Chris has passed me the "music baton". Great. Now I actually have to think about that giant steaming pile of CD's that takes up one corner of my den.
Total size of music on my computer: Not entirely sure. It's too much for my iPod, but since tunes are being imported from 2 computers into one store, iTunes is not dynamic enough to update the size of that store. I'd guess there's about 24GB, total.
Last CD Purchased: 3 at once, all disappointing. NIN: With Teeth; Tool: Lateralus; don't even remember what the 3rd was. The last good CD I purchased was Beck: Guero.
Song playing right now: I can't listen to music at work. Nobody respects the earbuds. They just walk up and start talking until you give up and turn off the pod. F***ers. The last song I listened to was something off of Beck's album, though.
5 songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me: Too much pressure! I can't handle this sort of thing.
I explicitly try not to listen to the same CD twice in a row. I have too much music, and it all gets over-looked if I allow myself to get dragged into one band or one album.
Also, I've stopped learning the names of the songs. It was easy when I had 100 or 200 albums, but when we crossed 350, there was no point to trying. The best I can do now is to remember the band, try to remember the album, and then aurally place the order of the songs. This does not work well with Techno, which has been high on my preference list for some time.
But here's an effort:
Curve: Doppelgaenger - this song, now 14 years old, still chills me to the bone. Toni is a goddess.
Track 4 from The Club Presents: Perfecto - The perfect song for maniacal driving. This is the Riverside Dr. anthem. Paul Oakenfold had a hand in this, I believe.
Anything from Chris Isaak - Early in my relationship with Amanda, we discovered a mutual love for his music. She and I can put the whole collection on, and be happy for hours. Baja Sessions, however, has become synonymous with pleasant drives down Route 5 to Williamsburg.
That, unfortunately, is the very best I can do. Songs get stuck in my head, and I listen to the album. Rarely does one song get stuck in my head long enough to listen to the album repeatedly, and when it does, that virtually ensures that I will no longer like that song.
I feel so...so...meme-deficient. Sigh...
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Friday, May 13, 2005
Vacation
Music: radio, so far today
Movies: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (on deck)
Netflix: "Without a Paddle" and "The Office, Series 2" -- a weekend of mindless humor
It's on, baby! Woohoo!
Off to Asheville on Monday, but first: some wine with friends, all-important Costco run, house-cleaning, and various sundry tasks. Then, no drama until next Saturday.
I can't wait.
Kung Fu Hustle was pretty cool. Very odd mixture of traditional over-the-top kung fu movie, comedy, and CGI, all set in 1930's China.
Next up is Hitchhiker's, and I am really looking forward to finding some time to watch this one. It amazes me that I haven't seen it yet, and I do have a certain fear that by the time I've found time to see it, it will be gone. Such is almost always my luck. Almost. Yesterday was the last day to see Kung Fu Hustle, so we beat the curse this time.
I certainly hope everyone has a splendid F13 and a fabulous week. When next I find myself near a terminal, I should have gained 5 or 10 pounds. Asheville, here we come.
Vacation countdown: It's here, baby, it's here!!!
Anniversary / Star Wars countdown: 6 days
Movies: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (on deck)
Netflix: "Without a Paddle" and "The Office, Series 2" -- a weekend of mindless humor
It's on, baby! Woohoo!
Off to Asheville on Monday, but first: some wine with friends, all-important Costco run, house-cleaning, and various sundry tasks. Then, no drama until next Saturday.
I can't wait.
Kung Fu Hustle was pretty cool. Very odd mixture of traditional over-the-top kung fu movie, comedy, and CGI, all set in 1930's China.
Next up is Hitchhiker's, and I am really looking forward to finding some time to watch this one. It amazes me that I haven't seen it yet, and I do have a certain fear that by the time I've found time to see it, it will be gone. Such is almost always my luck. Almost. Yesterday was the last day to see Kung Fu Hustle, so we beat the curse this time.
I certainly hope everyone has a splendid F13 and a fabulous week. When next I find myself near a terminal, I should have gained 5 or 10 pounds. Asheville, here we come.
Vacation countdown: It's here, baby, it's here!!!
Anniversary / Star Wars countdown: 6 days
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Title? I prefer "His Royal Highness", but I'll take whatever
Music: Franz Ferdinand and some very strange Les Claypool stuff
Movies: Kung Fu Hustle tomorrow!
Netflix: Dawn of the Dead
6 days since my last post? That almost seems criminal.
Let's see: vacation starts Friday; Amanda's car has new tires, oil, and serpentine belt; my car goes in for serious work on Monday (CV-joints misbehaving, tranny sometimes refuses to engage 2nd gear, dent to bang out, paint sealant, blah).
Exciting times.
Amanda ran her Race for the Cure on Saturday. I'm really proud of her. It was a 5K race, and it was her first. Her total time was 28:39.5, but that wasn't the point. The point, from her perspective, was that she got out there and did something that she used to find torturous, and did it without stopping or falling down. Somehow, I think the "falling down" concern was actually bigger than the "stopping" concern. She's funny like that.
I finally got results for last month's rally. There had been an error with the official time, and it took several weeks to get it all sorted, but I officially won my class, came in 3rd over-all, and turned in a score of 205! That's just 2.05 minutes off for 100 miles of driving. On one leg, we got an 8. An 8! Unreal. And all without anything other than the car's on-board computer and a stopwatch.
I can't wait for June's night-time rally! Chris is on-board to do it again, as Jeff will be out of town.
Vacation countdown: 2 days
Anniversary / Starwars countdown: 8 days
Movies: Kung Fu Hustle tomorrow!
Netflix: Dawn of the Dead
6 days since my last post? That almost seems criminal.
Let's see: vacation starts Friday; Amanda's car has new tires, oil, and serpentine belt; my car goes in for serious work on Monday (CV-joints misbehaving, tranny sometimes refuses to engage 2nd gear, dent to bang out, paint sealant, blah).
Exciting times.
Amanda ran her Race for the Cure on Saturday. I'm really proud of her. It was a 5K race, and it was her first. Her total time was 28:39.5, but that wasn't the point. The point, from her perspective, was that she got out there and did something that she used to find torturous, and did it without stopping or falling down. Somehow, I think the "falling down" concern was actually bigger than the "stopping" concern. She's funny like that.
I finally got results for last month's rally. There had been an error with the official time, and it took several weeks to get it all sorted, but I officially won my class, came in 3rd over-all, and turned in a score of 205! That's just 2.05 minutes off for 100 miles of driving. On one leg, we got an 8. An 8! Unreal. And all without anything other than the car's on-board computer and a stopwatch.
I can't wait for June's night-time rally! Chris is on-board to do it again, as Jeff will be out of town.
Vacation countdown: 2 days
Anniversary / Starwars countdown: 8 days
Thursday, May 05, 2005
With Power Comes Responsibility
But what I didn't realize was that even inconsequentially small amounts of power come with disproportionately large amounts of responsibility. And that's just retarded.
I've come to realize that Darth Vader (http://darthside.blogspot.com) has a much better take on politics than I: if someone disagrees and is all goobery about it, you crush his trachea with your mind. I've tried it, but I can't make it work. No, I'm reduced to arguing points that can reach a relatively happy medium between what I really believe and what people want to hear.
In essence, I have to lie. And I believe I've already discussed my opinion on lying.
So here's a new part of my developing theory on my benevolent dictatorship: slaughter the whiners, or just export them to Canada (France will do, too). You see, too much time and energy are expended on trying to appease people. The reality is that people have no idea what they want; they must be told by others. This is why we fawn all over new cars every couple of years. It's not "the perfect car". It never is: it's a continuing evolution of our expectations and standards as dictated to us by those who are developing products. For a dictator to be successful, he must simply be a charismatic leader who is firm -- but not brutal -- with his subjects.
Another example of this would be my dictatorship's policy on healthcare: give the obese people of the land 18 months to show a significant weight-loss, or they get lined up against the wall. Sounds brutal, right? Not so! My compassion for their plight stays my hand for 18 months, provides programs to assist those who want to lose the weight, and ultimately saves billions and billions of public money that would otherwise go to the long-term care of fat people. Those who whine and insist that "fat is beautiful" will be lined up and, um, eliminated, thus ensuring that their perversion of the human form and absurd notions of what is right are not continued. It's a win-win scenario: the public saves money, saves lives, and reduces the PC overhead.
"That's horrible", you say? No, it's not: society has simply not formed your expectations in this manner. There are plenty of civilizations on our planet that would welcome such liberalism, in comparison to their extant governments. And the amusing thing is that children from oppressed nations are typically considered the best behaved and most attentive. Oppression gets results.
Progress gets whiners.
OK, I see people getting steamed about wholesale slaughter of the obese, so I'm willing to compromise: we'll send them to the labor camps. That'll fix 'em.
Moving on to debt. What's so wrong with debtors prisons? Consider: in our current society, any idiot can spend 3 times what he'll make in his lifetime, then say, "Oh, gee, I can't afford all of that; I think I'll declare personal bankruptcy and start anew." Um, no, thank you, please put your back against the wall. Personal bankruptcy is destroying two critical elements of society: a properly functioning economy, in which people are properly re-imbursed for goods and services, and personal responsibility, in which people feel guilt for screwing up royally.
In my dictatorship, if you spend your weight in gold and can't back it up with cash, you'll be put to work. Hard work. The work you do will be remunerated, in the form of funds paid to the courts, who will then ensure that those filing claims against your lazy a** will get their money. And your sentence will end when you're all paid up. I'll even get all warm and mushy and try to secure employment for all debtors coming out of prison. And debtors prison will not preclude any man or woman from holding office. After all, it's about learning from your mistakes.
So vote for me, and we'll restore some serious personal responsibility to this country. Who knows, we might even get some exciting Public Works projects tackled (a la Germany's Autobahn system). It's gonna be a good time, until I get assassinated (as any proper visionary leader should)...
I've come to realize that Darth Vader (http://darthside.blogspot.com) has a much better take on politics than I: if someone disagrees and is all goobery about it, you crush his trachea with your mind. I've tried it, but I can't make it work. No, I'm reduced to arguing points that can reach a relatively happy medium between what I really believe and what people want to hear.
In essence, I have to lie. And I believe I've already discussed my opinion on lying.
So here's a new part of my developing theory on my benevolent dictatorship: slaughter the whiners, or just export them to Canada (France will do, too). You see, too much time and energy are expended on trying to appease people. The reality is that people have no idea what they want; they must be told by others. This is why we fawn all over new cars every couple of years. It's not "the perfect car". It never is: it's a continuing evolution of our expectations and standards as dictated to us by those who are developing products. For a dictator to be successful, he must simply be a charismatic leader who is firm -- but not brutal -- with his subjects.
Another example of this would be my dictatorship's policy on healthcare: give the obese people of the land 18 months to show a significant weight-loss, or they get lined up against the wall. Sounds brutal, right? Not so! My compassion for their plight stays my hand for 18 months, provides programs to assist those who want to lose the weight, and ultimately saves billions and billions of public money that would otherwise go to the long-term care of fat people. Those who whine and insist that "fat is beautiful" will be lined up and, um, eliminated, thus ensuring that their perversion of the human form and absurd notions of what is right are not continued. It's a win-win scenario: the public saves money, saves lives, and reduces the PC overhead.
"That's horrible", you say? No, it's not: society has simply not formed your expectations in this manner. There are plenty of civilizations on our planet that would welcome such liberalism, in comparison to their extant governments. And the amusing thing is that children from oppressed nations are typically considered the best behaved and most attentive. Oppression gets results.
Progress gets whiners.
OK, I see people getting steamed about wholesale slaughter of the obese, so I'm willing to compromise: we'll send them to the labor camps. That'll fix 'em.
Moving on to debt. What's so wrong with debtors prisons? Consider: in our current society, any idiot can spend 3 times what he'll make in his lifetime, then say, "Oh, gee, I can't afford all of that; I think I'll declare personal bankruptcy and start anew." Um, no, thank you, please put your back against the wall. Personal bankruptcy is destroying two critical elements of society: a properly functioning economy, in which people are properly re-imbursed for goods and services, and personal responsibility, in which people feel guilt for screwing up royally.
In my dictatorship, if you spend your weight in gold and can't back it up with cash, you'll be put to work. Hard work. The work you do will be remunerated, in the form of funds paid to the courts, who will then ensure that those filing claims against your lazy a** will get their money. And your sentence will end when you're all paid up. I'll even get all warm and mushy and try to secure employment for all debtors coming out of prison. And debtors prison will not preclude any man or woman from holding office. After all, it's about learning from your mistakes.
So vote for me, and we'll restore some serious personal responsibility to this country. Who knows, we might even get some exciting Public Works projects tackled (a la Germany's Autobahn system). It's gonna be a good time, until I get assassinated (as any proper visionary leader should)...
Monday, May 02, 2005
Movies: Millions - Fabulous English movie about 2 kids who find a bundle
Music: Screaming Trees - Why do I keep coming back to this?
Books: None! Eeek!
It's May! This month marks 5 years of wedded bliss, which will be celebrated in style. We're recreating our honeymoon in Asheville, NC. This month I also have a fabulously beautiful picture of Vivienne (our youngest kitty) overlooking my desk.
I got Amanda an 18-month calendar last year, and I liked it so much I ordered myself a copy, too. It's all pictures of our cats (and her mom's cats, too), and it makes me smile.
It's quiet today... too quiet. No calls from Amanda, no e-mails from Mr. K. One call from my dad has been my total exposure to the outside world. Well, that and lunch at Arby's.
I'm done with Arby's. Their prices are astronomically high, their advertising sucks, the food makes me exceedingly drowsy, and they played Mike and the Mechanics while I was trying to eat. Ugh. I hated that crap band in 1987, and I hate it even more now. Arby's (at least the one across the street from work), you're dead to me.
Vacation countdown: 14 days.
Star Wars countdown: 17 days.
Music: Screaming Trees - Why do I keep coming back to this?
Books: None! Eeek!
It's May! This month marks 5 years of wedded bliss, which will be celebrated in style. We're recreating our honeymoon in Asheville, NC. This month I also have a fabulously beautiful picture of Vivienne (our youngest kitty) overlooking my desk.
I got Amanda an 18-month calendar last year, and I liked it so much I ordered myself a copy, too. It's all pictures of our cats (and her mom's cats, too), and it makes me smile.
It's quiet today... too quiet. No calls from Amanda, no e-mails from Mr. K. One call from my dad has been my total exposure to the outside world. Well, that and lunch at Arby's.
I'm done with Arby's. Their prices are astronomically high, their advertising sucks, the food makes me exceedingly drowsy, and they played Mike and the Mechanics while I was trying to eat. Ugh. I hated that crap band in 1987, and I hate it even more now. Arby's (at least the one across the street from work), you're dead to me.
Vacation countdown: 14 days.
Star Wars countdown: 17 days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)