Whatever happened to my...

Ok, so maybe...

2008-01-30T09:08:00.000-05:00

MAYBE Plax was out of line, but really, Boston took it one step too far. From Big Blue Interactive:

The City of Boston is already planning a Super Bowl victory parade for Tuesday, February 5th.

Also, although it was just pulled by Amazon.com, you could have pre-ordered "19-0: The Historic Championship Season of New England’s Unbeatable Patriots" published by the Boston Globe. "If people go out and buy that book before (Sunday), they’re going to be pretty pissed off," said HB Brandon Jacobs.

So I think we're still ok?

In other news, big day in the political world, surely will have some brilliant polling analysis to pass along later today.

UPDATE: The Fix's take here.

And I don't even have time to get to THIS! Man... BIG day!

Also...

2008-01-26T14:53:00.001-05:00

Maintaining Sanity

2008-01-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

As expected, the primaries have sucked up the vast majority of my free time lately, but this week provided a welcome reprieve (thank you, collective secretaries of state, for not scheduling any primaries). I celebrated with a trek out to Virginia last night for some good old fashioned blues madness... North Mississippi Allstars live at the State.

It was a fantastic show, provided exactly the sort of let-loose outlet I needed. Though I will say that compared with the last time I saw them (way back in the dark ages when I lived in Jersey and saw them at the Bowery Ballroom, I think), this show, in a larger venue with a, um, less dedicated audience, wasn't quite as enjoyable. It got better once I worked my way to the front of the room towards the end of the show, but, lesson learned: NMA are not a band best enjoyed while leaning on the bar. For those unfamiliar, a few clips follow.

I've been to shows before where it felt like every guy in the room had been dragged there by their girlfriend (exhibit A, John Mayer at Kahunaville in Delaware, where after a few G&Ts, I actually started asking guys whether they were there voluntarily and found my theory to be pretty darn good), but this show felt like the opposite: every girl in the room had been dragged out by their b.f. Probably because a good portion of the show is spent like this.
As that last clip demonstrated, Luther Dickinson's pretty effin' good! In fact, he was named one of the 20 new "guitar Gods" by Rolling Stone last year. The article's not online, but here's a helpful blog post including clips from the entire pantheon.
Their recorded stuff isn't as satisfying as their live performance, so if you're building a new NMA collection, definitely start with Hill Country Revue, recorded live at Bonaroo, or Keep on Marchin'.
And because it's awesome, here's Cody Dickinson on the electric washboard. Um, sideways. Happy listening!

New Year, Resolved

2008-01-06T21:56:00.000-05:00

2008 is off to a somewhat rocky start for this blogger. I spent the first 48 hours of the new year (plus the last three of 2007) under the influence of heavy doses of cold medicine. For two days I slept, surrounded by unpacked luggage, discarded tissues and the detrius of a month of working too much. As you surely understand, once I was out of the NyQuil fog (and had survived a caucus or two), I had to clean up before I could even begin to blog (sorry, dear readers), but now that it's all done and I've even managed to cook myself a couple of real meals, I'm here. I'm pumped. And I'm ready to blog.

Ended 2007 with one of the coolest things I've ever done: attended the Giants-Pats game and had incredible seats which have surely ruined me, for I will never have seats that good ever again. My favorite picutres are below. First, Tom Brady gazing lovingly at me in the stands.

Second, Eli Manning, living up to his surname and manning up:

The game was amazing, would've been more amazing if we'd have won, but it was damn cool either way.

Since then, I haven't quite achieved that level of cool again, but I have managed to get a byline, which hopefully has not yet gone stale by the time you read this, and do a podcast in which I sound remarkably unlike a person getting over a cold (check out Saturday's Post Politics Podcast if you're interested, if I could find a link, I'd include it, but the best advice I have is to find it on iTunes. Apologies.).

I've also uploaded the whole Christmas bounty of shiny new CDs to my iPod, and have a new offering for song of the day!! Woo-hoo!! Not selected randomly at all but instead with the utmost care and attention, Josh Ritter's Empty Hearts. The album from which it comes, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, is hands down my favorite of 2007. It's BRILLIANT. Massive apologies to Aaron for not taking his advice on this one sooner. Feel like a complete moron, I mean, I could have had the words memorized by now, dammit! Words that include:

"There's a friend that I have, and for her I'll go back. You see all of these empties that I'm holding? They're too much for a man, empty arms, empty hands. And she'll know me by the sound of my hoping. Singing don't let me into this year with an empty heart, with an empty heart."

Anyway, here's the clip:

I love it. Check him out, buy the CD, don't be like me and waste four months. I'm off to get some pre-New Hampshire rest. And contemplate spending ridiculous amounts of money on a TV. Anyone with advice on HD sets between 40 and 46 inches, do drop a note in la comments... later taters.

Newslink o' the day: Giant Step (what, you were expecting something political?)

Lemony Goodness

2007-12-21T08:17:00.000-05:00

The Lemonheads were fantastic! They still sound good, they played all the stuff that drove me to buy a ticket in the first place (Into Your Arms AND The Outdoor Type and It's a Shame About Ray), and I left feeling nostaligic for the early '90s. Particularly after sitting through an opening band that sounded like just another Blink 182 clone. And to paraphrase David Lowery, what the world needs now is another Blink 182 like I need a hole in my head. What more could I ask for?

Unfortunately, it turns out my new cellie isn't so good at pictures in concert venues, so I don't have any good shots to post. Next time, I will be armed with a real camera.

In song-of-the-day news, I've got one stuck in my head, The Band's "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down." Probably becuase I heard it twice yesterday. Turns out I have two versions in my iPod (turned shuffle off for a mo), the Band's Last Waltz rendition and a Black Crowes live cover from Freak n' Roll. As much as I love the Crowes, the Band's version kind of wins. Since hearing it, I went looking for more info, and I found this article quoting Robbie Robertson on how he came to write the song. And lame though it may be, I definitely relate to his reaction to Southerners. Living in Lex for four years was quite the experience.

Our lyric:

"Like my father before me, I will work the land/Like my brother above me, who took a rebel stand/He was just eighteen, proud and brave, But a Yankee laid him in his grave/I swear by the mud below my feet, you can't raise a Caine back up when he's in defeat."

Our song:

And our article of the day comes via The Fix, because if anyone can figure this puzzle out, it's him.

Enjoy your Fridays, y'all!

Back by popular demand...

2007-12-19T08:06:00.000-05:00

Well friends... despite being a writer of such immense talent that I consistently land on page A18, I'm coming back to the Lunchbox.

And with new and improved spiffier content! Since I am once again the owner of a functioning iPod which accompanies me on most of my adventures through our fair city, I'll be posting a lyric of the day culled from one of the songs that randomly played for me. Find today's below.

I will also try my best to give you my favorite news item of the day, with a bit of an admitted bias.

In the holiday spirit, today's lyric comes from Green Day's punk bitchfest, Nice Guys Finish Last. As Billie Joe said, "I'm so fuckin' happy I could cry." Ah, I love Christmas.

Tonight, I'm checking out the Lemonheads at the Black Cat, and am keeping my fingers crossed for this one:

Will post pictures/notes tomorrow. Ciao bellas!

Basking in the Glow of Eggers-ness

2007-10-31T07:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was an excellent day in Deuce-land. Not only has the weather been fall-perfect for a full four days, and not only has crushdom been going quite well, but yesterday, I left my cubicle, ventured out through that glorious fall sunshine into one of the greatest bookstores known to man and met Dave Eggers, also known as my favorite author (itty bitty caveat... favorite living author, there might be a few dead folk to challenge said title. I dunno... Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, Emerson, but among the living this is IT).

He was funny and smart, gracious and enlightening, and never far from tragedy (he was talking about the southern Sudanese, after all). Reading What is the What, it's difficult not to feel it deeply, and seeing pictures of Valentino, of Marial Bai and his family and friends (particularly a picture of a woman named Ashol and her children with a bit of her story that wasn't in the book) it's jaw-dropping. I certainly can't say any of it better than Eggers does, so please please please go read the book. It's out in paperback now (so it's cheap AND portable! what could go wrong?), it'll change your life. Also, if you're my friend, you might be getting a copy for Christmas. :)

I'm still a geek though, and still overjoyed that I got to meet him and talk to him (and that I can now stare at his autograph anytime I want). The man can make words (and little pictures of staplers and illustrations of whales surfacing) dance, and spends so much of his life trying to share that joy. It's inspiring and incredible, and I'm so glad I got a chance to say thanks!

Taxicab Confessions

2007-09-09T10:26:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I had what ranks as one of the most obnoxious cab experiences ever. I'm usually not the type to complain about cabbies unless they don't know where they're going (a frequent problem among drivers in the DC region, particularly for me since the only destination they seem to be familiar with in Georgetown is the corner of M and Wisconsin. It's a grid people, how hard can it be to find any intersection between a letter and a number?). The cab ride in question combined the joys of a directionally challenged driver with the worst radio selection ever.

Returning from Crystal City via public transportation in the early morning is a dicey proposition on any day, on the weekends, a taxi is the only option. At 6:45 a.m., I set out for the taxi stand in front of the Marriot, pleased to find a long line of cabs waiting for travelers such as myself. I am dismayed to find that there is no driver in the first cab. Turns out, he went inside for some Starbucks, and when he returned, seemed genuinely annoyed that I was interrupting his breakfast. Perhaps next time, he shouldn't attempt to enjoy breakfast while parked at a taxi stand.

In any case, I told him I was going to Georgetown, that at this time of day, either the Memorial Bridge or Key Bridge would work (my first mistake, I should always ask for the Memorial since it's faster and doesn't require overshooting my destination by several congested blocks). But overall, we're cool so far.

Then he starts the car, and the radio comes on. As in most cabs, it's tuned to talk radio. But not the interesting talk radio you normally find in DC cabs. Some are tuned to WAMU, and a little NPR never hurt anyone. Others choose stations catering to speakers of their native language. Those are my favorite cab rides. I love listening to the cadence and unique tones of foreign languages, maybe it's weird, although, so am I. But apparently, I am not as weird as this cabbie, who had the radio tuned to a station playing a radio infomercial. Not just any radio infomercial, but one for Dual-Action Colon Cleanse.

Now, if you've never heard of this product, I imagine you can surmise its purpose from its name. But if not, here's the gist of it. The infomercial consisted largely of the inventor of this product talking about how he noticed that when his infant daughter took a dump, it was the size of her arm but, being a six-foot-tall person, his weren't nearly as large proportionally. Which led him to wonder what was wrong with his digestive system. He then discovered that there could be as much as 20 pounds of leftover shit in his intestines which prompted him to develop this product in order to produce turds as large as his arm.

And I hadn't even had any coffee yet!

Cabbie did not change the station the entire trip. Which involved the long route including not only the Key Bridge, but the trip up 33rd street that causes the drive to add to the aforementioned overshooting of 29th street with an overshooting of Q street as well (since it's split up and the side of the street west of Wisconsin Ave. lies further north than the other half). And then, when he got to Q Street, he wasn't even sure which way to turn and argued with me that the clearly two-way street was actually a one-way.

On the plus side, the cab had a meter, so at least I knew exactly how much I was overcharged for the extra-long cab ride plus commentary on extra-long turds. Argh.

~~~~~~~~~~

It's football season folks! Hooray fall!

Here's your good news of the day, and possibly my favorite news story ever.

And this is, of course, the best news story of the day (and the reason I was in a cab at 6:45 a.m.). Quick, alert the Pulitzer judges...

"Them other boys don't know how to act..."

2007-02-03T09:58:00.000-05:00

Last night, the Futuresex/Loveshow rolled into the nation's capitol for a very special evening at the Verizon Center. "Very special" because, well, I was there.

After pre-gaming including excellent small plates and pom-filis from Zaytinya and a display of Jill's premier table-getting skillz, me and my girls hit the show and got to our seats just as JT hit the stage. Totally perfect timing.

The boy danced and sang and played and seduced and indulged and did everything a man with a captive audience of 20,000 ought to do. He did pretty much all of the FutureSex/LoveSounds album, plus the highlights of Justified, and one or maybe two 'NSync songs (still haven't figured out what the encore was). He told tales of his visit to Walter Reed the day before, and the inspiration he found in the dedication of America's armed forces, but he didn't make it political. He did not do "A Special Christmas Box" though I saw at least one group of girls armed with a giant sign that read, "Dick in a Box" in tin foil. And to add to the goodness, at the end of SexyBack, he rocked a go-go version of it. Chuck Brown would've been proud, but I don't know that most of the audience got it.

The show also had some excellent swag available for those of us not really ready to spend $35 for a t-shirt one can only wear to the gym. So I am now the proud owner of a Futuresex/Loveshow mug which will clearly need to sit on my new desk over on 15th St. and a JT magnet. All for under $20 (WOW!). It was quite an awesome night.

"...And justice for all."

2007-01-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

The words of the Pledge of Allegiance express the beliefs and values that hold America together. Our republic is "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." It is a simple expression of the ideals our laws and government seek to attain. There has been much debate and defense over the inclusion of "under God," but not much debate over the last clause, "liberty and justice for all." Who would question it? Judging by these comments, perhaps that last clause is debatable to some in our current government after all.

To me, justice reaches beyond satisfaction for victims of a crime. Justice means that those accused of breaking our laws or social compact have the opportunity to defend themselves, whoever they are, however they are accused, and wherever they were born. If they are at fault, then they will be appropriately punished, and if not, they will get their lives back. It seems so simple and so basic. Justice cannot be achieved when those accused are not given the ability to defend themselves, and it is a problem in our legal system. Unequal public defender systems, immigration laws and the war on terror prevent some people from defending themselves well or even at all, while the wealthy and well-connected are able to defend themselves until they are above the law itself. To malign the people who are working (for free!) to minimize this gap because of who they defend is to attack justice, and to attack the ideals on which this nation was founded.

I don't write this to imply that the people being detained at Guantanamo or accused of a crime are all good honest people, clearly they are not, but when anyone is judged without the benefit of a defender who knows the law, or worse without a trial, we do not have justice. Even those whose legal knowledge ends with what Dick Wolf tells them know that the state must prove its case. It is the responsibility of all Americans to demand that they do.

Polling used for evil...

2007-01-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

As evidenced here. Some people lack any semblance of a conscience, and Frank Luntz is one of them.

Happy New Year! Sorta...

2007-01-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

It's 75 degrees outside and January, and as much as I'd love to be snowboarding today, the weather is in its own way sorta cool. Of course, I spent the morning inside balancing my checkbook. Freakin' resolutions. I just have to keep reminding myself the morning's been sacrificed for the good goal of saving myself finance charges and late payment fees. Totally worth it, right? RIGHT?

Down to business, we're nearly a week into the year and I haven't recapped '06 yet. Unfortunately, I didn't quite pay enough attention to music this year to do a "best of" list, but these are my 10 favorite highlights. It's a pop-heavy year, a little fun in times of serious trouble. Enjoy. Go forth and buy CDs!

1. Rudebox. Robbie Williams kicks this album off with the line, "OK then, back to basics..." and never has it been done better. A synth-pop masterpiece that hasn't left my CD player since it came out of the jewel box. Seriously, it's the best thing I've heard in AGES. Robbie's biting humor is back (see She's Madonna if you don't believe me), and he clearly had fun with this album, it's a beautiful thing. If my iPod were alive (may it rest in piece...), I would've seriously looked like a spastic iPod commercial whenever Rudebox came on. Or Lovelight. The whole thing's awesome.

2. Continuum. I've already posted about Stop This Train, so I won't drive you nuts with a rehash, but the rest of the album's awfully damn good too. In the new year, I'm doing my best to stop the whole Jessica Simpson thing from diminishing my opinion of his music. It's just ass, right?

3. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. I've beaten this one to death too, but it's still frickin' awesome.

4. FutureSex/LoveSounds. I'm going to get a lot of shit for this, but I'm sorry, JT rules. If SexyBack doesn't make you dance, I'm not sure you have a soul.

5. Pearl Jam. Their best in quite some time.

6. Ring the Alarm. Haven't heard the whole Beyonce album yet, but this song is the shit. Angry Beyonce RULES.

7. Ain't No Other Man. I really thought I hated Christina Aguilera, turns out, not so much...

8. The World. Brad Paisley stops all that drinking that made him famous in '05 and makes the sweetest song (and video!) of the year. I know, I know, I'm a dork, but it makes me smile.

9. Hips Don't Lie. I heard this song at a bar in Guatemala City and the whole place went nuts, best moment of international bonding I had this year. Hell, she makes a woman want to speak Spanish!

10. Original Fire. As many times as I've heard it on Darren's MySpace page, I still love it.

One more side note, hurrah You Tube! Made this so much easier than last year. MUST get off the couch now... later skaters! Comment away...

I'm definitely anti-inflatable

2006-12-22T07:04:00.000-05:00

Call me stodgy, but I'm on the scorner side of this article. I'd rather have the stupid mechanical Christmas light reindeer whose heads move up and down than have a giant inflatable anything on my front lawn. If I had a front lawn. Sigh... maybe next year.

Better than the 2006 playoffs...

2006-12-18T18:07:00.000-05:00

Taking it back baby.

Fun with post-its...

2006-12-14T11:20:00.000-05:00

With apologies to all who saw it in Daily Candy, this is kinda fun!

http://www.stationerymovies.com/

Fine, fine... I'll post. Jerks.

2006-12-14T08:02:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the holiday season I offer you this lovely shot of my big arse fake Christmas tree, as seen from my couch. Lovely, ain't it? I realized as I was decorating that it's a very NY tree, including a Rangers puck ornament, a sparkly glass version of the Chrysler Building, three "I Love NY" balls and some martini glasses, which makes me quite happy. It brings me joy to think that even in celebrating Christmas one can still celebrate urban life and alcohol. I should try to find some sort of Washington ornament though (since the one Washington adornment my Hoboken tree had, Olie, stayed behind in Hoboken...), don't want my tree to look like it has any regrets, you know?

In other news, here's a short list of stuff that's happened since Halloween (i.e. last time I posted):

1. I got a digital camera. Hooray!
2. The Democrats took back the House AND the Senate, and now, instead of being concerned about the health of a very good man, people are talking about how his potential inability to serve may affect that balance of power, which makes me very, very sad. My prayers are with the Johnson family right now, I hope yours are too.
3. I started a MySpace page. God help me.
4. I went to Guatemala! It was awesome and there were monkeys and probably everyone reading this got the stupid long e-mail about it, so I'll stop there.

5. The guy got on a snowboard for the first time and my lesson actually taught him something. I didn't think I was even remotely useful to anyone except myself on a board.

6. Apparently, I did not learn how not to screw up the spacing on blogger.

7. Zero Christmas shopping has happened between then and now. This is very, very bad.

8. I saw all of my brothers in the same place at the same time, which pretty much makes up for almost everything crappy that's happened this year. In other family news, My niece learned to forward. Anyone have tips on how to politely tell a 12 year old not to send you chain letters?

9. Weingarten stopped chatting. This has killed a major source of procrastination for me. I'm very, very sad.

10. Last night, in a matter of hours, I completed the Washington Post Sunday Crossword puzzle. This is only the second time I've finished one in a day, but to do one in an evening? That's unreal. Perhaps this year I've killed fewer brain cells than I thought. You can give it a go at the link above, and maybe if you call me, I'll give you answers for slightly less than 95 cents a minute.

Thanks Chipotle!

2006-10-31T21:59:00.000-05:00

Free burrito is the best kind. One little piece of foil, and BAM! Beans and rice and guac galore. Ahhh... Happy Halloween!!!

It's the playoffs, bitches!

2006-10-03T21:17:00.000-04:00

A few observations as MLB's showdown gets underway...

1) I don't think there's anything Joe Buck can say to make me like him. Not even something along the lines of, "The Mets are the greatest team ever, and man, I can't wait to get to Giants Stadium next month to see Tiki," would make up for all the Jeter man-love.

2) HOW can like all of the Mets pitchers go down at the same time? And how can that time be late-September? We're going to start a rookie!! There's clearly no god, or He's on the side of the American League. Isn't it enough that they get an extra hitter?

3) The weather in October is the greatest weather of the year. No matter what it does, it's never too hot or too cold. It's always right. If it gets a little warm, you're reminded of the good parts of summer and not the swampthing you became every night on the walk home/time in the car waiting for the a/c to kick in. If it's cool, it's great! And what's cooler than being cool, "ICE COLD!" Which never happens in October, so all you need's a sweater. It's the bomb.

4) The finale of Project Runway and the start of the Bachelor, with most of the games conveniently scheduled in between! All my favorite reality TV all at once...

5) I love the smell of Republican implosion in the morning.

6) I'm really hoping for Twins-Mets in the Series. If it winds up Padres-A's, please point me in the direction of the nearest Caps game. Thanks!

Also, it's my young friend Darren's birthday today. Glad he finally caught up to us old folk so we don't have to keep trying to sneak him into bars, happy birthday yo!

"I believe in God, country, and Warren Mitofsky" - Dan Rather

2006-09-05T21:46:00.000-04:00

A bit more on Warren... there's a very nice tribute on AAPOR's homepage, and as usual, the Mystery Pollster found the right words.

Nice piece in the Washington Post today too...

Thank You, Warren...

2006-09-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

In my young career, I have been blessed to work for a number of leaders and innovators in the polling industry. One of the best, Warren Mitofsky, died unexpectedly on Friday.

Warren's professional accomplishments have shaped the industry as we know it. As one AAPOR-ite said when introducing fledgling pollsters to the man himself, "Without Warren, you wouldn't have a job." He remains legendary in the field, not only for his accomplishments and dedication to the industry, but for his unique style and personality.

Working for Warren required two key skills, first, knowing what you were doing and second, being able to defend it from his often blunt criticism. Attempting the latter usually meant you were wrong, but you would damn sure not make the mistake again. Warren was notoriously outspoken within the industry and had earned the right to be so. But we all knew he did it with the best intention -- turning polling into a respected science abiding by the strictest standards.

Personally, one of my favorite things about Warren was his faithfulness to New York. Warren knew that I was not a fan of the suburbs, and would have given just about anything to stay in Brooklyn after working for VNS. When I ran into him at a NYAAPOR event in Manhattan after moving out to central New Jersey to work on Edison/Mitofsky's exit polling, he said, "So have they revoked your visa yet?" Perfect.

I will miss Warren's guidance and wisdom, and only hope that I can live up to his standards for the rest of my career.

Oops, he did it again

2006-08-29T17:53:00.000-04:00

I really thought John Mayer couldn't quite top Bigger Than My Body for spot-on "how it feels to be mid-20s" lyrics. Seems he's nailed the late-20s too. Check out Stop This Train here. Homeboy made me cry. At my desk at work. Oy...

How'd I get so old?

2006-08-09T10:19:00.000-04:00

My back hurts. I am adamantly and bullheadedly blaming this on what must be a mattress at the end of its life. There can be no other explanation, as I am still a young whippersnapper. Right? RIGHT?

Why I love W&L

2006-08-06T12:13:00.000-04:00

It's one of the few universities in the country where this happens. It's a long article, but this is really what I love about W&L. It's not just your average school, it's a place where kids go, and they just don't leave the same person. That happens at a lot of colleges, I know, but it feels different at W&L. There's a real values change in anyone who's spent four years "on their honor," challenged by professors who actually know your name and how many times you've been to class, and in an environment where the reunion of the country truly looks like a miracle every day.

Is Michael Irvin on this list as a promo for ESPN's pre-game show?

2006-08-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

On ESPN.com right now, the sportsnation trivia question reads:

Which athlete most deserves to be in the Hall of Fame?
Bert Blyleven
Goose Gossage
Michael Irvin
Art Monk
Jim Rice

Really? Michael Irvin? C'mon...

Baseball Iniquities...

2006-07-31T22:00:00.000-04:00

Why is it that I can see the Sox or the Yankees pretty much any time I want, but the Mets only when they're here or playing the Braves? Injustice abounds!!

Also, if this heat is the result of global warming, I'm never driving ever again. Good lord.

July... the play-by-play

2006-07-30T20:12:00.000-04:00

The month's not quite over, it's been a total whirlwind causing me to fall into total blogging slackdom. I just finished watching Baseball Tonight, so here's the recap of my fabulous July, posted in the hopes that I'll be a better, more insightful and consistent blogger in August.

July 1-4: 4 days, 3 nights in FABULOUS Lex Vegas!! Our month begins with a holiday weekend trip to Lexington, Virginia - home of Washington and Lee University, Virginia Military Institute, the Palms, Hull's, Lee-Hi, and close enough to Goshen Pass to be darn near heaven. Had a wonderful time with the guy, which was somewhat surprising as four days straight with someone really ought to induce boredom, but it didn't. Lex is largely the same as it was back in my day (AGES ago...) though no one seems to know what happened to the Willson-Walker House. In its absence, we spent lots of time at the Southern Inn and regretfully, one evening at the Sheridan-Livery. Don't go there. For reals.

July 5-9: Moped. A lot. Boys can make you think crazy thoughts, you know?

July 8: Jen's lingerie shower at Poste. Yummy brunch, sexy underthings, and custom M&Ms. And I embarassed her with a Kama Sutra book and weekend love potion kit... Lovely...

July 10: Mental half-day, had a nice long chat with the guy, returned to reality, and felt a hell of a lot better about it.

July 11-12: There was surely some sort of drinking and prepping for Chicago and avoiding softball games in 100 degree weather.

July 13: Cheryl and HYP hit town... Science Club and Ozio where I introduced my DC conservative lawyer friends to my liberal New York media friends. Good times! And, the best waiter ever at Ozio. We got there at about five to eight, eight being that crucial point in the evening when happy hour specials end, and homey brought us two rounds at the happy hour prices. Nice dude.

July 14-16: Chicago to visit Zach and finally see my Amazin's live and in person. Stanky hot the whole damn time. Wrigley was very cool (in the purely figurative sense), even though the Mets lost, and deep dish pizza is rather tasty, though I still prefer the NY foldable stuff. And can anyone explain to me why Chicagoans like meat so much? Not too many specialities there that don't involve several varieties of sausage. Also, the key lesson of the weekend... when taking public transportation to the airport DOUBLE the time you think you need lest you wind up hungover on two hours of sleep running through the terminal to the last gate without having had any coffee. Not a good experience.

July 17: Start of a three-day monitoring surveys after-hours marathon, plus dinner at Mr. K's. First time I ever had Shark-Fin Soup (the Chinese say it's an aphrodisiac) and Peking Duck and I must say both were awfully tasty. Also a little trip to the Childe Harold, where I had one of my first DC celebrity sightings: Joe Scarborough. Gross.

July 18: More monitoring, in LA, which means it didn't start until 8 p.m. Tragic. Also W&L board meeting, yes folks, the gala is a go! Hurrah!!

July 19: More monitoring, ran very late, but still made it home in time for a marathon of the first two episodes of Project Runway. HATE the neck dude, but I love, love, love Robert, mainly because he worked for Isaac and his first dress was BANGIN.

July 20: Not such a good evening. Happy hour at Science Club (door guy remembered me, aw...), rolled on over to Cloud where there were deceptively strong G&Ts, saw Darren for about 37 seconds, then rolled out to Virginia where the G&Ts finally hit me. As R.L. Burnside said, "it's bad, you know?"

July 21: Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch. Hungover as all get out, had to pack for NY, get to work at a reasonable time, and get a lot done in order to get out early. Mission accomplished, and I made it to the PMHS Class of 1996 Ice Breaker with Dee at an ideally fashionably late hour. Good to see everybody but damn it was weird. I think the reunion deserves its own post, so more on this later...

July 22: Steamed lobster in Port Jeff, Smithaven Mall (happy memories!!), and the actual 10 year reunion. Oy.

July 23: Lunch with Grandma featuring the you-don't-call-enough special bombshell: Grandma had a mole removed which turned out to be malignant, but her doctor believes she got it all, so we're ok for now, but it was a nice way to scare the hell out of me before we even got to the restuarant. Also, my Aunt Virginia is moving to Minnesota to be closer to her son, and apparently thinks this lunch was the last time we'd ever see each other. Made for a nice optimistic drive home. Geez. I did get to go to sleep early, which was SO very cool...

July 24: Went to see The Lost City, Andy Garcia's film about the Cuban Revolution. I admire his dedication to this one, but it really could've been done better. E for effort?

July 25: Dinner at the City Tavern Club with some of the W&L students in town interning through the Shepherd Poverty Program. Good times. And still got to bed at a relatively normal time.

July 26: W&L monthly happy hour at Bourbon, sober driving (hurrah!), more good times.

July 27: Softball on the mall, and I have the mosquito bites to prove it! Also, mark this day in your calendars, it's the day of my very first softball hit! All-star game here I come!

July 28: Absolutely nothing. Yesssssssssssss....

July 29: A little shoe shopping (way better deal than in this link), a little apartment straightening, and a little girls night out at Blue Gin. Don't try to wear flip flops there. They won't let you in. But, if you're a cute girl with other cute girls, you'll be able to roll in cover free. Boo-yeah. Best of all: Five Guys at 2:30 a.m. LOVE IT!

July 30: Brunch with Els at Mr. Smith's. Did all this typing. Watching the Red Sox and am quite proud of the Fenway fans for booing Ben Affleck. Props yo. The Angels just hit two homers off Schilling. I luv Pedro!!

One day left... see you in August!!

What's wrong with Detroit?

2006-06-30T07:40:00.000-04:00

Has the Tigers' success gone to their heads? For some insane reason, Ford has abandoned its hybrid-vehicle pledge. Instead of aiming to produce 250,000 hybrid vehicles per year by the end of the decade, they will explore other fuel-saving technologies. Their reason? That hybrid vehicles don't sell. **cough, cough, bullshit, cough, cough** True, they are only a small portion of the market. And also true, the people who buy them tend to go for the cheaper variety, like the Prius or the Civic instead of, say, the Lexus, Highlander or the Ford Escape. But from my point-of-view, the solution is not to stop making them, it's to make them cheaper. I would LOVE to buy a hybrid Escape. I even signed up for Ford's e-mail updates before it was released so I would know when it was real. It would be absolutely perfect for me. Use almost no gas tooling around town, and also have the SUV benefits for my snowboard trips? FANtastic.

But check this, for most Escape hybrids, Ford wants over $30,000. That's CRAZY. I can't afford that and I bet most other green yet adventurous types are in the same boat. What's more, because of demand and the limited number of models available with hybrid technology, automakers like Ford won't give hybrid buyers the deals they give to other buyers. You pay the sticker price or you don't get one. And then they cut the program based on poor sales? Jigga what?

In other news... heading into this holiday weekend, I'd like to wish all my dear readers safe travels and air conditioning wherever they may go. Also, ten songs that make me feel all American and free-to-be for yo' road trip playlist. Not necessarily an original selection, but hope you like it...

1. If The Shoe Fits - Hank Williams III
2. Fortunate Son - CCR
3. Cold Beverage - G. Love & Special Sauce
4. (What's so funny 'bout) Peace, Love and Understanding - Elvis Costello
5. Get Up and Go - The Go-Go's
6. New York City - moe.
7. Pink Houses - John Mellencamp
8. New Strings - Miranda Lambert
9. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
10. Return of the Grievous Angel - Gram Parsons

I can hear the music now...

2006-06-13T10:51:00.000-04:00

TPIR rules!!

Things that make you go F&$@!!!!

2006-05-31T10:25:00.000-04:00

I’m sitting in row 18, seat C on a flight from Providence to Atlanta this morning. It’s not a terribly long flight, two hours or so, but long enough to get some work done and maybe zone out for a little bit (necessary since said flight left at 6:20 a.m.). Alas, I am seated behind one of those unique species of beast which insists on putting the seat all the way back. So as I type, my laptop is hanging onto my tray table for dear life, my legs are wedged underneath, ankles at 90 degree angles, and I can only see my screen if I tuck my chin under a little so I get in just the right spot for the LCD. Good thing we are sans middle-sitter on this leg of the trip, or I wouldn’t have anywhere to put my coffee and then I’d be seriously ticked off.

Below you will find the top five annoying things about staring at the back of a head in this situation:

1) I never. Ever. EVER. Want to see anyone’s scalp with this level of detail.
2) I hate it when men don’t do anything about the hair on the back of their necks. It is NOT ok to have an unruly wilderness back there, have your barber make a nice clean line, son!
3) It’s damn near impossible to see anyone sitting in front of your row, and people watching on an airplane can only happen with the people in front of you. Turning around and staring is just plain creepy.
4) If so much as one hair sheds and falls on my computer/iPod/tray table, I will be grossed out for the rest of my day, if not my natural life.
5) The worst part of this situation is not just the lovely view of the back of the head, but also the glimpse of side overwhelming the armrest and spilling into the aisle. Really.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, back to work. Cheerio, old chaps!

It's 10 p.m., do you know where your refridgerator is?

2006-05-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

I'm starving and don't know what to do about it. Are there any snacks to be eaten at 10 p.m. that won't screw up one's sleep pattern? Discuss.

Shriek of the Month (ack... will be weekly again soon, I can feel it!), Vol. 14

2006-05-28T23:14:00.000-04:00

He wasn't telling me no lie. The hook did bring me back.

After a roller coaster of Memorial Day plans (staying here, going to Lex, going to Hoboken for Fiore's, Hawaiian pizza and good times with good peeps, finally back to staying here, with the added bonus of dealing with non-functioning brakes), the weekend wound up ending on a very positive note... the sweet sounds of Blues Traveler at Rockville's Hometown Holidays concert. I hadn't heard about it until yesterday -- on a whim I checked the Memorial Day events listing on WaPo and saw that they were playing for free, proceeded to have But Anyway stuck in my head for hours, and was sold.

There are two key elements which converge in Blues Traveler that place them among the Bands That Make Me Happy. First off, of all the evolutions of American music, the convergence of R&B and country in jammy but still rocky/bluesy bands is my absolute, hands-down favorite. The Black Crowes, NMA, moe., VACO, Agents and the like are my ideal soundtrack for happy, chill days with friends and cold beer and barbecue (when it's hot) and hot tubs and fireplaces and Bailey's (when it's not), and Blues Traveler absolutely falls into this category. Second, there's nostalgia. I remember the days when being able to get past "Suck it in, suck it in, suck it in if you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boelyn..." was a mark of serious cool. I also have an unused ticket to see them at the Horde festival from 1997 that reminds me of sitting at the California sulking over my cheese fries wishing I'd been there instead of working in my Dad's office all day. So, clearly, I couldn't pass up the chance to see them for free and redeem a crummy weekend at the same time.

"Shut up and get to the point. How were they," you say? Well, I did a little dancing, did my fair share of singing along, the jamming wasn't Phish-level over the top, but they didn't stick to the album version either (it was juuuust right!), I got to hear everything I wanted to hear (they are not a band afraid of their hits, and in fact, they speed them up, it's impressive), plus some bonus good stuff from their new album - which sounds pretty good - as well as an excellent cover of The Devil Went Down To Georgia with harmonica subbing for fiddle that was one of the coolest things I've seen in a while, so on the whole... I'm going awesome.

Except for the one dude who tapped me on the arm and asked me not to blow smoke his way. I put it out 'cause I'm a lov-ah not a fighter, but I have several problems with his request. First, I was blowing it straight up, my apologies for being unable to control the wind. Second, it was outside. In a parking lot. With a fair amount of open space into which he could move. Third, it's a Blues Traveler concert, John Popper smoked three cigarettes during the set, and I smelled many, FAR more offensive odors than cigarettes, so give me a flippin' break.

One other thing to note, for the first time, I get Run-Around. I tend to get so into the music of bands like this that I often gloss over what's going on in the lyrics, but there's a lot here that hit home. I'll let it be the last word on this one...

"Like a game show contestant with a parting gift
I could not believe my eyes
When I saw through the voice of a trusted friend
Who needs to humor me and tell me lies
Yeah humor me and tell me lies
And I'll lie too and say I don't mind
And as we seek so shall we find
And when you're feeling open I'll still be here
But not without a certain degree of fear
Of what will be with you and me
I still can see things hopefully."

When the Onion's good, it's very good

2006-05-25T11:24:00.000-04:00

Oh how I laugh...

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/48676

There are other things I should be writing

2006-05-22T20:30:00.000-04:00

Like the report I owe my boss, or thank you cards for my birthday party/gifts (to those who read this, consider yourself thanked!), but I've decided to share my thoughts this evening with denizens of the Lunchbox instead. And my thoughts are focused at the moment on radio.

Right before I moved to DC, New York lost its last current rock station, K-Rock. A casualty of Howard's Jump to Satellite, it went talk after losing, um, it's only talk show host? Bass ackwards if you ask me. Can you imagine the meeting to decide that one?

Suit A: "We're losing all our talk, what do we do now?"
Suit B: "Play decent music?"
Suit A: "TERRIBLE! Next!"
Suit B: "Assemble the lamest collection of talkers ever?"
Suit A, suddenly morphing into cutout Guinness guy: "BRILLIANT! Call David Lee Roth..."

But I digress... At that point, it wasn't even really playing active rock, it was just a sorry mix of mediocre rock. I know that among my generation, there is practical beatification of Def Leppard, but really, I can only hear "Pour Some Sugar On Me" so many times without wanting to throw myself out a window. So I spent a few weeks without a decent station to accompany me on my commute home. And they were long. Dark. Hopeless days. Thank goodness for the iPod, G-Rock and WFUV, at very least, I heard some decent Triple A.

Then I moved to DC, and although WHFS has up and moved to Baltimore (really, was the real estate market that bad?), there was still DC101. A bastion of 90s glory with a decent amount of new stuff, and for some reason Elliot kind of amuses me. Wholly embarrassing admission, but there it is.

Now, almost a year in, I'm sorely disappointed. I really only listen to the actual radio when I'm in my car, and admittedly, that's not very often. Couple of times a week, tops. So you would think the last problem I'd have would be boredom with what's on the radio. When you only hear maybe ten songs a week on the damn thing, how bad can it be? Real bad. Literally EVERY time I have turned on DC101 in the last maybe two months, I have heard that damn Nine Inch Nails song. You know it, "There is no you, there is only me. There is no fucking you, there is only me..." etc., etc. Apparently! It's the only thing on the radio so Trent Reznor must actually be omnipresent. Usually it's followed by Live, "All Over You," or something Nickelback. This is a very sad state of affairs and has caused the Shriek of the Week on this very blog to go dormant.

So please, DC101, I am begging you with all that I am and all that I have, PLEASE play something new once in a while, because I CANNOT take it anymore. I am too young to be listening to things-I-already-know-the-words-to ALL the time (and to type as if I'm Dr. Cox), and there really aren't any other options for me in this fair city.

P.S. As I went back to get the link for DC101, that damn song was in their last 10 played. I kid you not.

MLB should never schedule the subway series while I'm PMS-ing

2006-05-21T20:25:00.000-04:00

I wish I was at Shea... sniffle, sniffle, sob, sob, sob...

Thank you, Fritz... G-TOWN REPRAZENT!

2006-05-18T16:47:00.000-04:00

From today's GoG Chat:

Washington, D.C.: I've always hated Georgetown... no parking, no good way to get there without a hassle(read: no metro), the people at MAC give me nightmares, complete tourist-euro-vibe and now thanks to the Nightlife Agenda's Madison enlightenment, I don't think I can go there again. The last two times I was out there (Mate and Blue Gin) I wanted to shoot myself in the foot just so I could leave. I'd rather be in Penn Qtr anyday!!

Fritz: Yeah, because Legal Seafood, Clyde's, Hooters and Coyote Ugly are so much better than Blue Gin, Modern, the Waterfront and Birreria Paradiso.

As with everything, I go zero to sixty.

2006-05-16T14:36:00.000-04:00

Mucho post-happy today. But who can NOT blog when there is an opportunity to sing the praises of "follow the bouncing Mr. Met head?" I'll sing it. Loud and proud!

The government has gone mad.

2006-05-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

Seriously. Whose brilliant idea was this? According to the federal government, any American woman is a baby-making machine. This is her primary function and she should be treated as and act as if AT ANY MOMENT sperm will find their way into her temple of fetal growth. Give me a fucking break. And a cigarette. And a drink.

Birthdays rule...

2006-05-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

But make me very, very tired. Had a heck of a party on Saturday. It was one of those moments of true serendipity... everyone reached the same level of drunk at just about the same time. So we had a blast. I will post a full tale of all the debauchery later, but I probably ought to do some work now. Or maybe just go get breakfast.

Also, FREE BUTTERSTICK!!!!

ttfn.

Stay Tuned

2006-05-03T11:49:00.000-04:00

The movement is coming.

Poor old A.C.

2006-05-01T13:52:00.000-04:00

First, Miss America leaves. Now this. What is the world coming to? Does the Borgata mean nothing? And more important, who in their right mind would think it's a good thing to own the Atlanta airport? I shudder at the thought...

Able to Revive Zombified Blogs in a Single Post

2006-04-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

Frankly, I've been MIA for the last few weeks. Life has been insane, so much going on in every facet, I'm not quite sure where to start. So, about all I can do is offer a sightseeing tour of my state of mind. Your tour guide, Jenny (which she can only be called when offering tours of her psyche and not ever in real life), is wearing a perfectly tied stewardess scarf and lovely white skirt suit which belies the madness she is about to reveal...

The train leaves from track 20, making all local stops... Woodside, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, change at Jamaica for...

Shea Stadium/Madison Square Garden: Well, the Rangers (LOVE the montage) are done for. Alas. It was a surprisingly good season, so I suppose I should be happy we did that, but I just wish the magic had lasted a bit longer. The Mets, on the other hand, are keeping me quite happy these days, though they're very hard to follow from DC. Julio Franco's on FIRE!

Music City, USA: There's not a whole lot going on here. I haven't heard anything new/exciting in quite a while, though I do like the new Pearl Jam single. I'm going through a Liz Phair resurgence, listening to Whip-Smart a lot lately. I know it's not her most critically acclaimed album, but I love it, highly recommend it. Right now, I'm really feeling Support System. AND I'm playlist happy since I'm getting one of those Bose things for my iPod in honor of my trip to...

Old Town: I'm turning 28 in like 11 days. I have no idea how this happened. I don't want much... cough, ScrubsDVD, cough... just good times with good friends. I'm having a little party to celebrate, and if you're reading this, you're probably invited, so get your arse to DC!

Random: What is up with the insane bird that chirps outside my window at 3 a.m.? How is it not asleep?

Work: Is utter madness. And I had a review recently, and though this may come as a shock to some of my dear readers, I'm too nice. If anyone has any tips for being firm, but keeping a smile on your face, I'd appreciate it.

Outrage: This (go to the site and watch the animated version) is hysterically funny to me, though I know nothing about the game or what the hell the guy's yelling about. A co-worker told me it makes him want to scream "MINUS 50 DKPS" everytime someone cuts him off in traffic, and I kind of agree. Though I will add that it makes me want to scream "IT'S NOT EVEN FUCKING REMOTELY IMAGINABLE!!" when I think about the state of our nation. I can't even link anything to "state of our nation" because there's just too much shit to be angry about right now. Argh.

Do-Gooderville: I'm organizing a charity gala! Hurrah! And I have an actual, real committee to do my Community Service stuff for W&L. I feel all adult.

The Castle: I've had fun storming it. Not sure I found exactly what I'm looking for, definitely found a good bit of alcohol, actual meals, things which can be smoked, and an appreciation for lifestyle firms. In the process, I feel I've gone through so much self-examination of the way that I handle myself in certain situations, that regardless of what happens, I'll be a better person for it.

Ronkonkoma: Last stop, no passengers. This train is going to the yard.

Commemorating the Day

2006-04-14T10:50:00.000-04:00

I would like to make it known, with great fanfare and heraldry, to the loyal readership of this blog that the following phrase appeared in The New York Times - the nation's paper of record - this very morning:

"The Mets have the best record in baseball"

Don't get it twisted.

Yeah, I know... I suck.

2006-04-12T23:14:00.000-04:00

So, I've been busy lately. Sorry 'bout that, dear readers. There's just too much for me to explain it all. Awesome weekend with Ellen, Darren and (I'm very grudgingly admitting this) J around. There was beer, Five Guys, more beer, more beer, some mozzarella sticks, more beer, dancing, late night at my place, the Humpty Dance at My Brother's Place, Sunday afternoon on the rooftop terrace at Old Glory, good times all around.

This week? Madness at work, mejor stress out for no good reason, but tomorrow I get to go to the Mets game with CNN dude, and hit Cactus Cantina, and that makes life ever so muchly much better. Then I get to go rock the Island with the fam. It's all good.

That's all I got. Outtie like five g's.

Sweet relief...

2006-04-05T08:29:00.000-04:00

Finally, FINALLY it can be said... the Rangers have made the playoffs! YES!!!!! I don't think I can adequately express my joy via blog, but it's such a good feeling. From the NY Times:

"No matter who the Rangers brought in to play with Brian Leetch (Pat LaFontaine in 1997-98, Petr Nedved in 1998-99, Theo Fleury in 1999-2000, Messier for an encore in 2000-1, Eric Lindros and Pavel Bure in 2001-2, Bobby Holik and Alexei Kovalev in 2002-3, and Jagr in 2004); no matter how high their record payrolls soared (to over $90 million in 2003-4), the Rangers season inevitably ended on the final day of the regular season.

Until last night."

It's about flippin' time. Man I love hockey...

M-E-T-S... Mets, Mets, METS!

2006-04-04T06:46:00.000-04:00

They're one and oh-so-good. Hooray opening day!!! David Wright has a home run, Billy Wagner has a save, Paul LoDuca's got a little luck, Nady's batting a thousand... we're all set.

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 13

2006-04-01T09:32:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know, it's Saturday, but I felt the urge to shriek and I didn't want to deny it lest it pass. Since the debacle of the sold-out Monkeys show, I've signed up for the 9:30 Club's e-mail list so that I don't miss any more fab not-quite-pre-sales, and this week, I noticed a Citizen Cope show on the schedule. Which kind of got me bouncing along to Son's Gonna Rise in my head for the last few days. He played NYC right in the middle of all my moving drama, so I didn't get to go see him up there and I've been kinda bummed about it since, so I'm thrilled he's coming back to DC (which might be his hometown, kinda hard to tell...).

He's another 'FUV find, but not nearly as folky/country/old-balding-white-guy-music as other WFUV favorites. There's a whole lot of funk in Cope's songs and a very different sound than that of my shrieks so far, iTunes actually had him classified as blues when I loaded the CD into my library, but it's a nice blend of several genres. It's all very dark and feels like a smoky club, there's the storytelling of country on Pablo Picasso, the danceability of hip-hop on Son's Gonna Rise and the soul clap of Bullet and a Target, and Sideways just kind of makes me want to cry.

His real name is Clarence Greenwood (very blues name, dontcha think?) and his current album is called "The Clarence Greenwood Recordings." His first, self-titled album has just been re-released, but I haven't picked it up yet - a casualty of my lenten vow not to use any plastic. So we're sticking to TCGR today.

I keep coming back to Pablo Picasso, it's just compelling, so we'll start there. It's the tale of a guy who's clearly a bit insane, possibly homeless, and in love with a 40-foot-tall painting of a celebrity. He feels she understands him, and attempts to defend her from the world. As such, it's a weird song, but it's infused with so much genuine emotion that it's kind of hard to take - I didn't like it at first because I didn't want this guy to be insane, I wanted him to get it so badly - it's almost a train wreck, you can't let it go. You just have to hear it, an excerpt isn't going to do it. On the album, he blends the song into the next track, My Way Home:

"Sometimes I miss a step
I stumble here and there
I'm findin' my way home
If I'm lost then I'll admit
Sometimes I plain forget
I'm findin' my way home
You can try and stand in my way
You can say what you're gonna say
But I'm findin' my way home."

The two together are an expression of individuality rarely found on the radio. There's a whole lot of introspective music out there, but Citizen Cope seems to be more mirror than navel-gazer. The whole album is a study in personalities and motivation, coming together in Fame (no, not that one), which reinforces the album's message that the internal stuff is so much more important than the external roles we play and idolize:

"Got the this is your land man
This is my land man
Got the blood on the tracks man
Got the guilty man
Got the innocent man
Got the buffalo soldier
The dreadlock Rastaman
Seen the stars looking in her eyes
So many times I've tried
Talked to a man who caught the
rainbow's end he found
that the pot of gold resided within."

He's heading up to NY after his DC show, playing Town Hall. If you're not down for dealing with a study in insanity to start off, go for Bullet and a Target or Son's Gonna Rise. Or the one song I've heard from the first album that got my attention in the first place, If There's Love.

I know he's a cancer survivor and all that, but...

2006-03-29T06:46:00.000-05:00

God dammit I hate Lance Armstrong. From the Reliable Source:

Hey Isn't That . . . ?
· Lance Armstrong , perching in the VIP balcony of the 9:30 club for the Monday night Arctic Monkeys show. The cycling champion and eligible-again bachelor, in town for business with his Lance Armstrong Foundation, went backstage to meet the Brit band and pose for this photo with club owner Seth Hurwitz and his wife, Caroline .

Oh no, not I...

2006-03-24T08:20:00.000-05:00

I survived! I feel a little weird, kinda weak, but I made it. I might even be well enough to go see Tai Shan today. Everyone at GUMC was really nice and put up with all my pre-op blubbering and my post-op giggle fit, my parents are being super (they loaded me up with chinese food last night, so awesome...), and I really appreciate all the calls and texts. Thanks guys! Hopefully, I'll be back to my normal chipper self in a day or two. OK, back to being babied...

Shriek of the Week: Bridenapping Special

2006-03-21T23:12:00.000-05:00

Since I'm still on a damn Arctic Monkeys high (and haven't heard much else worth shouting about) and I had such a fantastic weekend, this week, I'm shrieking the mix tape I made for the drive to Lex, and whoever that band was playing at Kappa Sig at W&L on Saturday. One of my very bestest friends is getting married this summer, and we did what any good General would do... kidnapped her and brought her to Lex for one last hurrah. For the trip down, a proper mix. If you were in college in the late 90s, this is the best mix ever:

1. This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan
2. Wannabe - Spice Girls
3. Staying Alive - Wyclef Jean
4. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
5. Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
6. All About U - Tupac
7. Hypnotize - Biggie
8. Bling Bling - B.G.
9. Still Not A Player - Big Punisher
10. Jigga What, Jigga Who - Jay-Z
11. Got Your Money - Ol' Dirty Bastard
12. Miami - Will Smith
13. One Headlight - The Wallflowers
14. Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
15. Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
16. Mmmbop - Hanson
17. 8:02 PM - For Squirrels
18. No Scrubs - TLC

It's kick ass, no? As for the band, I have no idea who they were, and they weren't very good, but we still danced and they closed with Rage. Madness! The mix tape got us all fired up, so we hit the Palms, worked the jukebox, Alabama Slammers and $5.25 pitchers as much as we could, then found a Live Drive to Davidson Park for the KS throw down... Unfortunately, people thought we were Road Cheese, but we got over it and had a blast. Exhibit A above. I had so much fun, I bought a confederate generals souvenir mug at Lee-Hi.

This... 27-year-old me at a frat party/proud owner of a confederate generals mug... was the start of what is sure to be a seriously bizarre week. It's currently snowing in Washington, what kind of horrifying joke is it to make it snow when I have no chance of snowboarding? WTF. On top of that, I have what my doctors think are three fibroadenomas in my right breast, and I'm having them removed on Thursday. I'm a little freaked out by it all, but I'm glad it'll be over soon and I won't have to worry about them anymore. It's just not something I thought I'd be dealing with at this point in my life. So I'm emotionally messed up and everybody's being phenomenally nice (Jen and Jill brought me candy!), my parents will be here tomorrow and then I spend the following two days lying around, possibly detour for pandas and cherry blossoms, then go see Jamie Cullum. Maybe it'll be unbizarre by then.

I've had the last smoke I can have before the surgery, and the last beer, so now all I can really do is go to sleep, I think. Wish me luck... post again Friday. Or possibly while drugged on Thursday night. YAY painkillers!

Love and Death Far From Long Island

2006-03-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

Lots of random bits to report at the moment...

If you haven't read Art Buchwald lately, give it a whirl. Wholly worth the time and the scary thoughts to which it may lead. He's chosen to stop dialysis and let himself go. He's still writing from his hospice facility. It's a brave choice, one I've seen a few people I love very much make (minus the writing part), and reading him, I feel things I can't describe.

I'm also too obsessed with Arctic Monkeys to shriek anybody else right now. Victim of hype, am I. And I'm not sure if it's just that there's been such a shocking lack of decent rock that any glimmer of talent is an oasis or if it's really that good. But then I hear From the Ritz to the Rubble, Fake Tales of San Francisco or Still Take You Home, and I'm left grinning like an idiot because I like it so much.

I ate Taco Bell today. If only there had been snowboarding first. Or chilitos on the menu. Either would've been satisfying.

And finally, my thoughts are so overwhelmed by loss and gain and trade-offs and good things and bad things and when-lines-are-crossed lately that I'm starting to resemble a sulky sixteen-year-old. I want to sit around at a diner doodling on my Chucks, smoking cloves and writing "We Love You Kurdt" all over the place. What the hell is the 27-year-old version of that? Off to sleep, but I'll leave you with a line I've remembered since life at 16...

"To bed, to bed! There's knocking at the gate: come, come, come, come. Give me your hand. What's done cannot be undone - to bed, to bed, to bed."

It's 84 degrees... do you know where your brain is?

2006-03-13T15:26:00.000-05:00

I know where mine is. It's sitting on a porch enjoying a frosty beverage and some seven-layer bean dip. There's definitely music. Maybe a little VaCo, some Agents, moe., Sublime. In my brain, this is the happiest I could possibly be. The trouble is, the head which houses said brain is actually in a seventh floor office in Dupont Circle.

I'm taking comfort in the fact that I have a window which actually opens, but it's just not the same. If you need to find me tonight, I'll be in front of my computer making the Front Porch Playlist so that next time this happens, I'll be fully prepared and in my car on the way to Goshen faster than you can say "pass the chips."

Whoa.

2006-03-13T07:39:00.000-05:00

Uncle Jun! WTF! How many of you saw the Sopranos and are there even words for how far beyond good it was? Wow.

Also awesome: Arctic Monkeys on SNL. "That man just yawned." Bastid. And since I can't let it go, I shake my fist and declare, DAMN YOU 9:30 CLUB!!! Damn you.

In housekeeping news, yesterday I was a wee bit more tired than usual, not a whole lotta sleep to be had this weekend, so, I apologize for the lack of a Shriek. I'll post one tonight... Gracias por your patience.

On a happier note...

2006-03-09T21:08:00.000-05:00

The OC is back. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Keep Your Hat On Jenny, Keep Your Hat On Jenny. Hush Your Mouth, You Said Too Much Already."

2006-03-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

For the most part, I consider myself a pretty self-aware person. I know my weaknesses all too intimately and have an OK measure of my strengths. And I think that as I've gotten older, I've gotten better at downplaying the former and emphasizing the latter. Knowing that, letting myself down by giving my weaknesses free reign hurts more and more every time, and these last two days, I've got some serious let-down-dread in my gut. It's the worst kind.

There's one big weakness I just can't shake. While it's gotten better in recent years, I still feel compelled to talk over just about every emotion I feel. Right when I feel it. I can't NOT talk about them lest they overtake other, infinitely more useful thoughts. They bubble up at inopportune moments and a seriously flawed internal filter lets them out. I don't know, maybe it's actually healthy, maybe societal norms telling me I should stifle my emotions and be a proper lady - as two of my favorite movies describe the philosophy, "aloof, unavailable, ice-queen" and "be desireless, be excellent, be gone" - or else I'll never have a career/relationship/house with a front porch are shite, but the fact that few of those things have happened to me makes it awfully hard to write off as mere b.s. So, I try.

In a span of four days, I failed like three times. It's horrifying. Other than that, I had an excellent time, the emotions happened for a reason, after all... but my mind, so fixated on the emotion and on the lack of self-control that led to spilling it, won't let that go and just let it be what it was. It's possible this means I'm completely insane. Or it could just make me human. Or I guess there's a chance I'm somewhere in between. But it's killing me. And I don't know how to fix it, or if I can, or if it even requires fixing. I'm perplexed. Wish I was going to Smuggs so I could take it out on the half-pipe. Sigh. I think all I can do is let it go and try not to mope too much.

P.S. Subject line courtesy Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez.

Someone get this woman off of national TV...

2006-03-07T07:16:00.000-05:00

Watching GMA, and Charlie Gibson interviewed the woman who's chosen to challenge Hillary Clinton for NY's senate seat. She said she thought one of the biggest problems is that we're divided into red states and blue states and people inside Washington refuse to get together, all the usual b.s. So Charlie, displaying some serious skillz, says, so is it wrong when Republicans call Hillary Clinton bitter and angry? And she stuttered and then said, "I gave up saying bad things about people for lent." DAMN WOMAN do better than that! Step up to the plate and stand behind this principle you're claiming as the basis for your entire campaign!

I'm thoroughly underwhelmed.

1-0

2006-03-02T22:06:00.000-05:00

This is a glorious day. Tonight was the first game of Mets spring training. And even better, they beat the snot out of the Cardinals. Hope springs eternal for me and my fellow believers in all that is Amazin'.

I also seem to have turned some things around in my life, and feel like it might be the start of an upswing. Jenn 1, terrible shit, 0. It's about flippin' time. I wish I could elaborate, but it's not one particular thing, it's just an overall feeling of good. Not quite "Walkin' on Sunshine," but possibly "Waitin' On A Sunny Day." It's nice for a change, and kind of shocking given certain looming events, but I'm going to go with it.

Also, the Rangers... whoa... I don't know if I can handle this. The Rangers have been so bad for so long, I can't possibly be optimistic about this situation. I have to expect utter disappointment and a March-long losing streak. I don't know how to act otherwise. Should something like that not happen, I do have a playoff ticket or two lined up. Hurrah!!

Root, root, root for the home team...

2006-02-28T16:19:00.000-05:00

If they don't win it's a shame... for it's one, two, three membersofcongresswe'remissing in good old Deeeeeeeeee Ceeeeeeeeee!!

There's only one word...

2006-02-27T16:21:00.000-05:00

Hot. Maybe two... smokin' hot.

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 11

2006-02-27T06:57:00.000-05:00

When Damien Rice played the Beacon Theater in New York last year, Claudia Marshall introduced him, saying that on his debut album, O, one would find all the angst and sexual tension missing from the latest Norah Jones album. She wasn't kidding. Let's kick it off with a bang, shall we? When I went to this show, I had O darn near memorized, but had never heard the B-Sides release, where this first song is found. And to be honest, it came as a bit of a shock... there are no f-bombs on O. Damien does not mince words, the driving chorus from Woman Like A Man:

"You wanna get boned,
You wanna get stoned
You wanna get a room like no-one else
You wanna be rich
You wanna be kitch
You wanna be the bastard of yourself
You wanna get burned
You wanna get turned
You wanna get fucked inside out
You wanna be ruled
You wanna be fooled
You wanna be a woman like a man
like a woman, like a, like a man."

Ouch. But this isn't just a diatribe, behind a just-as-angry-as-the-lyrics guitar lurks a cello and soft, almost jazzy drums that just suck you right in. Check out Cheers Darlin' for a similar though a touch less angry feel. O is a bit more level-headed, there's still a lot more cello than on your typical rock record, but there are also smart lyrics and compelling tales. At the show, he told the story of Amie, staying with a platonic friend whom he hoped would be more, looking out the window beside her bed and seeing a spaceship/satellite/some other blinky object in the sky fly past (the "something unusual, something strange" in the lines below) then attempting to use it as a seduction tool:

"nothing unusual nothing strange
close to nothing at all
the same old scenario
the same old rain
and there's no explosions here
then something unusual something strange
comes from nothing at all"

It's also the only song I've ever seen performed with accompanying rhythmic gymnastics. Kooky. The edge to his songwriting was somewhat stripped for the U.S. release of Cannonball, the single chosen to make him into the next David Gray. Which didn't quite work. The album version captures the feeling of being completely wrong for the part of a lover, starting off with the good stuff that remains, "a little bit of your face I haven't kissed," "a little bit of your taste in my mouth," "a little bit of your words I long to hear," and then the fear, "a little bit of you laced with my doubt," "you step a little closer to me, so close that I can't see what's going on," and the feeling of being completely unprepared, even wrongly prepared, to handle emotions beyond the initial infatuation:

"stones taught me to fly
love taught me to lie
life, it taught me to die
so it's not hard to fall
when you float like a cannonball."

And I'm hacking him all to shreds because he says all of this so much better than I do, so well that it makes me stop and I can't think of anything else except that. As such I don't recommend it while driving. But one last song to point out, Delicate, which I've listened to about 157 times in the last few days...

"we might live
like never before
when there's nothin’ to give
how can we ask for more?

we might make love
in some sacred place
that look on your face
is delicate

so why d’ya fill my sorrow
with the words you've borrowed
from the only place you've known
why d’ya sing hallelujah
if it means nothin’ to ya
why d’ya sing with me at all?"

Before breaking out on his own, Damien sang with Bell X1 (a future shriek, to be sure). He has released both O and a compilation of B-Sides in the U.S., as well as a few singles that do include some b-sides that didn't make the B-Sides release. There are clips on the site, well worth your time, to my mind. In addition to the songs above, Volcano is worth a listen, as is I Remember, featuring his frequent collaborator Lisa Hannigan. See, there is more to Irish rock than U2... Enjoy!

Peter Angelos is an ass.

2006-02-24T07:45:00.000-05:00

We all know that I'm a Mets fan until I die. I love 'em, they're my peeps, I own a jersey for goodness' sake. But, I've also very quickly become a Washingtonian, and as a Washingtonian, I have a soft spot for the Nationals. I love that there's baseball in the nation's capital, RFK's cool, the new stadium could be even more cool (though hopefully less buggy), the chicken is pretty funny, plus it turns buttoned-up politicos into giddy little kids to head to a game without any use of I-95 or the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. However, not everyone in Washington who likes baseball or the Nats can get to the stadium for most games, and frankly, there's little better than settling in to watch a game with a cold drink and a glimmer of the playoffs in your eye on a sultry August night.

However, Peter Angelos, owner of the Baltimore Orioles and conveniently for him, the cable channel which carries the Nats he so despises, has relegated DC's boys of summer to minor league status by limiting the availability of MASN. And to make it worse, after a very successful inaugural season, he's now claimed even more games as solely the province of MASN, making it even less likely that the 1.75 million cable TV subscribers in the DC area who choose Cox, Comcast or Adelphia will be able to enjoy that most American of summer evening activities. It's an insult to the people of this city that so many of us can't even watch the team we're so proud of on a regular basis, and a really sad reflection on the state of MLB that it continues to kowtow to a bratty millionaire at the expense of the game. Shame on you, Peter Angelos and shame on you, Bud Selig, for not doing more to build this franchise.

Holy crap Nick has a BLOG!!!

2006-02-23T21:11:00.000-05:00

Awesomeness.

Hulk smash...

2006-02-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

I know that I have a bit of a temper. When I get angry (which is rare, though my displays of annoyance might border on what some people consider angry), it's ugly. I throw things, slam doors, generally act like a three-year-old being forced to take a nap. It's been a while since I've had such a fit, but this morning just set me off.

It all began looking to be a darn good day. I've been awfully sleep-deprived of late, so I went to bed early last night, woke up with enough spare time to snooze a few times, had coffee and milk on hand for a proper wake-up, seems all good. I start in on said coffee and my usual morning routine, a little GMA (which I really watch for the sake of the local ABC traffic lady, she's kind of funny even if I don't really need to hear the traffic report in the morning), checking e-mail, and reading a few Post/NY Times articles. Well, my day got quite a bit brighter upon reading in a Post article that the Arctic Monkeys are playing at the 9:30 Club on March 27. My regular readers will surely remember my enthusiasm for these young lads, and I must say it's only grown since my original Shriek. Aside from Robbie Williams deciding to take a second stab at conquering the States (pretty please with a cherry on top?), there's very little else that I'd like to see more right now than the Arctic Monkeys live.

But alas, there is no joy in mudville. There is not now nor has there ever been a reference to this show on the 9:30 Club Web site (I check regularly and in fact bought a ticket from them through the site over the weekend and was at the club Monday night, so would've snatched up a ticket in a heartbeat had I known). Apparently, the tickets have been on sale through tickets.com and are sold out. This makes me seethe with anger.

But wait, there's more... Angry me proceeds to get ready, though on a slightly behind schedule timeline as one can't properly shower/get dressed while mad at the world, but it's cool because I've already got my outfit picked out. BIG time saver. I got these excellent pants at BCBG over the weekend, and they're going to look smashing with a black button down and some kickin' heels, I'll be all super-profesh for my meeting this evening about my new gig as community service chair for the DC Chapter of the W&L Alumni Association. I set up the iron so the shirt will look properly crisp and mildly regret not having it laundered. Shower, iron the shirt, rest of the way dressed, blow dry hair, go to put on shirt once it's had time to cool and as I'm ready to leave the house... THE M.F. SHRANK IN THE GOD DAMN WASH. It is too short. The bottom button hits at my belly button and the sleeves just look stupid. I have worn this thing once. ONCE. I washed it according to the instructions on the tag. I did not put it in the dryer.

I am now (both in the story and at this moment) borderline implosion-level angry. I don't have time to iron another shirt, already running late, and don't really have another option at this point, so I'm now wearing the too small shirt, feeling insanely uncomfortable and constantly reminded of why I'm so angry by the drafty sides of the fucking shirt since I can't fucking tuck it in. I think I have to go buy something else to wear at lunch, since this. Will. Not. Do.

Someone, anyone, please tell me a happy story. DMize, how about a bit more about naked Ronny Turiaf?

A mid-day update... my day just got a bunch better, I can pretend it's Monday night again!!

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 10

2006-02-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

Hurrah! I've made it to 10!! It took way too long, but this is a special, special day... And in honor of the anniversary of the birth of the father of our great nation, I shriek a band from Canada. Not just any band from Canada, lesbian pop-punk sisters from Vancouver, Tegan and Sara. They've released four albums, the first two I don't know very well, and from what I've read they have a very different character than the most recent two. The earlier two are folky, Ani-type stuff, whereas the last two sound sort of like Green Day might if Billie Joe were a woman scorned.

From If It Was You... comes "Monday Monday Monday," the happiest sounding sad song I've heard in ages, so angry but not yet convinced: "This week or last week, I don't really care about it anymore. I write myself this later, I tell myself you let me go. Without me, what's wrong with you?"

Another favorite from that album, "City Girl," again sounds so happy but listening to (or reading, in this case) the lyrics, one finds a girl confused, aware of her confusion and unable to change it. She is so exposed:

"I get so sad that sad gets to be,
so scared that all my feelings, they up and leave me,
I got so city girl on you,
I go so crazy I don't know what to do
I look so long I get obvious
I look so hard I look obvious
I work so much I miss the sunshine away
I sleep so little, watch the stars fade into day
I get uncertain, promise I'll be perfect from now on
but all my promises are out the window once you're gone."

A second stab at pop punk, sounding a bit more subdued or perhaps mature, So Jealous, hit shelves in 2004, and is hitting alt-rock radio now... I heard T&S on G-Rock coming back from Jersey last weekend and nearly spit out my coffee. "Speak Slow" is the single they're peddling and it seems to be working. They've opened for Cake (a show that is seriously painful to have missed) and are touring Australia at the moment, but they've got lots of audio on the Web site. Check 'em out and don't hate on Canada. Later kids.

YES! My Thoughts Exactly

2006-02-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

Thank you, NYT Ed Board....

This morning's post proven true yet again

2006-02-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

If this isn't a crime I don't know what is...

You Simply Cannot Hide From The Ugly Truth

2006-02-17T07:40:00.000-05:00

It's already been proven that less attractive people have a harder time finding a job than the beautiful among us, and that if they do get a job, they have a harder time being promoted or earning a comparable salary. Well, it turns out there's another risk for the unattractive: seems they're more disposed to criminal behavior. Given that all I've ever done is lift a pack of gum when I was 5 (which my Mom made me admit and return) and a wee bit of underage drinking, I'm gorgeous, right? Actually, strike that question mark, I'll just assume I'm right on this one.

Did anyone watch the Olympics coverage last night? I was watching for the sake of snowboard cross, which is possibly the coolest thing I've seen in a long time, let's hope Lindsay Jacobelis can live up to Seth Wescott's golden precedent tonight, but had to watch a lot of men's figure skating to make it to the finals. I am now firmly convinced that men's figure skating is the lamest thing ever to appear on TV. So many sequins, yet so little art.

Anyway, back to SBX, the ladies and I have decided that J would be the best SBX training partner ever, so Meg's practically on the team already, we've just got to get her off those damn skis and on a board...

And finally, despite it being a holiday weekend, I'm breaking my no Shrieking on national holidays rule... 'til Sunday, auf wiedersehn.

27 Down

2006-02-15T07:29:00.000-05:00

I've had just three memorable Valentine's Days in my 27 years. The first was not my fault: my parents set three-year-old me up with three-year-old Tommy, son of their friends from Bible study. He brought me a little pink stuffed elephant, which somehow didn't turn me into a Republican.

It didn't take long for cupid to strike again and bring my second memorable Valentine's Day, it happened when I was six. Anthony and I had had one hot date playing Monopoly (he let me win) so Anthony's mom drove him over after school to drop off a little silver ring adorned with a turquoise heart. To my young, naive eyes, it was the coolest thing ever even if it didn't come from Mark Gathmann, and probably raised my expectations for the 21 Valentine's Days since.

However, the third memorable Valentine's Day was a long time coming and was memorable for completely different reasons. It happened in 2000, I was in Italy for Feb break, traveling Florence and Rome alone, having a last fling with myself before the looming transition from college student to functional adult. I spent a good part of that Valentine's Day atop the Duomo, proud of myself and winded for having climbed all those stairs, looking out over the red rooftops to the surrounding hills, considering all those who'd possibly stood there before me and feeling my insignificance. Later that day, I wrote out a postcard to my boyfriend at the time saying how much I wished he was there, but I never mailed it. (On a side note, I also failed miserably at finding candy hearts with little cheesy slogans on them in Italian. Apparently Brach's hasn't crossed the pond, so he wound up with a bottle of Grappa.)

This year's Valentine's Day was much more typical. I awoke with a little daydream of something nice that could have happened, it didn't. It never does. But I still let my mind wander to places reality refuses to go. I saw friends last night and then caught up on Scrubs and the OC, I did the stuff that makes me happy, and really, I haven't done a whole lot of that lately. Ever since Florence, Valentine's Day at its best is a chance to reconnect with myself and remember what the hell it is I'm doing here. As the song goes... "if you can't be with the one you love, honey, love the one you're with."

Happy Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness the Times didn't get sappy on me... enjoy, and may you all have the chance to practice the fine art explored in that article sometime today.

I'm a sucker for a good story...

2006-02-13T07:36:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Snowboard Team ROCKS!!! I was a Shaun White hater... anyone who makes a DVD called the White Album as a bratty teenager is sure to invoke my ire, however, the kid done good. Such an inspirational story... Love it. AND Danny Kass rocks the silver again. Dirty Jerz in the house. I can't wait to be converted into a Teter fan tonight (I'm already fully on board for Kelly Clark and Gretchen Bleiler, they rock!)... be sure to watch and root on the U.S. ladies!

Speaking of Dirty Jerz... spent my weekend there shredding Mountain Creek for all it's worth. So good to see all the Hoboken people I haven't seen in a really long time and get in two full days of riding all at once. Plus there were breakfast sandwiches. Yum. Completely worth the drive back through the snow, I swear.

Barbie Returns to Her True Wuv...

2006-02-09T07:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I've had two days in a row of posts involving Barbie, but I saw this article this morning, and just couldn't let it lie. In theory, it's a touching tale of romance reinvented:

"Thus the Ken and Barbie drama, which Mattel hopes will reignite interest in the brand. In February 2004, as every 5-year-old knows, Ken and Barbie called it quits. According to Mattel, which says it relies on customer feedback on its Web site to shape the Barbie-Ken narrative, Barbie was wooed away by an Australian surfer named Blaine.

"Ken, heartbroken, traveled the world in search of himself, making stops in Europe and the Middle East, dabbling in Buddhism and Catholicism, teaching himself to cook and slowly weaning himself off a beach bum life."

How could you not go back to a man who has spent so much time finding his true self and still came back to you? Sigh... That Barbie's one lucky gal... BUT, the article's actually about the stiff competition Barbie faces at the checkout counter from Bratz. I kinda hate Bratz, which is largely due to my nature, I'm a brand loyalist and was raised on Barbie, however, I also think Bratz take the worst qualities of Barbie and amplify them. Barbie's a doctor, an astronaut, a rock star, had a bitchin' Corvette when I was a kid (metallic pink, biotch!) and still comes home to Ken's chiseled abs. It's a sweet life she's got there. Despite the out-of-whack figure, her actual "life" is a lot closer to the reality of a grown-up (granted a polished, perfect grown-up) than the Bratz are. Bratz dress like a 17-year-old emulating XTina and as far as I can tell, have neither ambition to an actual career nor anything else to do except look freaky.

Maybe that's Barbie's problem - her built in story is too much. Perhaps kids don't want to play like they're adults these days, don't want to think about 8 years of med school or all that physics-intensive study to become an astronaut, or hell, how flippin' huge her mortgage payments on the Dream House will be now that Alan Greenspan's left the Fed. But I hope girls come back to her and let themselves make up a way to face those challenges and still face the world with a perfect smile.

Not the Jumpsuit!!!

2006-02-08T23:05:00.000-05:00

Project Runway is killing me. I can't BELIEVE they cut Nick and not Santino. I HATE Santino. Blech. That jumpsuit was the ugliest farking thing. It hurts me. Also proves that I shouldn't root for anyone, because they will clearly lose. I've really liked just about everything Nick has done since he did the Barbie doll dress. Sigh...

Mountain Creek trip this weekend, so the blog will probably shriek-less for another week. It'll be back next week though, and way better than the Grammy's (what was UP with Teri Hatcher's dress?) I promise!

Blogger block...

2006-02-07T07:50:00.000-05:00

I have a lot to say, but I'm having a really hard time figuring out how to say it, so I apologize to my dear readers for the silence on the blog lately.

However, I will get this out of the way since a rant seems to get conversations going in this piece... Super Bowl commercials are really freakin' dumb. I can't believe the amount of money that's just burned up on these hideous things when there are much better things that money in such quantities could be spent on (I don't know, a tent or two in Pakistan, some levees in NOLA, more firefighters in the OC...). Really, are procreating monsters worth $20 million? I doubt it. And I bet Pepsi feels real dumb having paid all that money for "Brown and Bubbly." Those are possibly the least appealing qualities of cola, the ad will die quickly, and all those millions are just gone into the ether. Man we suck at managing resources in this neck of the woods... burn all our oil, waste all our money, go back to our mcmansions in the sky... sigh.

Seriously? Seriously...

2006-01-31T21:26:00.000-05:00

Bush is reading from a dead soldier's letter to his family? What is wrong with him?

I've missed Sam & JD so much!!

2006-01-30T20:01:00.000-05:00

Hooray OLN!!!

Shriek-tastic Success

2006-01-30T17:26:00.000-05:00

Read about the phenomenon that is the Arctic Monkeys here. Or maybe in the current NME as their album - released last week - is named one of the top 100 British Albums ever. Or here from the Beeb. Who knew all the cool kids read my blog? Right...

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 9

2006-01-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

The best way to introduce this week's artist is via his lyrics. These are from the title track from his debut U.S. release Twentysomething and were a stiff competitor with "1983" for the official theme song of this blog...

"After years of expensive education,
a car full of books and anticipation,
I’m an expert on Shakespeare and that’s a hell of a lot
but the world don't need scholars as much as I thought.

"Maybe I'll go traveling for a year,
finding myself or start a career.
I could work for the poor though I’m hungry for fame
we all seem so different but we're just the same.

"Maybe I'll go to the gym, so I don't get fat,
aren't things more easy with a tight six pack?
Who knows the answers? Who do you trust?
I can't even separate love from lust.

"Maybe I’ll move back home and pay off my loans,
working nine to five answering phones.
Don't make me live for my friday nights,
drinking eight pints and getting in fights.

"I don't want to get up, just let me lie in,
leave me alone, I'm a twenty something.

"Maybe I'll just fall in love that could solve it all,
philosophers say that that’s enough,
there surely must be more. Ooooh

"Love ain’t the answer nor is work,
the truth eludes me so much it hurts.
But I’m still having fun and I guess that's the key,
I'm a twenty something and I'll keep being me."

These words fall from the genius mind of jazz-pop hottie (sorry, it had to be said, he's way cute and british and we all know that I love just about anything with a british accent) Jamie Cullum. Twentysomething is an eye-opening blend of modern catchy pop with classic jazz, including songs like the one above and updated versions of standards like "Singin' in the Rain" and "I Get A Kick Out of You." He even includes modern covers of diverse songs like Radiohead's "High and Dry," Jeff Buckley's "Lover You Should Have Come Over" (the Buckley cover is probably my favorite song on the entire album), Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary" and Pharrell's "Frontin'," and amazingly, his piano and bass driven take on these songs sounds wonderful.

His original work covers emotional ground familiar to those of us who can relate to the lyrics above. "All at Sea" is a tribute to being alone with your thoughts, "These Are the Days" addresses the joy in life, and "Next Year, Baby" is about growing up and acting like an adult:

"Next year, things are gonna change
Gonna drink less beer, and start all over again
Gonna read more books, gonna keep up with the news
Gonna learn how to cook, spend less money on shoes
I’ll pay my bills on time,
and file my mail away, everyday
Only drink the finest wine,
and call my Gran every Sunday.

"Resolutions, baby they come and go
Will I do any of these things? The answer's probably no
If there’s one thing I must do, despite my greatest fears
I’m gonna say to you, I felt all of these years"

I'm still getting to know his follow up record, Catching Tales, but so far it's got a similar feel, with a bit more original work and a different, more daring approach to the standards he covers. I absolutely above all else recommend Twentysomething with all of my being. He recently did the second half of an Austin City Limits with Lyle Lovett that's a sight to be seen so check that out if you can; his live act shows that he clearly loves the music and hopes to challenge his audience and produce something new each time. He's touring the U.S. at the moment, check his site for tour dates (just don't buy tickets for the DC show just yet, let me get mine first!). There's also a song player on his site if you want a preview before you buy.

Enjoy the Cullum, and let me know what you're thinking about my Shrieks so far... questions, comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated by the blogger. Danke.

Update: My tickets have been purchased, buy away...

So Much To Say

2006-01-28T09:26:00.000-05:00

This is a brief detour from a big post coming later to summarize the last two evenings, but it must be done. I woke up this morning and was reading about the concert in Salzburg, Austria held to celebrate what would be the 250th birthday of Mozart. In the middle of the article (it's in the NY Times, registration required but free), I ran into this:

"The concert was broadcast around the world on radio. It was also televised in most of the civilized world, which evidently no longer includes the United States. It was not picked up by Channel 13, PBS or — to the knowledge of itsdirector, Brian Large — any other American outlet: a slight made all the more remarkable by the expected presence of two noted American singers, Ms. Fleming and Mr. Hampson."

Seriously? Is the U.S. that backward that not a single media outlet picked up the Vienna Philharmonic paying tribute to Mozart on his 250th birthday?!? This is heartbreaking. I really like classical music, I'm thrilled that there's a real classical station in DC, and that the opera and other cultural activities are actually accessible via the Kennedy Center, but it's a real letdown that so few of my peers feel the same way (apparently this ambivalence and sometimes outright dislike spans generations given the news above). Come on people, would a little culture kill ya? Give it a chance! Start here, check out your local arts scene, and let the strings take you away...

End of PSA. Stories of the drinking smoking chatty madness of the last two nights coming soon.

The effects of concert-going on the morning after...

2006-01-27T10:37:00.000-05:00

Don't you hate it when you buy a CD at a show and then get home to discover that it sucks?

What I intended to accomplish this morning:
*Wash dishes
*Eat a reasonable breakfast
*Enjoy coffee and happy thoughts of approaching weekend
*Give some thought to ways that a presentation on sampling could be more fun
*Put on actual makeup
*Check e-mail
*Post to blog about awesome Evan Dando show last night and how surprisingly good the opening act was
*Iron skirt so I'd look nice at tonight's soiree

What I actually accomplished this morning:
*Woke to new CD from opening act, decided it sucked, rolled over and slept an extra hour
*Ironed skirt to save last shred of dignity

Mei Xiang must be Chinese for jungle gym...

2006-01-26T07:35:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I've updated everyone on the exploits of the panda, but he's been very interesting lately. I was watching him last night, and poor Mei Xiang was trying to get some decent sleep, but Tai was having none of it. He was climbing all over her, she'd swat him off and he'd come right back and climb some more, and this morning he was doing the same thing. She would start working on some bamboo and he climbed all over her. So she'd walk away and Tai would hang on, front paws on her back while walking sideways on his hind legs. He followed her all over the yard, and whenever he did actually succeed and make it all the way to her back, he'd slide right off. So cute...

Went to go see him with George and Meg on Sunday, he was awake and being totally playful, the weather was awesome, it was such a nice day at the zoo. That's my favorite picture from that day, little Tai lounging on a tree... aw... Thanks to George for the picture!

A non-aw moment from the last few days... did anybody see Ryan Whitney stab Alex Ovechkin in the crotch last night??? Seriously uncool. From ESPN.com:

"Ovechkin was also at the center of mini-controversy. Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Whitney received a spearing major and a game misconduct as time expired in the second period for shoving his stick into what appeared to be Ovechkin's midsection.

The 20-year-old laid on the ice for several minutes after the hit while Whitney fought Brian Willsie and the officials handed out penalties. But Ovechkin returned for the third period.

'I don't know if its cheap shot or not,' Washington defenseman Brendan Witt said. 'We'll have to see the replay. Ovi's a tough kid. It takes a lot to get him down. If it's a cheap shot, we play them on the 11th [of February].'

Ovechkin declined to speak with reporters after the game."

The replay's pretty clear, it was definitely a cheap shot. It's not good hockey to stab a guy in the nuts, and it's not good hockey to play a dirty game in retaliation. This sort of play can escalate to Bertuzzi-like proportions and undermine the amazing things an Ovechkin v. Crosby game can produce. I just hope the coaches can talk some sense into their fourth lines before Feb. 11 rolls around.

An Addendum to the Shriek...

2006-01-24T13:34:00.000-05:00

I should mention that Aimee is completely worth seeing live. I've done it just about every year for the past three or four (can it really have been that long?), and she puts on quite a show and usually takes audience requests for her encore. It's a good time. If you can't actually get to one of her shows (there's a tour section of her web site, but I can't link directly to it because it's flash and I'm not entirely sure it's up to date...), there's a live CD/DVD called "Live at St. Ann's Warehouse" that's a reasonable substitute and includes a whole bunch of the tracks mentioned below, so it's a bargain way to get the best of Aimee experience.

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 8

2006-01-23T21:06:00.000-05:00

This week, I shriek a singer/songwriter who is truly sublime, Aimee Mann. While possibly best known as the voice of 'Til Tuesday, she has since worked hard to build a loyal following for her solo career, and won critical acclaim and accolades including an Oscar nod for her work on the Magnolia soundtrack. Her music nearly always tells a story and draws on complex emotional relationships that are just about the opposite of, say... anything in a Pussycat Dolls song. I shudder at the thought.

I was first introduced to the magic of Aimee Mann with her third solo release, Bachelor No. 2 or the last remains of the dodo. She released this album on her own, sold it through her web site until she had the ability to start her own label. Then came Lost In Space, a melancholy masterpiece wrapped in gorgeous packaging. Her most recent release, The Forgotten Arm, is essentially a rock opera about a fading boxer and his girlfriend and their fight through drug use and legal troubles.

I'd really have to include the lyrics for the entire songs to convey the true genius, but here are a few snippets from some of my favorites.

Bachelor No. 2 focuses on endings, largely of the unhappy variety, but without all the tears. She focuses on characters who see the flaws in those around them and can do nothing to stop them, except tell them what's wrong and move on:

From It Takes All Kinds:
"I'm surprised I even thought I had half a chance,
I was just one in a million of also-rans,
who was sure to be your victim of circumstance.
Once you were just our dear friend Ron,
selling the soul you swore upon,
spreading the word that you've become
what you hated."

From The Fall of the World's Own Optimist:
"Well, I could have objections
which you could override
But what's the point we're only flogging the horse when
the horseman has up and died."

And from the opening track, How Am I Different:
"And just one question before I pack -
When you fuck it up later do I get my money back?"

Such a great album. Even if you're not pissed off or dumping someone, the lyricism and the beauty of her voice and the arrangement just swallows you right up. I don't want to ruin them all, because you should really run right out and get them all right now, but be sure to check out Red Vines from Bachelor No. 2, This Is How It Goes, Invisible Ink and The Moth from Lost In Space, the entire Magnolia soundtrack, and her turn as a nine-toed nihilist in the Big Lebowski.

If only a soapbox were enough...

2006-01-19T20:43:00.000-05:00

Mongolia. Liberia. Latvia. San Marino. Panama. Haiti. Burundi. Chile. Bangladesh. What do these countries have in common besides being hard to locate on a map? They have all elected female leaders. Last week's election in Chile of an agnostic single-mother and the swearing in of Liberia's new female president to end the horrors of the Charles Taylor era brought me such joy which quickly turned grim when I thought once again about the sad state of affairs in this country when it comes to elected female leadership.

We have a female president on TV, but even she wasn't elected. We haven't ever had a major party nominate a woman as its candidate for the presidency. We've only had one legit female vice presidential candidate. It breaks my heart.

And it doesn't get much better in other branches of the federal government or in state and local governments. Women are 51% of the American population, yet according to the Center for American Women and Politics, women make up only 15% of the U.S. Congress, hold 25% of statewide offices and fill only 23% of the state legislative seats in the nation. Only 12 of the 100 largest American cities have female mayors.

The American debate about women in public office too often focuses on PMS and motherhood, and not often enough on the qualities and policy positions that make a great leader. It is well past time to stop talking about the effects of estrogen on a commander-in-chief and start talking about the real issues. In a political world dominated by self-funded millionaire candidates, our parties need to break the cycle and start encouraging women to run for office in their communities, building a strong roster of candidates with the experience to hold higher office, so that our government can look more like our population and less like the world's most exclusive club.

Contact your party, get involved in local politics, and support groups like The White House Project and EMILY's List (and if anyone knows what the Republican equivalent is, lemme know and I'll post it), and maybe someday America can inspire the kind of joy that Chile and Liberia already do.

One other thing will make me post during the day....

2006-01-17T13:55:00.000-05:00

Ice. Cream.

Things that make me want to hurl...

2006-01-16T20:07:00.000-05:00

The entire first six minutes of the Golden Globes. WTF?

Dammit advertising!

2006-01-16T12:07:00.000-05:00

I haven't eaten McDonald's since lent in 2003. This doesn't mean I've given up fast food entirely, I'm slowly working other fast food out of my diet, but I seem utterly incapable of giving up, say, Mexican Pizzas from Taco Bell and Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers at Wendy's. In any case, I eat the stuff far less frequently than I used to, and I'm pretty happy about that, as is my tummy.

But lately, I have had the most ridiculous cravings for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and they are driving me completely fucking insane. I can get fantastic burgers anyplace else, burgers infinitely better than the semi-meat from poorly treated cows processed in meat packing plants that don't care about their employees on a bun that McD's is serving up, but I can't seem to shake this hankering. And every time I see one of those commercials, especially the one with the guy that has a whole plate of double QPC's for his football-watching friends, it's like I'm looking at the holy grail. I can only fear the havoc that reintroducing such a thing to my system after nearly three years would induce, and that seems to be my main deterrant. That and that the golden arches are hard to come by in the District. But my willpower is fading fast. Quick, someone show Super Size Me!!

Top 10 Song Sighting (hearing?)...

2006-01-15T14:14:00.000-05:00

Watching the U.S. Grand Prix of Snowboarding from Mt. Bachelor, OR, and there in the background of the Sweet Spot profile of Danny Davis was "Ain't No Easy Way" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The harmonica part... man I love it.

What I'm Not Doing Right Now

2006-01-12T19:23:00.000-05:00

Is watching #11 raised to the rafters. How could they not nationally televise this game?!? ARGH! The Rangers Web site has a link to watch online, but it's at full capacity. Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! Hopefully they'll archive it so I don't have to wait until George gets here with the DVD to actually watch it. :(

Like A Villain

2006-01-11T19:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my first day of Chill (support the Chill-ness!!), and it was a thrill. I'm exhausted, and I worked hard, but I have that whole feel-good thing going on today. I left my office a few minutes later than originally planned (report deadlines don't care if you're doing good, unfortunately), but I still made it up to the mountain a little after five, despite a quick stop for gas and an aborted attempt to change that resulted in me driving the rest of the way wearing Hot Chillys and kitten heels (is there anything hotter than that?). Tried to finish changing in the parking lot, but of course someone parked right next to me, so then I was walking around in my work shirt (luckily, a rather benign turtleneck) and snow pants. Getting hotter! Turns out I was not supposed to go to the base lodge, oops, but they had a bathroom where I could lose the turtleneck and put on proper snowboard attire. Thank gawd.

Turned back around and after switching out one snowboard boot for a shoe I could drive with, headed to the "stone house," easily identified by the big ass bus out front, and amazingly, wasn't all that late. Even better, the other volunteers were awfully nice, and not all 21-year-old brats, hurrah! Of course, one was named Ben and the Bennifer jokes flew fast and furious. I can never date a Ben. Damn you Ben Affleck. Damn you.

My first task was to get the kids each a board. Now, this is a cool moment. It's what they've been waiting for... they get a board to call their own for the next six weeks! But, this task makes for a quick get to know you, as the first thing you have to do is turn the kids around, make them stand up straight and look at the bus, and then give them a good shove. This is to see which leg they catch themselves with to determine if they're regular or goofy, and is kind of like snowboard hazing.

Then, I had to find a board of the right height and with bindings big enough for their feet and headed in the right direction. Turns out pre-teen boys have GIGANTIC feet even if they're not very tall. Who knew? Anyway, there were other folks around with screwdrivers and wrenches to put new bindings on for those kids. Then, had to show them how to use the bindings and how not to drag it across the concrete (it's like nails on a chalkboard, EEK!).

Once everybody had a board and successfully loaded it on the bus, it was back up to the mountain to meet our instructors and learn how to turn. And I've got to tell you, these kids did WAY better than I did during my first lesson. I was scared out of my damn mind. They, on the other hand, were fearless. Well done kids!! I can't wait to go back next week, I bet they'll be ready to rock the lifts, so exciting!

One other thing to add, my favorite part of snowboarding, what I love oh-so-very-much, it's the new challenge every time. Pushing myself to do something I've never done before, and actually pulling it off, is the biggest thrill. If I can get one of these kids to feel that, it'll be worth all the driving and eating dinner at 10 and going into work early/staying late to make up the time.

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 7 (AKA I'm really trying to avoid getting sucked into the new season of the Bachelor)

2006-01-09T21:24:00.000-05:00

This week, to start the new year off right, I shriek for a spankin' new band. Presenting... ARCTIC MONKEYS. I've heard two of their songs, both really kick ass, they have an EP out and the first album comes out towards the end of the month. AND they're my favorite type of band ever, BRITISH. The album'll be called "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not." So get on the wagon now before they blow up huge. You heard it here first...

And if you're wondering where little ol' me finds cool new bands like this, check out WOXY (the future of rock n' roll), Indie 103 (their morning show is the Mighty Morning Show with Dicky from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Jonesy's Jukebox in the afternoon, coolest station in the country), WFUV (for all the folky/rocky/country-ish stuff) and the best thing to happen to Jersey since, well, me, G-Rock Radio, finally, finally, FINALLY streaming live. They're all available online and they rule. Give them a listen and maybe next year you'll be singing right along with my top 10 list.

Post-game Wrap

2006-01-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

Hey, look at that... the Caps are winning! I probably just jinxed them too. I suck. But not as bad as the Giants did today. It wasn't a sharp, stabbing pain like that game against the 49ers, this was a slow, tortured death. This one feels worse.

Shriek of the week comes back tomorrow... later kids.

I overshot denial.

2006-01-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

Straight to anger. We deserve negative points for this steaming pile of crap.

Now what?

2006-01-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

So if we get six for a TD, can we get 18 for running it in?

All I know for sure...

2006-01-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

Delhomme is still a bigger dork than Eli.

What the?

2006-01-08T15:11:00.000-05:00

How is it that Goings can figure out when NOT to throw the ball, but Eli Manning can't? Twist the knife, why don't ya?

Ouch.

2006-01-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

This sucks so much. And it hurts more than watching the Mets or the Rangers lose. My expectations for the Giants are so much higher, plus I love them more.

oh no....

2006-01-08T14:43:00.000-05:00

They're using the skycam more and more as this game goes on. I really hate the skycam. Not quite as much as Joe Buck though.

Back to the action...

2006-01-08T14:33:00.000-05:00

Even the montage sucks.

halftime

2006-01-08T14:22:00.000-05:00

Hooray! Another dumb Hummer commercial... You would think that all football fans do is buy cars, no, trucks. Seriously, the millions of people who watch football every week must be a more diverse bunch than this.

Yes, the game is so mediocre, I'm talking about the commercials. Egad.

Are you fucking kidding me?

2006-01-08T14:13:00.000-05:00

BULLSHIT! Catch the god damn punt or get the hell out of the way!!!

Two-minute warning

2006-01-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

Wow. Giants Stadium will house one unhappy locker room at halftime. We can do better than this!!