Hiawatha's Departure

from "The Song of Hiawatha"

By the shore of Gitchie Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
At the doorway of his wigwam,
In the pleasant Summer morning,
Hiawatha stood and waited.
All the air was full of freshness,
All the earth was bright and joyous,
And before him through the sunshine,
Westward toward the neighboring forest
Passed in golden swarms the Ahmo,
Passed the bees, the honey-makers,
Burning, singing in the sunshine.
Bright above him shown the heavens,
Level spread the lake before him;
From its bosom leaped the sturgeon,
Aparkling, flashing in the sunshine;
On its margin the great forest
Stood reflected in the water,
Every tree-top had its shadow,
Motionless beneath the water.
From the brow of Hiawatha
Gone was every trace of sorrow,
As the fog from off the water,
And the mist from off the meadow.
With a smile of joy and triumph,
With a look of exultation,
As of one who in a vision
Sees what is to be, but is not,
Stood and waited Hiawatha.

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

*****

My 7th & 8th Grade English teacher, Mrs. Julia Bradford Roach Roach (married a guy with the same last name as her), made us memorize however many lines of this, telling us one of her teachers made her memorize the whole thing when she was in school.

Why so long, fellow?

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely Slayer.

True.

From an interview with Britt Daniel:

It seems like you’re a big movie fan. What are a few of your favorite movies?
[Pause] Oh, gee whiz ... Dr. Strangelove ... or Big Lebowski ... or ummm ... Boogie Nights would be up there. Rushmore.

*****

First of all -- awesome.

Secondly, I really don't like how this person broke up every single contraction in the writing of this article -- you know Britt didn't say "it is" and "I am" all over the place.

(And don't write a cutesy personal introduction that goes on way too long and sucks. Just set it up and deliver.)

voxtrot.

voxtrot

voxtrot

voxtrot

"You ever...

driving down the highway and see a guy throw a whole bag of garbage out the window? I'm too lazy to throw mine out and he's taking his for a ride. What's happening in his car? 'Hey, bag of garbage, how you doing? Oh, yeah? Well, you're getting out here! You're not talking, you're walking!

... [high pitched voice]That joke didn't even make any sense[/hpv]."

-Jim Gaffigan (paraphrased) on Late Night.

Songs dealing with Death and Modes of Transportation.

"Tonight Is the Night I Fell Asleep at the Wheel," Barenaked Ladies (car)
"There Is a Light that Never Goes Out," The Smiths (car/bus)
"Transcontinental," Pedro the Lion (train)
"I Don't Wanna Die," The Unicorns (plane, car)
"Shit Luck," Modest Mouse (plane, boat, with implied, metaphorical death)
"Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)," Cobra Starship

Goodwill Find of the Month.

Denison Marrs: Holding Hands (@ 35,000 ft)

mint condition, for $1.99.

Since when is there a dog barking from 2:25 to 2:50 in the background of "Somebody Got Murdered"?

College education isn't what it used to be.

An average Wednesday morning. I enter my Latin classroom to see the dozen or so people that normally come to class. Five minutes before class starts and a graduate student (the class is about half undergrad. / half grad.) breaks the silence with:

"I don't think Nirvana gets the respect they deserve."

Utter silence follows.

I assume he's talking to someone nearer to him, but it is a very small class and everyone is clearly able to hear any one person talking. I don't bite. He continues:

"I mean, they're probably the best band ever."

After the first comment, I sort of zoned out and stopped paying attention to anything this guy said. About 15 seconds after this last comment (which was also followed with deafening silence), the words are recalled in my short-term memory. I look over and lift my hand a little.

"Wait, did you just say Nirvana was the best band ever?"

"Yeah."

I slowly turn my gaze away and sit in silent contemplation. About an entire minute passes in silence before he says:

"Why? Who do you think is the best band?"

Simultaneously said:

He: "Something from the '60s or '70s probably?"

I: "Well Led Zeppelin or The Beatles to start."

Me: "Okay, the '80s... I'd say The Smiths."

"Smiths suck."

"... or the Clash"

"The Clash are lame. Combat Rock is awful."

"Have you heard London Calling?"

"That's decent."

The teacher walks in to stop me from mentioning The Pixies, Wilco, and Spoon, and also to stop me from pummelling this kid.

I really can't believe that some people still consider Nirvana to be the best band ever created. I really do not understand.

Most influential of the '90s? Okay.
Most important of the '90s? In the Top 5.
Best of the '90s? Uhh... Top 10, maybe.
Best of our generation? Nope.
Best of all time ever? Not even close to the Top 50.

On an interesting note, Rolling Stone's original review of Nevermind was 3/5 stars, despite its placement in the RS 500 Best Albums of All Time.

B-rat.

High five!

The Original.

THE




ORIGINAL



GUITAR HERO



(The two pedals on the left are about as old as I am... and born in America, too!)

**********

So, to go off on a nerd tangent, I just realized the pedal tuner I have has TWO outputs (one a bypass), meaning if I put it further down in the chain, I can hook the output to the smaller amp so I can hit the tuner and silence it whenever I want, but still have all the effects go into it. Alternatively, I could just feed the line out of the second input on my rad chorus pedal to the smaller amp, which would still mean both amps get all effects. Thirdly, I could just hook the smaller amp up to the additional speaker out I have on the bigger amp... but I'm afraid of that, because the bigger amp is much more powerful than the smaller, and things could get busted up real nice.

Anyway, I think I'll do it the first way... that way I can keep the second amp silent for most of the performance... then just UNLEASH and scare the crap out of everyone.

I sit around and think about my rig a lot.

Health care...

should be called "Suck care."

Radio Shack...

should be called "Suck Shack."

When

When I get the wherewithal, I would definitely like to do crap like recording a part, then sending it through FOUR FENDER TWIN REVERB AMPS to get a tremolo effect that is "tense and swampy".

"The vibrato sound is fucking incredible, and it took a long time. I put down the rhythm track on an Epiphone Casino through a Fender Twin Reverb without vibrato. Then we played the track back through four old Twins, one on each side. We had to keep all the amps vibratoing in time to the track and each other, so we had to keep stopping and starting the track, recording it in 10-second bursts. This sounds incredibly egotistical, but I wanted an intro that was almost as potent as 'Layla' -- when that song plays in a club or a pub, everyone knows what it is instantly. 'How Soon Is Now' is certainly one of the most identifiable songs I've done, and it's the track most people talk to me about."

"The tremolo effect came from laying down a regular rhythm part (with a capo at the 2nd fret) on a Les Paul, then sending that out in to the live room to four Fender Twins. John was controlling the tremolo on two of them and I was controlling the other two, and whenever they went out of sync we just had to stop the track and start all over again. It took an eternity."

(source)

How undergraduate studies don't encourage innovation.

My English class is retarded. Its professor, its methods, its whole setup is achingly obscure, bloated with a facade of professionalism, and discouraging of any innovative thought despite heralding a misaligned (and unattainable in its current state) goal of inspiring critical analysis.

Know that this outburst is not from a bad grade or two, as I care very little about grades, but a history of utter bullshit. Each assignment (even 5-page papers) is graded by a teaching assistant who is exactly as old and on the same level of education as I am. Each assignment is graded according to a strict written response from the professor, provided to the TAs. If two of the six necessary obscure points of reference are not covered in a quiz or online response, major points are gone. Every single assignment is forced into a grading curve, ALTHOUGH many class averages come out below 60%.

The first draft of the major paper assignment is 15% of our grade. The final paper turned in and graded is worth 15% of our grade. But the paper can only go up 9 points from the draft to the final stage, meaning, if a paper got a 50% on the draft, corrected everything so that the paper would get a 100% if turned in for the draft, the final paper grade for it would only be a 59%, at best.

Retarded.

On multiple occasions, I have read the appropriate passages and teacher powerpoints and responded with a considerable effort only to get less-than-desireable responses. At least twice, after getting a crappy grade, I've put in NO effort on the following assignment, and gotten premium grades.

Retarded.

Self-Written Horoscope.

Gemini
For the week of Nov. 27 - Dec. 3

Your temporary situation of financial stability will allow you to acquire a few items that you have been looking at for a while. You will have meaningful exchanges with family members and possibly with friends. Work might interfere with your health, so avoid stressful situations. An opportunity for personal advancement will be available midweek, but only if you recognize it. Be aware and stay away from negative forcefields. And treat yourself to another imported six pack -- you deserve it.

Well

I have this powerful feeling that I will be kicking all kinds of rock and roll butt in two to five business days...

(update to follow)

Wow Squared.

Why go out early (5 a.m.) the day after Thanksgiving, when I can find the same deals on Tiger Direct all month long?

(Somebody's gettin' an external hard drive soon, son!)

Tonight I will start (and finish) my 5-page academic paper examining how



and



would view



and

.

Rock 'n' roll.

Brain dump.

I continue writing papers that me, my professors, and everyone and their moms know I can write at the last minute and get at least an "A-" on. The Great Depression? The World Wars? Existentialism? Who doesn't know about these things? Who can't write 300 words about any of these topics? Who I am proving myself to that I can write competently?

Who?

Knowledge dump.

The Wikipedia Knowledge Dump

Strangeways

I rounded out my Smiths catalogue (catalog?) last week, with the nicely priced ($10.99) "Strangeways, Here We Come." It contains some of my favorite tunes, namely "Girlfriend in a Coma" and "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before," and some others I'm sure I've never heard before ("Death at One's Elbow," "I Won't Share You").

piano on "Death of a Disco Dancer" by MORRISSEY

Really?

Although it has one of the stupidest covers I've seen:



... it has the potential of being stuck in my player for a while.

Of course, everyone knows this was The Smiths' final studio album, was labored upon extensively because it followed the glorious The Queen Is Dead, etc.

The back cover has a picture of a street sign, pointing to "Strangeways" one way, and to "Ancoats" in the other direction. "Ann Coats" was the credit given to the backup vocals on "Bigmouth Strikes Again," when it was really just Morrissey's vocals sped up. But I'm sure everyone knew that too.

... gotta give me some more time to finish up my Morrissey collection now.

Vici.

Who else wants some?

Cheesy, but ...

Well I won't back down, no I won't back down
you could stand me up at the gates of hell
but I won't back down

Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around
and I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
gonna stand my ground and I won't back down

Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
hey I will stand my ground
and I won't back down

Well I know what's right, I got just one life
in a world that keeps on pushin' me around
but I'll stand my ground and I won't back down

Hey baby there ain't no easy way out
hey I will stand my ground
and I won't back down

No, I won't back down

**********

... you get the point.

I figure it's better to do the following with a job I don't actually need now, then try to do this later when I'm forced to work to survive. Hey, maybe I'll learn something. Hopefully they will.

**********

THE STORY

I was waiting at the bus stop late last week and decided to pick up the FSView & Florida Flambeau. After checking out my section, "Arts & Life," I turned to "Sports" to see a commentary by my Editor-in-Chief:

Here's a thought: go to the game

Brandon Mellor
Editor-in-Chief

Here is my futile attempt to prevent something from happening that is all but etched in stone as a guarantee.

I ask you, the student body of Florida State University, to attend Saturday's game between FSU and Virginia at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Just go. It's not that difficult.

To those of you that think this is a ridiculous request, I applaud you for being a true Seminole like me. You don't need an article to tell you to go to a football game. Walking into the house that Bobby Bowden built every Saturday for the remainder of this month is a given.

And that's the way it should be.

But for your morons out there that have something better to do (outside of work, family, personal situations), perhaps you should take a gander at transferring. Just think, you could be at a college where you don't have to live and die with the football team.

But alas, I can see it now. Hundreds of empty seats where the students should be when the Tribe trots on to the field to face UVA.

I have already heard the excuses.

"It's a noon game. It's going to be too hot to sit in the stands."

"We are just going to lose anyway."

Spare me.

Support the Seminoles despite their struggles. Support Xavier Lee and have his back as he makes his first start in Tallahassee. If the 'Noles struggle, don't boo them. Don't start chants about who should be fired. None of that has ever or will ever make a difference.

I promise you that this program is going to rise once again, and I am helping you avoid making the mistake of losing faith. You already look stupid, you might as well avoid embarrassing yourself even more.

Smith Needs More Bats

Sophomore tailback Antone Smith needs to be featured more this weekend than ever before. The Pahokee native is a homerun threat every time he touches the rock, and it is imperative to the success of the team and Lee to that he gets as many opportunities as possible.

Smith's rare mix of speed and physicality is something that
is made even more dangerous combined with Lee.

How is a defense supposed to defend against a backfield that features a player that could beat anyone in a foot race and another that can throw a 110-mph fastball or tuck it and run for a first down?

Incorporate starting tailback Lorenzo Booker, too. He just may be the second-best wide receiver in garnet and gold. Get him the ball in space and let him do his thing.

Thank you. This is coach Brandon "NCAA is Just Like Real Life and if it Works in the Game it Should Work on Saturday" Mellor signing off.


**********

Notice the grammar mistake in the key line, "But for your morons..." Also notice that there was not enough material for the main point of the commentary, so the second half was just football advice(???).

I have been through a lot at the newspaper: many changes, many challenges, many time-consuming, tedious tasks, many unreliable writers. I have no reservations over what I wrote, or how I executed it. I deemed my response commentary both professional and painstakingly respectful of a person who called a portion of the student body "morons," "stupid," and not "true Seminoles" for not participating in the activities he does.

I wrote and submitted the following commentary to my section for print in Monday's issue. It was pulled, evidently by someone who did not deem it professional nor respectful.

**********

On being a ‘true Seminole’

Justin de la Cruz
Arts & Life Editor

Last Thursday, FSView Editor-in-Chief Brandon Mellor wrote a sports commentary, “Here’s a thought: go to the game,” about attending football games. In it, he presented a few criteria for what it means to be a “true Seminole,” namely undying support and allegiance to the FSU football team. The timing of this could not be much better — an argument such as this could extend into the realm of contention placed around being a “true American,” or a “true” participant in any organization. I will take the time here to respectfully address Mr. Mellor’s criteria and present some of my own.

“To those of you that think [asking students to attend football games] is a ridiculous request, I applaud you for being a true Seminole like me.” Here, Mr. Mellor presupposes that the section of FSU students that attends football games, of which he is a part, is somehow elevated above others, who do not attend such events. This is, in fact, his only use of the term “true Seminole” in his article, however, the rest of his claims are spurred by this terminology and suggest that missing a single football game to do something else is tantamount to being anti-Florida State. I would have not taken so much offense at this statement had he written “true Seminole football fan,” which would have been a slightly different matter.

Following this, Mr. Mellor wrote, “But for your [sic] morons out there that have something better to do (outside of work, family, personal situations), perhaps you should take a gander at transferring.” This was the pivotal part of the article, with Mr. Mellor attacking and insulting specifically, ad hominem, those students (over whom he is elevated, remember) who choose to spend their time on activities outside of Florida State football games. At this point I must confess my personal bias (if not apparent by now): I don’t attend football games anymore. I can’t even remember the last time I went to one. But, on the other hand, I also do not openly harangue those who do not participate in the school-oriented events that I do as not being “true Seminoles.” (Forgive me for all the negatives in that last sentence, but I do hope you gathered the point.)

I don’t lambaste students who fail to attend the marvelous concerts at Club Downunder, nor do I label “morons” those who miss out on the enriching films at Student Life Cinema. These are the activities I enjoy participating in by the student organizations I honor and respect. Even if students miss one of the movies at SLC, like A Tale of Two Sisters last week, I don’t suggest they look into transferring to another school (it was actually a good call to miss that jumbled Korean mess of a horror movie).

Furthermore, Mr. Mellor wrote, “Support the Seminoles despite their struggles ... If the ’Noles struggle, don’t boo them. Don’t start chants about who should be fired. None of that has ever or will ever make a difference.” For the sake of having a bit of fun, go back and replace “Seminoles” with “government” and see what you come up with. This is where Mr. Mellor’s arguments could be examined under the lens of political government — should we blindly follow an organization, no matter what it does to or for us?

I encourage everyone from the student population to write into Arts & Life (a&e@fsview.com), Brandon Mellor (editor@fsview.com), and everyone here at the FSView & Florida Flambeau with your thoughts on what constitutes a “true Seminole.”

**********

(Oh, yeah, almost forgot, I guess the kicker is that I'm being considered for termination over me writing this commentary and trying to get it published.)

nanowrimo.

1) I am a serious writer now, and, 2) As a serious writer, I will not have time for household chores until December.

...Yeah, why not?

Woof!

Making backgrounds

is a great way to prolong stupid schoolwork.

bored

www.theinternet.com
www.theinternets.com
www.www.com
www.com.com
www.partycentral.com

I just read a review on All Music comparing Cobain to Lennon and Grohl to McCartney.

uhh

Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere refuses to play in my eight-year-old stereo system. [Insert frowny face emoticon here.]

... Good thing I have a computer.

CD Update.

Okay, I must dismiss my earlier paranoia concerning Boys and Girls in America. It is a solid effort, just stressing different parts of the group's sound than previous efforts. It's a more pop, happy approach to similar themes, but I guess I just dug the dark, angsty overtones of previous Hold Steady material (still prefer it, too). the second track on each album is pretty representative of the progression of the band.

"The Swish" from Almost Killed Me is just pure, harsh rock. Finn spits lyrics sharply, like he's trying to harm someone with the physical sound waves.

"Cattle and the creeping things" (Separation Sunday) hosts a similar delivery, with a cleaner production, but a still dirty riff driven over and over again.

"Chips Ahoy!" doesn't lack the insight, but the delivery is notably different, with Finn laying back on his words in almost a swoon. Also, the backing vocals (which appear on many tracks on Boys and Girls in America) really throw me off - very joyous, taking away from the gravity of the words.

*****

The Decemberists' Crane Wife is pretty tight, progressive music, a welcomed change from Picaresque, which I started out listening to a lot, but has sort of lost itself in the recesses of my CD collection. "The Engine Driver" is still about the sweetest song ever, though.

*****

The new Wolf Eyes that I got in the mail isn't really interesting at all, but I'll still go to see them live for the novelty of it. (Plus it's free.)

*****

I still haven't adopted much to Modern Times -- I'll give it some more time to sink in, but I'd still rather listen to Highway 61 Revisited any day of the week.

*****

I finally got Gnarls Barkley ($11.98 at Target -- I think it was mispriced), and I still don't see why "Crazy"

got so much attention. People were saying hit single of the summer and all that, but I frankly don't think it's that catchy or impressive. Fun, sure, but not really stellar.

*****

A music addiction is quite a weird thing, especially for me, since I don't really read about bands or about music news at all anymore. So where will all this listening get me? Probably the poorhouse.

Take You On a Cruise

Me + Cuban Cigar + Double White Russian + Sunglasses + Bath Robe + Night Club + Cruise to the Bahamas = Money

Weirdest...

website for a restaurant?

Super Perros

publicity picture?

Arts & Sciences (9/22 show, CDU).

Spinto Band

Jasper & Eddie Argos of Art Brut

We
Are
Scientists
**********

I took the camera out of the shipping box, charged it for 30 minutes, and went to this show, manual in hand. Luckily enough, the controls were really intuitive. I had to reduce the pixel quality of these photos A LOT (from a capacity of around 8 megapixels down to 2) so that I could take more than two shots (the camera's memory is only 16 MB by itself -- I have to buy a memory stick for this beast).

As I continue to work at it, I should be able to get better results, and learn how to post them more properly with aligning HTML text & pictures.

I was a psychiatric nurse at the time. I just started writing stuff to kill time on summer evenings. This is why I'm always telling people who ask me what they need to do to succeed to give up, do something else. Because giving up and doing something else (nursing, for me) was exactly what eventually led me to making music that other people wanted to hear. People will complain that they don't want to wait around for lightning to strike, but why not? If you invest yourself in chance, the potential for disappointment is pretty low.

-- John Darnielle

A bit of extreme advice, but I have heard similar musings from a couple other respected people.

timeline.

WED: Final day of work at Albertson's.
THURS: Free admission to Tom Petty/The Strokes show in Gainesville.
FRI: We Are Scientists w/ Art Brut at CDU, Tallahassee (also free).
SAT: "An Afternoon with Kevin Smith," Orlando (paid for this one). If back to Tallahassee in time, and it is not sold out, I will buy entrance to Less Than Jake (don't think I'll be able to catch it, though).
SUN: Freak out about how much stuff I haven't done/have to do.
MON, TUES, or next WED: Good possibility of interviewing Lady Sovereign.

*Raises da roof*

*Grimace*

Doubt begins to set in as New York band The Hold Steady releases listenings from its new album, Boys and Girls in America. Three album tracks are streaming on the Steady's MySpace page, as well as a track called "Hot Fries."

"Hot Fries" sounds exactly like any other Hold Steady material -- sharp, biting vocal delivery from frontman Craig Finn, heavy riffs from the band, and a general rock beat.

As for what will be the new album opener, "Stuck Between Stations," it plays as an understandable 1 Standard Deviation from normal Hold Steady stuff.

Doubt only sets in with the light, southern classic rock tune "Southern Girls," and the disturbingly pop-punk "Chips Ahoy" (MP3), both of which have Finn singing and both of which seem further than 2 Standard Deviations from normal Hold Steady material.

I hesitate to blame this on the one major (ha) factor I know that separates Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday from the upcoming Boys and Girls in America, namely, major label status. While Finn et al. now share a label (Vagrant) with the likes of Eels and The Futureheads, they are now also rubbing rock elbows with Dashboard Confessional and Senses Fail.

But... just look at the album cover...



Instantly reminded me of this...



And what about the name of the album? And are the lyrics going to continue with the characters presented in earlier albums?

This really does feel like a Strokes-y effort to expand on the band's musical base, though if I had to guess, I would pin it on major label influence. Can't wait to see what reviewers think...

Google saves college student money

Your Price: $211.00 (@ http://www.prestigecamera.com/)

versus

this

or even

THIS price.

Scoot.

Friday afternoon.

ME: Is there a way I can get this program [e-prime] so I can work on this at home?
MARK: Do you have a laptop?
ME: No?
MARK: Here, take this [FSU-owned] one. It's about four years old.
ME: ...'k'.
MARK: Yeah, if anything happens to it, I'll just say that I stepped on it.

Phew.

I'm still surprised I made it out of this one alive (and employed). Writing the email felt good.

(Sending it felt better.)

Providing background information for the context of this email would help a lot. I will give the succinct version.

Last year: 4 sections of paper -- News, Sports, Arts & Entertainment, Lifestyles.
This year: 3 sections of paper -- News, Sports, Arts & Life.

Reason provided for this change from owner and editor-in-chief: "Streamline information." "Too much confusion of overlap between the sections."

Response to this email: Editor-in-chief likes to cover him some sports, and he will continue to "cover the hell" out of football while Arts faces off against Life in a war for space.

(And YES, that was the "succinct" version.)

Bottom line: I bite the bullet until ol' editor-in-chief graduates this fall, then aspire to gain a higher position...

**********

Subject: Volume XV, Issue 7 of the FSView & Florida Flambeau (a.k.a. "Florida State vs. Troy")

Dear operators of FSU's official, student-run newspaper,

As an avid reader of the FSView and Florida Flambeau, I was among the first to notice the change of formatting that begun this fall semester, with A&E and Lifestyles being combined into one section. My mind was put to ease when I realized that no longer would any occasional overlap of story ideas or topics bleed into neighboring sections--if any stories on the aspects of students' lifestyles on and around campus were afloat, they would appear in Arts & Life (or, if deemed proper, in News); stories on student health/fitness/nutrition, student sexuality, Hollywood movies, restaurants, recent CDs, fashion, DVDs, nudist resorts, television, local concerts, books, Greek organizations, local plays/musicals, local art exhibits, how to prepare for parties, and many other subjects would likewise be neatly contained within Arts & Life.

But my logic failed me today when I viewed the current issue of the paper. Naturally, I read the front story on the cover of News, to see what the most important event of the previous couple of days was. The Florida State vs. Troy game did seem important in that it was the first home game of the season and that an unranked team almost beat the No. 9-ranked Seminoles team. At the end of the article, I noticed a teaser leading to a commentary in the Viewpoints section. I thought that would be interesting. Turns out it was a commentary in Viewpoints on the minor game that was covered in News by the managing editor. Well, it was relevant and somewhat informational at least. So let's see what's going on in Sports...

A full-page spread on the Florida State vs. Troy game? Well, football IS a big moneymaker here, and the game DID affect thousands of people. So, what does the Sports Editor have to say about the current state of sports...? oh. Another commentary on the Troy game. I suppose that was one heck of a game.

Anyway, I just wrote in to present a bit of my confusion over what material goes into what section of the 'View. It seems to me that maybe if a certain topic were contained to a certain section (outside of MAJOR events), that maybe readers would experience more of a "streamlined" effect, knowing where to open the paper in order to find a story that would interest them. Or, perhaps if you had notified the editors in Arts & Life, they could have written a lead story about football uniforms, football fashion, or the like for this issue of the newspaper, giving it a common theme about a noticeably weak effort from an FSU organization in what appeared to be a minor event.

Thank you for your time in reading this,
J----- -- -- ----

**********

Efforts like this on my part are akin to throwing pebbles at a giant: I can get his attention, even knick him a little bit, but getting him to do something based on logic and any sense of "fairness" would be like trying to reason with... well, with a lumbering giant. At least he didn't squash me this time, although he raised a hand of admonition.

When I wrote this up, I didn't give any thought to being polite out of sake for my job. I mean, the pay is decent enough (not "good," though, for the amount of work I do and crap I put up with), but losing a paid position over my principles here would only be a loss to me in terms of seeing my section dissolve into utter ridiculousness without me there.

I guess this is a taste of what many like to call the "real world," no?

Grandstandingest or awesomest?

Which superlative best describes Prince's performance in the following video?

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" - George Harrison Tribute from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions 2004


(Thanks to Matt G.)

Working is for SAPS.

well

At this point, I shouldn't be shocked by these things, but:

*****

ASJ: What brand do you have?

Cuomo: I don't even know. It says Talkbox on it.

*****

ASJ: So when you're working on these tunes on your own at home, are you recording into a cassette recorder, a home studio - what do you do to keep these tunes in your mind?

Cuomo: Nowadays I record directly into my lap top. I've got a $25 microphone from Radio Shack. I plug it into my computer and record into a program called Vegas. It's really easy to use, much easier than Pro Tools.

ASJ: Vegas is Sony's video editing software. Why are you using that instead of their Acid recording program?

Cuomo: I don't know. Somehow, I think our web guy had it because he makes videos of us. So I learned it, and now I'm kind of stuck with it.

*****

ASJ: Was there anything in particular on this album that you allowed to enter your brain and influence you that way?

Cuomo: Yeah. Rick was very particular about what recommended I listen to.

ASJ: Really? What did he say?

Cuomo: Three things: 1) John Lennon, 2) Neil Young, and 3) Trent Reznor. So I listened to those three artists over and over again.

ASJ: And learned some of their songs?

Cuomo: Yeah. I learned songs and listened to them.

ASJ: What tunes did you learn?

Cuomo: I remember learning a song called "Alabama" by Neil Young. I learned so many John Lennon songs.

Holy Crap!

I just heard metronome on "Undone".

Suddenly,

everything's busy and stuff. I am a tournament Tetris player trying to fill in the holes constantly created in the structure, as pieces that don't fit get stacked on top continuously.

I am the abandoned videogamer, wannabe cartoonist, struggling songwriter, burgeoning journalist, accomplished (3-ball) juggler, disenchanted student, and off-and-on reader in us all.

(British writers, I assume from my reading of MOJO writer Pat Gilbert, do not use "and" before the last entry in lists.)

This time next year, I will most likely not be within 100 miles of here, but I can never be so sure.

SoaP

Straight from the Yorke's mouth.

Thom Yorke: ... I had my arm twisted on "High and Dry".

Pitchfork: To release it as a single?

TY: To put it anywhere. [Laughs]

It's not bad, you know. It's not bad...it's very bad. [Laughs]

...

TY: When we put Kid A out, I specifically remember saying, "Copy that, you fucking..."

Whatever. We've ripped off R.E.M. blind for years, you know-- amongst other people. Everybody does. It's how you rip them off, as John Lennon said.

Pitchfork: Are there any current bands with whom you feel any type of kinship?

TY: There are bands I look up to. Like I look up to the Black Keys. I'm really excited about Deerhoof. Liars, they're fucking great. LCD Soundsystem. Modeselektor.

***

I don't like this interviewer's approach... or opinions. I do, however, like gaining insight into my favorite bands.

Spoo.

So, I picked up the aformentioned Spoon reissues yesterday, then revisited the (awesome) Spoon website.

They have hi-fi streaming of a crapload of their songs, cool videos, and a great layout for their page.

But I only got needlessly excited when I spotted Britt Daniel playing a guitar looking very much like mine:



***I’M LISTENING TO MOUNTAIN TO SOUND
AND THE WAY IT'S PANNED IS COOL***

poo.

Customer service is balls.

You work for four months, smelling like awful 4 out of 7 days of the week, and get not one compliment (or raise, for that matter) from the management. But one (fat) lady with issues comes in, asks if you have an attitude, leaves, comes back a week later, complains to a manager about poor service when YOU DON'T EVEN SERVE/SEE HER (a co-worker serves her) and suddenly the store owner is back there talking to you about serving the customers and feeding you the crap that got fed to him by said fat (ugly) lady.

I got a free Slayer CD today. I guess I'll use that, even though it's not really that heavy (not ATDI heavy).


AND I just assigned four stories for SNAKES ON A PLANE for the Aug 24 issue of the FSView & Florida Flambeau.
WOO.

It has been decided.

The next guitar I buy will be at or under $50 and will be a 1/2 size, child's guitar.

Student-run college newspaper bought out by Gannett

With no effort on my part, I just became an employee of a major news corporation.

The local newspaper, the Tallahassee Democrat, just acquired the FSView & Florida Flambeau in a swarmy business deal.

The Democrat is owned by Gannett Company, Inc., which also happens to own, among other things, USA Today.

Swarmy, indeed.

But they say the pay will stay where it's at, and everything will be the same. I will still have "complete control," they say.

C-O-N

CONTROL!

*****

In other news, I just got a big resume booster.

(Maybe I can persuade someone up there to get me out to SXSW '07 now.)

GW

At Goodwill, I found a cassette tape reading of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters... read by JOHN CLEESE.

And a cassette of Born In the USA.

Whoa!

Double bed sets
Reply to: blahblahblahblahblah
Date: 2006-07-20, 11:49AM EDT


I work for the Holiday Inn Capitol East, and we are getting new beds throughout the hotel. We have already taken requests for all of our king-sized beds (mattresses and box springs), but we still have a BUNCH of double (full) size beds available. Please reply through Craigslist if you are interested with the number of beds you would like.

Pick up will not be for 2-3 weeks, as we have not received the new beds yet. I will email you when the beds are available, and pickup will need to happen as quickly as possible, since we do NOT have much storage space for the beds.

Frames are NOT included, but the mattress sets are complete.

*****

Everything seemed cool and primed to build the biggest mattress fort I have ever seen until I read the last line...

Any extra beds we have will be donated to local shelters for women and children.

... I gotta think of the children on this one.

... And I'm not sure I would want hotel beds either.

... *shiver*.

'k'

Everything I Needed to Know About Journalism, I Learned from Jayson Blair

Glad to see you back in a bar band, baby.

I've toyed with the idea of starting a shameless bar band to do covers and make money. Is that idea evil incarnate?

The perfect scenario would be finding other people to start a bar band with the united goal of learning a bunch of standard covers and getting regular gigs around town... and then slowly slipping into an experimental/noise/other band. Sure, we'd still play "Back In Black," ... just with each of us in different time signatures... and keys.

I should look around for like a 5-piece band for this project -- make it look authentic and then coordinate ways of getting places to fire us.

Of course, I'll have to be discreet about this venture -- no fliers or Internet postings.

... whoops.

When

one stays awake for a long time, one no longer feels tired.

Or anything.

The Reviews of the Damned

The Reviews of the Damned

I hesistate to believe this is a 15-year-old Filipino reviewer. Although he does link to the Naruto Forums... ha.

N-N-N-N-N-

ashville.

Nashville.

TN.

Wow.

I can't believe I thought the radio edit of "Killing in the Name" was the full song for all this time. And the production of the song is surprisingly clearer than I thought it had been.

This can go along with the embarrassing revelation that I only heard the Dylan version of "All Along the Watchtower" three weeks ago.

East Indie Trade Co.

Thank You.

Okay, given that it's very easy to go against the grain with criticism, especially if a(n) album/movie/book is praised to death and one expects perfection, but hears/sees/reads something far from perfection. (I do offer a bit of an apology to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.) And I sort of don't want to be that guy who says indie stuff is pretentious... but, well yeah I do. Because it is. A lot of the time. And people know it. "Independent" music now just means "unusual" -- so the label itself is (or implies) pretension to begin with; indie pop, rock, folk, hip-hop isn't just stuff resigned to independent labels (I'm not going to go into faux-indie stuff now [your Fall Out Boys, uhh, etc.]) anymore, which, yeah, it doesn't really matter. But this trend isn't reserved for the major players -- dozens of promos I get are "indie" and "pretentious" to the extreme and it's sickening. I don't really care. Whatever.

Just give me The Hold Steady. Are they pretentious? Well, they did diss pretty terribly on the dance-punk bands of NY... that's okay, guys.

(Well, it's not even late, but I can't think straight because I'm tired. And fishy. Just understand that Illinois is, well, ... "precious" at times.)

Fanboy post

Local awesome radio station WVFS just played an artist feature on The Clash. Who knows how long it went on (at least 40 minutes from when I started listening), but I heard 4 tracks from Sandinista! and a couple from Combat Rock, what the DJ referred to as "their last album."

Well,

I just had to call in and thank her for the cool artist feature... and mention Cut the Crap. But it's okay, folks, she knew about it, and didn't consider it the Clash, so didn't include it.

And I came to the realization that I haven't really listened to over half of the catalogue of one of my purported favorite bands. And that's really weird. And that's really amazing. That an honored band in rock 'n' roll could go down in flames with one of the (I imagine) worst sounding albums ever, and just have it dismissed from their catalogue and ignored.

Another thing that's amazing is the number of people on the Internet whose favourite is Sandinista!

Just do it.

I just noticed that the layout for this Blog really annoys me. And it annoys me a lot more that it looks significantly different in IE and Firefox (I've known this for some time, but it's just now starting to irk me). ("Irk" is a pretty great word.) Just have to suffer through for the time being, though, as I am not Keane on remodeling at this junction. I would have to do a bit of research and work to do it, and I think I'll just use that time to do other things for now. But just know that I am not satisfied with the state of things here.

*****

As with 45 out of the previous 50 posts (note: hyperbole), this one will feature yet another workplace anecdote (it seems this job is strongarming my life -- outside of its walls, Albertsons still invades my dreams, casual conversations, and recreational writings...):

(Advisory: I don't know the proper punctuation or formatting for scipts, so I just made up my own. Deal with it. Suckers.)

MIKE (to SHARON): Can I get a cigarette? You know I don't normally smoke, but --
ME: You don't want one of hers. She probably smokes lights. (to SHARON) Right?
SHARON: Ultra Lights, actually.
ME: (Laughs.) I knew it! I could tell. If you're gonna smoke cigarettes, you might as well smoke full flavor ones. Ultra Lights aren't going to save your life.

My stance on this subject also extends to diet sodas, light beers, and reduced fat Oreos (Oreos should be spelled "Oreoes," because that would just be a lot more fun).

What's in a ...

Grocery manager Jeff at work calls me "Mark."

I never correct him, because I find it amusing when he calls me "Mark" in front of my co-workers and while I'm wearing my nametag.

Superwhat?

Kevin Spacey is Lex Luther in Superman Returns?

Suddenly I'm excited about it.

A little.

Cobras

In the Cockpit.

Munchy myth?

This recipe was to serve eight. Elvis would eat one of these on his own.

I don't care if that story is correct or not.

I had one.

(On just two slices of bread, silly.)

wuht-eva

You Are Animal

A complete lunatic, you're operating on 100% animal instincts. You thrive on uncontrolled energy, and you're downright scary. But you sure can beat a good drum. "Kill! Kill!"

The Muppet Personality Test

You Are Barney

You could have been an intellectual leader... Instead, your whole life is an homage to beer You will be remembered for: your beautiful singing voice and your burps Your life philosophy: "There's nothing like beer to give you that inflated sense of self-esteem."

The Simpsons Personality Test

You Are a Losing Lottery Ticket!

Full of hope and promise. But in the end, a cheap letdown.

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

You Are a Martini

There's no other way to say it: you're a total lush. You hold your liquor well, and you hold a lot of it!

What Mixed Drink Are You?

yeah, so

Eveyone's talking about Alberto.

No one's talking about Alberta.


ALBERTA FACTS



Population: As of April 1, 2005, Alberta's population is estimated to be 3,236,906. This represents a yearly increase of approximately 46,500 persons (or 1.46% growth) since April 1, 2004.
Source: Alberta Finance

Capital City: Edmonton.

Currency: Canadian dollar.

Weather: Today (in High Level, Alberta, Canada): Sunny with cloudy periods. High 22. UV index 6 or high.

Telephone Area Codes: 780 in the northern part of the province, 403 in the south.

Proclaimed a Province: September 1, 1905

Time Zone: Mountain Time (two hours behind Toronto or New York; one hour ahead of Vancouver, Seattle or Los Angeles; seven hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); and six hours behind GMT during Daylight Savings Time).


ALBERTO FACTS



Population: 0.
Source: Nasa.

Capital City: Alberto's Eye.

Currency: Palm trees and baby seals.

Weather: 100% possibility of a hurricane.

Telephone Area Codes: 911 in the outer part of the province, 666 in the eye.

Proclaimed a Province: June 12, 2006.

Time Zone: EDT.

Toy Story 3

Plot Outline: Buzz Lightyear is recalled to a factory in Taiwan, and the rest of his toy pals go to rescue him.

... what?

Woo.

I get to fire my first writer.

*****

In the office. Check phone messages...

Hello, this is Judy with [insert obscure PR company]. I called to talk to [insert name of snot-nosed writer] in charge of music editorial.

Wait a second. I'm in charge of "music editorial" (whatever that means). She didn't say my name. Did she?

*rechecks message*

Nope.

*****

Dear [snot-nosed writer],

You're

!

Table Tennis?!?!?

View more screenshots for Table Tennis

Table Tennis? ... TABLE TENNIS?!?!?

Thousands of dollars in developing a system and a game for "a purer, more visceral experience that simply was not previously possible."

For "Reflections on the floors and playing surface, as well as the multiple lighting sources and shadows provide an incredible amount of realism."

???

I'd have more fun playing PONG.

We sold over 700 pounds of snow crab clusters during my shift yesterday.

8 more hours today, 8 more tomorrow of $3.99/lb. crabs.

New Less Than Jake album sucks.

Even worse than the last.

This Lewis Black CD isn't that funny.

Good thing I got it for free.

Dear X-Men: The Last Stand,

Dear X-Men: The Last Stand,

I will not buy you nor receive you as a gift on DVD or any other existing or unforseen future video format.

That is all.

Awww.

Hello StaggerLee,

We at YTMND Forums would like to wish you a happy birthday today!

Isn't that sweet???

*****

Awww.



Isn't that scotch???

Hahahha.

In addition to Googling myself, I decided to Google my Blogger handle as well.

Yes!

I can cut, copy, and paste once again in my preferred internet browser, Firefox.

I knew it wasn't a problem with the browser itself (I swear, I never doubted you, Foxy), it was an outside virus only (seemingly) tinkering with the copy clipboard in Firefox. How annoying. Jerks.

Hiding your virus in a program called "advertismen" wasn't exactly the most subtle course of action (then again, maybe it was just a red herring, and a larger problem lies bubbling under the surface of my operating system).

Thankfully, the internet is more beneficial than it is harmful, and googling files ("pushow99.dll" in this case) really helped.

I would like to thank the following sites for making the following pasted links in this post available:

Major Geeks Forums
Grisoft, home of AVG, and now...
Ewido!

(You don't know how valuable "ctrl + c" and "ctrl + v" is until you go without.)

Edit: Check out this guy's solution to the problem, if you are experiencing it too. (It is apparently mostly from bad P2P network files...)

Gotta get back.

I suddenly feel the need to do some Calculus problems, or analyze some music. I haven't done methodical things like that in a while. I guess editing stories would count, and I guess I do a lot of that, but I think most of my time is spent in wholly creative activities, and I need to sit down and crunch some numbers or something.

Maybe if I do that, I can back off the creative things a bit, give 'em a break and let them come back whenever they feel like it.

The question now is what to do that is very structured, with a little room for creativity, a slight challenge, but within my capabilities if worked on consistently. (Calculus fits well into that description, since integration allowed for a little bit of creativity, and some of the problems had tricks that I could get after working on them for 20 minutes or so.)

That reminds me, there is this intern at the paper that changes all of my edits in stories, and usually to the wrong thing. For every single set of parentheses, she makes them into little sentences (like, in this set, she would have capitalized the "l" in "like" and she would have put a period after the last word of this parenthetical statement, which, ironically, is "period"). (Instead of doing it right with the period on the outside of the parentheses, like I did just there.)

(Sometimes she puts a period on both sides of the closing parenthesis, like this: ".).".).

(Very annoying.)

New song.

The World Is Not Such A Dark, Lonely Place

I'm sitting around having a smoke,
but I'm not down.
I haven't a clue
As to what's been eating you.

You've been acting strange,
Chewing the same gum for days,
Before you turn out the lights,
Check your closet for monsters every night.

You know I trust you.

But you can't even tell me
What you've been hiding so well.

I know you've been true.

But why all the glances?
Is it late night romancing?

I snuck into your room just to see you dream.
You know this is bigger than you or me.
You breathed in deep, then you sat up and screamed,
Soon you'll be sleepwalking.

So I flew to you.
I flew to you.

And I held your shaking body in my arms.
I held your shaking body,
Sitting next to you.

And then I knew the truth.

Lobster magnet.

Halfway through today's shift, I heard my co-worker groan. Upon turning toward his general direction, I saw him pointing at the tank.

One lobster was belly-up, and another had mounted it and was digging into its torso with its little flailing maxillipeds and mandibles. It looked pretty much, though not exactly, like this:



I learned that:

• The sign on the lobster tank that reads "Do NOT feed" means that no one feeds the lobsters.
  
• Which means, the week before that little Chinese lady buys two lobsters and boils them, they've been sitting hungry in an Albertsons tank sans food.
  
• When lobsters get hungry enough, they will eat ... each other.
  
• The lobsters, though small, have powerful pincers (I learned this from my co-worker, who happened to get one grasping onto his thumb one time, much to the delight of his customer [the description did seem very cartoony to me:
  
  Me: How did you finally get it off?
  Michael: I hit it really hard against the tank.]).
  
  
• Michael is a funny kid:
  
  "The first time I made a PA [announcement about meat specials], I messed up the prices and blurted out 'Oh, shit!' and hung up real quick."
  "No way."
  "Yeah, some manager came over and said 'That... was really funny. But don't do it again.'"
  

Right now

at 4:27 a.m., "Eucalyptus" does NOT sound like a bad band name.

Should Have Known (working title)

Demo #1: Should Have Known

Today I walk outside for the first time,
Throw a stone across the lake and
Watch the green things grow.

Now I'm back at our old apartment.
No, you thought that I would never show.

Toss a pebble at your window
And it breaks the pane.
Shatters inward, slicing fingers away.

Had I known you were standing there alone,
I wouldn't have thrown,
I wouldn't have thrown,
I wouldn't have thrown.

It's been a dozen years at least,
But you still invade my dreams.
I should have known,
I should have known,
I should have known.

Tonight I feel alive for the first time,
I cross my heart and hopefully won't die.

Allll right.

Freaking B+.

At least it wasn't an A-.

... In a class where the only objective grade was a final exam... that I was an hour late to, one couldn't really reallistically wish for more.

Ohhhhhhh welllllllll.

The Dr.

Everyone is addicted to Dr. Mario.

No one is not addicted to Dr. Mario.

Dear previous A&E Editor,

Is there any way that you could possibly give me any LESS information on what I'm supposed to be doing as I take over your job this week?

Oh, ... I guess not.

Who needs 'em!?!

Why do I even write verses anymore?

Should just write all-chorus songs, like the Ramones "Now I wanna sniff some glue."

AHHHHHJ...!

So, apparently, when I have trouble with my phone bill, I should just call and talk to someone, rather than email the company and have some goldbricking representative email me back.

I called today to change my plan, and the guy was like...

Bryce: Hey, since you've been a great customer, and you're over minutes now, I'll just start taking minutes from your new plan to go into this cycle.
Me: ... I wish I had known that earlier, because I emailed a rep. and all they said was that I couldn't change plans in the middle of a billing cycle, and I could buy 1000 minutes for 40 cents a minute that would carry over.
Bryce: Really? They said that? In an email?
Me: Yeah. I got pretty upset by it too.
Bryce: Well, let me go ahead and change your current bill to reflect your new plan... Wow. You don't use your phone too much during the daytime. Now you have 700 minutes left on your plan until the new billing cycle on May 2nd.
Me: ... wtf?!?!?! LOL!?!?!????!??!!?!

Thanks, Bryce [and I guess I should plug T-Mobile, as well].

lists

List of Things I Hate:

Cell phone bills and companies
Credit card bills and companies
People who get mad over shrimp
Cuts on my hands from manual labor

List of Things I Love:

People who clean my room
Joseph Heller
Calvin and Hobbes
Cuts on my hands from playing guitar

Personally, I love $3 gas.

This is the type of post I make when it's the day before I have to give two 10-minute presentations and I haven't started on either of them.

Jumbo white shrimp on sale this week, $4.99 a pound.

My life is an endless succession of people saying "can I get that shrimp 1.15 lbs for the price of 1, since it has ice on it?" or "you used to discount ground beef after 7 p.m. -- I'm not going to buy any if you don't."

/Morrissey lyrical reference.

/I work at Albertson's now.

/Seafood/Butcher Block.

Okay.

This one's not too bad.

(Thanks, Mike.)

YESSSSS! YEEEESSSS!

Merge does, however, have plans to reissue the first two Spoon records later this year. The much-sought-after Telephono and Soft Effects may arrive in stunning double-disc format, or may not. Details are scant at present, said Merge. (report)

Oh man. I just did like three jumps for joy.

You. Have. No. Idea.

YESSSSSSSSSSS!

Dude,

Ween sucks.

Left probably halfway through.

As Philip Seymour Hoffman as Capote said, "Frankly, I don't see what all the fuss is about."

Call me on the weekends.

Because I get unlimited minutes then...

...and somehow I managed to go over my regular allotted minutes in one week. My allotted minutes for the whole month.

wheeeewwww, boy, what am I gonna do?

First time in three years...

Sandlot.

Saw Sandlot as the midnight movie tonight. I remember watching it a couple times, and I knew the general stuff that happened, and I remembered a lot of it, but not all. Dennis Leary??? Hmm...

Thus starts another weekend. Two weeks of school left, I think, then exams.

My current editor tried to sit down and train me to take over, but she didn't have anything useful to say. I had to think of questions on my own and stuff.

It is likely that next week I will start work at the SEAFOOD/BUTCHER BLOCK at our local Albertson's. What? I don't know, it's a jorb.

Stringy.

Broke a string on the acoustic, broke a string on the electric...

What's the world coming to???

As much as I enjoy consistency, it surprises me that very few things in my life are consistent. At the top of that list is my ability to put off doing things until (literally in most cases) the last minute. And my ability to say "I'm not going to put this one thing off -- I'll start it a week early." And my ability to analyze, but still continue, this cycle over and over again.

I want to build my next guitar, and get Dad to work on it with me, and paint something cool on it. I would build a custom rig/cabinet/stack, too, if I knew anything about that.

Gainesville, suckers.

Then Dinosaur Jr., suckers.

Then two taxing academic papers, suckers.

b-boy style.

Awesome: I... shot that!, a Beastie Boys film.

I just want to say that 1) This is a pretty cool idea and 2) Oh yeah, if I ever get rich I would sponsor concerts like Block Party at least once a month.

My life remains an endless series of "this again?"s interspersed with various "what if"s, "supposing I"s, and "well, well"s.

Happy Birthday, V!

V for Victoria Birthday by DJ de la Crunk.

Hmm.

Does



=



?

Phew.

Spent the last couple of hours drawing cartoon characters instead of studying.



= Harder than I thought.

I feel in love with that feeling.

I was looking for what to snack attack in the fridge today, when I noticed the shredded mozarella cheese. Then the spaghetti sauce. Then the bread.

PIZZA TOAST, BABY!

How come I haven't had pizza toast in over 7 years?!?!

Remember that time we made a pizza with just crust, sauce, and pepperoni?

ooh

The zipper on my second favourite pair of pants is broken.

That might not seem so bad, but it turns out it's also my #1 pair of jeans.

Ouch.

Pride & Prej was alright. Good visuals.

... *whispers* (Bought Majora's Mask today.)

Pi day (yesterday).

Pi (by Kate Bush, from 2005's Aerial).

Thank you Stephen, Eric.

WILCO.

I can only speak in Wilco now. [Editor's note: I'm not sure what this sentence means.] I can safely say that Wilco's show at the Moon tonight was the best live music experience I've had. It beat out marching band, the woodwind quintet, solos and ensembles... sorry guys, it's true (those things are really high up there, though, and it's almost apples and oranges, since I participated in those... but I'd like to think I participated in the show tonight, too). Even considering my large bias towards the music, I think it was a fantastic show.

24 songs. Two extended encores. Best $25 I've ever spent. Anyone reading should go buy $100 scalper's tickets for this tour. I am so sin-sur.

I am all kinds of happy. I just want to sit around in silence all night in my room, just doing nothing but smiling.

Can't really emphasize how good it was. Don't really know what else to do to praise Tweedy & co. Besides wear the tour shirt until its threads unravel.

SB06

What the...?

MOVIE LIBRARIANS: NOTABLE LIBRARIANS & LIBRARIES IN FILMS

Weirdest site ever.

At least it allowed me to find out which movie I was watching on TV (Strike up the band with Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney...).

I knew it!!

Why only twelve episodes when it's the most popular podcast?

Why aren't the past episodes available?

BAM

That's why.

From the newsletter email:

"And in case you missed them the first time around, the original 12 podcasts will be available from the same sources next week starting Tuesday 7th March."

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

In spaceships, they won't understand.

Weeeiiiiirrrrdddddd.

Are these supposed to be funny?

When in doubt, just turn it up and fake it.

Packed Warehouse. Crowded tables, minor complications resolved. Six songs of sweet rock. This went from the last-minute scramble to the verifiable pinnacle of rock performances. I cut my hands, I jumped the stage. I sweat so much I couldn't see through my lenses.

But we rocked.

The tone wasn't right, the channels varied in loudness, it sounded muddled, my new guitar strings were slipping down. But I just turned it up and pumped it out. I couldn't find the singing keys for some songs. I switched lines from verses and made up inane stuff on the spot. But we pumped it out and we rocked.

And they clapped.

"These next two songs will be the best five minutes of your life."

Maybe I was right.

Maybe I was right.

First fanmail!

I got my first ever piece of fanmail today (although I figure it was more over the content I pointed to than my actual writing...)!

Hey I saw your article in the paper today and it was great. I downloaded Ricky Gervais' podcasts and they are hilarious. I was wondering if you know where I could get the first 8? Itunes only has 9, 10, 11, and 12. Thanks.

Your adoring fan,
Washington Irving

Nah, I just made that last part up. But I'm still touched. Even if I've only influenced one person's life... ahh, so optimistic now.

This fanmail makes up for the fact that all of my m-dashes are mysteriously missing from my article (three were present when I submitted it) and were surreptitiously replaced with commas or, in one case an apostraphe + s (note: "Such shows provide a unique experience of entertainment's one that I hope..." should in fact be "Such shows provide a unique experience of entertainment [HUGE FREAKING WITTY/COOL/STYLISH M-DASH <-->] one that I hope..."). Don't know what happened there.

Bummer!

"They're not doing interviews. I can send you the latest album, tickets to the show, pictures..."
"Well, I already have all of those. Thanks."

D'oh!

Hope she wasn't lying to me.

I don't blame you, Wilco...

Jelly jelly jelly jelly jelly jelly jelly jelly jelly jelly bones

I don't like the phrase "... or lack thereof." It looks ugly, it sounds bad, and although it is usually used in an attempt to elevate the level of one's writing, it usually only comes off as stilted.

***

I don't like the word "persons" either. You're not foolin' anybody.

***

And "similarily" isn't even a word. Don't know where you got that extra vowel, but you can totally stop trying to pronounce the word if you don't know what it is. Especially since today was the first time you used the word all semester. And lay off the "in that regard"s ... that's not a terrible phrase but you're dreadfully overusing it.

The docks.

Just because you have some weird scorn for parentheses doesn't mean you can mark through every parenthesis on my paper. And maybe I just don't like simple sentences (they're not run-ons... you're a run-on).

Only two weeks until Spring Break? Already halfway through the semester? My perception of time is never settled, constantly changing. Left to their own devices, humans in a controlled setting functioned on a 25 hour day.

I saw an entire episode of The Boondocks yesterday. I wasn't all too impressed. I can only speculate that the show is rated "Mature" for the use of one solitary word (which, in fact, came up only about a half dozen times in this episode), because I didn't see all that other much that was explicit about it.

Leave that to the Artful Dodger.

The War At Home is honestly, without exaggeration, the worst sitcom, if not the worst thing in general, I have ever seen on television. If it weren't for its convenient post-Simpsons, pre-Family Guy timeslot, I would never have encountered such a disaster.

Arts & Entertainment binge.

9 of the last dozen messages I received on Facebook were from local band Jaded State.

***

I still haven't caught up on my CD listening. Concerts are coming and going-- I went to two the other night: Andrew Bird (CDU) and The Hold Steady (Beta Bar). Bird was phenomenal, the Hold Steady were solid. Of Montreal (tonight)-- disappointing. New material with drum machine + throwback sugarglam rock = tired. Fiery Furnaces tomorrow, don't know anything 'bout them.

***

The Hudsucker Proxy is a great movie. You should watch it.

Serenity was pretty good, too.

***

I think I'm catching up on all the sleep I've lost this semester. Feelin' pretty good.

Invincible, oh oh oh.

I just found a feature in one of my media players that nicely and crisply slows down music/recordings to as much as half speed, while retaining the frequencies of the song (i.e., the key).

"Heartbreaker" solo, here I come.

There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more.

I started a Nietzsche book, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, because I saw it on the new rack in the library. It's, uhh, different. Now, THAT'S a mustache!

A tuning peg broke on the acoustic. Probably just gonna get a new set. Conversely, the strings on the electric have been on there for at least 4 months; I can feel the ridges on them from the bites of the frets, and the strings themselves are as black as the guitar's finish.

There is talk of "training" for Editor...ship of A&E. She says it's "not that hard at all. Very easy." I'm not too worried about it.

I bought Before Sunset at Wal-Mart for $3.88 (yes, DVD). I saw it last year and thought it was pretty good, especially considering 1)There is no discernable plot. 2) Nothing happens. 3) It is ALL conversation.

I still haven't seen Before Sunrise, the earlier of the pair, so I guess I'll add that to the Netflix queue. So, how's that Netflix going? It's alright. Yeah, pretty alright.

Let's see, ... what else do I have? Oh, yes. Last week as I was writing a paper three hours before it was due, I composed a somewhat entertaining phrase describing Zeus:

Regardless, after the birth of Athena, and in a manner befitting a newly-secured unchallengeable king, Zeus begins to spread his divine influence amongst nearly all of the immortal goddesses, resulting in a string of allegorical offspring. One of his more salient coital conquests involved Mnemosyne, a titaness whose name means “Memory.”

Heh.

But down in your arms, in your arms, I am a wild creature.

It's cold here and I don't understand. The weather has been very temperamental (yeah, I know), cycling from cold cold, to cool, to average, to downright hot. And not even in that order, just skipping around.

One of the greatest things is seeing that a CD is an even number of minutes long. "50:00" or even something like "39:39" proves for a very comfortable sight after the disc has spun its length.

I had a mini-revelation of sorts in class on Wednesday. It wasn't me figuring out something new or anything, it was just a sudden realization. For the last thirty minutes of class I kind of blanked out and just sat and thought. It was pretty cool and somewhat motivational, although I'm not sure if things will change right away or at all (it had something to do with how I haven't really been doing much for the past, well... long time).

I bought a black and white Strokes poster for $1 from a guy in the union who said he was "going to make a bundle" selling roses for Valentine's. Roses from Miami. Gonna buy them at the last minute and make a bundle. The best thing (besides it being $1) about the poster is that it doesn't say the band name anywhere. So I feel cool and elite, despite First Impressions of Earth.

That's about it, I guess.

Grammys!??!?

FIELD 5 - ALTERNATIVE

Category 22 - Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Funeral
The Arcade Fire
[Merge Records]

* Guero
Beck
[Interscope Records]

* Plans
Death Cab For Cutie
[Atlantic Records]

* You Could Have It So Much Better
Franz Ferdinand
[Domino]

* Get Behind Me Satan
The White Stripes
[Third Man/V2 Records]


Don't you mean, "Best Less Popular Album" or something? This stuff is alterative? Hmmm... Plans isn't very alternative, I don't think. Nah. (Oh yeah, and somehow Franz Ferdinand is considered in the "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal"... so they're alternative when it comes to the album, but Rock in this one song!???!?! [Note: This is not to imply that I thought You Could Have... is best Rock album material, I'm just rambling here.])

Category 21 - Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)

* X&Y
Coldplay
[Capitol Records]

* In Your Honor
Foo Fighters
[RCA Records]

* A Bigger Bang
The Rolling Stones
[Virgin Records]

* How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
U2
[Interscope Records]

* Prairie Wind
Neil Young
[Reprise Records]

You were right, B, U2 was considered this year as well. They won 3 grammys last year for stuff from How to..., and now they win 5 more grammys for it. 8 for one album!? Insane.

NO WAY. "Beverly Hills" was nominated for Best Rock Song????!!?!?!?!??

Also, Kelly Clarkson beats out Paul McCartney Best Pop Vocal Album (can't judge here-- haven't heard either of them).

That's all I've got for now. The Grammy Site hasn't highlighted all of the winners yet...

Our mothers have been absent ever since we founded Rome but there's gonna be a party when the wolf comes home

"Compare your school's most popular listings with Facebook's."

FSU

Music

1. DMB
2. Jack Johnson
3. Sublime
4. Coldplay
5. The Beatles
6. Incubus
7. Green Day
8. The Killers
9. Bob Marley
10. Led Zeppelin

Facebook

1. DMB
2. Coldplay
3. Jack Johnson
4. The Beatles
5. Green Day
6. The Killers
7. Led Zeppelin
8. Incubus
9. Sublime
10. Fall Out Boy

*********************

How 'bout I just barf instead?

Nah, it could be much (much) worse.

I am, however, concerned about the number one listing for Movies (for both school and Facebook) of The Notebook (even though I never saw it). And that Anchorman and Old School were so much higher than 40 Year Old Virgin.

It was a relief, however, to find out that for FSU, the #56 "Interest," up two spots, was "girls."

Scanned my hand.

Inversed it:

You were right about the stars. Each one is a setting sun.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Kaki King.

Kaki King

Yeah, check it out. She played here tonight, and it was pretty much awesome. She had a lap steel that she ran with loops, hitting it for bass effects, scratching and picking at it for percussive effects. But I guess her most unusual feat was over-the-top-o-the-neck slapping (on her Ovation acoustic/electric). Pretty impressive.

She could also tune very well, into all different kinds of arrangements, by ear.

She also told very good stories and jokes.

And just when I thought I couldn't be impressed more, she pulled out the old MORRISSEY COVERS.

Yeah, that's right folks, the only two songs she sang on were covers of "Please, please, please let me get what I want" and "Why don't you find out for yourself".

I mean, they weren't awesome covers or anything, but the whole introduction ("My future baby's daddy wrote this song..."), and those being the only covers she did, and the only things she sang on... great.

::thumbs up::

I would recommend seeing, though she's only doing a limited tour. Her recordings aren't bad, either. But, of course, it's better in person.

Huttah!

Edit: I was feeling generous, so here you go (yeah, it's Windows Media Audio -- deal with it):

Kaki King -- "Playing With Pink Noise"

Yeah, just one player, one guitar. Those plunks are her hitting the body of the guitar with her left-hand fingers.

.. / -.- -. --- .-- / -.-- --- ..- / -.. --- -. .----. - / - .- .-.. -.- / -- ..- -.-. .... / -... ..- - / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-. . / ... ..-

-- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / - .-. .- -. ... .-.. .- - --- .-.

. .-. .- / . -. -.. ... ---... / .-- . ... - . .-. -. / ..- -. .. --- -. / ... - --- .--. ... / ... . -. -.. .. -. --. / - . .-.. . --. .-. .- -- ... .-.-.-

.-. . .- -.. .. -. --. / .- / -.. .. ... -.-. ..- ... ... .. --- -. / .-.. .. - - . .-. . -.. / .-- .. - .... / -- --- .-. ... . / -.-. --- -.. . / .. ... / ..-. .-. ..- ... - .-. .- - .. -. --. / .- -. -.. / -- --- .-. . / --- ..-. - . -. / - .... .- -. / -. --- - / ..- -. .-. . .-- .- .-. -.. .. -. --. .-.-.-

.- ... / -.-- --- ..- / .--. .-. --- -... .- -... .-.. -.-- / .... .- ...- . / ..-. --- ..- -. -.. / --- ..- - / ..-. .-. --- -- / - .-. .- -. ... .-.. .- - .. -. --. / .- .-.. .-.. / --- ..-. / - .... .. ... / .--. --- ... - .-.-.-

I go sleep alone but think that you're next to me.

Sometimes all one needs is Spoon on the stereo, the Winter X-Games on the television, two cans of Mountain Dew in the blood, a tub of Publix Orange Sherbet in the lap, and a healthy disregard for tomorrow's responsibilities.

The Drive Home

Taxi cabs at red lights, stop;
doors swing open and heads,
expelling the glories of the party,
pop out.

Hair falls, a silken robe.
Heads bob both to and fro,
swaying with stalwart prowess.

Witnessing the scene, street lamps
cast luminant gazes across the way,
turn mystical Night into brazen Day.

Back in.
Admitting the defeats of the evening,
doors fully shut and tales,
littered with laughter, begin;

I'll lick my wounds, would you pass the salt?

The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday
Spoon: Kill the Moonlight
The Beatles: Revolver
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Joy Division: Closer

Cat Power: The Greatest
Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat
Spoon: Girls Can Tell
Wilco: A.M.

Wilco: Kicking Television
Neil Young: Harvest

Wilco: Being There

***

That's quite an enormous amount of CD purchases for one week. This should hold me for a while. For the record, half of those were irresistible used purchases. So, you know, it wasn't that much money. ::cough::

Insane.

InsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsane

WILCO Tuesday, March 14, 2006 Doors: 7:30pm Showtime: 8:30pm



Advance general admission tickets $25 Limited FSU Student tickets: $15

Co-Presented by FSU Union Productions This is an 18+ event

TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3 @ 12 NOON

InsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsaneInsane

I'm still seeing Wilco at the Langerado Festival-- I already bought my ticket for it. But I guess it's likely I will be seeing them again at the Moon two days later.

I wanna play the part of Eddie in The Stranger Dance.

Furthermore, for some ambiguities, there is evidence that linguistic and visual context can override syntactic preferences that exist in the absence of a context from the earliest stages of processing that can be measured with current methodologies.

That's from a chapter I was reading on ambiguous sentences. Thought I'd share.

***

I'm really tired right now, but I still have quite a few dozen pages left to read before tomorrow, so I'm not sure what will happen. Either way, I'm not too worried about it. Things tend to work out naturally, for some reason, all the time.

***

Oh! So get this: my (grad. student) teacher in mythology told us how to write the first essay she assigned:

"So, uh, you need an introduction and a conclusion. Make your thesis the first sentence of the intro, and for the conclusion, you can just restate your thesis. Then, list your three points in the intro paragraph, and then make one paragraph for each of those points. So you'll have the intro, the three paragraphs, and a conclusion. And don't use 'I' or 'you' anywhere in there."

I slapped my forehead about 25 times during her explanation of the essay. Mr Hammond would have burned a hole straight through her with a condescending stare and haughty expression.

Then I realized that the most depressing part was... somewhere in that class at least one student probabaly need those crappy, ill-informed, simplistic, mundane, uninspiring, limiting guidelines on how to write an essay.

"Just restate your thesis for your conclusion."

::sigh::

I want to pick peaches off a cherry tree.

Not as good as Ok Go's "A Million Ways" video, but entertaining nonetheless (click the pic):


(The Boy Least Likely To -- "Be Gentle With Me" video)