I like lists

Again, according to those hip cats at the Rolling Stone Magazine this should be how you view Rock and/or Roll if you are to think of yourself as wry, hip cat of taste and sophistication. I wonder what would happen to there list if 1960-1970 fell off their list? A lousey 10 years and this puppy is shot to hell.

#1 Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
#2 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction -The Rolling Stones
#3 Imagine - John Lennon
#4 What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
#5 Respect - Aretha Franklin
#6 Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
#7 Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
#8 Hey Jude - The Beatles
#9 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
#10 What'd I Say - Ray Charles
#11 My Generation - The Who
#12 A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
#13 Yesterday - The Beatles
#14 Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan
#15 London Calling - The Clash
#16 I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
#17 Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
#18 Maybellene - Chuck Berry
#19 Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
#20 Let it Be - The Beatles
#21 Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
#22 Be My Baby - The Ronettes
#23 In My Life - The Beatles
#24 People Get Ready - The Impressions
#25 God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
#26 A Day in the Life - The Beatles
#27 Layla - Derek and the Dominos
#28 Sittin On the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
#29 Help! - The Beatles
#30 I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash
#31 Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
#32 Sympathy For The Devil - The Rolling Stones
#33 River Deep, Mountain High - Ike & Tina Turner
#34 You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - The Righteous Brothers
#35 Light My Fire - The Doors
#36 One - U2
#37 No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley and the Wailers
#38 Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
#39 That'll Be the Day - Buddy Holly and The Crickets
#40 Dancing In The Street - Martha and The Vandellas
#41 The Weight - The Band
#42 Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
#43 Tutti Frutti - Little Richard
#44 Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles
#45 Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
#46 Heroes - David Bowie
#47 Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
#48 All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
#49 Hotel California - The Eagles
#50 The Tracks Of My Tears -Smokey Robinson

This one is on this list and I've past over it a for the last time.


Today's Song of the Day is "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry off his 1959 album "Chuck Berry Is on Top."

Crazy Fact: In the early '70s Chuck Berry scored his last hit with a live version of the salacious nursery rhyme, "My Ding a Ling," yielding Berry his first official gold record.

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Pain in the ass

Ok I got a new topper for diseases I don't want. RSD. It tops the list on the McGill Pain Index. You may not have heard of it either but it's just what it sounds like. A pain-o-meter, a ranking system. Anyway RSD is sudden permenent unexplainable pain. The nerves just never stop sending pain messages to the brain. wow. I believe that to be unimaginabley painful. So Mange, Gout and Fatal familial insomnia now take a back seat to this fucker.


Today's Song of the Day is "Boogie Chillin" by John Lee Hooker off the album "The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954."

Crazy Fact: His 1990 duet with Raitt on "I'm in the Mood" won Hooker his first Grammy Award.

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World's are Collapsing.

So I do theatre for a while get a degree, it bites. I do advertising for a while, while it pays better, it too bites. But if the world was coming to an end and I had to pick between the two, it would be a theatre life for me. But it now seems the worlds coming to an end AND I don't have to pick.

In New York you can see a play with a live Ad before it starts. Here's what one theatre goer said:

"It took a long time for everything," said a Dutch-born New Yorker, Daphne van der Meulen, 29. "I think you can see from the people that it didn't really — how do you say it? — didn't really hit."

I know what Shakespeare would say: How much do I get payed? I think we need to beef up my role? (Actors are all the same)

I know Antonin Artaud would burn down the theatre (But he'd probably do that anyway.)

I'm pretty sure Beckett would be pissed and write a great play about it, that most people would not understand.

Bretch would ask to direct it, subvert and expose the hippocrasy and get run out of town by the capitalists.

I am going to bitch and moan, then cry a little.


Today's Song of the Day is "What Is And What Should Never Be" by Led Zeppelin off their 1969 album "Led Zeppelin II"

Crazy Fact: Led Zeppelin II spent seven weeks at number one.

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Where's Waldo?

k so we are going to elope. wedding planning blows. Sarah wants to go south, I want to go to Italy. I think I can convince her to go to Italy or Spain or Greece. Yum.

We go. We have a big party as soon as we get back. Life is good.


Today's Song of the Day is "Spanish Train" by Chris de Burgh off his 1976 album "Spanish Train & Other Stories."

Crazy Fact: It is with shame that I admit the first concert I ever saw was Chris de Burgh, I loved it.

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Home Maker Cocoon

I'm a House Husband! What bizarre twist of fate lead me to this path I cannot say. But the irony to all ex-roomates, ex-girlfriends, and family members must be palpable.

Cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the house, thinking about the house, getting the groceries, re-arranging furniture, calling my ever-lovin' bread winner at work waay too often with banal questions, gossiping, stopping in on my way here or there... Let me say it's very very strange for me.

It's not just that I didn't care about mess but I just never saw it. I think I'm actually starting to see mess. I'm turning into something else, something very domestic.

I'm afraid.
hold me.


Today's Song of the Day is "Flying Home" by Lionel Hampton & Oscar Peterson off the 1954 album "The Lionel Hampton Quintet".

Crazy Fact: In January 2001, a vibraphone Lionel Hampton had played for 15 years was put into the National Museum of American History.

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This one is about the link

This link kills me.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gj4rYe4hD6w&search=stephen%20colbert%20white%20house

I can't believe George Bush is in the room. It doesn't look faked either.


Today's Song of the Day is "Can't Truss It Public Enemy" off their 1991 album "Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black"

Crazy Fact: Public Enemy promoted Apocalypse 91 in 1992 by touring on the second leg of U2's Zoo TV tour.

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way to choke

So it's my last exam and I'm feeling kinda burnt and studied out. So with limited success I stave off procrastination. The last refuge to the procrastinator is the "what is my mark so far" activity.

I busted my ass to get a good grades during the term and the ass-busting worked. Considering my usual routine is to have blown it by now I'm feeling pretty good about the outcome of the "Mark so far game" I averaged it all out and figured for sure I got an A with the outside chance of an A- (so far) in Discrete Math (Number theory, Set Theory, Logic, Mathematical Proofs.) So I'm feeling pretty good about the concept of getting an A in a university math course especially one as primarily conceptual as this one.

I can feel summer on the verge of snapping into action.

These three things:
- "almost done" / "summer's here" vibes
- Last exam burn-out
- and general disorientation due to a lack of fucking up (I think you people call this confidence, but this concept is foreign to me)

led to an atomic exam room choke.

Stage one, a second guess on the first question, lead to a rise in temperature and full-on, full-body sweat.

Stage two, my mind blanked on the basic predicate logic question, causing a frantic and time consuming search for an 'easy question'

Stage three, a wave of anxiety at the failure to find the sanity saving "easy question" hence sanity was not saved, thus, sanity was lost.

Stage four, looking around the arena for any-other freaking class-mate in the 'insanity loves company' mental state. What I saw was a hockey rink brimming with a terrible fear, each of us struggling in silence. Each of us at our cheap wobbly exam time tables, scratching our fear into pencil marks answering questions each question answered asks another, is that right? Each answered question dumping it's own load of fear to the bigger question, Will I get a good grade? Will I fail? Will I make it? Will I be ok? Am I ok? Am I smart? Am I good enough?

It was at this point I felt like standing on my desk wildly waving a white flag, not in surrender but as a call to arms, as to signal the revolution. We can escape our fear! We can overcome the Tyrants! The Bureaucracy! The hypocrisy! We mortgage our future. We pay out thousands for a raffle ticket to happiness. And they corral us all in here like chattel to grovel for marks! Rise up my fellow students Rise up and... and what? drink some beer and scout out hotties in the library? This sucks.

Stage five, Hope that I don't blow it and do my best with the rest of the suckers in the room.

This song has nothing to do with the above rant.


Today's Song of the Day is "Androgynous" by the The Replacements off their 1984 album "Let It Be."

Crazy Fact: Originally, the band was called the Impediments, but they changed their name to the Replacements after being banned from a local club for disorderly behavior.

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Exams.

1 down 2 to go.


Today's Song of the Day is "I Was Meant For The Stage" by The Decemberists off their 2003 album "Her Majesty."

Crazy Fact: Not only is one member of this band named Chris Funk but he also plays the theremin.

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A cup a Joe, two cups of woe.

I think my shrink rocks.

Stimulants don't make you pee as a rule but caffeine does. One cup of coffee, two cups of pee. I kinda like thinking about a Mister Rogers type guy, wearing slippers, argyle sweater-vest, smilin' with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand, the camera spins and there's the same mister rogers type guy, frowning with two steaming coffee cups of urine.

Now I laugh every time I pee.


Today's Song of the Day is "One More Cup Of Coffee" performed by The White Stripes off their 1999 album "The White Stripes" composed by Bob Dylan (Desire, 1975.)

Crazy Fact: Jack White used to be the drummer for a country outfit called Goober & the Peas.

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Fear is the Mind-killer.

People who have great talents and do not know failure are like me and Stratego when I was 10.

We got the game for Christmas and I won the first three games I ever played. Suddenly I had a perfect record. I never had that before. I liked it and decided I needed to keep it. It became a big deal. My brother, friends and I would talk about it. Every game became increasingly important. Then the enevitable finally came... I almost lost I game. I was relieved by I realized my My record was in real jeopardy. I have a reputation, a perfect record. It was all suddendly at risk. So I stopped "wanting" to play. Why risk everything I built up for so long, it was too valuable to me.

This is what people do. A perfect record is a trap and reputation is a handicap. Once you lose, and with it the record, you are humbled. Then you can again play without fear. And loss is something real, and though not desired, quite small and easily handled.

I recommend a healthy dose of failure for all, when you lose, you lose the fear with it.


Today's Song of the Day is "Wipe Out" by The Ventures off their 1963 album "Let's Go!"

Crazy Fact: I guy names "Nookie" Edwards (Nole Floyd Edwards on May 9, 1935) is a member of the band. Wow.

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Comment No Comment.

of COURSE I read the comments. It just seems wrong to comment. I have this whole blog to comment with. This is my huge comment space. This is me, that is everyone else, (well anyone who cares) That's not the rule or anything that's just weird little me.

I love the comments, they are also e-mailed to me (as you fellow bloggers know) so I don't miss any.

To answer all your questions:

It's a snippet from a conversation I had/am having on the e-mail-ma-tron. Thanks Cel, I liked it to, So I put just that bit up.

Yes, I've heard the Cibo Matto version but I can't find the cover of the ep it's from. I like it, but I like it different. The live nirvana version is painful, exposed and emotionally complex. The cibo matto version danceable, fun and glossy.

And 'Nis I'm talking about boys 'n' girls and maybe someday when your a little older, ask me again and I'll explain it to you. (HAHA! that was too mean/easy/fun not to do)

Well I guess I have to send it now.


Today's Song of the Day is "About a Girl" by Cibo Matto off there 2000 EP "Moonchild."

Crazy fact: I already feel guilty about being mean to dennis on the blog-a-matron.

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Little Miss Earth, you flirt you.

Spring.

wow.

I like the warm tease. Keep smilin' on me, sunshine, yer pretty eyes are good for my soul.


Today's Song of the Day is "D'Yer Mak'er" by Led Zeppelin off their 1973 album "Houses of the Holy."

Crazy Fact: They recorded their debut album in just under 30 hours.

nhoy

Mid-conversation.

These are not all guys. Even though we wear the same uniform as they, even though there are others who would will be afraid or scorn us because we were this same uniform as their abusers. They are misguided. Unfortunatley in the eyes of the victim, the blood that stains hands of the abuser also stains the uniform of all who wear it.

As we look past her uniform to see her, she will look past our uniform to see us. I have faith in the good ones, they can't all be good ones, in either uniform.


Today's Song of the Day is "Respect Yourself" by The Staple Singers off there 1971 album "Be Altitude: Respect Yourself."

Crazy Fact: 'Pops' passed away on December 19, 2000, shortly after suffering a concussion due to a fall in his home.

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You know who you are.

Not to use any names but...

I think it's very cool to implusively decide to go to New York City with someone you don't know REAL well but get along with and let me tell you why:

A) Dude, life is short. ('nuff said)

B) What the hell else is money for if not travelling somewhere cooler then you are right now, if not to live forever, than at least to live for 4 days. Make your money wherever you have to, but spend it somewhere cool.

C) If not for impulse, our lives would never change. We would live under the tyranny or routine, each day following the last in perfect boring harmony. (no Harmony that's not a slight, you are capital 'H' Harmony, make no mistake) Pefection is inhuman, trust me I think about math and computers, I know, if is wasn't for humans computers (and Math) would be perfect. damn humans.

D) COOL!

E) From the perpective of a poor student shackled to his book learnin', having morgaged his future to buy raffle tickets for the key. I'm jealous. New York is better than Math or procrastination.

F) You are going to the COOLest concert. (De... La... Soul... ?!!? What the hell year is it?) Ike Turner, Nenah Cherry, Roots... I hope Nenah gives Ike a bitch slap for us all.



H) I feel like an adult just knowing y'all. I can't imagine what an adult y'all must actually feel like.

G) I know your going to take me. Your just waiting for the right time to bring it up. Anytime is the right time baby, gimmie a kiss.


Today's Song of the Day is "Nightswimming" by R.E.M. their 1992 album "Automatic for the People."

Crazy Fact: John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame arranged the strings for this song.

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Wedding in the Wild.

Ok we are getting married in Kejimkujik.



We both really like the idea. My main concern is that we can't have a fire because the fire index will be too crazy high. This will be a total unknown. Waiting and seeing sux cox. Others have voiced the conserns that people won't go cuz it's far. dude. you can't go? or you don't want to go. You don't want to go? cool I'm not offended. I'm glad your not going out of some sense of obligation.

must have fire
must have singing around fire

Instead of driving away in the just-married-mobile we will canoe away through the mist into our future. (And we can do it the canoe once out of sight!!! hehe er on our own private island which ever seems better at the time.)

She can get married barefoot and I can get married out in the world (not some church or hall or some like humanity tainted construction.) So we are both happy. It better work cuz I'll be pissed if it doesn't.

I'd rather elope then get married in a hall, and I'd rather be dead then get married in a church. So, like I said, this better work.

more at 6.


Today's Song of the Day is "Stella By Starlight" by Miles Davis (with John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb) off the 1958 album "'58 Sessions Featuring Stella by Starlight"

Crazy Fact: In October 1972, Miles Davis broke both his ankles in a car accident. ouch.

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No god, goddammit!

I wasn't there but here is how the story sounds in my rememberance:

My grandfather was a life-long commie and atheist. He was as committed to his atheism as a firebrand preacher was to his bible.

"If people paid a more attention to the word they're in instead the world they are going to, maybe the world they live in would be a little better."

It's near the end of his life and he has had a stroke. He is lying on his death-bed, he can communicate only with a few weak hand squeezes to questions, other than that he is totally paralyzed. Finnally, the decision is made to stop giving water etc...

The time has come. A nurse asks if she should bring a priest to give the last rights.

Before anyone else has a chance to answer. His still, peaceful, paralyzed body suddenly erupts in protest. Out of pure will he shakes, rocks and contorts in his bed to make his will known. He was inconsolable until it was made clear that there would be no priest, no last rights, no bullshit.

The message was clear, not even over my dead body. He was still there. It tells a story. He was ready to go. If he wasn't he would have protested that as he protested the priest.

Here is a man not taking pascals wager, which may look like it takes guts. Maybe to a fool. But to my grandfather only an idiot would believe in Hell. If you believe that malarchy, heaven help you, and we know heaven won't. It's akin to believing in the easter bunny or taking a politican as face value. It didn't take guts. There's no hell. He just didn't want the moments before his death to insult his entire life.


Today's Song of the Day is "Burning Hell" by John Lee Hooker off his 1964 album "Burning Hell."

Crazy Fact: He had a contract with just about every label out there and a different alias for each One of my favorites is "The Boogie Man" (for Chess and Acorn)

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Give Up.

I have a shrink. He's awesome. more about that later. One observation he made i'm still puzzling over. He said I keep doing things though I know they won't work. specifically, I can't study at home, it's just too distracting and I get nothing done. I keep saying I can only study at school and then "well, I tried to study at home and I didn't get anything done."

It was just an observation of his, he didn't come out and say "stop trying to study at home." anyway the way he put it made me think that wasn't the only example but a bit of a personality trait.

I've been thinking about that.

I've been wondering why I do that. I believe we only do things that work or often work.

What is at the root of this march into failure routine? Is it optimism? A "Maybe this time it will work" mantra. Is it subborness?

Two things occur to me: People have told me i'd fail often (every grade from 3 to 12) and I've succeeded. I was assured I would fail by the authorities and succeeded in grade nine. I think the speech was:

"You are ALL here because it is a certainity you will fail Math, which is a requirement. You all need to double your mark this term and I've never seen anyone double their grade in my entire 18 years of teaching... and Space Cadet, you need to triple your grade, so get used to sticking around for another year." I was affectionately known as 'Space Cadet', by Mr. Kilfoil. I passed. By some miracle we did computer programming that term in Math, Drama in English and I started medication for ADD. tripled my marks. Huh... impossible, right.

Why do I have to continually test these truths? I think it's because these truth are circumstantial and circumstances change.


Today's Song of the Day is "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys off their 1994 album "Ill Communication."

Crazy Fact: They are still together.

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they changed shit

This whole bloggin thing is turned upsidedown on me! I wrote a whole bunch, but I keep writing them at school and couldn't pick a song from here. So there will be a whole slew coming at once.

I know that make for unhappy inboxes. oh well. we can make it. we have to suffer through it together.

And I figured out an easy way to attach pictures so I've done that a few times. Maybe I'll put album pictures too just for kicks. well see.

ok ok I have to pick a song of the day off the top of my head. umm... and I can't have picked it before. Anything from Glenn Gould's 1982 Goldberg Variations is too easy (1982 is waay better imho, not just because of the quality of the recording either... serious, but that's a rant on it's own.) and not like ten of you will actually like it... hmm... topical, sassy, good listin', seat of my pants...

Today's Song of the Day is "About A Girl" by Nirvana off their 1994 album "Unplugged In New York."

Crazy Fact: In 1986 that band that would be called nirvana was called Skid Row. HAHAHAH! How unfortunate.

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Morning, the Nexus of Happiness.

Try to keep your first two hours happy and running smoovely.

I was once told that if you have a problem in the first two hours of your day, at the end of the day you will have a bad day regardeless of how the rest of your day is went.

So a happy life means a life of happy mornings.

I thought it was bullshit. Then I got out of bed and stubbed my toe (BAD!) on the way to the bathroom. My day was shit. I stubbed my toe at lunch, I hurt a bit and forget about it.

It's all about beginnings, make sure it's starts on the right foot and DON'T stub your toe.

Guru pif signing off. peacebewithyourahmmmmm...


Today's Song of the Day is "Oh Shit" by Pharcyde off there 1992 albuum "Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde."

Crazy Fact: Hardson, Wilcox, and Robinson were all dancers and choreographers who met on the L.A. underground club circuit in the late '80s, worked together for a while, and served a stint as dancers on In Living Color.

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I never thought I'd know.

Yesterday I built a 3-bit ALU and a 3-bit Program Counter out of circuits, from scratch.

Huh? You might not know what that means and 2 months ago neither did I. DUDE! It's a good chunk of a CPU. the CPU is the thing in your computer that your using right now that does ALL the work it is the Pentium in your PC or the G5 in your Mac. I built most of one. Most of a really crappy one, but whatever.

It was much eaiser than I thought.

I know some "number theory" and two new kinds of algebra: Linear, Boolean. I can do math in 4 and 5 dimensional space!

My point is, I never ever thought or wanted to know how to do these things, but here I am knowing and doing and understanding and enjoying these mysteries. It's freakey.

They got to figure out a new way to teach math, that doesn't tramatize everyone in the universe against it. I remember in high school, when I found out math wasn't a requirement. I started laughing and jumping up and down and then falling down and rolling around with hysterical joy. I jumped, ralled and laughed all the way down to the office to drop it. It was such a happy day.

I swear they couldn't teach math any fucking worse, It's like torture, whiping you with long-division and endless repetition in a could of vague misunderstanding. blech. fuck that NOISE!

It's too bad because the mysteries of the universe are all tied up in that mathematical little fucker. and once you know it it's kinda cool, and facsinating. It's what make a geek a geek. It's a complicated cerbral joy that brings clarity and repeats time and time again and reveals simlarities in place to place. This unifying weirdness lies in it's compelling solemnity, it's fierce unerring consistency, it is the fact that it is so inhuman. It's perfect edges, cold calculas, solid consistency, righteous consequences, silent inactive pervasiveness, it's impersonal immortal truths.

I see why the jesus lovers like leibnetz mistook math for god. It's got that the attributes they were looking for. dude, it's not god, and I'll tell you why, there is no god bone head. Stop looking for someone to fit that three armed silk suit.

And as for you overbearing subjective truth toting philosophizers, you'll rue the day you take a math class. It's quite persuasive lesson in objective truth.

ok done.


Today's Song of the Day is "Burning Down The House" by Talking Heads off their 1983 album "Speaking In Tongues."

Crazy Fact: In 1975, as virtual knowns, the band won a spot opening for the Ramones at the New York punk club CBGB.

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White on all ends

We were deep in the belly of the white abyss, trying to drown out our grumbling stomachs with an examination of the likelyhood off a 'Big Stop' around the next bend, and our own personal selection:

S: ChEeEEeseburrrrguuuur.

P: Platter, I love that it's ALWAYS a platter at the Bigstop.

S: YES. a platter... with gravey... on everything... with everything.

P: yum... gravey... warm gravey.

On this ill-conceived blizzard hike, the Bigstop was everything we didn't have and desperately wanted. Warmth, food and sitting down. The Bigstop was the dream. We knew sure as hell that there was no big stop around that bend or any other bend. We were pretty much torturing ourselves with dreams of-

"Crackack! Floosh-Floomp! Flump!"

We were walking under a tree and obviously that was the of sound a branch overhead, breaking under the weight of the driving snow. I looked up. I was wrong. I saw an enormous wingspan tipped in white, wings, tail and head.

If I could speak I would have said "Holy fucking Shit! A fucking Bald mother-fucking eagle. It's ass-fuckingly huge!" but I think I said something like "buuuuh... stuuuh..." and pointed.

It was enormous. I kind felt like I was looking at a unicorn. Is that real? It was just too mythic to be 10 feet above me in a fully baked blizzard. Is this is Canada? Shouldn't it be the majestic beaver taking to flight above me? It's so fucking huge! I could've eaten me.

30 meters down the road there was another one much higher up. I got pictures. Hard to believe it was real.


Today's Song of the Day is "Walking Song" by Meredith Monk off her 1997 album "Volcano Songs."

Crazy Fact: She won the MacArthur "Genius" Award in 1995.

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Inhuman

If you can read this whole "contract of wifely expectations" then you've got a stronger stomach than me.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0217062contract1.html

This is the most messed up thing I've seen in my life. I don't even think the devil himself could write up such a contract.


Today's Song of the Day is "Caprice No.4 in C minor" Performed by Itzhak Perlman from his album "Paganini 24 caprices" composed by Niccolò Paganini around 1817.

Crazy Fact: A pervading myth about Paganini is that he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his fearsome technique, a rumor which he delighted in and may have even started himself. During a performance his eyes would roll into the back of his head while playing, revealing the whites. His swaying stance, long unruly hair and thin, gaunt stature would add to this rumor. He played so intensely that women would faint and men would break out weeping.

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I'm Sick.

and i hate it. i hate everything right now. it's like the shitty feeling in my throat is directly attached to the happy parts in my brain and draining all the energy out of them. uugh. fuck. bye.


Today's Song of the Day is "Lujon" by Henry Mancini off his 1961 album "Mr. Lucky Goes Latin."

Crazy Fact: His song "Moon River" has been recorded over 1,000 times.

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The White Abyss

Sarah seems to be a fine replacement for Caleb, in so far as the adventure-bordering-on-stupidity-effect. I'm sure I could make a single work out of that if I spoke German. It would be something like adwertdungfoolacheffect. Where Caleb and I decide to go to Death Valley in August an bring insufiecent water. Sarah and I decided to walk to Cape Split from Wolfville in a blizzard. We made it to Canning, then we walked home. It was about a totally of a 32k hike in total.

At one point Sarah, started to refer to our surrounding reality as the "White Abyss" and started to generate a contaigous paranoia aura the likes I haven't felt since the Caleb days. When our survival seems to be in question I know we are doing something worth doing.

The last 2k or so of that hike was a simply a question of will. I was sure my knees were going to pop backward out of their sockets. But they didn't.


Today's Song of the Day is "Ain't No Tellin'" by Mississippi John Hurt off his 1928 album "Avalon Blues."

Crazy Fact: A scholar named Tom Hoskins discovered that Mississippi John Hurt, who hadn't been heard from musically in over 35 years, was alive and living in Avalon, MS, and sought him out, following the trail laid down in Hurt's song "Avalon Blues."

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Corporate war.

"A former U.S. soldier injured in Iraq said he was forced to pay $700 for a blood-soaked Kevlar vest that was destroyed. Medics in January of 2005 removed the vest to treat the 25-year-old soldier for critical shrapnel wounds to his right arm."

That is just sick. I wish it was a joke.

Is this conflict ONLY about money? Can't they TRY to make it look like it's not. We know the US is in there over Oil not terrorism, but the could USE some PR and make an attempt at something righteous. They send US citizens, who have nothing to gain and so much to lose, to invade a foreign land to kill strangers, who have nothing to gain and so much to lose, all to serve the very rich, who have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Which isn't bad enough, then make these poor bastard PAY for the bullets (so to speak,) to pay for equiptment that is MEANT to be destroyed (by stopping bullets) that is to say, the equiptment did it's job (it kept you alive) so now you have to pay for it.

"Hey army if you didn't want it damaged you should have ordered me somewhere I could have been shot at."

So if he died would his family have got the bill?

"You son died honourably defending america, m'am. ...oh and here's a bill. we'll give you a few extra days on that as your grieving and all. okay?"

This sounds like The Company Store.

Clearly it was a mistake, but the fact that it's even possible. I couldn't imagine getting accidently sent a bill for the computer I was working on at work or mistakely being forced to pay for the paper I used in the printer, and then being re-embursed and told managment was very sorry for the mistake.


Today's Song of the Day is "C Is For Cookie" by Frank Oz off the 1974 album "C" is for Cookie."

Crazy Fact: An article in The Wall Street Journal claims that the gutteral singing style in death metal bands is called "Cookie Monster Voice".

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Where I belong

70% of inmates have ADD.

Our society has a place for people like me.

eek.


Today's Song of the Day is "Jacob Green" by Johnny Cash off his 1974 album "At Osteraker Prison."

Crazy Fact: Johnny Cash proposed marriage to June Carter during a concert in 1968.

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Tosser

I got this guy in my class I've never seen his face, but he is a hair tosser.

He is so weird about it too. He shakes his head like a dog and then flips at the end. What makes it so wierd is he doesn't have that much hair. I mean it's not very long and he's kind of balding. Waaay too young to be balding too. Poor little geek, the universe just keeps handing you one shitty card after another.


Today's Song of the Day is "Devils Haircut" by Beck off his 1996 album "Odelay."

Crazy Fact: He dropped out of school in tenth grade.

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Snow Day! (it doth make me goofy)

Fun! FUN! NO SCHOOL! lots a shovelin' and I likes the shovelin'. White 'n' snowy bright 'n' blowy cold. Me and my baby goodness/ badness. goofin off, lookinit pictures, drinkin' ovaltine (..perhaps?) She's doin' homework 'n' i'm a bad seed bloggin. homework dodgin' girl buggin' and boy o boy does that remind me quiite as a mouse my ass. It should be as loud as an mouse in a pizza box.


Today's Song of the Day is "Flugufrelsarinn" by Sigur Rós off their 1999 album "Ágætis Byrjun."

Crazy Fact: By the end 2000, Ágætis Byrjun had won the Shortlist Prize for Artistic Achievement in Music and declared Iceland's Best Album of the Century. (I wanted to send a different song but it was too big a file.)

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Feline Defender.

Ok I gots the mice. They are noisey fuckers... and braizen! They make me scream, well yelp really, It's not actually a scream, not like space mountain screaming anyway.

Anyway... STAY IN THE WALLS! Get out of my garbage and out of my way. They shit fucking EVERYWHERE it's gross. Dirty little bastards. Sarah hateses them, but neither of us can stomach traps.

Now, I like cats, but I hate cleaning cat shit, I hate the allergic effects and I don't want to be it's jailer or shovel my pet off the street, balling and wailing. However, fortune smiled upon our little home. The neighbours cat likes to meow at the door. We got sick of the wailing so we let him in.

His name is Jack. He has SEVEN toes on each front paw, maybe eight it's kinda hard to tell. He's black and most importantly he is a hunter. We let him in he looks around then catches the scent and waits quietly in the kitchen.

Pif: "What am i going to eat... MAN! Eating is-"

Sarah: "!!!" (bright-eyed, exictedly pointing at Jack, while gleefully waving at me)

Pif: "DUde..."

Sarah: (still pointing ephatically) "oh... my... god..." (That is the sound Sarah makes when trying to be still and silent AND jump up and down and the same time)

Then vigourously but restrained, we do a strange spontaneous smiling dance of celebration. Jack looks at us oddly. We stop. He turns back intently. We back out of the room and chatter in the living room about it till we get distracted, forget, remember homework and start doing it.

An hour or so later...

Sarah: oh-my-god-pif-come-here!

Jack is in the kitchen with a mouse in his mouth. drops it. it runs. he jumps it. puts it in his mouth. drops it. looks at it, it runs. he gets it. about a hundred times. everytime it runs,, we scream.

Us: We have (EEEEK!) to get it out what do (YEEP!) we do how do we (AAAA!) get it i can't believe he caught (BAAAH!) one what a good catcher he gonna play (JESUS!) with it forever we have (GAAAA!) to trap it.

After moving some furniture, we, with jacks help, get them both outside. Jack disappears down the backstairs, mouse in mouth.

No sign of a mouse for two weeks. Well, I guess the truce is over, 'cause that pizza box is noisey and moving. Where or where is Jack? JACK we need your wierd mutant paws to save us from the tyranny of these dirty monsters.

please?


Today's Song of the Day is "Please Please Please" by James Brown off his 1956 album "Please, Please, Please."

Crazy Fact: In 1988, he led the police on an interstate car chase after allegedly threatening people with a handgun.

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Coke is Shit.

Coca-cola is pulling out the the recycling program in quebec. What the hell year is it? What kind of a backward company pulls out of a recycling program already in place. I have to re-double my effort to blacklist them. they fell into my grey list, my i'll try when i remember, unless I really want them and always send them and there products dirty looks. I guess dirty looks isn't enough for you mr. coke. I have to up it to dirty looks AND harsh language you bastards.

Dude here is a PARTIAL list of coke's other brands:

Bacardi Mixers
Barq's
Crush
Dasani
Dr Pepper
Fanta
Fresca
Fruitopia
Hi-C
Mello Yello
Minute Maid
Powerade
Sprite
TaB

phewf, my Ginger-ale is still safe.


Today's Song of the Day is "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton off his 1977 album "Slowhand."

Crazy Fact: Are ALL his good songs written by somebody else... yes. JJ Cale wrote this, Michael Kamen wrote wonderful tonight, I shot the sheriff was Bob Marley, I don't really lke Layla but Jim Gordon wrote it. He Covers Knockin' on heaven door which is B. Dylan, crossroads is robert johnston. all the cream and blind faith stuff is totally loaded with other folks. dude... will everyone just agree with me that clapton is over-rated all ready.

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An Unhealthy Infatuation With a Rich Guy.

That guy's name is Steve Jobs. The problem is I like just about everything this guy has ever done or tried: The Personal Computer, the Mac, NeXT, Pixar, iPod, iTunes, iTunes Store, the iMac, QuickTime, the Newton (and I agree Palm does it better.)

He makes money AND makes the whole computing experience better for everyone. He doesn't copy he tries and fails and tries and suceeds, at the vanguard, rarely copying other, usually striking out on his own. If you've been around this computer crap-o-la as long as I have you hear the same story with slightly change variables.

Apple sux because X, X will never work, X costs too much...

Be that X: the iPod, the Personal Computer, the Macintosh, the Laser printer, CD Drive, the switch to the linix based MacOSX, people buying MP3s when they could be stealing them, Computer Animation...the list is long and boring

He is without a doubt the biggest influence in the history of Personal Computers themselves and how they are used. Photoshop, PDFs, Word, Excel, QuickTiime, Post Script... all mac first, anyway the list is endless. I'll not argue it all here. Anyway he is a rich guy I can't help but like.

...but this is getting crazy The Largest Stock holder in Disney?!

"The all-share deal will make Steve Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, around $3.5b and the single largest shareholder in Disney. Jobs created Pixar in 1986 when he paid $10m for the computer animations division of Lucasfilm, owned by Stars Wars creator George Lucas."

I have a bad feeling about this. I may have to start disliking him. Disney scares me. A huge brand a once great company (truly.) That crazy old Walt would take risks like Fantsia (I guess he bet the farm on that one.) A Huge innovator within the field and an artist. An Artist whose art has become so popular most people can't really see it as art anymore. The whole Disney world thing was so crazy that it just might work. a Cool guy, making money but not JUST making money.

But now.. ick. not so great. I doubt Jobs can change Disney, and I'm worried Disney might change him. He is more effective on the vanguard. In the shoes of the underdog. You place him at the top and start shoveling money at him, he might become too interested in staying on top; keeping it all where it is, instead of making it better.

We will see.


Today's Song of the Day is "Pussy Galore" by The Roots off their 2002 album "Phrenology."

Crazy Fact: The long-awaited Phrenology was released in late November 2002 amidst rumors of the Roots losing interest in their label arrangements with MCA. In 2004 the band remedied the situation by creating the Okayplayer company. Named after their website, Okayplayer included a record label and a production/promotion company.

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Disney is freaking me out.

"Disney’s $7.4 billion purchase of Pixar Animation Studios could strengthen the ties between another company headed by Steve Jobs... ...Steve Jobs is now Disney’s biggest shareholder."

Huh? Steve Jobs is freaking me out. He's gonna be bigger than Jesus.


Today's Song of the Day is "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by The Rolling Stones off their 1969 album "Let It Bleed."

Crazy fact: They are still performing and by all reports still good. That's crazy.

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Speed

I'm not a huge fan of the speed but i'm giving it a shot. My shrink and i have decided to go up to 100 mg/day. It wasn't that scarey an idea 'till just now when I typed it. Shit! That's alot of sp-sp-speed.

Once I stop flinching at the kick in the teeth ONE HUNDREAD MILLIGRAMS OF SPEED EVERY DAY FOR THE FORSEEABLE FUTURE wants to give me... it's really not so bad. I've built up a mean tollerance to all the speedy addictive effects and I was on 70mgs for quite sometime. It's only 30 mgs more, but the 'dread' in one hundred is really sticking with me.

However, it's clearly working.

When I'm on it and working(and at school) it's like I'm obsessed. I'm just working, no other distractions show on the radar, which is the intended effect.

nope. not good enough. I'm still not convinced that it's not too much speed. hmm... what other good things can I say about it. Every three months or so we do a little servey and my symptoms are totally dropping. The numbers are quite convincing.

ok me go.


Today's Song of the Day is "Anywhere I Lay My Head" by Tom Waits off his 1985 album "Rain Dogs."

Crazy Fact: As well as act as one of the principals in Jim Jarmusch's 1986 film "Down by Law" he contributed several songs from this album to it's sound track.

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n i m b y

What the hell is dal security doing marching around the building? They're bugging me. It's like 8:00 and GEEK BEER is underway. Can't 'the man' every leave the poor geeks alone?! damn them all.

Yes, geek beer is 2.50 a drink in the atrium of the cs building. They have open-mic and a DJ in between. I've seen it waaay crowded and I've seen it way empty. It's a big space to fill.

The surprising thing is the bands are pretty good. Some of those geekettes can really belt it and many of those nerds are showing off years of piano, guitar and drum lessons and obsessions. it's kinda neat. Radiohead seems to be a house favorite. I heard a very convincing 'creep' cover and the 'fake plastic trees' cover was almost moving. of course they're not all great...

Anyways What's with the MAN spoiling the groovey 'we all all geeks here' atmosphere. How much fun can you really have with 'the man' staring you down.


Today's Song of the Day is "Ain't Misbehavin' (Piano Solo)" by Fats Waller of his 1929 album "The Joint Is Jumpin'"

Crazy Fact: He studied with famous classical pianist Leopold Godowsky and along side Count Basie, but unfortunately he got a firm grasp of the shitty end of the stick due to racial barriers throughout his carrier, keeping from reaching the level of respect he deserved.

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Walk the walk

Ok so I'm taking a whole wack of new classes and have new profs 'n' whatnot. This is about my prof for 2121: Computer Organization with Assembly Language. He is actually an educator. He has the most detailed Syllabus I've ever seen. Anyway in the first lab we did this quick five minute interactive test to tell us what our learning preference is. Very interesting.

Anyway it seems I have "a strong Kinesthetic preference for learning..." What that means is I don't get it till I walk the walk. Its clear to me this is true. My first degree was in Theatre which is a very practical degree. You sit and talk a little, and get up and do it a lot. Same goes for Computer Science. Lotsa labs and assignments and practicums. Even my graphic design 'education' was use the software to learn it, none of this reading or talking about it. If I got stuck I went on-line or to the interactive help utility.

It's crazy I recommend you give the link 10-minutes of your time. It's food for thought if nothing else, and for me it put a few things into perspective. Dig it.


Today's Song of the Day is "Karma Police" by Radiohead off their 1997 album "OK Computer."

Crazy Fact: Kid A, and the following album Amnesiac, both debuted at number one even though they spawned no singles and are not "radio-friendly."

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Take 5

With this song I finish Volume 5. It was hard as hell to find songs I gave a damn about for 1957 and for 1962. Jesus. Tough years. I couldn't find my Patsy Cline so that made 1957 even harder. ...um, For those of you who don't know what the hell I'm talking about (and actually care) I'll review the Song of the Day mandate which is basically just Fair represenation.

In every Volume (an MP3CD which holds approximately 150-170 songs) I hit every...

...year in the last fifty,

...decade in the last 100 years,

...musical genre (I aim for at least five times each.)

As a whole I'm trying to get at least one song from every year back to 1700. This ain't easy.

If you want one of these MP3CDs, let me know and I'll put you on the list. By the way, I lost the old list. I'm making a new list. If you want on it. Let me know. (add comment to this post.)


Today's Song of the Day is "Desafinado" by Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd off their 1962 album "Jazz Samba."

Crazy Fact: “Desafinado” -- which roughly translates as ‘off key’ or ‘slightly out of tune’ -- won these fellas a Grammy in 1963.

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11 Months.

I remembered! Well, it's been 11 months. I'm such a sucker for piano. This song has been stuck in my head for a weeks. This seem like a good time to send it. love you baby.


Today's Song of the Day is "Songbird" by Fleetwood Mac off their incredibly popular 1977 album "Rumours."

Crazy Fact: This was once the best-selling album of all-time. Now it's number eight. FYI here are the top 5 best-selling albums of all-time:

1. Eagles: Their Greatest Hits, 1976
2. Michael Jackson: Thriller, 1982
3. Pink Floyd: The Wall, 1979
4. Led Zeppelin: Untitled (IV), 1971
5. AC/DC: Back in Black, 1980

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I was wrong...

This is the Worst thing I've ever seen. I couldn't even watch the whole thing. It make we want to gouge out my own eyes and set my head on fire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=ALV6PF6tV_g

I will balance this atrosity with an amazing song that I just love.


Today's Song of the Day is "La Rosita" by Coleman Hawkins off his 1957 album "Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster."

Crazy Fact: A professional when he was 12, Hawkins was playing in a Kansas City theater pit band in 1921.

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This is the worst thing I've ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=Gi2CfuqcUGE

It must be a fake. Knight Rider would never do this to me.

It's still on. I'm still watching it. and it is getting more terrible by the second. The blue screen is a terrible thing in the wrong hands.


Today's Song of the Day is "Hell Is Round The Corner" by Tricky off his 1995 "Maxinquaye."

Crazy Fact: Originally, Tricky was a member of the Wild Bunch/Massive Attack and left in the mid 90s to go solo.

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Rant to the Void

I was walking home from school thinking about the unknown. I was thinking how there are two reactions. Fascination or Disinterest. We have to have a way to deal with the unknown. It's a constant in our lives. And if you like me for every question answered two more pop up in my head. So at this point My list of unanswered questions is so long it's dog-eared pages are faded and smudged and scattered through my brain often forgotten in some corner.

Anyway there are a lot of badly answered questions floating around out there. That people seem to be holding on to, and I'm not really sure for what reason. Like a creation myth had purpose once upon a time. We didn't know. We couldn't carbon-date, we didn't know how things worked. So I would say "5,000 years old? Sounds as good an answer as anyone's got." But now people have better answers. Why are we holding on to these old ones?

These guys were doing the best they could with what they had, but, dude, they were wrong. Billions of people all over the world believe the oldest, most-dangerous, un-proven ideas, ever conceived.

How about:
No answer yet.
dunno.
we are still working on it.
This is the best we got so far.
Get back to you.
It's a puzzle.
Well we can prove this... but...

Death? Shit man, your guess is good as mine. Let's hope it's a good time. It's better the fearing the worst.

Done ranting.


Today's Song of the Day is 'Dead Is The Drunkest That You Can Get' by the Rheostatics off there 1997 album "Double Live."

Crazy Fact: Voted the most Canadian band ever. They are great in concert too.

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Are people different on the other Ocean?

Is our country too big? So my friend moved to BC to go to law school and he says people are different. He finds the people there... difficult. Difficult to get to know, uncomfortable with familiarity, clic-ish... distant... etc. And I wonder, is it true? He's lived around (Toronto, California, Vermont, Halifax... that's all I can think of...) so he has some basis for this judgement. Are they different? Are they stand-offish? Are we *too* friendly, *too* familiar on this coast? Are we different enough to be seperate countries? Are we more like Maine and Boston then those Van City ilk?

I hope not. I'd like to believe that's not the case. This is clearly an irrational impluse based on some external and ill-fitting nationalism. Canadian's don't have a national identity. That's our national identity. And I think that's pretty cool. This post-referendum Canada with the panicked national identity is mildly interesting rush job. It's like a parade or fireworks, interesting momentarily but quickly forgotten. It won't stick. We all kind of know that. We are happy the rest of Canada is out there, glad we are there, glad not to be struggling to belong. Mostly, we are quite pleased to be defined as 'not Americans.' That's our strongest bond.

Well, except the Reform party, er Conservative party, er whatever, they want to be Americans. I think that's why they will never win.


Today's Song of the Day is 'Strange Town' by The Jam off their 1983 album "Snap!"

Crazy Fact: Hugely popular and influential in England, the Jam are hardly recoginzed in North America. weird.

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Taste

My Brother claims I have the muscial taste of an Old Gay Man. Now I'm not sure what the means, I do know that it partly means My muscial taste (in his mind and others I love) ends in 1990. Now like an Old man I have bee heard to say things akin to "they don't make 'em like they used to." Which is kind of true and tired and also an exaggeration. And It's true I like Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Fats Waller, Irvin Berlin (ie Show tunes) but I stop short of "Rent" or almost anything by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Not cuse it's new but because it's crap.

Pop was better back in the day. Better in 1967, better in 1957, 1947, 1847, 1747, 1647 even in 1987. I'm on thin ice I know. But I'm ok with cold and wet.

The only interesting thing going on now it's actually quite amazing. The independant music arena. People doing it themselves. It's cheap and easy to record and mix music. A home computer and some cheap software and you can get started. With the Popularization of the MP3 and the easy internet access it's cheap or free to distribute. Suddenly the little guy has the means of production and access to the world market. Better still these guys have no rules or limits. No Label to interfere. No implict or explict censorship. Nice. These guys are the Vangard, watch and listen for them.

Here's the Queen of them all, with a 10-year old song on this very issue.


Today's Song of the Day is "Napoleon" by Ani DiFranco off her 1996 album "Dilate."

Crazy Fact: She never went to a label, instead started her own. Her label, Righteous Babe, produces commerically unviable outsiders. She started by selling tapes out of her car after concerts. On her CDs it reads "While copying msuci is often necessary it's never as good as the real thing." Nice. I couldn't agree more.

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Digital Coolness

This one is about the link.

As JR said who sent me this link (and many others over the years) "I know QTVR is *SO* 90s but this is pretty cool." and He is right It is so five years ago AND it is worth a visit. It's a panorama of New Year eve 2006 in Times square complete with Mariah Carey. You can Click, hold and move the mouse around to see up down and around and round the whole 360 as a matter of fact. There are other very cool ones there too. like Moscow. and the desert and on top of the Matterhorn.

I used to look at black and white photos and think wow if only it was in colour and colour photos and wish wow if only that was on tape. I have a different appreciation for old photos now than I did, but still as far as a method of documenting an event. This certainly gives you a better feel for what it is like to be there and someday we will say "if only it was shot as a VR movie."

Your going to need QuickTime for this one: Get it here. (if you don't have it.)

Here's the Link: http://www.panoramas.dk/new-year-2006/times-square.html If you go to the right hand corner there is a lot other Panoramas to choose from.

Today's Song of the Day is "Walk Don't Run" by The Ventures off there 1960 debut "Walk, Don't Run"

Crazy Fact: This album was recorded in such a hurry that the members themselves couldn't stay around long enough to be photographed for the cover (those are stand-ins).

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You keep coming back...

What the hell? This site at 9983 hits. That's almost 10,000. Ten thousand is a crazy big number. wow. Anyway, Before the Beatles, before Elvis, before even Jesus, there was the boogie woogie...


Today's Song of the Day is "Too Much Boogie" by John Lee Hooker off "The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954"

Crazy Fact: 'the Hook' had a cameo in the 1980 movie "The Blues Brothers."

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No talk. (oops... I talked)

This is supposed to be about the MUSIC man!

I really really like the movie "Almost Famous" by the way. It's a really great rock 'n' roll movie. Shows alot of sides of it and it sticks with you. It stuck with me, so much so I bought the company. It is definitely in my top five movies about music/musicals, and that's saying alot. I probably have more than five in my top five though lets see: Amadeus(oh baby is that number one), Purple Rain, West-Side Story (though I wish I didn't but I can't help it), Almost Famous, The Piano... I guess that's five. Huh.

Anyway I'm not supposed to rant, I'm supposed to read. This one is about the music MAN! This one is for our FANS!


Today's Song of the Day is "Penpals" by Sloan off their 1994 album "Twice Removed."

Crazy Fact: I think I've said everything there is to say about Sloan. They named themselves Sloan cause a friend had that for a last name and they thought it was cool. So the story goes...

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Tham Hamt Athm

Math, get used to the word.

I'm going to talk alot about it for the next 3 months at the minimum. So Sarah begin the kind-hearted, smarty-pant that she is bought me a book 'God Created Integers' edited by Little Stevie Hawking. (Can you imagine taking dictation from that crazy litle robot voice for weeks on end?)

So Since I'm a math major now, I'm going to joyfully read every word and of course retain every concept for my bright gleeming future in the exciting field of Mathematics! Horaay!

...but it's a cool book. really.


Today's Song of the Day is "The Magic Number" by De La Soul off their 1989 album "3 Feet High and Rising."

Crazy Fact: De La Soul had sampled the Turtles' "You Showed Me" and layered it with a French lesson on a track on 3 Feet High called "Transmitting Live From Mars," without getting the permission of the '60s pop group. The Turtles won the case, and the decision not only had substantial impact on De La Soul, but on rap in general. Following the suit, all samples had to be legally cleared before an album could be released. The Turtles are now on my hit list.

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Major dissappointment

Ok so when I signed for this Computer Science thing I didn't know It's really only a politely disguised Degree in Mathematics. Why are they doing this to me? To Me! ME!


ME: Why doesn't anyone else have to take these fuckING math courses?

REALITY: They do.

ME: FUCK YOU!

REALITY: Lie in the bed you made SLAVE!

ME: ok.


So I'm a math major now. I'm taking three courses a term (It's the only way to be sure) and TWO of them a in the Department of Mathematics:

Linear Algebra.
Discrete Mathamatics.

So as a new years resolution, I've decided to act like a math major. So here I am writing instead of doing my homework. perfect. Well bach liked math sooo... maybe this wil help.


Today's Song of the Day is "Lute Suite in E minor: IV. Gigue" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1711(or so), Performed here by Andrés Segovia, probably recorded in 1968.

Crazy Fact: Both Parents opposed his learning the guitar so he was forced to teach himself. Being self-taught, his technique was unique. It was, in fact, superior to that which was being taught at the time.

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Happy Old Year.

I was walking with fiver and talking to cel in shubie and last year pretty much rocked for me. It all started in Florida with screaming Mind-melting Terror on Space Mountain on new year's day... Then I met the girl I am going to marry (kind of a big deal) then I went polar bear swimming in New Hampshire (which was the most physically intense experience of my entire life... Briefly (about 12 minutes) I was convinced it transformed me into a god, Odin actually. I went to PARIS!!! Which HAS transformed me into a god. Caleb got married, Sonia got married. I'm going to be an uncle again and it might actually be a girl (eek!)... I got an A(!!!) in my summer course. I'm sure there's more but yeah... I'm pretty pleased about just about everything I even got a brand spanking new computer-ma-phone... ma-tron. pleased. yes pleased. I even got a surprise party for my birthday, which was also terrifying beyond description.

I've wanted to send this for a while so hear it is.


Today's Song of the Day is "Duncan" by Paul Simon, this live version is off his 1977 compilation "Greatest Hits Etc..."

Crazy Fact: In 1999, Simon toured on a double bill with Bob Dylan.

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Lots of Parents in the same room.

The parents met. egad. It went better than I expected. I'm not sure what I expected but armed with a hollywood education parents meeting is supposed to be described as "wacky" and "off the wall" or involving embarrassing "highjinx" and high-larity. It was pretty ok. It was a bomb that never went off. It was pretty normal. I didn't even embarrass myself. a non event is kind of news in my life. everything seems to be an event. it's nice that it wasn't for a change.


Today's Song of the Day is "Best Sunday Dress" by Hole released in 1999 as the B-Side off the "Celebrity Skin" single.

Crazy Fact: Cortney Love was in the movie Sid & Nancy.

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Burn out.

Schools out and I've done nothing bought some presents and played video games. That's it. But holy cow did I need it. I thought I wasn't ever going back to school again after that last hit. jeesus, it almost killed me. This whole caring about marks thing sucks it's surplants liking school with a big fat hairy ball of stress. Fuck that. Good marks are for suckers.

John Carmack dropped out after one year of a Com Sci degree and then wrote Doom. That's not so bad.


Today's Song of the Day is "Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71 'Waltz of the Flowers'" Composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892 from his Ballet "The Nutcracker."

Crazy Fact: The composer died of cholera, or -- as some now contend -- from drinking poison in accordance with a death sentence conferred on him by his classmates from the School of Jurisprudence, who were fearful of shame on the institution owing to an alleged homosexual episode involving Tchaikovsky. Jesus.

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Studying, not studying.

Dude. I once again return to an OLD subject. I hate people.

The Computer Science building is a mother fucking crap shoot. For the following reasons:

1. It's open 24-hours a day. Therefore attracting any student on campus who can't study at home because they are too easily distracted... therefore full of distracted and distractable people.

2. It's across the street from the Law Building therefore attracting law students looking for an 'edge' and sleeping on the books... therefore latte cups on in every nook and no place to sit.

3. PEOPLE TALKING! I hate them. These fuckers have been talking about the Hudson Bay Company for the last 3.5 hours. It is clear to me that they are first-year bonehead Com. students who are now 'grossed-out' about fur. Let's listen in...

Dink: ewww... that's GROSS!
Dope: yeah! ew ew EW, close that page NOW!

(Click. pause)

Dink: It makes you think doesn't it?
Dope: Yeah I wear fur...
Dink: What!? really? YOU wear FUR?
Dope: yah but mine er all, like, fox and rabbits.
Dink: Well I guess...
Dope: not BEAVER... so... it's not like THAT!
Dink: I GUESS it's ok?
Dope: yeah...
Dink: Anyway I have fur on two of my jackets too... so I guess it's ok.

Pif: ( K I L L M E )

They must've heard my thoughts because they look around and see me, then my black leather jacket.

Dink: Why don't they ever talk about leather?
Dope: Yeah. THAT's the same thing.
Dink: -but without the fur.
Dope: what fur?
Dink: You know.. not fur... but...
Dope: What do you mean?
Dink: You know the outside the hair or whatever.
Dope: oh yeah yeah without the outside stuff...

(Pause)

Pif: ( K I L L M E P L E A S E )

3. Computer Geeks want friends. This is awesome. They tell you how to do things. They discuss your assignment with you, show you how they did it. My saviour!

4. Computer geeks want friends. This is aweful. They tell you how to do things the help you discuss your assignment with you, show you how they did it. My Hell!

5. Computer Geeks speak a code I understand. This is invaluable. I've overheard entire soultions to assignments and hints to the secrets of Computerdom.

6. Computer Geeks speak a code I understand. This is a nightmare. I overhear All kinds of unnecessarily difficult ways to confuse myself and make my code completely uncompilable. When I listen and believe, it shatters my self-confidence, when I listen and know better, My ego swells unmanagabley and arrogance is ultimately my undoing.

Hey it worked. They all left. sweet. Now I guess I'll go home and play video-games.


Today's Song of the Day is "Human Behavior" by Bjork off her 1993 album "Debut."

Crazy Fact: Sarah (MY Sarah) touched her pregnant belly AND in the spring of 2000, she was named Best Actress by jurors at the Cannes Film Festival for her work in Lars von Trier's Palme d'Or-winning Dancer in the Dark.

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Talking about Americans.

Isn't the US of A tired of looking bad yet?

So they put in this Patriot Act crapola and then one of the guys they use it on they fail to prosicute. The Conan and Jesse Ventura are Governors. They're president is one of the less intellegent people in there entire country and clearly demonstrates this stupidity ona regular basis. Their hippocrasy over human rights abuses is in the news day after day. The kidnap innocent Germans and Torture them 'accidently' in a supposed case of mistaken identity. They've stopped believing in Evolution. Everywhere else in the world gay marriage is legalized. They are the fattest country on the planet. This war on iraq thing is obviously blowing up in there face.

You think at some point the intellegent Americans would step up and say "this sucks! we are the laughing stock of the world. Let's change some shit." CONAN WILL BE YOUR PRESIDENT! I would move. I would just fucking move. CONAN! have you seen Conan? It's one of my favorite movies but I DON'T want him to lead me.

Only the Flying Spaghetti Monster can save them now.


Today's Song of the Day is "No More Heroes" by The Stranglers off their 1977 album "No More Heroes."

Crazy Fact: In 1976, the Stranglers were the opening act at the Ramones' first London show.

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This is probably my favourite song ever written.

I had a tape of this and a few others (preludes, fanatias n' such) and it was the only thing I'd listen to in my walkman. It was the reason I started playing the piano. I just wanted to learn to play this song (and I thought if I could play the theme to St. Elmo's fire I would get chicks) So I went out and found keyboard with the best Pipe Organ sound I could find. Then got a job at Swiss Chalet to pay for it (in the dish pit). I paid them 150 bucks a month (for a very very long-time) until it was paid off.

Everday after school and during lunch I'd sit at home and figure out what I could by ear. Then walk to Swiss Chalet three days a week and listen to this in my walkman. I did ok, I made it a couple minutes in, like up to 1:45 then I couldn't figure out about 30 secs then I got another minute or so later.

I was happy with that much so I would just play it over and over again and improv over it a little.

I tried piano lessons. The guy was doing all this 'silent night' crap. I struggled, I couldn't read music, the keys on the keyboard were weighted and they weren't on my keyboard. It was hard and I was sucking-ass.

After a few months I worked up the nerve to ask him if I could bring in a song to learn. "Sure! that would be great."

So the next week I exictedly bring in my well-worn tape, put it in the tape player and look at him expectantly. While the tape hiss crawls by he sips his coffee, then with a roar it starts up. he nearly chokes. After a second he looks at me with a half-smile and says,"You've GOT to be kidding."

I was pissed and sick to death of this "my little pony" shit.

"Why not?"

When he realized I was serious... I'll never forget the look on his face this shock and surprise was dead on his face.

"NO I'm not! I figured out this much." I play what I figured out so far.

He looked at me with a very strange look and obviously had no idea what to say... he stumbled and said "Well...uh... if you bring in the... umm music I guess we could give it a try. I guess." Then he continued to look at me so very oddly.

"Sure, sure. I can do that." I left.

"What a tool. This sucks." I never went back.

Anyway, this isn't the best version of this song I ever heard but it's the one I got. It long as hell and a huge file so I've put off sending it, but's my birthday so I can break all the rules I want. It gets very very cool at about 2:40. Dig it.


Today's Song of the Day "Toccata and Fugue, for organ in D minor, BWV 565" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in roughly 1707 , performed by some lucky guy who had piano teacher who's claim to fame wasn't being in a band named "Gorilla" that frequently played 'The Misty Moon' and 'The Crazy Horse' so therefore taught him music that he liked and so stuck with it.

Crazy Fact: Three hundred years ago, J.S. Bach learned that the great Danish organist and composer Dietrich Buxtehude would be performing in the city of Lübeck, about 250 miles from Arnstadt, where Bach lived. Having no other means to get to the concert, Bach walked the 250 miles in about 10 days. cRazY! rock ON Bach!

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Tomarrow

is

my

birthday.

I'm almost done with 32.


Today's Song of the Day is "Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky" by Lou Donaldson off his 1970 album "Everything I Play is Funky."

Crazy Fact: In 1963, Toussaint recorded "Whipped Cream." This was then covered by Herb Alpert in 1965 for an instrumental hit, which was in turn later adopted as the theme for TV's The Dating Game.

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Raw Deal

I know this is old news but Conservative Republicans are out raged that Govenor Schwarzenegger named Susan Kennedy a democrat and a openly gay one a his chief of staff.

What

The

Fuck.

Govenor Schwarzenegger should be hunting down Sarah Connor, shooting aliens or praying to Crom to watch over his victory against Thulsa Doom. ALL of that make more sense to me. All of it. I STILL can't get over it. nope just can't. Govenor?!


Today's Song of the Day is "An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful, Blue Danube), waltz for orchestra, Op. 314" conducted by Herbert Von Karajan, composed by Johann Strauss II in 1867.

Crazy Fact: He's Austrian too... Ok 'splain this one to me. His dad is a conductor, composer and whatnot and has the balls to forbid his son from the same path. He has to take Violin lessons in secret from a player in his father's orchestra. His dad wanted him to be a banker. lame lame crazy lame.

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In France they have a better EVERYTHING!

It's legal to copy music in france. That's NUTS!

"In France, as in some other European countries including Germany and Italy, it is legal to copy music for private use — but in return the law imposes copyright levies on blank media, including cassettes, CDs, DVDs, hard disk drives and flash memory devices. The copyright levy is intended to compensate composers, performers and producers for revenue opportunities lost due to private copying of music."

It costs you an extra 50 Euro for an iPod though.

nuts...I think I'm jealous, but I'm not sure, I have to think about it.


Today's Song of the Day is "Over the Hills and Far Away by Led Zeppelin off their 1973 album "Houses of the Holy."

Crazy Fact: In May 1973 Led Zeppelin broke the Beatles' concert attendance record in Tampa.

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Honourable mention in the Keener Olympics.

I did the "Optional Assignment" for the first time in my life. For the First time *I* was the keener. First in line, homework done smile on my face, ready to please.

There was about 50 others with that same stupid look.

I thought I was the only one. Shit. Keening sucks. I made me want to smoke and take their lunch money.

I have a inner bully. It's just stuck in this pastey white, weak little body. And going to the Gym is HARD, that stuff is so HEAVY! I'll NEVER be a bully. NEVER... WHAAAA! or a KEENER! WAAAAAA.

Go here. Now. You won't regret it.


Today's Song of the Day is "Coax Me" by Sloan off their 1994 album "Twice Removed."

Crazy Fact : I have no more crazy facts about these local boys. I heard again they are breaking up after this album... whatever.

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Bring me blue pages...

I just handed in an assignment that was 52 pages! That's just wrong. Wrong I tell you. I pity the marker.


Today's Song of the Day is "The Weight" by The Band off there 1968 album "Music from Big Pink."

Crazy Fact: The cover of Music From Big Pink is a painting by Bob Dylan.

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Chicken Little drives an SUV

I think it was my friend mike who said people vote with the stomachs and think with their wallets. Boy is he right.

So as long as I can remember I've been hearing about the greenhouse effect, emmissions control, electric cars, hydrogen, blah blah blah and nothing for years, no action. Nothing and it even got worse with the SUV stupidity. Then gas went up and up and up. Now an idiot who steps on the gas in an SUV might as well be setting his wallet on fire.

New York State has set new rules which require approximately 40% of vehicles to better their fuel economy. Dude! Nice! Now that Gas is becoming publically unaffordable governments suddenly care. Of course the auto-makers are suing.

"They said that seat belts would put them out of business; they said that air bags would put them out of business; they said fuel economy and emissions regulations would all put them out of business," said David Friedman, a senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "It turns out it's their unwillingness to innovate that's putting them out of business right now." (NY Times)

I was thinking about this walking down the street just yesterday. I was thinking about the "sky is falling" folks out there vs. the 'just drink the kool-aid' folks. The Chicken Little's are looking to the future gripped with fear. Thinking about all the things that could maybe destroy them/us all. Their brains cooking up all idea's, heated with fear, smelling doom doom doom. OK ok ok but dude this didn't happen yet and DUDE! dude maybe just maybe it won't, just maybe. so relax.

Oil's gonna run out "THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!"
The Global temperature's rising "THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!"
The Ice Cap's are going to melt "THEN WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO!"

"We need hydrogen NOW!" Hey remember the Hindenburg? Let's just make sure we do this right. ok?

"POLAR BEARS! Will SOMEBODY think about the POLAR BEARS!" Probably not. but whether we do or not. They will just move a little further north. It's still quite cold up there. hell I'm half way to up there from down there and it's fucking cold where I am.

How much do you want you power bill to be...exactly. If Hydrogen was cheap

Don't get me wrong Oil companies are clearly hegemony lovin' sons of bitches but none the less... money makes the world go round (don't say you don't have, spend or want it, I didn't say you had to like it.) Gas goes up, people stop buying gas and do something else. fact. Lookit, it's happening now.

Global temperature rise, (heat a closed system and all reactions within that system increase in furiously) i.e.. storms get bigger, floods, droughts. etc.... lookit lookit hurricanes kicking cities in American cities (and Halifax) all over town. and suddenly shit starts to change.

It's relieving to know that no matter what I think, corruption has it's limits. No matter who is paying off who, sooner or later, when enough people start to pay attention, they run out of wool to put over our eyes. It comes around. It's nice to relax the cynical pessimist muscles for a switch, lean back and trustingly sip the Kool-Aid.


Today's Song of the Day is "Gin & Juice" by Snoop Doggy Dogg off his 1993 debut album "Doggystyle."

Crazy Fact: Doggystyle, become the first debut album to enter the charts at number one AND he was born with the name 'Calvin.' AND Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey of 'K.C. and the Sunshine Band' has a writing credit on this track. This track is the cRaZy!

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Not Shy

My birthday's comin'! Just want to make sure everybody's clear on that one DECEMBER 5th. That's my birthday, yup, I'm gonna be 33. yesiree. 33. just so you all know. You don't have to buy me anything or anything, if you don't get around to it, I understand, it's a busy world we live in. Just send cash.


Today's Song of the Day is "Time Is On My Side" by The Rolling Stones off their 1964 album "12 X 5"

Crazy Fact: Time Is On My Side was the first really big American hit for the Rolling Stones, reaching #6 at the end of 1964.

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oh how I hate them...

I'm ready to have a paddy over this... ok ok so as you may or may not know or remember I think intellectual property is verging on 'a LOAD of total' bullshit. Well there's a bunch of other people who totally agree with me who are generally known as the "open-source community." So these most decent and upright fellows write code and then give it away with one very important and very legally binding stipulation. If you build it with open-source code, you have to say you did, and then give it away for free.

So Sony BMG decided to make a copy-protect (a bad Idea to start with) software steals open-source code to do it, the irony is throbing in my brain... it's deafening. Not ONLY that, but it acts as a virus (installs without your permission, secretly) AND open a back-door in your computer to allow hackers in. FUCK THAT! The reasons to buy CDs decrease every fucking day. Don't put any Sony BMG CDs in your computer. It will fuck you.

it's enough of a problem that Microsoft it releasing a security update which automatically removes all traces of it from your computer. So now, Sony is in the middle of a recall (idiots, I wonder how much this cost them?) AND last but not least, Sony had been hit with a class action lawsuit this week because of this fuck up.

i love it. welcome to progress fuckers.

See all this isn't about protecting artists, or copywright or even music, it's about control.

In the computer world we have control, the user. We are not audience, this isn't radio or TV. We've even started to buy TV shows which are shown for free all day and all night 50 channels of it. Huh? What? Does not compute. Yes, it does. We buy the damn shows so we can watch it whenever the HELL WE WANT. It's worth paying so they don't control us. They hate it. They want to tell you what to listen to. This is out of there hands. They hate it. I love it.

"FREEEDOM."
-mel gibson, Braveheart (HAHAHA!)


Today's Song of the Day is "I'm The Slime" by Frank Zappa off his 1973 album "Overnite Sensation."

Crazy fact: One of his last performances was in Czechoslovakia at the invitation of its post-Communist president, Zappa fan Vaclav Havel.

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His Most Awesomestness

My soul is eternally grateful to Anna for showing me the light. I have been touched by His Noodly Appendage. Join me and other Pastafarians in Worshiping His Host Noodly Eminence. Last night He came to me and spake (well actually it was more of a gurgle) the words "Everything will be Hunky Dory." Those words will help me everday, in everything I do.

'May the sauce be with you.'


Today's Song of the Day is "Quicksand" by David Bowie off his 1971 album "Hunky Dory."

Crazy Fact: Global warming, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are a direct effect of the shrinking numbers of Pirates since the 1800s.

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Why is this news?

ROME, Nov. 22 - A new Vatican document excludes from the priesthood most gay men, with few exceptions, banning in strong and specific language candidates "who are actively homosexual, have deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called 'gay culture.' "

So is the news "This pope hates 'the gays' too"? Is that really news? 'Catholic Church still backward' ain't news either, but thanks for the update. But there are a whole lot of lucky gaylords out there who don't have to suffer celibacy. "Gay men not into to celibacy by catholic church" that would be a better headline.


Today's Song of the Day is "Catholic Boy " by The Jim Carroll Band off his 1980 ablum "Catholic Boy."

Crazy Fact: In 1994, Jim Carroll (yeah the guy who The Basketball Diaries is about) performed his widely-acclaimed poem "8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain" on MTV's Unplugged.

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the feelies

Universities in the states have started to offer degrees with majors in Video Game design. Some people seem to think this is ridiculous. What the hell is the problem? No different then going to Film School. Video Games sales rival ticket sales. Most movies suck as do most video games, but personally I'll get more entertainment out of crappy video game then a crappy movie. But there ARE good video games, and some very good ones.

Video games suffer the same prejudice movies get from the 'go read a book' crowd. Stuff it up your ass. Go read a stone slab. Internet trumps newspaper, E-mail trumps mail, MP3 trumps CD, DVD trumps VHS. I see a pattern.

It's just a matter of time.

Here's the Pitch: "Computers! just like movies but we've added our new SPECIAL ingredient... Interaction! Your not 'audience' anymore, your 'user'. Not a victim, not passive, but a participant, influencing outcomes, not waiting to be told what happens, deciding what happens. Try one today!"


Today's Song of the Day is "I Fall In Love Too Easily" by Chet Baker off his 1954 album "My Funny Valentine."

Crazy Fact: In 1988 at the age of 59, Chet Baker died in a fall from a hotel window in Amsterdam after taking heroin and cocaine. maybe the should change the name/lyrics of this song to "I fall out of windows to easily, I hit the ground to fast..." (oh I'm bad...)

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unscrewed up

I don't think there is anybody out there who doesn't appreciate a reduction in tension. But I gotta say it makes me feel alot better about the world. Here's to the re-friendification of important people in my life.


Today's Song of the Day is "Just Friends" by Charlie Parker & Mitch Miller off his 1949 album "Bird with Strings."

Crazy Fact: At the time of his death in March 1955 at the age of 34 as a result of his drug and alchohol abuses. Also as a result of those excesses the doctor who pronounced him dead thought he was in his 60s.

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The Stamp Collector in me.

It makes me crazy for Detailed MP3s and it makes me buy DVDs. But I had a very disappointing experience in the DVD catagory the other day. I went to this HD trailer site. and was shocked by the high quality of the the next generation DVDs which are right around the corner. I'm not sure if it was the Harry Potter trailer or the trailer for King Kong but while i'm jaw was open I realized that I would be forced to buy many of my favorite DVDs again. yet again. The quality was and is astounding. Look for yourself. DVDs have been dropping in price like crazy and this is why. I am such a sucker for their money sucking game.


Today's Song of the Day is "Rasputin" by Boney M off their 1978 album "Nightflight to Venus."

Crazy fact: German producer Frank Farian who created Boney M, went on to create the late-'80s dance sensation Milli Vanilli.

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pod people

I made my girlfriend into a pod person. Now it ain't no superball, but it's got her pretty damn happy. She's stopped taking cabs because of it. She can't wait to plug-in the ear-buds and walk around. I think she really wouldn't care if it was around in circles. I made one more smiling cog in the machine. And she looks at me protective and suspcious when she thinks I'm going to intrude on her quality time with her iPod. She's gone over to the other side. Someday she's going to look at me oddly, open her mouth wide and that awful high-pitched squealing is going to come out. Then you'll see me, ear-buds 'n' all, plugged in to the machine smiling. (sigh) I can't wait.


Today's Song of the Day is "Chevrolet" by Jim Kweskin & the Jug Band off there 1967 album "See Reverse Side for Title."

Crazy Fact: Shortly after the Kweskin Jug Band performed on the nationally aired Steve Allen Show, on March 4, 1964, Lymon left the band to start a cult (and has since dissappeared) and was replaced by banjo wiz Bill Keith, who had just left a gig with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys.

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The richest guy I've never heard of

Warren E. Buffett, CEO & Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. owns 38% of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. Berkshire closed today at $89,700. (!!!) Look at these SEC filings:

Cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2005: $43.3 billion USD
Equity investments at June 30, 2005: $41.3 billion USD
Total shareholders’ equity at the June 30, 2005: $88.1 billion USD
Revenue for 2004: $74.4 billion USD
Net earnings for 2004: $7.3 billion USD
Income taxes paid in 2004: $3.6 billion USD

This is the guy whose controlling the universe. Anyway, I was just going to rant about Google being worth more than Coca-Cola and worth more than the combined value of McDonald's, Du Pont and Anheuser-Busch. And Google doesn't even make anything! They're worth 119 billion for selling directions for free.

brains' full... stopping. money has hurt it.


Today's Song of the Day is "Nebraska" by Bruce Springsteen off his 1982 album "Nebraska."

Crazy Fact: Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. is based out of Nebraska.

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Have you seen my 17 incher?

I got a new computer. It is the best thing ever. Materialism still has a grip on me in two big-assed ways they are: DVDs and Computers. All of the rest of the things I care about are people or ideas. but wow do I love this computer. it's white an's got a camera built-in an'a flat screen monitor built-in and a really cool mouse an' it's got a 64-bit processor an 64-bit memory an' lots of graphics memory an it sounds great an looks great an I like it an the newest EVERYTHING built-in an' the all the keys on the keyboard works watch... 77777&&&&&&77777444555666 WOW do you have any Idea what a pain in the ass THAT was on my old bustedass not as cool as my new shiney white fancy new has a remote control computer is?

17 inches of happiness, I'm totally gay for my computer. I don't blame Sarah for being jealous. I just hope, with time, the two of you can get along. (actually she totally loves it... most of the time.)


Today's Song of the Day is "(She's) Sexy & 17" by the Stray Cats off their 1983 album "Rant n' Rave With the Stray Cats."
Crazt Fact: Brian Setzer was also the concert guitarist for the Honeydrippers.

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Crank up the Techno! (...logy)

It's like a Model T Ford computer. Old tech meets new tech crazyiness. Dig it:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 15 -- A riddle: What has the durability of a sneaker, the smarts of a computer, the color scheme of a lunchbox and the potential to alter almost everything about the way schoolchildren in the developing world learn?

The answer: well, nothing yet.

But now, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they're close to creating a device that would fulfill this ambitious vision -- a tough, kid-friendly laptop that could be sold to poor countries for $100.

A prototype of this computer will be unveiled Wednesday at a U.N. conference in Tunisia. Its designers concede that the prototype is still missing some crucial features, such as a cheap display screen and a hand crank that would provide power.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501546.html?nav=rss_print/asection

What's not to like here? You got your third world children (an old christian favorite) you got your MIT super geniuses bringing the almighty savior the internet to the poor savages and all at a very affordable price. (because it wouldn't be right makeing money off the poor, pfft...) Not only that, but you have the goofey 'hand-crank' trivia/irony angle to play-up for audiences left numb by twenty years of feeding Ethopian kid with flies on their faces and big bellies on infomericals.

Not only that but you got your Open-Source/not for profit angle for suckers like me. But at the end of the day My selfish little self thinks: "I KNEW IT!" those fuckers can make a laptop for a hundred BUCKS! and us loser westerners are paying THOUSANDS! fer FUCK sake!


Song of the Day is "Bang On!" by Propellerheads off their 1998 album "Decksandrumsandrockandroll."

Crazy Fact: Keyboardist/bassist/DJ Alex Gifford began his career as a studio musician, playing keyboards for Van Morrison and saxophone for the Stranglers.

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I'm going to try to be better.

When I first saw iTunes my jaw dropped and still hasn't closed all the way.

I LOVE iTunes it's in my top five obsessions. I discovered Napster AFTER iTunes. I discovered all this business AFTER iTunes. Clearly, I love it and I'm Obsessed. My jaw dropped yet again.

The First time my jaw dropped was when I put in a CD and iTunes went on the Interweb, got all the track info, ripped it to MP3s then Ejected it while waiting for another. My Tongue went all dry and nasty as I couldn't close my mouth because all available energy was redirected to feeding that monster CDs and watching my collection grow and grow and grow. I think it's took me about Six months to get over that.

The Second time my jaw dropped was when I discovered you could store the album art and composer in the MP3 file. I spent many many moons seaching out covers and composers for every song I had. I'm still doing that. (if anyone can find the original cover or release date of 'The Russians are Coming (Take 5)' by Val Bennet, that would be awesome OR a decent cover for Blue Swede's 'Hooked on a Feelin'' OR for 'Shop Around' by The Miracles. anyway...)

The Third time my jaw dropped was just yesterday, when I discovered that with the right tweeks the newest iTunes will go on the internet and upload the Lyrics of the song your listening to and imbed them in the file.

I am such a stamp collector right now you have NO idea.

Ok I have to GOT study now.

(needless to say that from this point on all MP3s I send out will include the Lyrics as Well as the Album Art. DUDE! I Can't control myself...


Today's Song of the Day is "Maps" off their 2003 debut album "Fever to Tell."

Crazy Fact: Within a year of forming they went on tour supporting The White Stripes and The Strokes.

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Kanas visits the Land of Oz

From today's New York Times:

"...In the statement, as well as in letters to the state board, the groups opposed the standards for singling out evolution as a controversial theory, and also for changing the definition of science itself so that it is not restricted to natural phenomena.

A third organization, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, echoed those concerns in a news release supporting the copyright denial, saying: "Students are ill-served by any effort in science classrooms to blur the distinction between science and other ways of knowing, including those concerned with the supernatural." "

wow. They are changing the definition of science to include God. Jesus, Mary 'n' Joseph !

I'm going back into my hole now.


Today's Song of the Day is "The Scientist" by Coldplay of their 2002 album "A Rush Of Blood To The Head."

Crazy Fact: I heard they're teaching Harry Potter in History, too.

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goofing off

I don't want to work anymore so I'll send a song. I don't think I have anything to say. I'm drinking a beer and trying not to do my most assignment for software development (programming in C.) So far I'm doing a pretty good job.

The fucking mice are driving me crazy. There must be a thousand up there. They are stupid too. and the live in the stove. every time I catch one I see them (which isn't hard) they run into the stove. GROSS. I'm worried about turning it on I don't want to hear squeals and smell burnt hair. eww.


Today's Song of the Day is "Troy" by Sinéad O'Connor off her 1987 debut album "The Lion And The Cobra."

Crazy Fact: She was booed off stage at a Bob Dylan tribute concert at New York's Madison Square Garden because two weeks before she ended her performance on Saturday Night Live by ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II.

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School is no fun.

I am having no fun. maybe I'll so up in my own version of The Shining.


Today's Song of the Day is "No Fun" by The Stooges off there 1969 album "The Stooges."

Crazy Fact: Iggy Pop formed the Stooges in 1967 after witnessing a Doors concert in Chicago.

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From the bottom of a very deep hole.

Hello strangers, I figured I'd just stop a write something. Now is as bad a time as any, so whatever.

I'm not sure you all want to hear me complain about how busy I am so I'll stowe it, but understand this is, and was, and will remain, the reason for my rare and irregular postings.

only vaguely more interesting is my new clear understanding of the difference between learning artsy stuff and learning mathy stuff. At first it seems like Arts is just thinking and Math is just doing.

When I was studying arts I was studing communication and it's meaning.

My tasks were three: 1) Observe; 2) Interprete; 3) Express.

In that order. Each dependant on the other. The sum of this exercise, the result of my efforts, was always limited by the weakest link in this chain.

In practice I was reading, watching or listening, then thinking about what it means then, it's context (then repeat until totally navel gazing) then forming opinions and proving arguements. Interpreting a message, searching for meanings in that message.

All very cerebral and a grade was based on my arguement; the strength of my connections, distinctions and conclusions or in other words the clarity in which I expressed my interpretations and their conclusions, based on my original observations.

In Math (and I've come to realize computer science is just math), you observe, it all makes perfect sense you go home and try to do it and realize you know nothing. It's do as I do. I think you all know it as that. It's true but that's just the beginning. Most of us get stuck at the begginning and just stop. frustrated. I think that is partially due to the way it's taught and partially due to the fact that we don't need to speak in Math very often.

I think really it's just the early stages of learning a language. The language is very percise, but just a language, so once you understand it, speaking it is just as fluid, with experience just as intuitive and much more expressive than I expected.

Math gets a bad because it's starting right at the beginning again. We had so much time to learn the basics of speech, not only that but we walk out into the world and all sorts of people help you practice and teach you new words and tricks everyday. Not so much with Math.

OK. I got to get back to doing as they do.


Today's Song of the Day is "Lyric Fathom" by Blackalicious off the 2000 album "Solesides Greatest Bumps."

Crazy Fact: Gift of Gab (Timothy Parker) and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) first met in Sacramento, CA, in 1987 when they were students at John F. Kennedy High School, but never worked together untill 1992.

njoy

fuck the bank

So friday morning I get up and expect a big fat student loan in my poor little bank account. Instead I find out that I have no bank account. They closed it. On TWO weeks notice and 15 dollars overdraft they closed it. Now my loan sit in bank/goverment limbo. It could be stuck in that molassas for months.

I hate banks. hateses them. tricksie false, lying cheating stealing little bankseses.

This is the last day in Classical week.


Today's Song of the Day is "Symphony No. 6: I. Allegro ma non troppo" performed by Herbert Von Karajan & The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, composed in 1808 by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Crazy Fact: Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 (a year after Mozarts' death) to study with Haydn and was subsequentially taught by Antonio Salieri (yeah that guy who admitted to fatally poisoning Mozart.)

njoy