Happy Halloween! The holiday that I hate most because I'm not a creative costume person like some and I don't really enjoy dressing up all that much like others has arrived. But it's not all bad...I've managed to salvage a complete lack of ideas with two or three that I think will work for me, and it can't be all bad when I'm going to get to go to a huge party and dance my ass off all night. I think I can handle a costume for a few hours for that. At any rate, regardless of whether you're a ghost or a goblin, Obama or Palin, living or dead, I hope you have a fantastic fright night. Without further ado, here's a few things to think about on this night of lost souls.
1) Before witches were a cool Halloween costume, they were arrested, tried and burned, usually alive. Fun stuff! Well, at least in England, they're recognizing the error of their witch persecuting ways and pardoning people from hundreds of years ago accused of witchcraft. Huzzah!
2) Who would have thought that motorcycles are more dangerous to a Marine's health than Iraq? Not I.
3) With election day right around the corner, it's not surprising that McCain has increased his negativity. But who listens to preposterous Robo-calls past the first 5 seconds of realizing what it is?
4) Thankfully, polls show that Prop. 8 will fail. Unfortunately, it does appear that its margin of victory is slipping, and that means who knows what could happen on Tuesday. So if you love people and hate prejudice and wish to be involved in dealing a blow to the religious right who seek to control civil rights in our country with their religious doctrine, don't wait for the rest of California to do it, go out on Tuesday and VOTE NO ON PROP. 8.
5) Michael Jackson has decided not to join the Jackson 5 reunion. I'm just curious...after the pedophile charges, and following years without any significant input to the music world, what exactly does Michael Jackson have to do that is more important or lucrative?
6) While I've never considered any of my Halloween costumes that cool or original (I've recently been a priest and a Mormon), here are 5 that I'm glad I didn't consider.
7) iTunes, Rock Band and the Beatles song catalog...together at last?
8) Here's an interesting look at the comparison between what McCain and Palin have been touting as Obama's socialism, and a similar route that Palin herself has taken in governing Alaska.
9) For all you Spider-Man fans out there, good news...Spider-Man 4 AND 5 are getting ready to go...
10) While we all love Sookie Stackhouse (and I'd try some V if I could get my hands on it), on Halloween we also love vampires and hot women. How about the 6 hottest movie vampires?
That's it folks, be safe tonight!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Not Another Camera!
I swear. After almost a full year of damage free camera owning, I have now had two people break two cameras on me in the last two months. First, it was at the Vallejo housewarming party that SG's GF's cousin slapped my camera out of ChengJ's hand while he was taking a picture of her. After being told that it would be taken care of , I was offered $50 dollars as proper compensation for my 18 month old $300 dollar digital camera. A great many friendly yet sarcastic thanks go out to that offer.
Friday night we got out to the Presidio to bowl for ChengJ's birthday. Afterwards we head to City Tavern and when I ask some girl to take a picture of ChengJ and I, she does, and then promptly drops my camera on the floor. She was extremely apologetic and gave me her email address to send her a bill for the repairs. It went to Best Buy yesterday for said repairs, so it remains to be seen what the damage will be, and if she'll actually follow through on paying for the repairs, or if I'll get to repeat my previous camera incident. I think the moral of the story is that I need to stop asking people to take pictures of me with my camera. From now on, any picture of me with someone will be taken by me at arm's length.
Sunday is the annual Love Shack party. Held at the Skylark, the minute you enter you're handed a joint. Then, as the night wears on, you're passed many more joints with orders to "spark it and pass it around." Not a bad way to spend an evening. They also have a huge vaporizer balloon that goes around, but a bit wary of sucking on something that everyone else in the room has had their mouth on, I pass. What I don't pass on, however, is winning a raffle prize...I walk out with a free 1/4 of OGKush.
So I leave the weekend with a busted camera (again) and a free bag of OG. In other words, smashed and smashed. Up next, Halloween (and yes, I still need costume ideas.)
Friday night we got out to the Presidio to bowl for ChengJ's birthday. Afterwards we head to City Tavern and when I ask some girl to take a picture of ChengJ and I, she does, and then promptly drops my camera on the floor. She was extremely apologetic and gave me her email address to send her a bill for the repairs. It went to Best Buy yesterday for said repairs, so it remains to be seen what the damage will be, and if she'll actually follow through on paying for the repairs, or if I'll get to repeat my previous camera incident. I think the moral of the story is that I need to stop asking people to take pictures of me with my camera. From now on, any picture of me with someone will be taken by me at arm's length.
Sunday is the annual Love Shack party. Held at the Skylark, the minute you enter you're handed a joint. Then, as the night wears on, you're passed many more joints with orders to "spark it and pass it around." Not a bad way to spend an evening. They also have a huge vaporizer balloon that goes around, but a bit wary of sucking on something that everyone else in the room has had their mouth on, I pass. What I don't pass on, however, is winning a raffle prize...I walk out with a free 1/4 of OGKush.
So I leave the weekend with a busted camera (again) and a free bag of OG. In other words, smashed and smashed. Up next, Halloween (and yes, I still need costume ideas.)
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
October iPod Update
{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}
Did you miss last month's tasty audio? Never fear, click here.
October's iPod update is a fantastic affair featuring 79 songs. It had a few older singles that I was recently turned on to, as well as some excellent new music from various genres. As we head towards the end of the year, keep your ears on for some of the huge and blockbuster album that are sure to be coming at us as the holidays approach.
Apollo Sunshine, Shall Noise Upon: This is the 3rd offering from Apollo Sunshine, a northeast trio that has made a habit of infusing new indie and rock music with retro themes. The light melodies and easy vocals go hand in hand with melodic and uplifting musical flourishes. Steely guitar in places, harmonized singing, use of woodwinds and basic drum beats can range in style here from unapologetic roadhouse rock songs ("Brotherhood of Death") to melancholy drifters that border on an old Western soundtrack ("Fog and Shadow.") But regardless of the style they employ, from top to bottom Apollo Sunshine has crafted an album that feels right on all levels. Don't Sleep On: "The Funky Chamberlain (Who Begot Who)," "Money," and "The Mermaid Angeline" which should find its way to a Wes Anderson film at some point.
Black Milk, Tronic: Rather than repeat anything about this album here, click this link for the album review.
Devin the Dude, Landing Gear: On his 5th album, Devin the Dude takes his recognizable laid back flow and infuses his beats with a bit more pop and energy than in previous outings. Never one to take himself too seriously, though, Devin slides through these tracks with ease, his voice consistently feeling like warm tea to a sore throat. Where other rappers yell, the Dude whispers, and where others bark, he glides. The best parts of this album are where DD doesn't stray too far from this ideal, keeping mellow beats and silky smooth vocals on tracks you can kick your feet up to. His lyrics are simple and easy to understand, and the delivery makes you feel like DD is rapping right in your living room. Don't Sleep On: "I Can't Make it Home," "Highway," and "I Need a Song."
For the rest of what I've been listening to this month, click here.
Did you miss last month's tasty audio? Never fear, click here.
October's iPod update is a fantastic affair featuring 79 songs. It had a few older singles that I was recently turned on to, as well as some excellent new music from various genres. As we head towards the end of the year, keep your ears on for some of the huge and blockbuster album that are sure to be coming at us as the holidays approach.
Apollo Sunshine, Shall Noise Upon: This is the 3rd offering from Apollo Sunshine, a northeast trio that has made a habit of infusing new indie and rock music with retro themes. The light melodies and easy vocals go hand in hand with melodic and uplifting musical flourishes. Steely guitar in places, harmonized singing, use of woodwinds and basic drum beats can range in style here from unapologetic roadhouse rock songs ("Brotherhood of Death") to melancholy drifters that border on an old Western soundtrack ("Fog and Shadow.") But regardless of the style they employ, from top to bottom Apollo Sunshine has crafted an album that feels right on all levels. Don't Sleep On: "The Funky Chamberlain (Who Begot Who)," "Money," and "The Mermaid Angeline" which should find its way to a Wes Anderson film at some point.
Black Milk, Tronic: Rather than repeat anything about this album here, click this link for the album review.
Devin the Dude, Landing Gear: On his 5th album, Devin the Dude takes his recognizable laid back flow and infuses his beats with a bit more pop and energy than in previous outings. Never one to take himself too seriously, though, Devin slides through these tracks with ease, his voice consistently feeling like warm tea to a sore throat. Where other rappers yell, the Dude whispers, and where others bark, he glides. The best parts of this album are where DD doesn't stray too far from this ideal, keeping mellow beats and silky smooth vocals on tracks you can kick your feet up to. His lyrics are simple and easy to understand, and the delivery makes you feel like DD is rapping right in your living room. Don't Sleep On: "I Can't Make it Home," "Highway," and "I Need a Song."
For the rest of what I've been listening to this month, click here.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wii Music
It's no secret that over at Evolving Music, and our backers at MixMatchMusic are all about the creation of new music and ideas. From artists collaborating to new musicians picking up their first instrument, any musical creation is generally regarded as good musical creation (and no, I'm obviously not talking about Soulja Boy...). With that in mind, the newest form of video game music has come out, and as is typical of Nintendo, the platform is more than just the idea of playing along to songs someone else has already wrote.
Last week, Nintendo launched their newest interactive game, Wii Music. While the heavy hitters of the video game music genre, like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are focused on letting you copy what someone else has already done to see if you can do it with accuracy and flair, Wii Music is innovative in that it focuses on allowing players to create music and explore various means of musical genesis. More importantly to MixMatchers everywhere is that the game allows you to collaborate with friends, compare songs and bring them together. One of the things I have found most detrimental about games like Rock Band is that even though they are entertaining and educational, they stop striving when it comes to user interaction and creativity. With the ability to try new instruments and learn how to put together different musical instruments and parts into a coherent whole, Wii Music could very well be the basic learning tool for an entirely new generation of musicians.
While I could go into more detail here, I have no problem letting the creator of most high profile Nintendo games and Wii Music, Shigeru Miyamoto, speak about it in his own words in this CNET interview.
Last week, Nintendo launched their newest interactive game, Wii Music. While the heavy hitters of the video game music genre, like Rock Band and Guitar Hero are focused on letting you copy what someone else has already done to see if you can do it with accuracy and flair, Wii Music is innovative in that it focuses on allowing players to create music and explore various means of musical genesis. More importantly to MixMatchers everywhere is that the game allows you to collaborate with friends, compare songs and bring them together. One of the things I have found most detrimental about games like Rock Band is that even though they are entertaining and educational, they stop striving when it comes to user interaction and creativity. With the ability to try new instruments and learn how to put together different musical instruments and parts into a coherent whole, Wii Music could very well be the basic learning tool for an entirely new generation of musicians.
While I could go into more detail here, I have no problem letting the creator of most high profile Nintendo games and Wii Music, Shigeru Miyamoto, speak about it in his own words in this CNET interview.
Black Milk's Tronic
{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}
While traditional record labels and the overall state of radio hip-hop is in a sad state of decline, there continue to be a rash of good underground coming from the Midwest. A little while back we caught up with Minnesota's DoomTree, and last month I spoke about the stellar album from Detroit's eLZhi. eLZhi's The Preface, with a large amount of production provided by Black Milk has been on repeat on my iPod for a while, so I was excited to hear word of Black Milk's solo effort, Tronic, hitting shelves tomorrow. But you don't have to wait til then to read about it...we got a sneak peak this weekend.
Black Milk's work displays a feel for both the progressively electronic side of hip-hop, as well as nods to the nostalgic feel of using old samples. Both work to great effect on Tronic, and while some cuts are much stronger than others, the album's diversity of sound and style provide something for any hip-hop listener. On "Long Story Short," the album opens with a simple piano rift that is then covered up by a pulsing beat and heavy melody pieces to form the backdrop of Milk's rhyme describing his ascension in hip-hop. As the song ends, horns come in to help transition the piece back to the easy piano of the beginning, almost as if he doesn't want you to forget that he appreciates both the gentle and heavy-hitting aspects of the genre. This gives way to "Bounce," a darker song using heavy synths that sound like they could have come out of the Blade Runner soundtrack. Black Milk's style lyrically on this song uses quick starts and stops, breaking his lines up and sometimes rearranging words to emphasize points. How he feels he fits in is obvious when, lamenting the current state of hip-hop he states, "that's when I clock in as an option when you need a breath of fresh oxygen."
"Give the Drummer Sum" mixes bass and snare drums with some traditional horn pieces and a sped up sample with "it makes no sense." While the song is solid, it exhibits one of Milk's traits in that at times he seems to try to do a little too much. The heavy rapping and funky drums fit nicely over the melody of the song, but the sample seems like one piece too many. This moves into "Without You," a fantastic inversion of the usual hip-hop love song. Here, rather than taking the time to rap about a special woman in his life, he takes the opposite tact by rapping about how much better he is on his own. What's special about this song is that he puts it over a playful and bouncy track, helping this break-up song to avoid any bitterness or darkness so commonly associated with them. It's a welcome twist to a common theme.
To read the rest of this review, click here.
While traditional record labels and the overall state of radio hip-hop is in a sad state of decline, there continue to be a rash of good underground coming from the Midwest. A little while back we caught up with Minnesota's DoomTree, and last month I spoke about the stellar album from Detroit's eLZhi. eLZhi's The Preface, with a large amount of production provided by Black Milk has been on repeat on my iPod for a while, so I was excited to hear word of Black Milk's solo effort, Tronic, hitting shelves tomorrow. But you don't have to wait til then to read about it...we got a sneak peak this weekend.
Black Milk's work displays a feel for both the progressively electronic side of hip-hop, as well as nods to the nostalgic feel of using old samples. Both work to great effect on Tronic, and while some cuts are much stronger than others, the album's diversity of sound and style provide something for any hip-hop listener. On "Long Story Short," the album opens with a simple piano rift that is then covered up by a pulsing beat and heavy melody pieces to form the backdrop of Milk's rhyme describing his ascension in hip-hop. As the song ends, horns come in to help transition the piece back to the easy piano of the beginning, almost as if he doesn't want you to forget that he appreciates both the gentle and heavy-hitting aspects of the genre. This gives way to "Bounce," a darker song using heavy synths that sound like they could have come out of the Blade Runner soundtrack. Black Milk's style lyrically on this song uses quick starts and stops, breaking his lines up and sometimes rearranging words to emphasize points. How he feels he fits in is obvious when, lamenting the current state of hip-hop he states, "that's when I clock in as an option when you need a breath of fresh oxygen."
"Give the Drummer Sum" mixes bass and snare drums with some traditional horn pieces and a sped up sample with "it makes no sense." While the song is solid, it exhibits one of Milk's traits in that at times he seems to try to do a little too much. The heavy rapping and funky drums fit nicely over the melody of the song, but the sample seems like one piece too many. This moves into "Without You," a fantastic inversion of the usual hip-hop love song. Here, rather than taking the time to rap about a special woman in his life, he takes the opposite tact by rapping about how much better he is on his own. What's special about this song is that he puts it over a playful and bouncy track, helping this break-up song to avoid any bitterness or darkness so commonly associated with them. It's a welcome twist to a common theme.
To read the rest of this review, click here.
Friday, October 24, 2008
10 Things to Think About on a Friday
The last Friday before Halloween brings us a great many things, some of which aren't even particularly that great. The line-up at Bridge School this year wasn't even enough to entice me to buy a ticket, but I think that's trumped by the fact that the annual Love Shack Anniversary party is going down on Sunday night. In the meantime, here are some things to help you get through the rest of your day, no matter how sad, pathetic, lonely, ecstatic, awesome or friend filled it happens to be...
1) Tigers are awesome. Girls in bikinis are fantastic. Why not have both in one place?
2) It's good to know that a McCain/Palin presidency won't be reckless with our money. But then why was Palin already recklessly using Alaska's money to fund her kids' travel arrangements? But hey, at least Sarah Palin knows what being a Vice President is all about, right? Um, wrong. Oh well. At least you can still make her say what you want her to say.
3) So I thought online role playing games were going a bit too far when people actually started spending money in virtual universes. But a woman getting arrested for killing her virtual husband's avatar after he divorced her online? Are we serious?
4) Another high profile case of blunt smoking. An excellent use of tax dollars, I'm sure.
5) It's good to know what "good Christian guys" look like these days...I'm not sure I would have picked him out otherwise.
6) If only George Bush would actually endorse John McCain, it might look something like this.
7) With all the corporate fraud and political bullshit we're dealing with, I'm glad to know that a large corporation like Apple is still willing to stand up and publicly declare for equal rights for everyone by voting NO ON PROP 8.
8) Put down your Parliament Lights, bitches....smoking the reefer provides a lower cancer risk. And this of all places from FoxNews!
9) I eat like a 400lbs man, yet I'm relaxed and my blood pressure is normal. Must have something to do with my gas.
10) Should be interesting to see how the Niners do this weekend under new coach Mike Singletary. I'm just glad that Mike Martz doesn't hold any grudge about being passed over.
11) And I just saw this, but thought it definitely deserved some attention...a dance floor in a club that helps power the club. In other words, a closer to sustainable night club experience.
It's weekend time folks...Be good to each other.
1) Tigers are awesome. Girls in bikinis are fantastic. Why not have both in one place?
2) It's good to know that a McCain/Palin presidency won't be reckless with our money. But then why was Palin already recklessly using Alaska's money to fund her kids' travel arrangements? But hey, at least Sarah Palin knows what being a Vice President is all about, right? Um, wrong. Oh well. At least you can still make her say what you want her to say.
3) So I thought online role playing games were going a bit too far when people actually started spending money in virtual universes. But a woman getting arrested for killing her virtual husband's avatar after he divorced her online? Are we serious?
4) Another high profile case of blunt smoking. An excellent use of tax dollars, I'm sure.
5) It's good to know what "good Christian guys" look like these days...I'm not sure I would have picked him out otherwise.
6) If only George Bush would actually endorse John McCain, it might look something like this.
7) With all the corporate fraud and political bullshit we're dealing with, I'm glad to know that a large corporation like Apple is still willing to stand up and publicly declare for equal rights for everyone by voting NO ON PROP 8.
8) Put down your Parliament Lights, bitches....smoking the reefer provides a lower cancer risk. And this of all places from FoxNews!
9) I eat like a 400lbs man, yet I'm relaxed and my blood pressure is normal. Must have something to do with my gas.
10) Should be interesting to see how the Niners do this weekend under new coach Mike Singletary. I'm just glad that Mike Martz doesn't hold any grudge about being passed over.
11) And I just saw this, but thought it definitely deserved some attention...a dance floor in a club that helps power the club. In other words, a closer to sustainable night club experience.
It's weekend time folks...Be good to each other.
Happy Birthday ChengJ!
The former tennis almost-pro and life long Butts Up player, ChengJ, celebrates his birthday today. He turns 26. For the past 25 years, ChengJ has succeeded in being the whitest guy I know, while violently maintaining his stranglehold on the sport of ping pong. When drinking, he turns bright red, and he has made friends with almost every bouncer that City Tavern has to offer.Often shirtless at home, ChengJ never shies away from the opportunity to be both incredibly cool and half naked when he can do both at the same time. With skills ranging from Beirut to Guitar Hero to a really cool indoor wooden surfboard that I haven't seen since he changed apartments, ChengJ has clearly made the most of his time here on Earth, and one can only expect more expertise, debauchery and daring dos in years to come.
So raise your glass folks, with a big cheers to ChengJ, the ultimate Marina Man.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Land of Pumpkins
Saturday morning starts around 10 am with Bloody Marys. I have one of my Mom's, which is excellent, and follow it up with a version made by Hessica that tastes faintly reminiscent of rubbing alcohol. Myself, Sis, Jarles, Damie, Yates and her fiancé Wes, Bini, Za and Nah begin escalating the drinking by tapping into the kegs and playing some Beirut. About 12:30 or so, it's time for the legendary walk into town, so we fill our glasses, pick up Miles on the way and head towards Cameron's.
Once at Cameron's, we pick up pitchers and retreat to the double decker smoking bus where we proceed to swelter, smoke and drink. It's a welcome moment of respite before heading on to the festival itself. We finish the pitchers and move on down Main Street.
Once at Main Street, the crowd is overwhelming. It's hard to move in general, but trying to keep our very large pack together is a different task entirely. The goal is to find restrooms and beer cups. We get both, some people get in line for food, and we continue on our way. Sis at this point has found a party for us to check out, so we take it a block off Main and find a very large backyard party that the cops don't seem to have any interest in breaking up. Of course, Sis and Hessica start running into everyone they ever went to school with, and as our luck would have it, the kegs are tapped. We make a quick Cunha's run where the festival tradition is to buy 2 dollar 22s and pour them into the Festival cups. This generally saves a very large amount of money, given that festival beers are around 8 bucks a pop.
We head back to the party, only Sis has disappeared. She's gone down to San Benito house and left us at the party she brought us to. Hessica tells us that she's going to go get Sis so we can start the procession back, or at least reassemble and decide what's next. But when she gets there, Sis isn't ready to leave and so we wait outside the party, throwing a frisbee in the street, waiting for Hessica to come back. When she returns, we're all pretty much done, and we start making a straggling attempt to walk back to Cameron's. Bini, Nah and myself throw the frisbee the entire way (making it quite a bit longer of a walk), and when we get to Cameron's, we're in perfect time for the two Sandies (y and ie) who have come to pick us up and drive us back to the house.
When we get back, Topher and Marc show up, the grill is going the food is everywhere. I, however, having been drinking for nearly 8 hours (and beer, not my usual Rodka for days like these), manage to eat a bit of steak, a helping of the Caesar salad, and then, upon seeing people watching the baseball game, and feeling generally fatigued, I crawl upstairs and fall asleep. It was a bit earlier than I had intended to go to bed, but given that I heard about some various conversations and moments following my departure that it's maybe better I wasn't around for, I'm not too displeased.
I wake up at 5 in the morning, almost completely sober, and unable to sleep. Sis and I solve this by spending about an hour outside smoking bowls before we head back upstairs and sleep until around 10.
Another successful Pfest, and happy to say that all the new comers enjoyed the time and are already looking ahead to next year.
Friday, October 17, 2008
10 Things to Think About on a Friday
Not a bad week, was it folks? I had cocktails and oysters at Kingfish on Monday, followed by a Skylark trip, said goodbye to 425 on Tuesday night, enjoyed the couch on Wednesday night and had pho on Thursday. What better way to get to Friday, PFest and an entire weekend off? None I say, none! While you're limping along like a limp puppy towards 5pm, here's a few things to ponder, and of course, given the time of year and the year itself, quite a few election related things here...
1) Radiohead has finally released figures on what it made from its famous In Rainbows online release. What I find interesting is that even though most people downloaded it for free, it still made more money than 2003's Hail to the Thief.
2) I mentioned a few weeks ago that we had the new and widely anticipated Dr. Dre album to look forward to in the next few months. Turns out Eminem's Relapse isn't far behind...
3) I love eating. But how many of you could realistically even dream of eating a 15 POUND burger?
4) It's good to see that even in the midst of this election, McCain and Obama can joke around with each other. I especially like Obama's comment about being able to see the Russian Tea Room...
5) So let me get this straight...McCain and Obama mention Joe the Plumber like 40 times in the debate on Wednesday. Joe the Plumber can't buy his business under the Barack Obama tax plan. But wait a second...he isn't a licensed plumber, and he owes the state of Ohio back taxes? Did McCain actually even meet this guy?
6) McCain, run a negative ad? No way! He wouldn't do that. He told us in the debate that he was not running an negative campaign. He wouldn't lie to us. Of course, no one ever said that automated calls attempting to tie Obama to a terrorist were negative!
7) McCain to YouTube: "You need to treat politicians, especially my campaign, different from your other users. After all, I could be President one day." YouTube to McCain: "Go fuck yourself."
8) Note to strip club patrons...watch out for flying shoes.
9) At first I thought this was just a picture...then I realized that different things happen when you click on items...nothing like playing around in Sarah Palin's oval office...
10) A word to the wise...if you're going to break up with someone and change your relationship status on Facebook, make sure you haven't been dating a murderous maniac.
That's it. PFest here we come.
1) Radiohead has finally released figures on what it made from its famous In Rainbows online release. What I find interesting is that even though most people downloaded it for free, it still made more money than 2003's Hail to the Thief.
2) I mentioned a few weeks ago that we had the new and widely anticipated Dr. Dre album to look forward to in the next few months. Turns out Eminem's Relapse isn't far behind...
3) I love eating. But how many of you could realistically even dream of eating a 15 POUND burger?
4) It's good to see that even in the midst of this election, McCain and Obama can joke around with each other. I especially like Obama's comment about being able to see the Russian Tea Room...
5) So let me get this straight...McCain and Obama mention Joe the Plumber like 40 times in the debate on Wednesday. Joe the Plumber can't buy his business under the Barack Obama tax plan. But wait a second...he isn't a licensed plumber, and he owes the state of Ohio back taxes? Did McCain actually even meet this guy?
6) McCain, run a negative ad? No way! He wouldn't do that. He told us in the debate that he was not running an negative campaign. He wouldn't lie to us. Of course, no one ever said that automated calls attempting to tie Obama to a terrorist were negative!
7) McCain to YouTube: "You need to treat politicians, especially my campaign, different from your other users. After all, I could be President one day." YouTube to McCain: "Go fuck yourself."
8) Note to strip club patrons...watch out for flying shoes.
9) At first I thought this was just a picture...then I realized that different things happen when you click on items...nothing like playing around in Sarah Palin's oval office...
10) A word to the wise...if you're going to break up with someone and change your relationship status on Facebook, make sure you haven't been dating a murderous maniac.
That's it. PFest here we come.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
John McCain: Music Thief
{for all music related posts, see .Evolving.Music}
We've been told at numerous points over the past couple months that John McCain and Sarah Palin are the correct people to run our country for the next four years. While I usually try to keep my political leanings out of the EvolvingMusic blog (I mean, we're here for music, right? There's enough politics already), I find it absolutely shocking that the McCain campaign continues a practice that is both disrespectful and illegal.
We hear them talk about "shaking up Washington," bringing the idea of ethics back to politics, and a chance for change. We hear Palin all the time tell us that she's going to "talk straight to the American people." Basically, they've run their campaign on the idea of honesty, transparency and a return to basics. If that's the case, then why are they blatantly, without permission and regardless of the wishes of the musicians, using songs they have no right to use throughout their campaign?
For those of you unaware, an artist with a copyright on a song has to give permission for the song to be used. McCain's camp has now used, without permission and frequently with strenuous objections by the performers, songs by Heart, Foo Fighters, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp and most recently, Survivor. What's worse is that they aren't limiting this illegal use to just playing the songs on campaign stops...they've gone so far as to include a few in television ads.
For the rest of the story dealing with McCain and Palin's musical theft, click here.
We've been told at numerous points over the past couple months that John McCain and Sarah Palin are the correct people to run our country for the next four years. While I usually try to keep my political leanings out of the EvolvingMusic blog (I mean, we're here for music, right? There's enough politics already), I find it absolutely shocking that the McCain campaign continues a practice that is both disrespectful and illegal.
We hear them talk about "shaking up Washington," bringing the idea of ethics back to politics, and a chance for change. We hear Palin all the time tell us that she's going to "talk straight to the American people." Basically, they've run their campaign on the idea of honesty, transparency and a return to basics. If that's the case, then why are they blatantly, without permission and regardless of the wishes of the musicians, using songs they have no right to use throughout their campaign?
For those of you unaware, an artist with a copyright on a song has to give permission for the song to be used. McCain's camp has now used, without permission and frequently with strenuous objections by the performers, songs by Heart, Foo Fighters, Jackson Browne, John Mellencamp and most recently, Survivor. What's worse is that they aren't limiting this illegal use to just playing the songs on campaign stops...they've gone so far as to include a few in television ads.
For the rest of the story dealing with McCain and Palin's musical theft, click here.
Good-bye, 425
Last night, on a random Tuesday, some of us had the opportunity to bid farewell to Xena's apartment, a source of fun and excitement now for several years. I hear that they're going to be moving to the Russian Hill area, which should prove for an interesting change of pace. It was odd though, being in an apartment that had had so many insanely large parties, with it all boxed up and ready to move. I felt bad for the neighbors having to listen to the music at that volume on a Tuesday, but I figure if they knew it was the last hurrah, they'd be ok with it. I figure rather than try to recap here the evening, which was standard drinking and dancing before people left for the BOC, I'd give you 3 memorable evenings (in chronological order) that either started or ended with the apartment at 425 14th. It will be sorely missed.
1) Don't Drink Pear Vodka
2) Trolls de Mayo
3) Pride: The Kick-Off BBQ
1) Don't Drink Pear Vodka
2) Trolls de Mayo
3) Pride: The Kick-Off BBQ
Thursday, October 9, 2008
10 Things to Think About on a Friday
This year is like a roller coaster that already hit its high mark and now can't wait to get to the bottom of the hill. I got to try out Iron Gate on Monday night, a traditional and upscale restaurant in Belmont of all places. Talk about old time Peninsula. I had escargot and peppercorn steak. Tuesday I went out and spoke a bit of French at French Tuesdays...not often I get to dust the tux off. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get out around a Saturday XC meet and a Sunday open house in the now brutal pumpkin traffic. As for the rest of you, you have until 5 to soak in the doldrums of work, so there's 10 things to think about...
1) McCain likes to talk alot about change, and how consistent he is, and how trustworthy and honest and perfect and heroic and intelligent and wonderful he is. So then why can you read a good 10 pages on why he isn't really any of those things?
2) For years, those of us interested in and willing to be friends with benefits hid in the closet of shame society made for us by calling us promiscuous or not BF/GF...looks like it's finally going mainstream...check out CNN's advice for being good friends with benefits.
3) It's a good thing we've sent troops overseas to fight for our freedom. That way, as they're fighting for our rights, we can eavesdrop on their private conversations!
4) If the Virgin Mary was any indication, we might be on our road to worshiping Jesus in shark form.
5) How would you like it if your significant other poured boiling water on your crotch as you slept?
6) With California set to vote on same-sex marriages, and Connecticut ruling to allow them, it appears some of the country is finally waking up to the idea that we can't talk about spreading freedom if we don't have it for our own citizens.
7) So Hugh Hefner is moving on. His long time girlfriend, interested in having children that due to low sperm count he can't provide, is moving out. What better way to bounce back than to find 19 year old twins to be your next girlfriends? How about 19 year old twins with records of assault and battery?
8) I don't know about you, but if living to 105 requires not having sex, I think I'll pass.
9) In the presidential debate the other day, McCain accused Obama of pork barrel spending for a "$3 million overhead projector." I guess at his age it's easy to confuse an overhead projector with a planetarium projector.
10) Finally, you should always have a DD. But what if your DD is drunk? Well, if he gets you home safe, that's fantastic, but if he gets pulled over and booked for DUI, you should definitely get in the driver's seat and try to drive away from the cops.
That's it for me today people. Take care of yourselves.
1) McCain likes to talk alot about change, and how consistent he is, and how trustworthy and honest and perfect and heroic and intelligent and wonderful he is. So then why can you read a good 10 pages on why he isn't really any of those things?
2) For years, those of us interested in and willing to be friends with benefits hid in the closet of shame society made for us by calling us promiscuous or not BF/GF...looks like it's finally going mainstream...check out CNN's advice for being good friends with benefits.
3) It's a good thing we've sent troops overseas to fight for our freedom. That way, as they're fighting for our rights, we can eavesdrop on their private conversations!
4) If the Virgin Mary was any indication, we might be on our road to worshiping Jesus in shark form.
5) How would you like it if your significant other poured boiling water on your crotch as you slept?
6) With California set to vote on same-sex marriages, and Connecticut ruling to allow them, it appears some of the country is finally waking up to the idea that we can't talk about spreading freedom if we don't have it for our own citizens.
7) So Hugh Hefner is moving on. His long time girlfriend, interested in having children that due to low sperm count he can't provide, is moving out. What better way to bounce back than to find 19 year old twins to be your next girlfriends? How about 19 year old twins with records of assault and battery?
8) I don't know about you, but if living to 105 requires not having sex, I think I'll pass.
9) In the presidential debate the other day, McCain accused Obama of pork barrel spending for a "$3 million overhead projector." I guess at his age it's easy to confuse an overhead projector with a planetarium projector.
10) Finally, you should always have a DD. But what if your DD is drunk? Well, if he gets you home safe, that's fantastic, but if he gets pulled over and booked for DUI, you should definitely get in the driver's seat and try to drive away from the cops.
That's it for me today people. Take care of yourselves.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Welcome to Monday
This weekend was a blast...dominoes and Beirut were played by all, and I even got in a trip to Benihana's.
I don't know why the writers' strike, which lasted forever and took off an entire season of shows, meant that they had to come back and put every tv show on at the same time...Here's a list of TV shows and how they're messing with my Tivo....
Sundays: American Dad, Family Guy, Simpsons, The Unit, True Blood, Entourage, Life and Times of Tim, Little Britain USA, Dexter, Californication.
Tuesdays: Shield
Wednesdays: Sons of Anarchy, America's Next Top Model
Thurdays: Office, Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Now, without the strike, they could have neatly put all of these at different times and so on and so forth, but nooooooo, everything is on at the same time. The only real problem is Sunday when three different shows start at 9. You'd think that people would know Sunday night is HBO and reschedule their shows accordingly.
In other news, new Presidential debate coming up tomorrow night. Is it just me, or is McCain on a repeat loop right now, running the same type of crap against Obama day in and day out? Does the American public get this, or are they too wrapped up in the fact that they still think Obama is Muslim? You wonder if he realizes how pathetic he looks, or if, as a great American war hero, he just thinks he can do and say whatever he wants.
But you can get Sarah Palin to do and say whatever you want...
We're now less than two weeks away from PFest....I hope you have your drinking shoes on.
SC for National Champion. Obama for President. Financial Bailout plan for "least likely to succeed."
I don't know why the writers' strike, which lasted forever and took off an entire season of shows, meant that they had to come back and put every tv show on at the same time...Here's a list of TV shows and how they're messing with my Tivo....
Sundays: American Dad, Family Guy, Simpsons, The Unit, True Blood, Entourage, Life and Times of Tim, Little Britain USA, Dexter, Californication.
Tuesdays: Shield
Wednesdays: Sons of Anarchy, America's Next Top Model
Thurdays: Office, Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Now, without the strike, they could have neatly put all of these at different times and so on and so forth, but nooooooo, everything is on at the same time. The only real problem is Sunday when three different shows start at 9. You'd think that people would know Sunday night is HBO and reschedule their shows accordingly.
In other news, new Presidential debate coming up tomorrow night. Is it just me, or is McCain on a repeat loop right now, running the same type of crap against Obama day in and day out? Does the American public get this, or are they too wrapped up in the fact that they still think Obama is Muslim? You wonder if he realizes how pathetic he looks, or if, as a great American war hero, he just thinks he can do and say whatever he wants.
But you can get Sarah Palin to do and say whatever you want...
We're now less than two weeks away from PFest....I hope you have your drinking shoes on.
SC for National Champion. Obama for President. Financial Bailout plan for "least likely to succeed."
Friday, October 3, 2008
10 Things to Think About on a Friday
Here we are...just as I promised last Friday, in October. And, quite frankly, I'm torn today on how to handle the 10 things as I was seriously considering just looking at last night's Vice Presidential debate, as I have a lot to say about that as well. I decided to do the 10 things for those that love them, and then rant about the debate for anyone who has the time and patience to read it. Bansai!
1) As if our National financial crisis wasn't enough, now we have a California crisis. And if we're asking for 7 billion dollars from the National Treasury, there goes any hope we had of detaching ourselves from the union.
2) Just when I was concerned about getting an infectious disease from a public toilet seat, I find out I have nothing to fear, except, of course, the rest of the bathroom.
3) I get a little nervous in elevators that go up 100 floors in a building, so how would you feel in an elevator going up 100,000 floors into space?
4) Flying has gotten very bad since 9/11. What's worse is the idea that by not allowing water bottles, hair gel, Jell-o and large bottles of shampoo, we're helping to make the skies we fly safer. This artist in his provocative anti-TSA art has the right idea about civil disobedience.
5) I love The Thomas Crown Affair, and I'm a big fan of Craigslist. So what's better than a man using Craigslist to hire decoys to help him rob a bank and escape in an innertube?!
6) Both myself and my students were shocked on Wednesday night when Clark became the latest girl to get the boot on America's Next Top Model. Here's what she had to say about getting dropped the week after being number 1, and of course, kissing Elina.
7) I'm pretty sure I speak for almost everyone outside of the Bible thumpers when I say sex is a great thing. But I can honestly say that I would never shoot myself in the arm just because I didn't get it.
8) While DRM music and iTunes may not be safe from royalty rate hikes forever, they appear to be in the clear for now.
9) The professional demeanor, the power suits, the glasses. While I don't think she has what it takes to be Vice President, that doesn't mean I'm not attracted. I think this is partially what Larry Flynt was betting on when he made a porn with a Sarah Palin lookalike. What about a movie about Sarah Palin? Here's 10 celebrities that could play her.
10) And now for the debate...I'm getting real sick, real fast hearing that Sarah Palin and her "down-to-earth" and from her own mouth, "Joe Six-Pack" approach is what our government needs right now. She's attempting to appeal to the broadest base of Americans, and what makes me even more scared is that I bet a lot of "average" Americans, particularly those in the fly-over states still living in 1950, are buying into it. In terms of international reputation, economic status, and the multiple wars we've managed to engage our country in, a common and average vice president who could become president is exactly what we don't need. In case people have forgotten, we voted for the guy you could have a beer with back in 2000 and look where we are now.
The crisis that we're in throughout our government and country at this moment is going to take more than just a promise of change from a long time Republican Senator. It's going to take more than "Main Street," close-minded thinking from an Alaskan Governor. Hell, it'll probably take more than the energetic and experienced team of Obama/Biden can provide, but at least it's closer to the realm of possibilities. Sarah Palin talks about family values, but has a pregnant out of wedlock teenage daughter. McCain likes to talk about being the voice for change, but what about his record, especially recently, demonstrates that?
But are they willing to debate the facts? Not likely. During the debate last night, as Biden was speaking about McCain's record and laying out fact after fact about prior history, Palin's only response was to not look at the past, and when that didn't work, she fell comfortably into one of several soundbites the Republican party has adopted for this campaign. I've noticed a few of these more than others...
A) They love talking about Obama not supporting a troop funding bill, and continue to throw that out there without wanting to talk about the reason for the rejection (lack of a timetable), or comparing it to McCain's similarly negative vote on a bill with a timetable. Neither of them voted against funding the troops, they just voted against what they saw as detrimental timelines or lack thereof.
B) If I hear the "we're mavericks coming to Washington" line one more time, I'm going to scream. The only maverick I know was in Top Gun in the 80s and he was played by Tom Cruise. I think Biden said it right last night when he pointed out all the Bush issues that McCain absolutely was not a maverick on. Something about a 70 year old white man that has been in Washington as long as McCain has just doesn't say maverick to me.
C) Palin last night outright refused to answer a debate question, saying basically that she was a maverick and didn't do what Washington wanted and didn't care if they didn't like the way she was answering (or not answering) the questions. Um, you're in a debate to be vice president of the United States, and you won't answer the questions? What would she do as President if asked the tough questions? What's worse is that every time she avoided a question, she simply fell back on another soundbite. That's not a debate, that's evasion, and what's sad is that I have to wonder just how many people watching the debate actually realized what she was doing, and how many of them heard a party line come out and went, "Yea, you tell him Sarah!"
D) Sarah has one personality trait that annoys me more than most. If you've watched the debate, you've no doubt become accustomed to her shit-eating smile as she tackles a difficult question in a less than satisfactory manner. It's almost like saying, "I'm smiling America, and I'm going to straight talk you, even if I'm not actually straight talking, but by God, we're both Americans, so check me out!" That smile is unfortunately very crowd friendly, and makes her seem quite accessible, if you happen to be among the people who can watch her without hearing a single thing she says.
E) I think Obama/Biden missed a golden opportunity yesterday to attack Palin's lack of experience. I think a significant amount of time on Biden's part should have been dedicated to emphasizing his experience and her lack. It should have gone to talking about what the country would face if he were to become President, and how that would differ from her taking over. Instead, he spent most of his time attacking McCain, which I think let her slide a bit on the fact that when she opens her mouth, she's simply not ready to be President.
F) Hockey moms and Joe Six-Packs may be the majority of our country, as she pointed out last night, but that doesn't mean we need them running our government. We've seen where that's gotten us with, as one commentator last night called him, "George 12 pack," and it should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans, regardless of party affiliation...It shouldn't matter if the candidate is Republican or Democrat if there's a clear and distinct different in intelligence and ability. When looking at McCain vs. Bush, there's no question that McCain is a big step up. But when you compare McCain with Obama, the choice is far less clear. Throw into that mixture the contrast between Biden and Palin, and I think that anyone who votes for the McCain/Palin ticket is failing, as their party wants you to believe, to put "Country First," and is focusing too much on party first. When compared side by side, the idea that McCain and someone as inexperienced as Palin are a suitable choice for our country at the moment is absurdly sad.
G) Pundits today are saying that while Biden was the victor in last night's debate, Palin raised her stock in the eyes of many. Um, when the expectation is 0, even a 1 is a substantial raise. People came in expecting her to flounder and crack in front of Biden. When she didn't, it was viewed as a huge coup, despite the fact that she dodged questions, took cheap shots with inaccurate facts at opponents and lauded Dick Cheney for his interpretation of the office of Vice President. Are we asleep at the wheel here America, or is this type of behavior not exactly what we've been trying to get away from? Just because she didn't come off as an ignorant "whiteneck" out of the hills of Alaska doesn't mean that she is capable and competent to run our country. Can you imagine where we would be if we handed the entire government over to hockey and soccer moms? I find the idea fantastically depressing.
But, as my friend Melissa has told me, "there's nothing more uncommon than common sense," and if 2004 is any indication, Republicans are going to vote Republican even if the candidate is a sad disgrace to our country. I guess, with a month to the election, you can only hold your breath and hope. Or, you can go here and make her say what you want her to say!
1) As if our National financial crisis wasn't enough, now we have a California crisis. And if we're asking for 7 billion dollars from the National Treasury, there goes any hope we had of detaching ourselves from the union.
2) Just when I was concerned about getting an infectious disease from a public toilet seat, I find out I have nothing to fear, except, of course, the rest of the bathroom.
3) I get a little nervous in elevators that go up 100 floors in a building, so how would you feel in an elevator going up 100,000 floors into space?
4) Flying has gotten very bad since 9/11. What's worse is the idea that by not allowing water bottles, hair gel, Jell-o and large bottles of shampoo, we're helping to make the skies we fly safer. This artist in his provocative anti-TSA art has the right idea about civil disobedience.
5) I love The Thomas Crown Affair, and I'm a big fan of Craigslist. So what's better than a man using Craigslist to hire decoys to help him rob a bank and escape in an innertube?!
6) Both myself and my students were shocked on Wednesday night when Clark became the latest girl to get the boot on America's Next Top Model. Here's what she had to say about getting dropped the week after being number 1, and of course, kissing Elina.
7) I'm pretty sure I speak for almost everyone outside of the Bible thumpers when I say sex is a great thing. But I can honestly say that I would never shoot myself in the arm just because I didn't get it.
8) While DRM music and iTunes may not be safe from royalty rate hikes forever, they appear to be in the clear for now.
9) The professional demeanor, the power suits, the glasses. While I don't think she has what it takes to be Vice President, that doesn't mean I'm not attracted. I think this is partially what Larry Flynt was betting on when he made a porn with a Sarah Palin lookalike. What about a movie about Sarah Palin? Here's 10 celebrities that could play her.
10) And now for the debate...I'm getting real sick, real fast hearing that Sarah Palin and her "down-to-earth" and from her own mouth, "Joe Six-Pack" approach is what our government needs right now. She's attempting to appeal to the broadest base of Americans, and what makes me even more scared is that I bet a lot of "average" Americans, particularly those in the fly-over states still living in 1950, are buying into it. In terms of international reputation, economic status, and the multiple wars we've managed to engage our country in, a common and average vice president who could become president is exactly what we don't need. In case people have forgotten, we voted for the guy you could have a beer with back in 2000 and look where we are now.
The crisis that we're in throughout our government and country at this moment is going to take more than just a promise of change from a long time Republican Senator. It's going to take more than "Main Street," close-minded thinking from an Alaskan Governor. Hell, it'll probably take more than the energetic and experienced team of Obama/Biden can provide, but at least it's closer to the realm of possibilities. Sarah Palin talks about family values, but has a pregnant out of wedlock teenage daughter. McCain likes to talk about being the voice for change, but what about his record, especially recently, demonstrates that?
But are they willing to debate the facts? Not likely. During the debate last night, as Biden was speaking about McCain's record and laying out fact after fact about prior history, Palin's only response was to not look at the past, and when that didn't work, she fell comfortably into one of several soundbites the Republican party has adopted for this campaign. I've noticed a few of these more than others...
A) They love talking about Obama not supporting a troop funding bill, and continue to throw that out there without wanting to talk about the reason for the rejection (lack of a timetable), or comparing it to McCain's similarly negative vote on a bill with a timetable. Neither of them voted against funding the troops, they just voted against what they saw as detrimental timelines or lack thereof.
B) If I hear the "we're mavericks coming to Washington" line one more time, I'm going to scream. The only maverick I know was in Top Gun in the 80s and he was played by Tom Cruise. I think Biden said it right last night when he pointed out all the Bush issues that McCain absolutely was not a maverick on. Something about a 70 year old white man that has been in Washington as long as McCain has just doesn't say maverick to me.
C) Palin last night outright refused to answer a debate question, saying basically that she was a maverick and didn't do what Washington wanted and didn't care if they didn't like the way she was answering (or not answering) the questions. Um, you're in a debate to be vice president of the United States, and you won't answer the questions? What would she do as President if asked the tough questions? What's worse is that every time she avoided a question, she simply fell back on another soundbite. That's not a debate, that's evasion, and what's sad is that I have to wonder just how many people watching the debate actually realized what she was doing, and how many of them heard a party line come out and went, "Yea, you tell him Sarah!"
D) Sarah has one personality trait that annoys me more than most. If you've watched the debate, you've no doubt become accustomed to her shit-eating smile as she tackles a difficult question in a less than satisfactory manner. It's almost like saying, "I'm smiling America, and I'm going to straight talk you, even if I'm not actually straight talking, but by God, we're both Americans, so check me out!" That smile is unfortunately very crowd friendly, and makes her seem quite accessible, if you happen to be among the people who can watch her without hearing a single thing she says.
E) I think Obama/Biden missed a golden opportunity yesterday to attack Palin's lack of experience. I think a significant amount of time on Biden's part should have been dedicated to emphasizing his experience and her lack. It should have gone to talking about what the country would face if he were to become President, and how that would differ from her taking over. Instead, he spent most of his time attacking McCain, which I think let her slide a bit on the fact that when she opens her mouth, she's simply not ready to be President.
F) Hockey moms and Joe Six-Packs may be the majority of our country, as she pointed out last night, but that doesn't mean we need them running our government. We've seen where that's gotten us with, as one commentator last night called him, "George 12 pack," and it should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans, regardless of party affiliation...It shouldn't matter if the candidate is Republican or Democrat if there's a clear and distinct different in intelligence and ability. When looking at McCain vs. Bush, there's no question that McCain is a big step up. But when you compare McCain with Obama, the choice is far less clear. Throw into that mixture the contrast between Biden and Palin, and I think that anyone who votes for the McCain/Palin ticket is failing, as their party wants you to believe, to put "Country First," and is focusing too much on party first. When compared side by side, the idea that McCain and someone as inexperienced as Palin are a suitable choice for our country at the moment is absurdly sad.
G) Pundits today are saying that while Biden was the victor in last night's debate, Palin raised her stock in the eyes of many. Um, when the expectation is 0, even a 1 is a substantial raise. People came in expecting her to flounder and crack in front of Biden. When she didn't, it was viewed as a huge coup, despite the fact that she dodged questions, took cheap shots with inaccurate facts at opponents and lauded Dick Cheney for his interpretation of the office of Vice President. Are we asleep at the wheel here America, or is this type of behavior not exactly what we've been trying to get away from? Just because she didn't come off as an ignorant "whiteneck" out of the hills of Alaska doesn't mean that she is capable and competent to run our country. Can you imagine where we would be if we handed the entire government over to hockey and soccer moms? I find the idea fantastically depressing.
But, as my friend Melissa has told me, "there's nothing more uncommon than common sense," and if 2004 is any indication, Republicans are going to vote Republican even if the candidate is a sad disgrace to our country. I guess, with a month to the election, you can only hold your breath and hope. Or, you can go here and make her say what you want her to say!
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