For Against

Nebraska?! Holy crap, this is good.

The perfect marriage between Joy Division, Comsat Angels, Cocteau Twins, Cure, The Sound and especially Porcupine Echo & The Bunnymen.

- Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover

What's Next, Ketamine For the Sniffles?

An interesting Washington Post article I missed while on vacation:
'Ecstasy' Use Studied to Ease Fear in Terminally Ill

Not a registered Post reader? Try BugMeNot, loser.

Xmas Reviewed

My holiday weekend was approximately 90% good. I visited with family, hung out with friends from out of town, saw my 79-year-old grandmother for the first time in a few years, received a few neat presents, ate several great meals, and caught up on some much-needed sleep.

The 10% bad was picking up my father at 4PM on Christmas Day to find that he was completely sloshed. He must have been drinking all day. Fortunately, he could walk OK and everything, but he was slurring and repeating himself so much on the drive down, that I wanted to smack him. Getting a little drunk with your family at Christmas dinner is one thing, but showing up already fucking wasted in broad daylight? Fucking pathetic.

I felt better once I got to my brother's. At least I could commiserate and joke with my sister-in-law and brother over my father's condition. For example, there was his apparent inability to control the amplitude and pitch of his voice. He was feigning excitement for my nieces by neighing like a horse. Needless to say, there was lots of eye-rolling and head-shaking between the three of us that night.

Aside from that nonsense, it was overall a very enjoyable time and much better than I expected (and not nearly as lonely as I had feared).

Here are the highlights:

+ Thursday: Off of werk early. Hung out at Twice As Much (my housemate's DJ nite w/Mojogogo and Sally-Go-Round) at Saint-Ex with Jennifer, housemate JP's sister in town from Seattle.

+ Christmas Eve: Had a very good lunch with Leigh, Leslie, and Dan at Harmony Cafe in G-town. Wrapped presents. The evening was spent lounging with Wally and watching videos.

+ Christmas: Presents, of course, both given and received. The softest fleece pajama pants, Metroid Prime 2, a 512MB CF card for my digicam, and an Ikea gift card were the top gifts this year. Dinner, prepared by my brother the chef, was...how-you-say...off the fucking hook.

+ Sunday: Visited my grandmother and much of my mother's side of my extended family in suburban/almost-rural Maryland. Mom-mom was giving things away all day (decorations trinkets, mostly) and I was practically forced to take something directly off her wall. I really didn't want to but was told it would make her happy. She doesn't think she'll live much longer and would rather give this stuff away than have us “pick her bones” once she's gone. Well.

+ Monday: Went to Ikea with the always enchanting Leslie, where I promptly spent the gift card I'd received just two days previous. Bought a CD shelf to help alleviate the ever-growing piles that plague my bedroom floor. Kitchen stuffs, a new bowl for Wally, and some other crap were also purchased.

+ Tuesday: Played video games in my new soft pants (note: games were not actually played inside my pants), assembled CD shelf/reorganized CDs, had dinner with Tim, Hal, and Butch at Luna Grill.


What will New Year's Eve bring? Nobody knows. There have been talks of a small gathering at the house, but nothing really seems to be coming together on that front. Ideas???

The Snowman

“One winter morning a little boy named James wakes up to find that everything outside has turned snow-white. Overjoyed, James rushes downstairs and into the garden, where he begins to build a snowman. James sleeps fitfully, and at midnight he wakes up and decides to check on his snowman. He opens the back door... he can't believe his eyes... The snowman has come to life! James finds himself face to face with a smiling snowman, who with a polite doff of his hat introduces himself and marks the beginning of magical friendship and marvelous adventure.”

I was introduced to The Snowman sometime last winter. My friend had a video of the wonderful animated film of the same name, which is based on the children's book by Raymond Briggs.

Though I have not yet read the book, the film is great in its own right. Drawn with colored pencils and featuring a highly effective rotoscoping technique for its beautiful flying scene, the movie contains no dialog. Save for a short introductory narration by David Bowie, the entire film is set to music. It's an enchanting story and has quickly become a personal Christmas-time favorite.

Here, as a modest gift to anyone who may be reading this Christmas Eve, I present to you an excerpt of the film's soundtrack, composed by Howard Blake, recorded from the original vinyl record. This is more or less the theme to the movie, a song entitled “Walking In the Air,” which plays during the aforementioned flying sequence. Hope you enjoy it. Best wishes to you and yours.

Download “Walking In the Air”

Have a Porkchop Sandwich, That Punk Shit Sucks

Bored at work?

+ Planet Krulik has all of Jeff Krulik's documentaries online and ready to stream, including the legendary Heavy Metal Parking Lot.

+ Love 'em or hate 'em, Pitchfork posts their top 50 albums of 2004. Good luck getting to the site. I haven't been able to load it all morning.

+ If you haven't yet witnessed the ridiculous genius and copyright-infringing wonder of the GI Joe PSA's from FenslerFilm, you're totally missing out.

+ Heavy.com has those PSA's too, as well as Stella videos, Cartoons Gone Bad, and a bunch more goofy shit.

How are you wasting yr time on the clock? Share it with me!

Five Fun Newsies

“A new Washington Post-ABC News poll found solid majorities believe that the Iraq war is being handled poorly and that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld should lose his job.” [W. Post, 2]

It's funny 'cause it's true, right? Um, how many mistakes must this guy make before he loses his job? Let's quit licking on this and bite right the fuck in.

Woman charged over 'womb theft' [BBC News]

Hey psycho, not satisfied with the two fat ass kids you already have? There's this thing we have where you can sign up for taking care of and/or owning a kid no one wants. Oh right—you're a psycho. Well, I guess the thing to do is pretend to be pregnant, then kill someone who really is pregnant and cut her baby out of the womb and bring it on home.

“To the Indian schoolboy, it must have seemed like an ingenious if indelicate use of new technology. But when the 17-year-old used his mobile phone camera to record his girlfriend giving him oral sex he could have had little idea of the far-reaching global consequences.” [Guardian]

I take it the Kamasutra hasn't yet been updated for the Information Age, eh? Wink, wink.

Mobile phones 'alter human DNA' [BBC News]

I knew it. My brilliant hypothesis: Changes in DNA will eventually lead to the birth of humans entirely incapable of real life, face-to-face interpersonal communication and, as an added bonus, promote the growth of cute little nub antennas located somewhere near their ears.

'Art of Modern Rock' Details Poster Revival [NPR via largehearted boy]

I almost bought this book last time I was at Atomic, but I was already getting a little too greedy, so I put it back. The thing is HUGE. It will rock my coffee table.

Feels Like

It was so cold last night on the way to the Rock-n-Shop thing at the Black Cat, I am now almost certain I will move to the West Coast and into the arms of its more temperate climes. I may have to endure yet another swampy DC summer, but I hope to hell I'm out of here before next Winter. For one thing, snowfall, which I consider one of the few significant pays offs of Winter——in addition to the holidays and the clothes——ranges from negligible to non-existent here. I guess I would miss the possibility of snow, but it's a small price to pay for keeping my appendages intact. I like having fingers and toes, for instance, and while I might make due without them, I also favor keeping my testicles.

And what good is Winter without someone to snuggle with, anyway? Not. Very. Good.

I've finished my xmas shopping early for once. Thank you, Internet. Wally's presents arrived today: a laser pointer and a CatDancer™™. A can of tuna to split with Pretty Girl is yet to come. My family members are getting books/DVD's/video games/gift cards. A few friends will receive secret homemade gifts. Since no one reads this, I am at liberty to reveal that they may or may not be hand-crafted mix CD's.

Three more days of werk to go before I am on a five-day vacation. Aside from Christmas day crap and a visit to my grandmother's the day after, my plans include relaxing with Wally, catching up on my reading, brooding in a darkened corner of the house, playing my new video game, working on the music section, suddenly becoming interesting, “laughing and scratching,” developing new personal traditions, weeping openly, and feeling good about life when all is said and done.

From the Office Party

Doesn't Matter

Regular readers of this blog should know by now that my view of humanity is somewhat dim. Tonight certainly did nothing to help this. I won't go into details because there's really no point. You see, our darkest days are yet to come. I'm bracing myself.

And on the up side, I finally got it: Video of the man I've previously mentioned running around the streets near my office. Yes, my white whale——an eccentric black man in spandex——was briefly caught in the sights of my digicam as I leaned out of the window of the fourth story at 11th and H. One mission accomplished——many more to be realized.

Witness:
watch the video (6MB AVI)

Who Needs the Onion Anymore?

Zell Miller, my favorite crotchety nut job and the guy most likely to challenge you to a duel, has been hired by Fox News Channel as a commentator. [Washington Post] Well, it's about time I had someone new to laugh at on that fairest, most fakely balanced of cable news channels. This guy is great; I can't wait for when the bolts of purple lightning shoot out of his fingertips. Anyway, I'm pretty sure all the non-thinking Fox News viewers will love him.

There are already a number of Fox News talking heads that practically make it necessary to wrestle my hatred to the ground: Bill O'Reilly (who likes to play devil's advocate and appear unbiased), Ann Coulter (don't get me started on this smug, lying bitch), Sean Hannity (ex-fratboy chucklehead)...and I imagine many more if I could stand to watch that media cesspool more than ten minutes at a time.

I've been noticing this steely-eyed former centerfold lately during the good ol' O'Reilly Factor. Do you remember that mid-80's TV show, “V,” about the alien lizard people? No? Well, Netflix the DVDs or something because they are apparently walking among us and delivering the headlines to conservative monkeys across the country.


Go here to find your favorite talking head.

Toosday

Well, I can't even properly waste technology. I tried posting via AudioBlogger a few times during lunch, but hung up each time instead of hitting “#” (like you're supposed to) when I was finished! It's a habit of mine.

Anyway, I was just posting to say that one of my co-werkers was let go (laid off, fired, axed, terminated, eliminated, deleted, etc.) at the end of the day yesterday. They say we just don't have enough work for him. Oh well...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

On one hand it definitely sucks. He was the fellow employee I felt closest to, if you could say that about any of my fellow employees. He helped me fix my car, gave me his old turntable when mine broke, and would often give me a ride home when I didn't feel up to riding the Metro. Oh, and don't get me started on all the yer mom jokes made between us. It certainly won't be the same here in the back office without him.

Then again, he had been talking about getting out of here soon and was already interviewing for other jobs. He was really dreading the work that was coming his way here. So at least he'll be happier in the long run.

Meanwhile it should hopefully give me a touch of job security. [So much for having to actually get to work! Haha.] We're now down to six people. This is the smallest company I've ever worked for (the record store I worked at in college had more people!), which can be cool but also very scary sometimes. Ay.

FUCK, I have to get xmas shopping, guys. No one in my family will tell me anything. OK. Hope you like your gift certificates, assholes! Don't these people have any hobbies? No, no they don't. If you say to me at any given time, “Hey Jeff, what do you want? Oh by the way, you're looking good today,” I can name you like at least ten things on the spot. That reminds me——this list has been going around lately which shows you which stores gave money to which campaign in this year's elections. Buy blue.

I made some brownies the other night. Dark chocolate, even. I've just been feeling too in-shape for the holidays, ya know? Didn't feel right.

These are pretty funny. The Shining one is my favorite. Thanks, Jen.

Google SMS

“Google SMS (Short Message Service) enables you to easily get precise answers to specialized queries from your mobile phone or device. Send your query as a text message and get phone book listings, dictionary definitions, product prices and more. Just text. No links. No web pages. Simply the answers you're looking to find.”

Maybe I'm a little late, but this is pretty damn neat. You just send a text to 46645 (GOOGL) with what you want to look up and it replies with matching listings. They have a little wallet-sized tip sheet to help you out (available as a pdf from their site).

I tried it out during lunch to try to get the address of the restaurant I was heading to, but it didn't work. I think maybe the syntax was off or something.

Thanks to Atariboy, who posted about this back in October, for the heads up.

Charmed, I'm Sure

Um, this episode of VH1 Classic's The Alternative has to be the worst I have seen. Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Soul Asylum, and Tori fuckin' Amos covering “Smells Like Teen Spirit”...?! Needless to say, I had to come upstairs to complain about it.

In what Newsweek [in my head] calls "...a glorious triumph of consumerism," my housemates and I had a great day yesterday. We hit Poe's grave at the First Presbyterian Church and then the Poe house/museum. The house was pretty neat with its miscellaneous Poe artifacts and impossibly steep staircases, but there wasn't much to it. Funny that it's referred to as the “Poe House”—the neighborhood that surrounds it is apparently bad enough to have warranted a serious warning from the cop who was stationed outside on the street.

From there, it was shop shop shop. We were in B'more from about 2PM to almost midnight, so I won't go into details. Here are some highlights:

+ Normal's. What an awesome place. They have a ton of used books and a decent load of used vinyl (and a few used and new CDs). I found just about every early Cocteau Twins EP along with some other cool 80's stuff. Will have to return to continue exploring.

+ Hampden. This place gets better each time I visit. They have a nice little hip section there on “The Avenue.” There is Atomic Books, of course, but also two new-to-me record stores: Own Guru (a modest selection of used vinyl and goofy shopkeep) and the True Vine (hip, eclectic, small-ish, with room for live shows). From these fine shops, I purchased a number a fine things, including but not limited to: the Minipops book, a book (2004) of Bill Hicks' letters and writings I didn't even know about, both the Found and Dirty Found books, a new issue of Eightball(!), and a $4 Cure record.

+ Sound Garden. Things were bought and sold. I got a bunch of CDs and the Arrested Development first season DVDs.

Ay. Time for sleep. I'll post a smattering of pictures from the trip sometime soon. Most of them were lame, but there's a few good 'uns in there.

From Baltimore

Northern

I'm taking yet another trip up to good old Charm City tomorrow. That place is becoming my second home; it's everything DC is not (i.e. fun and unpretentious). Baltimore is the like the cool uncle who just likes to hang out and rap with the kids and has a bunch of cool shit in his house, whereas DC is the rest of the shitty family——too self-absorbed to notice how lonely you are and not loose enough to have any fun or hold a real conversation.

Travis has the day off for once because he was fired/quit his job today, so we're making a day of it. Jonathan says he will join us, too. Aside from the usual stops at Sound Garden and Atomic Books, I hope to visit Normal's (after several failed attempts in the past), the museum of outsider art (don't know the official name) and by Travis' request, Poe's grave.

I've added a few additional photos, including that curiously painted truck I see downtown. I finally got a lens cloth so I can clean my camera lens, which must have gotten smudged (don't let a six year-old hold your camera!), though I doubt my photography will improve too much. I also added what is sometimes called a "tagboard" to the sidebar on the page. Give it a try——what have you got to lose?

Sleep Will Come to Mess You Up

I can't think of more appropriate music for this cold, rainy day than this. These nine songs of acoustic guitar and piano, gentle vocals, tinkly-winkly mallets, synth flourishes, and restrained percussion are freely downloadable (with cover art) from this Icelandic musician's website. Try “drunk song” and the title track as more energetic stand-outs OR “i need a home for my hands and head” and “we like winter clothes” for smoky late-night listening.

The nine songs (8 + 1 “hidden”) of the Singing Arc EP are hi-fi home recordings which should easily guarantee young Seabear a label deal (if he wants one). Not much like Björk, Múm, or Sigur Rós or any of the more visible musicians from Iceland I've yet heard. For fans of the slow burn. Let's get floaty.

People Coated In Wax

I was all set to write about my night at the Galaxy Hut last night, how laughable the pseudo-hipsters that sometimes frequent that place can be and how utterly disgusted by people I find myself lately, when I was interrupted by a burning pizza in the oven. Luckily, my ruined dinner quite possibly saved me from posting an embarrassing outpouring of anger and bitter disappointment.

And so, after having a moment to reconsider, I'll skip the foreplay and jump right to the money shot: I hate everyone. Almost. I'm getting there, though, and I understand why.

See, there is definitely something wrong with me, but I can say with certainty that there is also something very wrong with the world in which I exist. I am an outsider and a misanthrope, but I am slowly becoming a true loner through no fault of my own. No, this is how it has to be if I am to avoid a watered-down compromise of what I believe in.

I refuse to forget the person I've grown up to be. I don't want to be anyone else.

Ever read Catch-22?

Well, we're fucking living it my friends:

“Eight soldiers stationed in Iraq and Kuwait are filing a lawsuit against the Army's stop-loss policy while 12 former soldiers forced out of the military are filing a lawsuit against the Pentagon's ‘don't ask, don't tell’ policy.” Democracy Now! (12.07.04)

The US military is keeping soldiers who have served their time and fulfilled their obligations in the Iraq war against their will. At the same time, soldiers who want to serve are being kicked out of the military because they are gay. It's quite absurd (i.e. friggin' retarded). Meanwhile, the US is sending 12,000 additional troops to Iraq, including retired soldiers who served in Vietnam in the 60's. WTF?

BTW, the Pentagon recently issued official tallies for this fantastic freedom quest: 1,275 fatalities and 9,765 wounded US soldiers so far since the invasion of Iraq. Yeah; I won't even go into the number of dead Iraqi civilians.

When asked by troops currently serving in Iraq about the wonderful “stop-loss” policy, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld explained very clearly that “It's basically a sound principle, it's nothing new, it's been well understood.”

[blink, blink] Gee, Mr. Rumsfeld…uhh…ok, thanks! We'll get back to getting blown up now.

It makes you wonder what they're gonna do when soldiers start deserting and/or continue to die and they've run out of senior citizens to call back to duty. Hmmm…

I've Never Relied On the Kindness of Strangers

As much as I bitch and complain about how terrible things can be and how shitty people are sometimes, I have to admit that I've been pleasantly surprised lately by more than a few random folks from the most peculiar of places. In starting this site recently and working the new blog, I've received a great amount of help from absolute strangers on the net. These faceless beings, who should by rights have no interest in helping me, have been utterly indespensable in the creation of this virtual manifestation of selfishness and ego. Kinda ironic, isn't it: the selfless aiding and abetting the hopelessly self-absorbed. Thanks—don't mind if I do!

So anywayz, the potluck at werk today was a success. My coconut rice went quite well with the Indonesian chicken, which played nicely with the asian coleslaw. The kicker was of course dessert: a homemade chocolate mousse pie with enough calories to power a wood-burning stove in the dead of winter for several days and nights. Mmm.

I worked a little bit on the looks of the site this evening. I can't seem to stop screwing around with the layout and the colors here. I've added a bit of brown (can you even tell?) to my limited palette of desaturated blues. Oh, and that logo up there—it's gotta go. I'm working on something, believe me. I'm too neurotic for consistency.

Neuroticism aside, I think I've been futzing around so much with the petty details because it's an easy way of putting off doing the music section, or not adding any other visit-worthy content for that matter. But I'll do that shit. I will. I'd like to get it posted in time for my 2004 top ten, at least.

In the near future, expect a wee bit of interactivity here, as well as some hand-picked linkage, some more photos, that damn music section, and lots and lots of nudity.

Good night, champ.

2:15 On a Saturday Nite

You know what? Sobriety is way overrated. The weekend is passing by in real-time, every boring minute ticking by, and all I can think about is Monday morning and returning to a job I hate for another long work week. At least when I'm stoned I can entertain myself with little effort and planning. Fuck adulthood; it's overrated, too.

I drove out to gravely point late this afternoon. There's a park there, just north of the airport, where you can watch the airplanes land. They fly right over head. It's right next to the Potomac, so it was windy and cold today, but I've been wanting to go back to take some pictures since I first visited there in the early summer during a bike ride with Tim.

It was mostly worth it just to get out and do something. I made it there shortly before the sun started to set. I got a few decent pics but most were crap. No surprise there—I'm way out of practice. I ended up with a few grainy as hell shots and way too many pictures of the sky and crap. I got a couple of the planes and some random stuff that seemed interesting at the time. See them on page 3.

Tomorrow is a birthday dinner for my dad. Some Thai place in Shirlington. I ended up getting him two history nerd gifts, since that's the only kind of nerd you could consider this guy to be. Let's see...one is this biographical book on Shakespeare. Then there's this very exciting Winston Churchill DVD. My god, you gotta see the part where he declares war and shit. It's fucking amazing.

What else is amazing? Hmm, that this song still accurately describes what I am looking for after like fifteen years? No, that's just retarded. I love it.

note to self: stop spending money, asshole.

this week's record purchases

Can: Tago Mago (reissue/remaster)
Julian Fane: Special Forces
The Places: Call It Sleep
Apples In Stereo: Look Away + 4*
Iron & Wine: “Passing Afternoon” EP
Brian Eno: Before and After Science (reissue/remaster)*
Jesus and Mary Chain: Psychocandy (import)*
The Rosebuds/The Close: split 7"
Mogwai: Ten Rapid (2x10" reissue)

*used

Fish Eye

Pffft...and to think, I was going to start taking meds just for the sexual side effects.

I brought my camera to work this week, in the hopes of taking some video of this goofy running dude who regularly appears on the street below my office, but the bastard hasn't come around much lately. According to Rob, he was out there the other day when I came in late. Bah. I will get tape of this guy someday. You should see him; he jogs in the middle of the street in this spandex body suit and spins around in place for like 10 minutes with traffic whizzing by while shouting shit like “DC! WOOF! WOOF! DC!...”

I got a few other shots, though. There's this oddly painted truck I see around the block, for example. Maybe some other random crap I'll post in the photos section.

Speaking of photos, my dad sent me an email today asking for xmas gift ideas, and I've come up with two so far: a new coffee maker (boring!) and lenses for my digicam (expensive!). I know nothing about camera lenses, especially when it comes to judging their quality. Do you? Canon brand lenses are all sold separately and without the required adapter, so I did some research and found a good deal on what might be a big pile of crap. Who knows. There are these different combo deals. For example, one comes with wide and tele lenses (with adapter), a few filters, and small tripod. Huh. Maybe I'll just ask for a 512MB CF card instead, which would be not nearly as fun, but much simpler for Dad to pick up.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to the show tonight. I'm not a huge Blonde Redhead fan really, but I enjoyed the last album a good deal. Oh, I probably won't go since I'm a total pussy when it comes to going to shows alone.

Damn, I have to figure out a good recipe for coconut rice/sticky rice this weekend. Got a big potluck on Monday. Any suggestions? Sara, if you're reading???

That reminds me: I quit poking smot this week. I don't think it'll be permanent, but I gots to get my shit together. Too bad I hate to drink! This weekend's gonna blow.

I'll leave you with this (copped from the dorks at EM411): Repercussion

De-bearded, Re-bearded

You know, when I decided to go beard-less a few weeks ago it was for a few different reasons. 1: I was bored with my facial hair after almost a year of wearing it. 2: I was tired of maintaining it and keeping it groomed. 3: I thought it might make me appear less threatening. Ok, so mostly it was reasons 1 and 2, but 3 seemed like it would be an extra bonus. No dice.

This is evidenced by what happens during my nightly trips home from work on the Metro. Picture it: I'm sitting alone, quietly reading the paper. There is perfectly good empty seat next to mine. For some reason, all other seats are filled before the seat next to mine. In fact, some people would apparently rather stand than sit next to me. This doesn't happen every single day, but it happens often enough to make think...

That does it—I'm growing that shit back, you assholes. And guess what else? From now on I'll also be burping and farting, talking to myself insessantly, scratching my balls, and playing noisey games on my cell phone all while smacking my lips as I chew a fat wad of gum. How ya like me now, muthafuckas?!

But seriously, a beard out of spite? Not exactly. I just kinda miss it. While public opinion on the issue is a mixed bag, I know how I feel and it just ain't right. Let the growing begin!

Uhh...on the up-side, unexpected visitors can be fun. Brook Lynn called me early in the evening yesterday to ask how I felt about her coming up. She had to get out of town. I told her I was up for it, so she quickly packed some shit and hightailed it up here to arrive at around 10:30 or so. She's leaving tonight after dinner since she has to work tomorrow, but it's certainly been nice to catch up with her. She's moving to Alaska next year!

Oh and—have you heard? People are still fighting the fight...
Voters to challenge US election (Guardian)
Kerry's "Early Concession Betrayed the Trust of the Voters" (Democracy Now!)

Also: I'm debating whether to see Blonde Redhead on Friday. Help me decide!

I Don't Get It

I haven't gotten laid in what seems like a few years. Yeah, i'm pretty surprised, too. what's the deal? Sure, i'm grumpy and a little broken-out; that's not all the time. Ok, so my car is about fifteen years old and completely busted and filthy; i spend my money on other, more important things (like cee dees and lonely take out dinners). You can smell the desperation a mile away. Big deal. That's not necessarily a turn-off, is it? So i have few flaws. Believe it or not, i also have a lot to offer...

I've got the latest issue of Tape-Op magazine here, for example. That's right—not just a mere music magazine but a fascinating look at things such as how to build your own microphones and what makes a great pre-amp sound so good. That's pretty interesting, isn't it? I also have plenty of neck hair. It's coming up on winter, you know. Guess who won't have a cold neck when it starts snowing. Come to think of it, i have hair basically everywhere it isn't traditionally desirable to have hair. Yeah, i'm pretty unique. What else? Oh yeah! I've got a cute kitty cat. How about that? He's great. He's my buddy. But i wonder: Why is he the only pussy in my life?

Seriously, though—i think this calls for me to do something that is way overdue: i need to start paying for porn. Although i've made it this far without dropping a dime on smut, it's unfortunately a case of desperate times/measures. Problem is, i've completely lost track of what's good. I mean, what are the kids buying these days? Should i start downloading or buy some dvds? Is there a way to edit out the anal sex scenes in those things?

Well, i've got some googling to do, my friends. I'll leave you with one last thing—a little something for the ladies out there who don't know what they're missing. just something to think about. (repeatedly, on a daily basis, until you come to your senses)

From an Opening Between the Legs of Hell Comes..

a mildly retarded little girl learning about periods (sorta NSFW)

this is disturbing in i don't know how many ways and truly begs the question: WTF?!

Misogynist, Misanthrope, Whatever

Colombia reveals plot to assassinate Bush (Guardian, UK)

why not try again, guys? you can crash at my place. seriously—i live like less than 10 miles from dude's house. bring some coke, k? thanx!

ok, how about our friends to the north? apparently, bush is afraid of being booed by the canadian parliament. booing is good...but how aboot some killing? just one time. come on. let's let dickhead be pres and make this administration show its true colors.

while on the subject of hatred, i ask: what inside me, when i pass an attractive female on the street or notice a cute girl in a bar, causes me to immediately think yeah, whatever. fuck you?

is it some sort of preemptive sour grapes? a self-defeating defense mechanism? am i really so maladjusted that i'll opt to appease my fears of rejection with unspoken insults and curses? whatever it is, it's laughable and pathetic. what i stand to gain from this behavior, i have no fucking idea.

you know those bitter, lonely old men you see eating alone and grumbling to themselves as they walk down the street? that's what i'm turning into.

Sandwiches You Will Like

damn, another late nite post. my sleep schedule is a little muffed up, but i suppose four days of sleeping in until 1PM will do that. all-in-all it was a good weekend. the holiday was definitely nice and cozy and i got to see a few friends who were in town. i also caught a few shows and upgraded our home entertainment experience here in the house. i didn't come in contact with any ex-gf's (of a possible three), which is just as well. [the holidays + ex-girlfriends = no good for me]. above all else, the weekend's activities and the time off of work kept my mind off a few things which have lately been screwing with my flow.

weekend highlights

• wed: hung out with Carmen, her bf, and her friend Chinye at the house and later stopped by the Galaxy Hut for a taste of hump nite.
• thurs: deliciousness at my mom's in hoodbridge where my brother and sis-in-law dropped serious gourmet treats such as goat cheese and garlic mashed potatoes and apple crumble with homemade maple ice cream. oh, and if you haven't already tried it, i highly recommend brining your turkey; we've done it that way the last few years with truly excellent results.
• fri: caught alcian blue at artomatic in DC with leigh. they were loud enough to make the sound guy repeatedly ask them to turn down. great shit despite there only being about ten people at the show. before and after, i hung out with leigh and her bf at galaxy hut and the black cat, and closed the evening with some late nite brefast at bob & edith's.
• sat: saw my friends the plums play an awesome show at the hut. they did a great cover of the clean's “at the bottom.” it's one of my favs so i was interested in seeing how they would pull it off. a successful rendition, their version of the song was faster and more aggressive. at the show, got to chat a little with derek, adam, and stacy.
• sun: had lunch with two of the housemates and later bought an a/v receiver for the TV room in the house, making the leap to stereo sound. it's a budget model, for sure, but it sounds great compared to sound of the television speakers and has room to grow if i want to get nuts with surround sound. plus, i got it for cheap because the box had been opened.

i added some pics to the photos section. still more to come there. next up, i'll need to start working on the music section. when it hits, expect minor league music reviews, mixtape artwork and other such nonsense.

flying, fading, and fleeting

last night, 4AM: i was standing outside smoking one last cigarette before going to bed when i heard them coming. what first sounded like a group of likeminded drunks, hooting and yelping on their way home from a successful night of pounding beers and breathing down girls' shirts, turned out to be a flock of geese flying south for the winter. there were still clouds overhead from the rain earlier in the night which were just then breaking up and moving northeasterly in the wind. the squawking grew louder and i looked into the clouds hoping the birds would come into view. they soon passed overhead in that familiar inverted V shape. it was amazing and beautiful to watch and made me very happy. i stood on the steps for a short time after they had disappeared, but the warm feeling slowly faded with the sound of the geese carrying on to the south.

i think i need to watch this again.

photos, photos, photos...

so i've been resizing photos and listening to records all night (i.e. dungen, decemberists, and slowdive—in that order). and chatting with leigh for a bit. oh, and i smoked a few cigarettes...took a leak here and there (nine times out of ten it was in the toilet, i promise), but mostly it was these fuckin' p h o t o s.

that's right, guys: the first section of photos is up, as you will see if you click the 'photos' link at the top there. yes, it now does something. take a look and i hope you like 'em—there are plenty more to come.

only one more day to go before my thanksgiving vacation. i'm really looking forward to not being at work. these three-day work weeks should be fucking standard, dude. seriously. i'm also excited to see a few folks who are visiting for the holiday. i hope to break this spell of social isolation i've been under, for one thing.

screw. another late night. you see what goes into building a rinky-dink website right before your eyes? ah, i do it because i love me.

xo

I Can't Think of Anything Clever

today was another boring day at work just like any other, filled with all the mundanity and time-killing to which i've grown so accustomed lately—until my ride home on the metro. it was then, as i stared out the darkened window at the cables and the purple lights and the other shit out in the tunnel rushing by, that i realized how alone i really am.

now it's hard to write about this without coming off as melodramatic, so please bear with me....

it was not so much that i looked around and suddenly realized oh, i am alone, but more that i was struck with an overwhelming sense of detachment. this feeling is nothing new for me; it comes and goes from time to time, here and there, now and then, etc. etc., but not usually so abruptly. no, this was like a punch in the stomach or an electric shock or something. this was powerful.

and so i made the rest of my way home with this feeling moving steadily from my gut up to my throat. i was basically on the verge of tears. ha! luckily, i made it home without breaking down in public, but jesus. you know? (no, you probably don't)

anyway, i've been thinking about it tonight, you know, where this is coming from and possibly what's got me down at this particular moment in time and i realized something else: i have no love in my life. none. i don't just mean romantic love—i mean at all. i'm not even close with my family. i've pushed most of my friends away and i barely speak to anyone i don't have to these days. there's just a lot of emptiness.

well, fuck. i have to wrap it up. it's late and i need some sleep. i'll have to pick this up again later (yes, i know you're dying to hear about it). here's to better days, right?

A Geek of Many Colors

despite the rain and getting a late start, the aforementioned balitmore trip was a success*. atomic books didn't have a few of the books i was looking for (they'd just sold out of the art of modern rock, for example), but i made out ok. sound garden wasn't bad, either. [see below for the booty]

finally saw Mean Girls (via netflix) last light. it wasn't bad for a dumb teen movie, i guess, but it lacked the nudity that could have made it great. i mean, did we not learn anything from Porky's? we were going to watch Before Sunset, but travis fell asleep almost immediately after getting home, so i decided to save it for some other time.

i intend to start work on the photos section today and hopefully have at least a little something up soon. i found some good code earlier this week, which should help in building the galleries.

i'll have to watch the time if i want to get anything done. i've been playing gamecube again recently. thanks to leslie, i got back into Zelda: The Wind Waker and have been progressing quite nicely. which is good, because i told myself i can't buy any new games before i finish more of the ones i have. until i do, there won't be any of this or this.

*Success, as in successfully spending too much $$$.

books
Chris Ware: Monographics
Adrian Tomine: Scrapbook - Uncollected Work: 1990-2004
Jon Stewart, et al: America (The Book)
Chunklet #15

records
Aloha: Here Comes Everyone
The Arcade Fire: Funeral
Neko Case: The Tigers Have Spoken
The Cure: Boys Don't Cry*
Cyann & Ben: Happy Like an Autumn Tree
Electrelane: The Power Out*
Little Wings: Light Green Leaves
Lush: Spooky*
Tarentel: We Move Through Weather*

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Vol. 3 DVD

* = bonus used find

Things to Hold and Fondle

it looks like travis and i will be visiting baltimore today to do some record shopping. i have a few things on my list for purchase. unfortunately, there's nothing good going on at the ottobar. ah, but i might try to hit atomic books. there's this pixel art book i've been wanting to pick up and now this.

let's hope i can keep it under control.

Ian So-and-So or Nigel Somebody

on my way into work this morning i was reading this article in the paper about the clinton library dedication and, looking at the accompanying photo, was struck by this incontrovertible fact: chelsea clinton is hot!
i obviously haven't been paying attention. last time i checked she looked awkward as hell, you know, with that big horse mouth and all. but boy have these last few years been kind to her...shazzam!

that she lives in new york makes the idea of moving there that much more attractive. unfortunately, plans of doing so by the end of next summer are currently in limbo. travis, my longtime friend and current housemate, has yet to decide whether to move back to norfolk in january. if he decides to stay here, then chances are that we will move to brooklyn next year. if not, then it's back to not knowing what the hell i'm going to do.

i do know i'd like to get the fuck out of here.

the weekend is here at last. it's supposed to rain. i have no plans. a few new movies arrived from netflix; that's certainly a pathetic highlight. speaking of...

i'm off to get some yuppie “pan asian” food now.

all the fixin's

it seems that i need coffee in order to get just about anything done around here. if i don't have at least 3 cups at werk in the morning, i'm about as with-it as a drunk monkey on vacation. even on the weekend, after sleeping in 'til noon, i have a few to get me going. if it's time to do something creative, it's friday night, when i check my email, when i read the paper, or when i have a long drive ahead of me, i drink coffee. what a friggin' habit.

that's me, though...always out for a fix, moving from one artificial stimulus to the next. my life is one big collection of these contrived relationships of need and satisfaction. sounds like addiction, doesn't it? well it's not, fucker!

[no, really; the things i'm addicted to are all socially acceptable: caffeine, nicotine, apple cider, the Internet, vagina, punctuation, and—of course—fun.]

say, i just realized my phone hasn't rung (rang? ringed?) for like 5 days. i haven't gotten laid in a while, either. haha! man—what a happening guy, huh? i can't be stopped. i think it's time to start drinking heavily.

nothing always happens

i've found myself getting rid of things lately. i'm usually too busy adding stuff in one way or another to ever think of cutting back. but recently, i've shed several things nearly at once. for example: my online journal, my beard (of almost a year...), maybe even a few friendships. or take sunday—a night on which, struck with a worthy case of food poisoning, i puked more than i have in many years. [it lasted at least an hour and was insane: dry heaves, bile...other fun stuff.] anyway, each of varying consequence, these things all resulted in some kind of change—for better or worse.

well, i decided to balance it out a little by adding a little something back. and with the deletion of my el jay of three years, what better than to create something even more self-indulgent and socially retarded? welcome to my website. it's taken me over a year and 1/2.

it's not much to look at yet and there's not much to see, but that will change too. and yes, change is good, isn't it?