kinda haunting and keeps sticking in my head. The music itself reminded me a little of Queens of the Stone Age... but with a vocalist I like. And yes, I realize that kills my indie cred. I just don't really care for that band! Sue me!

"Butterfly" - Weezer
Weezer continues to surprise me nearly 12 years after I first saw them in concert. Remember when they were "That band who sings about Fonzie!"? A lot of people will probably never know more about Weezer than "the Sweater Song" and Buddy Holly. Tis a shame. I can find Weezer tracks years old that I've never heard before or haven't heard in years and be in love with them all over again. It's fucking criminal that a song like this didn't break all sorts of sales records when some fuckin' shithead singing about his teeth does.

"High" - James Blunt
Sometimes I'll track down a song played on one of my favorite TV shows and discover that I actually like a different song by that artist a little better. This is one of those. James Blunt has been having his music played all over the place lately but I think Grey's got to him first. I checked out the song they played and found that I liked this one even more.

"Kiss The Girl" - Get Set Go
Another track from Grey's... god damn they were on a roll this season. Well, the band is from Grey's but like the above, I found this track to be even better. This one has a tinge of the old punk rock that I used to drown myself in in college... I also hear a little of "88 Lines For 44 Women" [one of my favorites] in it. This one is definitely worth a spin and I bet it'll be stuck in your head real damn quick.

"I Think I Need A New Heart" - The Magnetic Fields
Found this band on the Death Cab playlist. Liked this song better than the one they picked. It's an odd choice... really different than the kind of music I usually like. But I find myself drawn to artists who try and do something a little different lately. This one gave me some kind of bizarre impression where if Adam Ant and Morrissey had hot man ass love, this might be the result. Take that one to sleep with ya!

"Open All Night" - Bruce Springsteen
I promised you a monthly Springsteen track and I will deliver, dammit. And trust me, it's tough to find Springsteen songs that are "new" to me. I doubt this one really is... but it's one that I haven't listened to very much [until this month.] I picked up a copy of Nebraska at Amoeba Music a couple weeks ago [talk about heaven for a music fan... I'm hooked on that store.] This is really stripped down and raw for the Boss... usually when he's at his artistic best.

"The Engine Driver" - The Decemberists
I've been meaning to check this band out since [don't laugh] I saw it on the Celeb Playlist for the kid who plays Harry Potter.

...

Fuck you guys! He might have good music taste! Accio good music, bitches!

"Lift Me" - Madrugada feat. Ane Brun
Holy shit, I wish I knew where I found this and why. I love this damn song. It's just so different... and the tonality of the two voices are such stark contrasts. Just a fantastic song that makes me love it more everytime I hear it. It's like... if you threw Hope Sandoval out there with Dean Martin and said, "Go for it."

"Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" - Elefant
You got your Boss... now you get your cover song of the month. This is an odd choice for me. I can't stand Morrissey and/or The Smiths... that's just a given. I've never been able to get into it. B says "Talk about the song being in Ferris Bueller" I say, "Fuck that. This is the song when those bitches in Never Been Kissed were going to throw dog food on the nerdy girl in tights."

...

Stop looking at me like that!

By the way, this is on the Sky High soundtrack. It's filled with wacky [but cool] 80's covers. Take a look.


"Hoppipola" - Sigur Ros
Sigur Ros is one of those bands that you read about or someone mentions and you act like you know exactly who the fuck they are if you have any hopes of keeping your indie music cred intact. So, I finally decided to check 'em out. And for people singing in Icelandic [please tell me that's a language], they're pretty damn cool. Now, if they're actually singing in English and I'm just trippin', don't mind any of this. Actually, I hope that's exactly what's happening.

"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" - The Jayhawks
Sigh. I don't know where I found this one either... but I like it. Rinse and repeat.

"Adelaide" - Old 97s
AHA! I know where this came from! VERONICA MARS, BABY! This is from that tear-jerking scene where Duncan r- err... Markus, you haven't seen any of these yet. Never mind! But it's good stuff! Remember this song when you get to the scene of which I speak.

"False Alarm" - Sloan
This is another track from the Death Cab playlist. I swear to God this band sounds familiar to me. I think I may have discovered them in the long, long ago and just completely forgot about this. Very good track. One of my favs on this list.
... Can you tell I'm running out of steam? I need to watch American Idol before The Shield comes on!

"Baby's Been Bad" - Goldenhorse
Remember what I said about rewarding bands that try something different? Exhibit B, your honor.

"All You Need Is Hate" - The Delgados
And yet one more from the Death Cab playlist. Those boys have some damn fine taste in music.

And that's that. I'm drained. That took far more out of me than it should have.

Suggestion for a theme for March's mix? I was thinking of Redneck Rock in honor of me getting that damn Georgia Satellites song stuck in my head last night... not to mention that poor fucked-up teeth bastard on American Idol doing his best effort to belt out a Skynyrd song and getting blank stares in return.

Back tomorrow with the big news... most likely.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: Karate - Tenacious D
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Plot Against America - Phillip Roth
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

The Thirty-Something Malaise

When I first read that Kevin Smith was working on Clerks 2, it sounded a little silly... maybe a way to make up for Jersey Girl [which was actually a damn fine flick that just got burned by BenLo or whatever it was].

But then you see the idea.

"It's about what happens when that lazy, 20-something malaise lasts into your 30s."

I'm getting far too close to that.

I haven't felt much like writing lately. Not sure why. I can't get my head clear enough to write anything on here or away from here.

I know I'll never get around to doing anything more of a review so... I liked Eragon. It was a good read and should make an excellent flick. If you dig any kind of sci-fi/fantasy stories, go check it out... and then marvel that it was written by a teenager. A teenager who is living his dream while we all dig ourselves deeper into what we settled for.

Is it too early for a mid-life crisis?

I will still do my Mixtape explanation... not today though. I need to be at home to do it and I won't get a chance to be home for lunch today.

Oh, and fuck Vince McMahon. Putting Rey Rey in the main event as an afterthought is crap... it's better than nothing but it's crap. You're really testing my statement that I'd always buy Wrestlemania.

It always eeems like most great artists have a drug habit. Maybe _that's_ what I'm missing. Who am I kidding though? I couldn't afford it.

How's this for lack of cohesive thought?

I'm fairly certain I'm a few days from being fired... and I'm fairly certain it'd probably be the best thing to ever happen to me except for the sudden and abrupt lack of money to pay my bills.

In an Avenue Q moment, I wish I could go back to college.

I feel old lately. Which is kinda silly, I guess... but so, so true.

Deep sigh.

"Looks like someone's got a case of the Thursdays."

Question of the moment: When people around you find the most exciting thing to look forward to is a once-a-month drinking binge, have you reached the proverbial fork in the road?

Philosopher supreme Stacy Orrico said it best, "There's got to be more than life than this."

Song I'm Listening To Currently: The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Plot Against America - Phillip Roth
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

The Era of Defiance

B wants my post on why I picked the songs for "Chaka Mad"... I'll do it this weekend.

I wanted to do an Eragon review... I'll do it this weekend.

I really should talk about Raw [which wasn't halfbad actually]... not now.

Now is the time to be defiant.

It's the spirit of rebellion that founded our great nation, you know? It's the spirit to say "Fuck off" to those who tell you you're wrong... to those who want you to stick to the narrow path.

I'm not comparing myself to that at all cause as much as I'd like to rise up and break off the shackles of oppression we all are under [like that one, don'tcha?]... I'm trapped in them just like the rest of you.

But every once in a while, you get to do something that just energized you. That makes you feel like you're a man who just bucked the system.

As you all know by now, I'm desperately trying to get out of my job... but I'm waiting for the right job to jump to. I've had plenty of offers from temp to hire companies at higher salaries... but with great responsibility comes not-so-great power. I have to wait for something secure. So, I sit in misery, just trying to get through the day without letting it bother me. I sit in agony, not being able to drop everything and move across country to pursue a new career [I'm jealous, you bastard.]

But every once in a while, you get to do something that makes you whole again.

When you don't fear getting fired, a world of enlightenment swallows you. A world where you don't care a bit and absolutely anything goes.

For years, I've been the "go-to" guy in our department... basically the guy who got all the crap assignments that were supposed to be leading to a promotion/raise. For years, whenever something came up that was outside of our job descriptions, it fell in my lap.

Today, when the two new temps were told to go sit with me for training...

I was defiant!

I went to the manager's office and refused to do it. When I explained why and he tried to blow smoke up my ass, I spit the smoke right back. When the "You're still in our plans" line came, I was ready for it.

I was defiant... rebellious... uncaring...

...and it fucking felt great.

It's a liberating feeling when you just don't give a damn.

Song I'm Listening To Currently: War Machine - Kiss
Book I'm Reading Currently: The Plot Against America - Phillip Roth
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]

Game ON!

Ahhh... today marks one of the great moments in "spring."

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training today. Spring Training's a great time to be a baseball fan. When those first images from Florida or Arizona trickle across your local sportscast, you get that chill down your spine knowing that baseball is creeping up on us. It's the time when all teams are even and every team's got a chance to be the World Champion at the end of October.

My Dodgers? My Dodgers went through their second straight offseason where the team was practically overhauled from head to toe. Names like Lofton... like Tomko... like Mueller... like Nomar... will all now be ringing through Chavez Ravine like those stars that came before them [and I'll go on record right now saying if Nomar has a great year and gets re-signed for a long term deal, I'll be the first to pick up a jersey with "GARCIAPARRA" across the back.]

Of course... for the optimist, you look at this team and say, at worst, they should be able to win the division unless there's some horrid rash of injuries. At best? Hell, you just never know. All I know is that in 1988 when I was jumping around the living room as a young lad, I never thought it'd take this long to see it happen again. I was there two seasons ago for the first Dodgers postseason win since that season... now I want to be there to see the first World Series since then.

For the pessimist? It's a holding pattern season. A good enough team to compete and if they start getting blown out? Here comes the kids. The Dodgers have arguably the best crop of prospects in baseball just bubbling under the major league level. Dodger fans ache for a time when names like Billingsley, Guzman, Loney, Martin, and so many others get put into the pages of Dodger lore.

Either way, I'm damn excited [and the Lakers playing mediocre probably helps a ton] and simply can't wait for Opening Day in a month and half's time. Dodger Stadium is gone through another renovation this offseason... a complete replacement of every seat in the stadium and a return to the original color scheme that graced it on opening day so long ago. Simply can't wait.

And on that note... I stumbled across a picture yesterday that brought a bizarre mix of sadness and joy to my heart.

Take a look...



Song I'm Listening To Currently: Big Poppa - Notorious B.I.G.
Book I'm Reading Currently: Who wants an Eragon review?! EH?!
Movie I Last Saw In The Theater: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire [IMAX]