Revolution…?

…file under Things that make you go hmmm…

This is the new Nintendo game system. Yes, that 'remote' is the controller.




Larger image.

A.Ho

none too loyal

Please let it be understood that I had to. The means were provided, my choice undeniable.

I bought the new Broken Social Scene today…from Best Buy.

I buy almost all of my new music at a local outfit, Boo Radley's, and expected to do the same with this new disc, but it didn't work out that way. Through no fault of their own Boo Radley's was unable to get their pristine, ungrubby mitts on ANY of the units ordered, their distributor didn't order enough. They are supposed to get some this week, but they won't be the limited bonus edition containing e.p. to be you and me.

Grant and I had plans to go on a hike today, but I've had a bit of a cold and felt limited to short term bursts of energy. We opted to seek out BSS and coffee and, through a course of mutual decision making, headed north to check out a new Starbucks and hit Best Buy. They had what we sought, and for cheap. Which, honestly, doesn't hurt.

Sorry Boo's.


A.Ho

So awesome I post it here

I haven't had much to contribute here lately. Beyond the semi-amusing comment and, of course, general insanity that comes when you're drunk 24hrs a day.

However, I'm so glad satire still fucking cuts to the bone in this society.

Bill Hicks, genius and ranter extrodinare, often wailed that demons were being sent "to lower the standard for the rest of us, perfect and holy children of god, which is what we are make no mistake about it." And when you look at the current level of competitance (which I've probably gloriously misspelled, making me a jackass) in the public sector, coupled with the sheer raping economic savagry of the private sector, I can't help but think: fuckin' a, the demons are winning.

Is that the wrong impression? Am I just fuckin' stupid or high?

No. I don't know when it became so American to stop questioning the authority, to just accept the struggles that were losing ones were always going to be losing ones (hi Democratic party!) and basically to just cease to call Bullshit on people who were running such high bullshit that superdense forms of matter were taking place, but Fuck I Am Tired of it.

I want every goddamn thing proven, now. I want to take what I need, and be free to give what's extra away. I want to make sure my things don't fucking own me. And I won't let 'society' tell me that if I have an X360 and a PS3 and a Revolution then I will be happy or things will be OK.

I should've gone into politics. I'd be the worst politican ever, but everyone would know it, at least.

• New album picks. •

I am listening to Wolf Parade Apologies To The Queen Mary and liking it immensely. So I've added it to my album picks for the year, which feels good because it's pretty sparse over there.

The new Broken Social Scene comes out tomorrow, and though I probably won't pick it up until Friday I went ahead and put it in the album picks as well. Heck, I was in there editing so why not. Call it prescience.


A.Ho

---

Got Danglers?

(sigh)...

I went to EB Games the other day to look around, one day I will learn not to do this. I almost made it out untempted, but then spotted a wall of boxes for games being launched with the XBox 360. I planning on holding out for quite some time before getting the new system, waiting at least one, if not two, price drops. $399 seems like a fair deal though, the problem being that to me $399 is a chunk of change, a big chunk. Solution? Well Christmas is right around the corner of course, and around the corner from that is my birthday. I'm thinking I should just request money/giftcards to put toward the system and a couple of games (Perfect Dark|Zero for sure. And I should replay the original.) and grab one for my birthday in January. Then I could take 2 or three days off (maybe Dan could come up), stock up on food (defined as: candy/pizza/soda/beer) and break that sucker in. How's that for a plan? The problem I face with that is priorities, like I could really use a new bed. And if I get that system I'm really going to want a new TV. Maybe a holiday job @ EB is in order, earn extra cash, get a discount. Problem solved? We'll see.

A.Ho

---

Mommy?

In a recent post MT linked a Wiki on lucid dreaming. This led me to an entry on sleep paralysis, which I used to experience on an all too regular basis.

Creepy. Icky. Intriguing.

A.Ho

---

Nicely done.

Serenity Wow!

MORE:

Australian Serenity poster.
Serenity LEGO-ized.

---

Mia

Back in the early 90s I lived with four other young men in what was known as Plantworld, or Teenage Graceland. We were fortunate enough to have different bands occasionally sleep on our floor while they were on tour. The two that stand out are Heatmiser (Elliot Smith) and The Gits (Mia Zapata)

Sadly I only have a vague memory of meeting the Gits, and honestly I only remember meeting Mia. I was probably underage and couldn't attend the show, and I'd never listened to them at the time, so I didn't HiLite the meeting in my memory.

When Mia Zapata was murdered it came up that she had stayed with us. I'd listened to them by this time and her death hit me pretty hard. To this day every time it comes to mind or I come across something that reminds me of it I feel that sense of tragic loss. I can't imagine how people that knew her must have felt, when I, who had only a faint, indefinite memory and a connection by music was floored.

A.Ho

---

Shows

A few days ago, last Friday to be exact, I bought my ticket for The Decemberists. They are playing at The Big Easy in about three weeks, with Cass McCombs. Rebecca Gates, of The Spinanes, has opened for them a few times and I wish that were the case this time, but as long as I see The Decemberists all shall be ok.

I did not feel like repeating my Sufjan embarassment.

Now I have to decide how much I'd like to see Built To Spill. Last time they played here, the only time, they were very underwhelming, not bad, just not fabulous. Anyone ever seen a righteous show by them? Should I go?

I saw The Treepeople play 13 years ago at Mother's Pub (now the B-Side) and that still stands out as one of the best shows I've ever seen. Mr. Martsch is certainly capable of supplying The Rock.

UPDATE:

Ok. Too funny. I was looking over the C/Z Records website, which has some good history, and came across this bit about Hammerbox. They were a great live band and their self-titled album rocks. Here ya go:

1992 - MC Hammer threatens C/Z artist, Hammerbox with a lawsuit over their name. Eventually the suit is dropped. Hammerbox signs with A&M, tours extensively, and finally breaks up. Carrie goes on to start Goodness.

A.Ho

---

Everyone's A Comedian (but not me)

I got the pic to the left in an html mail from a club in Houston that I somehow managed to get on their VIP list. Normally, I think, "Oh, good. Glad to see Opus is still keeping the Beautiful People scene alive." But today, they offered me something totally different. I had my fucking mind blown by today's email. They introduced me to a band called The Reds. Embiggen the picture to chickety chickety check it out.

About goddamned time. Finally. Finally! An alternative band that plays hip-hop. I never thought I'd see the day.

Next thing you know, we'll be having hip-hop bands playing alternative music! Will my mind ever cease to being blown?

oversight

Bloggin My Noggin (which started as Mental Illin), established in August of 2003, was denied a timely observation of said establishment.

It's been two years going now. I need to thank Dan for keeping it going when I was unable to and I need to thank Messy Texan for her presence. And to the people who actually read this, we're glad to have you. To my knowledge that amounts to Kris and Fuz. Nato is probably poking his head in here every now and again as well.

A.Ho

p.s. I think Liz hangs around a bit too. High-five, keep the spirit alive.

---

last • fm

So, I'm doing this now.

A.Ho

I feel ya.

I've been playing online poker for pennies and can say that I have felt similarly. I've read that it's harder to beat a novice than an intermediate player because they just don't know better. I would consider myself a novice in terms of experience with intermediate knowledge of the workings, so I guess I'd be in the middle somewhere. As far as actual skill goes, I've no real idea.

A.Ho

---

Around the World in approximately 1,095 - 1,460 Days

A couple of days ago I ran into a guy I know named Eli. He told me of his plans to travel around the world and that he was leaving in a couple of days, an epic adventure in the works. I don't know Eli that well, we're friendly acquaintances, and I didn't spend much time talking to him about it, I only found out that he planned to be gone 3 or 4 years and that he would work his way around doing odd jobs and such, he also hopes to write a lot and maybe get a book out of it. I wished him well and figured I'd run into him again someday on the streets of Spokane.

Walking home from work today I was fortunate enough to run into him again, at the freeway on-ramp near my apartment, backpack in tow, nicely dressed and shaven, thumbing for a ride and waving and smiling as cars passed him by.

This got me to thinking as I walked the rest of the way home about two things that I've never done ,and will probably never do, as my Mom put the fear into me about them when I was a kid. Number one is hitchiking and number two is ski-jogging.

So, a shout out to Eli, a brave and kind soul, I wish you well and look forward to hearing about your travels. Godspeed.


A.Ho

---

An idea.

Jalapeño Noir. Mm-mm, tasty!

A.Ho

He/She will be riding six white horses.

One day, before I die, a genius of a man or woman will prove to all the world that Coca~Cola is quite good for you. On that day I will rejoice that I drank as much of it as I did.

-A.Ho-

The Magik of Tecknology

Evacuating the Evacuees

That's really gotta suck, you know?

But you know what sucks more? Galveston Island happens to be probably my favorite place in the whole universe. And, if it takes a direct hit, it'll be underwater. To me, personally, that will be either a total disaster or very nearly a total disaster.

Galveson's beaches are crummy. Most of the population is hovering just above the poverty line, teetering on it, or has fallen below it. Crime's pretty high for such a small population . Mostly its hot as hell and humid. Every direction you look are reminders of the faded glitterati from its days as a booming port-of-call in the late 1800's, like the curled edges of a yellowed photograph. It's prosperity was cut short and its human arrogance humbled by Isaac's Storm. Most people hate Galveston. But this place is a special place to me.

A long time ago, I lived in Houston. I didn't like Houston. In fact, when I lived there, it would be fair to say that I hated Houston. Objectively, its pretty gross. But I harbored resentment towards Clutch City.

See, believe it or not, at one point in my life, the potential energy inside me was palpable. I was a very lucky girl in high school. I was smart, but not too smart. I was pretty but not intimidatingly so. I came from a family with money and I lived in the old money part of town but I was as suspicious of money then as I am now. I sailed through high school. Glided like an ice skater. I was a star. And then the mascara tears came. I fell in love with a boy who would quietly root for my failure for many years. I wanted this boy to really know that he was loved because I had a nagging suspicion that it would be his first time to have been loved. I wanted him to see the things in me that I love about myself and love them, too. And, if we were to shrink me a bit more, I believe that we would undoubtedly find that these urges result from a basically abortive and absent workaholic neurologist for a dad. So, when I was accepted to Vanderbilt, Pepperdine, and Mount Holyoke, I smiled weakly, put the acceptance letters in a box inside a box inside an old piece of luggage in my closet and I never told anyone until a year ago. Because he was going to Houston, and so was I. I suppose this sounds too very 'poor little rich girl'. I suppose I am leaving out important parts to the story. Oh, well.

So, we went to Houston. I lost interest in my long time dream of becoming a physician within a few months. I remembered that I don't like touching sick people. How ironic.

My second semester, I moved out of the dorm and I got my own apartment. I felt like a new woman. I decided to become an archeologist. And within two weeks, he moved himself in. Within a two more weeks he had started calling me names pretty regularly. Within two more weeks he had started throwing things when he was angry. It escalated at this rate until the end of my summer semester, when I went numb. I had so much love, you know? So so much love to give. And he didn't want it. In fact, when I gave it, he would punish me in one way or another for it. I didn't understand that and it seemed I would never find anyone who wanted it.

I developed an untestable hypothesis: The quickest way to get someone to develop an unmitigated hatred towards you would be to offer them the potential of limitless undying love.

I would drive to Galveston every night, about half an hour before he would be home from school/work, and go to this one spot on the west side, near San Luis Pass and LaFitte's Cove. I had to get away from him, I had to get away from my apartment that smacked of him and I had to get away from the city that had lured me away from my dreams with promises of love.

You had to take a crookedy side road to get to my spot but it was mostly desolate most of the time. There was no beach. Just the elevated seawall and sea. And I would sit in my shiny new Mustang convertible and cry and cry and cry and smoke and smoke and smoke. I would look out to the ocean and let the feeling of inconsequence that it evoked carry me through those sleepless hours. I felt mostly dead but I kept hoping.

But I didn't want to believe my own hypothesis because I'm a guilt-harboring romantic idealist. I kept hoping, you know? And then, one day, I just stopped feeling. Sort of. The groaning from some unspecified place in my gut was loud. And one day it deafened me. I decided that I might prefer to die. So, I drove to my spot to think it over. I cringe that because I am here writing this you will be able to write off the absolute seriousness with which I considered suicide. I offer you my most resolute assurances that having love pent up inside, to the point of suffocation, because unleashing the love was like unleashing annihilation, made me wish for death.

So, I got out of my car and I looked out over the ocean. I smoked my Marlboro but I didn't cry. Then the wind whipped my hair around my neck. You know that feeling? That shivery, goosebumpy feeling that happens when the wind whips you hair on your unsuspecting skin? That feeling can't last longer than two seconds. But its a good feeling. Its a feeling of aliveness. Its a stimulus and response.

And I decided then that I had to be brave for love. For loves unknown and loves undiscovered and loves unrequited and maybe even loves that would always be unrealized. And being brave for them meant not dying. And I decided that, in the meantime, I would rely on those sporadic moments of visceral experience - of wind whipping your hair and rain making your skin wet in that way that only rain can - that I would rely on those things to remind me that I was still a human. I decided that, maybe, that's what being human was all about. Deciding to live when dying was much easier.

And I decided to live on that typically mild, but windy, night sometime in December 1999 in Galveston, Texas. And I had wanted to take my current boyfriend there. We had almost gone over Labor Day. I wanted to take him to my spot. Wish I had. Hope its still there when I can go next.

J.C. and Me

I agree with Fuz, I don't exactly look like John Cusack, but I'm not sure that's really necessary. I think it's more of a height, weight, shape thing for lighting and what not. I really don't know much about it, someone asked me and I said 'You bet.' So maybe I'm their man, or maybe not.
Found out today that filming is supposed to start near the end of September, maybe early October. And I also found out that one Salma Hayek may also be showing her hot self around town.


-A.Ho-

15 minutes of non-fame?

Wow. They say it's who you know.

I may be cast as a photo-double for a movie to be filmed here in the near future, though I may not be tall enough (bummer). It would make sense that this could also include stand-in work. Anybody want to venture a guess as to who the actor is?

Think 80s teen-flicks.

Best part of my day

May've come from the "Can we do this sometime" thread comments.

PS I was drunk when I made the 2nd comment. Red wine. One bottle. Me. Who will conquer!?

It's times like that, though, that make me wish I didn't live far away from you people.

I need a nap, maybe even now.
/will trade oral for nap

not icky, del.icio.us!

You can now find my del.icio.us links over in the sidebar. Groovy.

-A.Ho-

My Blogging style cannot be defeated!

My beers of choice lately: a combination of Mirror Pond, Bachelor Bitter (mmm...), and Moose Drool (mmm, and mmm...thank you Big Sky Brewery).

Thought you should know.

...oh, and by combination I mean one or another, not blended. Scared you huh?

...oh, again, I watched the third episode of Oz yesterday. I'm still not sure what to make of this show. Meanwhile The Wire continues to be satisfactory, and oddly elegant.

-A.Ho-

destiny

I've been procrastinating about laundry for days. The inevitable is upon me.

-A.Ho-

Can we do this sometime?

Because I can't be the only person interested.

What is YOUR favorite legume?

My vote goes to the Dark Red Kidney Bean.

-A.Ho-

Heh!

It seems everyone on the blog has been having a long few days.

So click the linky. I think it's amusing.

We don't cry. We laugh until they go away, shamed in defeat at our joy.

Hold it.

Cards. Specifically Texas Hold'em poker. A game that I am novice at that requires strategy and skill mixed with chance and some gut instinct.

Instinct, that sometimes miniscule voice I fail to listen to. Such was the case when I folded my hand before the flop and then flopped what would've been a Full House. Ugh.


-A.Ho-

a theory of mine. apply at will.

One third of "something" (something being Music, movies, people you know, etc.) will be great, one third will be mediocre, and one third will blow. These thirds can be broken down in the same manner. For instance:

I would consider most of the music I own and listen to to be in the top third of all music ever. Not everyone will think so but I don't care. Within that tiny collection one-third will be superior, and probably more listened to, than the other two-thirds, and so forth.

This post made me think about that.

Miller Time

There should be a charity to which I can donate money that will go towards beer. The entire population of the Gulf Coast needs a drink.

-A.Ho-

A little over $600

This is how much the month of August will cost me in medical bills. Note, this is after insurance.

I can afford to pay it.

And I am very, very grateful for this.

Bungie + Red Cross = Fight the Flood

Halo-y Goodness.

Recommended Reading

Grabbed this from Kris' del.icio.us feed. I remember seeing it when I was opening tabs for Scalzi's blog yesterday, I must have inadvertently closed it.

Being Poor


-A.Ho-

Warm Fuzzy

courtesy of Penny Arcade

You can read. If you want to.

Scalzi

•New Orleans
•Stupid, Stupid Poor

& The Houston Chronicle 12/01/01

•New Orleans faces doomsday scenario


-A.Ho-

Q: Son Volt or TV? A: TV

I finished up the 1st season of 24 a couple weeks ago and think I'm going to settle on The Wire as the next series of DVDs I'll be qeuing up at NETFLIX. I snagged the first disc of Oz last week and have watched two episodes of that. I like it ok but it's not as immediately compelling, I'll finish up the first disc and grab the second down the road a bit and see if it grabs me some more.

I've my own personal volume of the first season of the new Battlestar Galactica now as well. I have three more episodes of that to watch. Love it.

Son Volt is playing at Riverfront Park tonight as part of the glorious Pig Out In The Park. It's the first time they've ever had a band I wanted to see. I'm not going. I was going to go but I drank a bit much last night and I'm staying home. And it's not really a good venue anyway, at least to me. I'd have to go down early and stake out a place on the hill amongst all the porked out masses, and wait. No thanks.

I won't be attending the Spokane Idol semifinals either.

I guess thats all.

-A.Ho-

Hagar The Horrible | The Movie

Just an idea.

-A.Ho-

short pithy

Put the link to my LJ.
No, I don't want to talk about it right now.

Invincible Maiden

Because I can.
Because I care.


-A.Ho-

A One-Beer Buzz

So, it's been about 5½ hours since I've eaten and I just downed a Black Butte Porter over the course of about 10 minutes, probably less. I feel nice.

BAC Keyring Doodad

Wee, what fun!

Hear Music Cafe's on Flickr

Here's some photos of the Starbucks Hear Music Bars where you can custom burn you own cd's. I guess the library is about 150,000 songs. These may only be of interest to me, but they're my first visuals of something I've heard a lot about.

Coffee • Tea • Banana

Top three on the food/beverage antioxidant tree.

Uvama?

I have implemented word verification. Hopefully this will stop the comment spam.

a sad day

a lonely day

-A.Ho-

ker-huh!?

I'm confused at the implication of being confused. I think.

What I know: Messy Texan posted recently in a post, and this is excerpted, 'you should unfuck yourself directly'

That was funny. Wasn't it?

-------

And now, after a couple days of strange errors, I am able to check my gmail again. HooRAY.


-A.Ho-

That is fucking it.

I went out last night w/Kris. I had 3 beers. One pilsner. One IPA.

One Blue Dot Ale from Hair of the Dog.

I will never drink that shit again. Ever.

I am stupid hung over, and that is after 8 hours of sleep. My head has little ice skaters cutting into my brain. I feel queasy. I've got a touch of the shakes.

So fuck that noise. I will now recommend Blue Dot only to people I want to see in pain.

On the plus side, Kris and I had a good time, along with Dan C and Ashley, so at least the evening was good.

1½ ¢

This isn't necessarily about logic or reason but may be about bravery. Also, being a cocaine addict is bound to skew your 'take' on a situation that your coping with by coking up.

-A.Ho-

I don't know.

See, I do and accept all kinds of shit about my friends. Things I wouldn't be cool with a stranger doing. I also try to encourage my friends to follow the brighter path-and they do the same for me, I hope. (But don't tell them I'm Satan.)

And while I agree with Fuz and the MT that people should stand up for themselves, and live responsible lives, AND that they are responsible for the shit they do when the fuck up or lie-

I also know that there, sometimes, but for the grace of the Universe, go I. And as absurd as it may seem, people don't make decisions like hiding their homosexualty, or their bizzare love for Andrew WK, with the idea that they are going to hurt anyone. They do it because they think they are doing the right thing-the best possible thing.

And it should also be noted, that people do things and make demands, that us, looking in on their lives, do not understand. Can't. I have a friend whose ex-wife did shit that should not stand anywhere under any circumstances. Yet he stayed with her. And I supported him, because he's my friend. And when he got out, I supported him in that, too.

I love Fuz, I do. But I also know that he made a decision not to go to Texas in part b/c his SO said: If you go, you go without me. And this had not just a little to do with the attitudes us northerners have about the conditions in the south. (Some justified, some not, like anything else.)

I don't bring up that story to make Fuz look bad, I bring it up because, like it or not, we are passing judgement on someone whose life we do not have, with pressures we do not understand, and with biases that have nothing to do with that person's life, but with ourselves.

I'm not saying that we are doing something wrong, mind you. I'm saying that we should acknowledge what we are doing, and allow for the possibility that we are wrong, or at least, being harsh.

That DOESN'T mean I think that people should get a free pass for the dumb fucking decisions they make. As the Texan pointed out-taking responsibility for your actions is part of what makes you an adult. And I even said to Fuz in an email that
I don't think you should give him any slack. He chose a lie. On top of that-he chose cocaine. One I could understand, and feel bad for, but not a lot. The other, I just think: fucking moron.
Because at some point, he said: this is more important than that to me.

But perhaps I was quick in my judgement.

The Funny

You'll have to scroll down to Vartian's animated gif entry in this Fark contest.

I hurt myself laughing. But not in the long-term injury way. Thankfully.

In other news, the pretzels in Frito-Lay's Munchies Classic Mix can be considered to be toxic to carbon-based life forms, and you should avoid them if hungry for food. If hungry for love, please eat immediately.

October 13th

How shall we celebrate Peel Day?

Request granted (2nd time)

The last post got spammed. Fuckin' A.

I just deleted everything (I hope) and reposted-which in this case is a link that A.Ho asked me to provide to my last LJ entry.

shout out the doubt

Step one -- Run in tiny circles while screaming.

Tex: You were not invited here to censor yourself, so please don't feel that you have to stylize your posts. You add a wonderful vibrancy and life to this page and I'm glad that you're here.

There is no theme. This site is for us. To whatever purpose it suits yourself, Dan, and I is what it will be. If it's about anything it's about having a place to share and keep in contact with each other. Maybe other people who know us check in here once in a while to see what we're up to and see what's been on our minds.

I don't know that I can offer any words to alleviate your worries. Please just know that you are not alone in being afraid of stuff.

I, for one, am afraid of posting anything too real here. You bring it.


-A.Ho-

The irony, the irony!

"To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us, and make a broken tyrant a latter-day Arab hero. It would have taken us way beyond the imprimatur of international law bestowed by the resolutions of the Security Council, assigning young soldiers to a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerilla war. It would only plunge that part of the world into even greater instability and destroy the credibility we were working so hard to reestablish."

Who said it!?

C'mon, you want to know about who said it! Answer in link.
http://tinyurl.com/g5iw

In other news: Kris-cool button.
Texan: I hope your hangover is done now.
And me: I get my stitches removed today.

NYTimes.com: The Breaking Point

MAGAZINE   | August 21, 2005
The Breaking Point
By PETER MAASS
The Saudis say they can supply all our oil needs. Critics say that that is becoming impossible. They just might turn out to be right.

FSM

Thanks to Kris for this button which I will post into the template in the near future.

Rock & Pop

I haven't been using my iPod much, and that's ok. With the old 40GB I used it all the time because I had the charging dock and could run the music through my computer speakers, like running iTunes without hogging all the PC resources. The new 60GB doesn't fit the old dock and I just haven't felt like buying a new one. So, I occasionally listen to it at work and sometimes if I ride the bus, which I don't do much this time of year. In the winter I'll be sure to use it more.

I find that with the iPod, and iTunes for that matter, that I tend to listen more to playlists or just my shuffled library, and not albums. I like to listen to albums. A lot. On the go it makes more sense because the chance that I'm going to be able to give an album the attention that it deserves is very little, so playlists are ok. If I'm listening to music at my PC then it's usually because I am organizing or adding to the library or just get the urge to hear a certain song and then that song or some website will trigger the desire to hear a different song.

I've fallen out of the habit of listening to albums. I used to just lay on my bed or chill on a couch and close my eyes and take in some music, or maybe I was driving, in the days that I had a car, in which case I kept my eyes open. Mostly. Anyhow, albums rule and are really my preferred way to take in music. I'm going to emphasize it more in my day to day routine. Here's what I've enjoyed recently, nothing new, just what I picked out of my collection to hear.

Last week I listened to Sleater-Kinney's The Woods multiple times. It is good. Very good. I think I only listened to it two or three times immediately after I bought it. That was enough to determine that it was as good as any hype it received and that it met/exceeded my own expectations. Then I bought Stars Set Yourself On Fire and that album just grabbed ahold of me and everytime I thought about listening to SK my Stars album would glint in the sun and beg to be spun. I listened to that yesterday after not hearing it for a month or more. It also meets the criteria of good, and very good. Today I gave Sonic Youth's Murray Street two spins. I was going to name my favorite tracks off of it but that's really irrelevent. I do have favorites on it but the whole thing is just so phenomenal and no tracks on it deserve the disservice of being unfavored. Just now I listened to Caribou The Milk of Human Kindness. Wow. Utterly pleasant. Two songs that I'll note as personal standouts from that disc are Bees and Brahminy Kite.

Fin.

-A.Ho-

dive in restaurant

I have finished my money earning obligations for the day. Disc five (of six) for 24 arrived in the mail and I intend to take full advantage of it, or at least three-quarters advantage. Spokane is being blessed with glorious rain and cloudy cool temperatures. It is a joy I plan to sit outside and partake of, with beer in hand. My cat vies and vies for affection and then the moment I pick him up, seeing he won't be denied, he then decides he only wants a tiny moment of my time -- control freak.



We're all rockstars here.


-A.Ho-

This isi my new favorite line

It's nice to know that when I have sex with her, I'll slap her ass and it will sound like freedom.


Jesus. That's the best. line. ever.

/that's how it sound whenever I have sex with a woman, though
//mmmm...freedom ringing

So. I'm looking ahead in my NETFLIX queue trying to decide what to move up to the top. I was checking out Farscape and noticed that the sequencing on it is all crazy-like. Maybe someone, and I mean Dan, familiar with the series can explain it to me. So here it is:

Disc 01 -- Episodes 1 & 7
Disc 02 -- Episodes 2 & 4
Disc 03 -- Episodes 3 & 6
Disc 04 -- Episodes 5 & 8
Disc 05 -- Episodes 9 & 10
Disc 06 -- Episodes 11 & 13
Disc 07 -- Episodes 12 & 14

Discs 08 - 11 contain the remaining episodes (15-21) in order.


WTF?



-A.Ho-

anecdote

A young boy of about 5 or 6 just walked by the window where I sit and internet, there's an alley there. He was banging two sticks together like he was playing the drums. He was pretty good.

-A.Ho-

I refute the 2nd law of thermodynamics!

Awesome.

And thank you, for the props, Ms Stewardess.

I almost cry when I think about pulling a knife from my arm.

Wiki Mania

People I didn't know were Spokanites.


Ryne Sandberg: baseball Hall of Famer
Michael Clarke: drummer for The Byrds
Paul d'Amour: original bassist for Tool
Chuck Jones: two words -- Loony Tunes. Directed How the Grinch Stole Christmas!


And some people that I did:

Julia Sweeney: created and portrayed Pat on SNL. And consequently came into my workplace the other day and ordered, if I remember correctly, a Quad Grande w/room Americano.

Craig Montaya: bassist for Everclear. Formerly in the Spokane band Soul Patch.


And of course:

Bing
Sherman
Stockton
Tom
Coach

bang zoom

I'm curious why the word won't is not, instead, the word willn't.

-A.Ho-

the forest for the trees

When will we fess up? Blood for Oil

And some tidbits: Sometimes you just can't do a thing. & Bubonic or Black?

it's late. i'm bored.

I am generally a very pleased NETFLIX customer and I recommend them to anyone who will listen. However, I don't tend to rent the hottest new thing so my experience is probably different from someone who is always going for titles in the Top 100.

This is some of the stuff I came across in my search for other's opinions and experiences regarding NETFLIX.

Manuel Villanueva's CALCULATOR, OP-ED & JOURNAL
Michael S. Muegel's An Analysis of Netflix's DVD Allocation System

An alternative -- GreenCine



My DVD Plate:

I'm currently in the midst of the first season of 24. I'm eleven hours into the story and quite enthralled, so enthralled in fact that I'm a bit ticked that I'm not getting a new disc tomorrow. I thought the delay was simply the non-delivery of mail on Sunday but as it turns out NETFLIX workers don't do Saturday or Sunday, so my mail isn't even being processed until tomorrow when those chumps get back to work. This seems like an unecessary delay, sure, you can't help the mail, but it seems counterproductive to be in a service oriented business and not have people work on Saturday, hell, even Sunday could be a nice catch up day. I wonder if NETFLIX people work Holidays. Hmm. Anyhow, 24 rules. Hard.

-A.Ho-

The Pepsi Challenge?

Is apparently fidelity.

I wonder what the ratio would be for Kool-Aid.

umm...yep

The Christian Paradox (Harpers.org)

It gets better!

I actually broke the damn leg.

Now, I've got to see an orthopedic surgon, just to make sure everything is going to heal ok.

But, of course, using the ones my insurance 'approves' of is proving to be an insane difficulty. The one my doc recommended-less so. But I'm still waiting for an appointment.

I hate this waiting, doctor, insurance bullshit. I just want to go to work tomorrow, and I want to know if I need crutches or not. Why is this so hard? And why will it cost me so much money?

I'm going to go play videogames. Looks like at least the Stewardess had a rockin' time.

You're having more fun than me

Odds are.

I sprained my ankle today. Woo! Now while it IS nice to have people get you a beer when you want one, it's less thrilling to be immobile and subject to their shitty taste in movies.

Who Do We Work For?

via Kottke.org

The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race

oops.

Koch

I've been thinking about this whole Sam Adams, Jim Koch, bottles vs. cans issue that Dan linked to. I find it ridiculous. A fairly wise young fellow I once met said that the best beer he's ever had is the beer he's got in his hand. Consumers want that beer. They want it at the ballgame and on the plane. They'll be happy with a can. And he's holding out to the tune of millions of dollars?



Starbucks went through a similar thing years ago. Customers wanted nonfat milk in their lattes and Howard Schulz essentially said 'no way.' Why? Because a whole milk latte just tastes a hell of a lot better, and gosh darn it that's the way it's supposed to be. He eventually gave it a chance, to the tune of many many millions of dollars.



People want what they want, and pay for it. If that demand can be met, ethically and morally, and it's not being done, only stubborness and perhaps severe mental retardation are to blame.


- A.Ho -

On Current Affairs

It's been a while since I linked to Amy, so here's an inspirational post.

Holy Capital Letter F

Walking home from work this morning at 10AM it was 80° !! This does not bode well for my afternoon. I have stuff I'd like to do and if I don't get it done by around noon it is going to be too hot in my apartment to be properly motivated. It will also be too warm to watch a DVD or play XBox. I imagine myself propped up against a pillow in my bathtub reading.



My family learned in April that my sister would be expecting her second child in late December. She learned this week that she will be expecting twins. My nephew Sean will not be quite two years-old at that time. I'm no seer but I predict exhaustive days and nights to come for her. If she lived closer I would be able to help out once in a while. As it stands I only see them about every three months.



I'd like to grant her the patience and stamina needed to endure her continuing motherhood. Can I do that?



- A.Ho -

Beer Drinker's Bill of Rights

Dude, you can give Sam Adams all the shit you want, but anyone who's willing to put that much on the line-and still make a reasonable beer-is alright by me. I'll buy that beer.
/after I get my beer drank.
//and the Metolius Brookie Pale Ale

light sabers on auction block

$60,000 for a light saber. Done.

Welcome to the Washington Metro

Beat Cop 2005

a thought of the day

I should learn Chinese.

the truth of the fun

The truth here is scary. I don't often go out and drink up like we did that night and it never occured to me that maybe we shouldn't drive home. It would probably be safe to say that we, Dan and I, were overserved. I'd planned to stop at three drinks as I was doing just fine but then the waitress shows up and my beer is empty, so I get another. Anyways, it was a blast. People do what people do and there will always be someone that will have a bit too much and drive, even when it goes against their general character. I'm glad we're all home safe as well as those on the road with us that night.

Excuses

It should be said that one should NOT drink more than 2 pints of Hair of the Dog's Blue Dot ale.

While the last post I made is entirely appropriate in language and tone of myself, I do not remember making it. I was having what the kids call a blackout. It has been quite some time since I have done that, and I'm a little pleased to see that my basic nature is unchanged when I am really, really, really, really really fucking drunk.

So: you have all been warned. 2 pints. That's it. You're done for the night.

It should also be noted that I didn't black out until I got home. I do remember having that photo taken, when I try to be Gene Simmons. I think we all know why A.Ho is known as 'the nice/cute one' now. I remember going home, and I even remember parts of being home.

Anyway. That's why my last post reads like it does. I just thought I'd offer that, in case anyone was wondering.

we are very, very good looking. really.

I went to Portland for four days last week and got back Saturday night. I had more fun than expected, most of it on Friday -- I spent the afternoon with Liz at the Tazo Tea company picnic where I met a fun group of people. We played more than a few rousing rounds of "Pass the Pigs" as the Mirror Pond poored freely. After the beer was cut-off Liz and I meandered through the Oregon Zoo looking for bears and giraffes. On the way out we hit the gift shop where I grabbed a couple postcards to send my parents and work while Liz grabbed some souvenir pennies.


After some downtime and dinner Dan and I left for the Horse Brass Pub to meet up with Kris, master of idowhatican.com. I've been reading Kris' blog for sometime now and it was a real treat to hang out with him. We were fortunate enought to grab a table right away, the Horse Brass has become quite the popular spot, and we got right down to the business of ordering beers. It wasn't long before small talk turned to genuine enjoyable and fun conversation. We were soon joined by Krissy, then Damien and Kieron. Laughs kept coming as talk turned from this, to that, covering a surprising range of topics as the perception of time disappeared and memories and friendships formed.

Other highlights:

•The Menomena show
•Killzone on the PS2
•New used music: The Replacements Hootenanny, The Pixies at the BBC, Frank Black s/t
•Lasagna
•Dan's fantastic homebrew
•losing my keys
•missing the Sufjan Stevens show due to my failure to plan and the show selling out
•guy losing control of bike, down a big hill, hitting the fence, breaking his arm and being taken away in an ambulance
•brief visit with Kevin Sampsell
•LLOYD CENTER!
•meeting Alodie
•Rogue Chamomile Ale
•Built to Spill stickers
•finding out Built to Spill will play Spokane in October
•free Tazo bottled drinks
•Reverend the cat
•driving with Dan/Liz around town
•tea tasting
•running into my old boss Alice after deplaning in Spokane
•Division & 20th-ish Starbucks
•Division & 120th-ish Starbucks
•Stumptown coffee
•buying homebrew ingredients for Dan's next batch
•not missing work or Spokane.

As expected.

Lance wins.

Took me 1/2 doz to sign in

And I'm drunk.

But it's been a good day. And night. I'm gonna go watch AHo play Killzone, be fuckedup and be ok.

Krissy & Kris; good to meet yah.

Damien and Kieron; good to see yah again.

Games.

Sleep

Yike.
D

Call me 'dork'

I'll explain later. Suffice it to say, "ugh."

faux paw

Seeing Aimee in those pics, I do remember her-but, I cannot say I knew her. I am saddened by her death, but I do not feel a sense of loss, either.

I mean no coldness by this. From all reports, she was a good human, and I don't want to take away from that.

I wasn't too bright on the whole 'reading' thing when I got the eVite for her memorial.

Let's just say I didn't understand she was dead, at the time of my reply.

But it could've been worse-my reply was generic enough that no one should take offense.

_______________________________________________________

We've got an addition, eh? Good.

s'about to get interesting

I should be in bed. Regardless, I'd like to welcome the a new member to Bloggin My Noggin. We'll have to come up with a clever name for her.

A.Ho

Aimee Fraijo
May 29, 1976 - June 29, 2005

Scalzi • Writing in the Age of Piracy

I link to this only because it uses one of my very favorite phrases. A phrase my friend Ben uses quite frequently and I rarely see my friend Ben these days, so it's a link of senitmentality. You can click to the link, or not, it makes no difference to me, I just need to see this and feel special.

Oh, for fuck's sake.


p.s. I first discovered Scalzi via Tycho of Penny Arcade. As it turns out Scalzi often talks about Penny Arcade. Two great tastes that go great together.

• fun lists •

5ives: Merlin's Lists of Five Things

Five things people I knew in high school swore they’d do on their 18th birthday

1. change first name to “Porsche Rose”
2. stalk Prince
3. smoke the world’s fattest joint—right in front of the Dean of Boys
4. get tattoo of the cover of Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast across entire back
5. just chill out and shit

Five fake urban myths I’d like you to earnestly share with your friends and colleagues

1. Computer hackers can now steal anyone’s underpants using their own PC
2. “Starving” people in Africa spend most of their aid money on big-screen TVs, pole-dances, and perfectly good food that they just throw away
3. There is actually no “Norway”—it was invented in the mid-’40s as part of an MGM publicity stunt
4. Studies show there’s more feces on your doorknob than there is in an actual pile of feces
5. There’s a little girl in Arkansas named Ashley-Marie who has full-blown entitilitis, and she’s praying that everyone in America will breakdance for her at noon next Monday

Five things I’d like to see engraved on little rubber bracelets

1. Nap Strong
2. My Other Bracelet is Fighting Colon Cancer
3. America: Shut Thy Pie Hole
4. Kiss Me, I’m Trendy
5. Please Watch Arrested Development

SS Interview

Neat.

Can do.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

sticky

I took a shower today.  It feels like I did not.

Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? or, The Death of the Self on a Saturday Night

This is good writing.

The Flick Filosopher | War of the Worlds

Ok. I haven't read this review yet, but any review that starts off with "Holy fuck." ought be linked to post-haste.

I saw the film last night and enjoyed it immensely. Easily the best film I've seen, in the theater, since I saw NARC. This excludes LotR of course. Were there plot holes? Yes. A little convenient? Sure, but it all works and it was captivating and entertaining as all get-out.

A highlight of the evening was the trailer for Peter Jackson's KING KONG. I don't think I could go wrong making the decision to see that film. Peter Jackson will hopefully be making films for years, or decades, to come.

evidence

le venue

Hmm. I recall buying a plane ticket and flying to Portland to see GbV play at said Crystal Ballroom. I remember it being quite the experience. Of course it was my only GbV show and only Ballroom show. Perhaps the experience is moot.

And my heart soared for a moment as well because I immediately thought JULY 20th, not August.

I only knew that Sufjan's new record was out yesterday. Thanks to Kris' comment at gar.rulo.us.
I haven't been as regimented in my Pitchfork visits since they changed the site over, so I haven't been quite as looped as in the past on such matters. I don't like the new site as much and I let them know in their survey.

The illicit album is out there if you're quick, but no more will be shipped. I did procure it.

Lumina Infinite

I caught up with this blog via comments at Kris' blog. I'm linking this post here because I am quite certain that the _____________________ will dig it. Word.

Lumina Infinite: Response to a Love Letter

Come On Feel The Illinoise

Why didn't I know that Sufjan Stevens had a new album out?