Neat

Fuz sent me this story-even non-Mac users should find it rather facinating.

Hey, did you remove a post Aaron? I'm kinda facinated about what kind of spam we may've gotten. But-no need to dredge up someone else's shite. It was removed for a reason, and that's good enough for me.

The tshirthell image is so wrong I laughed. Hard.

I have enjoyed what I've heard of Smile. It's an album to buy eventually. I'm a little enthralled w/the comedy of the Team America soundtrack right now, though.

It's fucking cold in PDX. And by fucking cold I mean-I'm in an old building w/socks over my hands to keep them warm. I can't stand the cold, because my hands hurt when they get too cold. Which seems to be often in the winter. Of course, the sky is crystalclear, like some kind of window to hope.

The Arcade Fire=you suck. Only because you've packaged your (killer)album in a shitty cardboard flap, which is easily torn and fucked up, forcing the listener(me!) to slide the cd over paper-which initially won't scratch it, but eventually could fuck it up- into a slot which is hard for me to get my slim fingers into. Potentially leaving fingerprints on the CD too.
Quit doing this. I don't mind ecofriendly packaging, but how about ecofriendly packaging that actually holds up to basic fucking use?

I really want the American Music Club's Love Songs For Patriots. They're just good.

Currently-2/3 finished with The Dark Tower by Stephen King. It's like a solid action movie-it moves a little too fast for its own good, but you don't mind, because you don't have to dwell on things too much. Next up: Life of Pi. And soon I'll be getting the Powers: Who Killed Retro Girl TPB. It's one of the few comic books out there that is continually awesome, and I thought I had the first 6 issues, but I didn't.

I should do work now. I'm not.
I had a very nice New Year's Eve and day after. Time to kick some ass in 2005.

Let's Up The Ante!

.: So we, as a country, have upped our pittance of relief aid for the tsunami fucked people of the world to $350 million dollars. That works out to about $1.20 per U.S. populant, rounded up. That's roughly 2 cents a person for every week of 2005. Could we maybe stretch ourselves a little? I know we're an overly obese country but let's get a little uncomfortable shall we.

.: I'm glad to know that many individuals have already helped and that others will be doing their part as well. Dan talked recently about Child's Play and making the world little better. Now is also one of those times.

.: Tsunamis date back to ancient times. No shit. Ok, two things I don't like, that don't happen to have anything to do with each other: bad headlines and bad band names.

Run Away

North Dakota is either a dangerous place to live or people simply don't like it there.

Desmond Tutu talks about the horseshit.

.: There's a nice little excerpt from an interview with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Desmond Tutu over at The Advice Goddess blog. I'd like to thank her for it, and now I'm gonna go read the whole thing.

Oh no.

Neumu

Alright, it's nearing 2005 and I'm sitting at home tinkering around on my PC. I found this music site that looks worthwhile, so I'm posting a link.

Neumu = Art + Music + Words

SMiLE

.: I picked up the Brian Wilson| SMiLE album today. It's easy to listen to and has some great big bass drums in one of the tracks that I'd love to really experience, but I've got this neighbor I'd have to deal with. I'm not sticking it in my album picks yet, but I don't doubt that it will end up over there.

.: Well it's New Years Eve and the only thing I really am concerned with is the fact that I am NOT working on the most heinous night of the year in my profession, in my town. Can I get a 'Hallelujah!'?

.: I also have an inclination to hear The Dismemberment Plan's 'The Ice of Boston' whose lyrics I'll excerpt for you here:

Pop open the third bottle of bubbly
Yeah, and I take that bottle of champagne
Go into the kitchen, stand in front of the kitchen window
And I take all my clothes off, take that bottle of champagne
And I pour it on my head, feel it cascade through my hair
And across my chest...
And the phone rings.
- And it's my mother. -
And she says "HI HONEY, HOW'S BOSTON?"

And I stand there...all alone on New Year's Eve,
Buck naked, drenched in champagne, looking at a bunch of strangers,
Uh, looking at them, looking at me, looking at them, and I say,
"Oh fine Mom, how's Washington"

.: Dan here's to you and better times in 2005.

End of the year rant

It's over. It's posted.

Milfporn here = funny.

Freehand ampersand? Huh. Never thought about it. I just use the +.

I've been torn about the Firey Furnaces. I keep hearing conflicting stuff.

I can't find the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies. I will burn cities and eat giant lizards.

Go GU. After the article I read in the Stranger, http://www.thestranger.com/2004-12-23/feature.html
they need a boost.

Happy new year, one and all. Be safe. Hope you're doin' well Aaron.

HoustonChronicle.com

.: Here's an interesting recipe. It doesn't happen to say what to cook it in, but I imagine you can buy a microwave-safe cake pan of some sort.

bits and bits

.: As they say, it's not over 'til it's over, and I'm on a mission to grab a few more Christmas gifts. The ol' budget was tight this year and I had to put some gifts off. Tomorrow is payday and I predict it will cover the necessary expenditures, as well as allow me to pick up the Brian Wilson| Smile album which finally arrived at Boo Radley's. Seems they also decided to put a few on the shelf - 7 or 8 copies - which is a hefty stock for them. That is my sphere of influence my friends. It didn't hurt that it showed up on plenty of Best Of lists either. They also had a copy of The Fiery Furnaces| Blueberry Boat, which I have an alternative source for, but if there's a copy sitting there in front of me tomorrow it may become mine.

Hey, how about those Gonzaga Bulldogs? 2-1 one vs. top 5 NCAA teams! I didn't go to Gonzaga, and if you ask me how much I really care about basketball I'd reply "Not too much.", but I sure like to see them do well and I enjoy the buzz it creates around the community. Gives Spokane a bit of much needed self-esteem.

Question: Do you know anywone who has a nice freehand ampersand? I've been debating the merits of practicing that particular symbol.

OK, I'm going to listen to some music now and do some 'work' in iTunes.

Yahoo! Search

Apparently if you do a Yahoo! Search for 'milfporn' my blog comes up 45th on the list. Someone came to this site via that method, I imagine they were disappointed.

In the Hunt

I like cookies, and I like chocolate bars. I don't see a problem.

Games

.:Stuff to try out, if you haven't.

I can vouch for Sly Cooper and Katamari Damachy.

The Scalzi article is also very good, and should be read.

Offensive

Extra Ugly - T-shirts

Scalzi Link.

Whatever: Leviticans

Take the Lords Name in Vain Here

.: It just couldn't last could it! I'm sitting here listening to Transatlanticism since I decided I wanted to hear that damn song again. And NOW, NOW I found myself digging on the song I previously liked the VERY, VERY least on the whole album. The Sound of Settling with it's "Bah, Bah...Bah, Bah".

I have one Heineken and I desperately need five more. Fuck.

Coming Around?

.: Some will be glad that I've found a song on the most recent Death Cab for Cutie album to help redeem its existence.

Aftermath

.: I acquired The Walkmen| Bows + Arrows earlier this year and didn't really get into it, I probably only listened to it once all the way through and for some reason I dismissed it. It's been hailed as one of this years better albums on many of the lists I've seen. Today while walking home from work I was dialing through the list on my iPod and stopped on Bows + Arrows to give it a listen, maybe it's the new headphones (oooh, soothing warm bass), maybe it was the fatigue, but I'm sure I don't know why I've waited until today to dig up this gem. It's been added to my own picks for the year in the sidebar.

.: Christmas was good to me this year. I got to hang out with my cousin Marcus, and may get to again before he heads back to Bellingham. I will be enjoying The Return of the King sometime this week, in it's extended form. I just finished watching Best of SNL| Eddie Murphy. I'll be sucking the crap out of my carpet for weeks with my new Eureka| The Boss Pro, the worlds lightest cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner, and once I obtain a USB cable that will fit it, because you just wouldn't want to include one as part of the package (feel my rage), I'll be copying, scanning, and printing my way to dear happiness with my new hp psc 1311 all-in-one printer - scanner - copier. Good food, good company, good beer & wine, my darling nephew, 3 hours of sleep and a slight hangover at work topped off my wonderful Christmas. Hope yours was cheerful.

Lists

I've spent the good part of an hour, probably more skimming throught best of lists, and found some nice sites in the process.

I've based nearly every music purchase I've made in the last two years on one thing, Pitchforkmedia.com. I will convert their Top 50 into a checklist of music to acquire. I will likely never have it all, but one of my little goals, one of the little things that keeps me going, is to get everything in the Top 10 of all their lists. If I ever succeed at that, then mayble I'll venture into the Top 11-20. This is quite a challenge because I of course want to buy new music as it is released, nonetheless I strive.

Through my skimming though, I've determined a sort of Top 10 things to get next (does not include Brian Wilson| Smile, which should be available for purchase at Boo's this week). I think that nearly all these are somewhere in Pitchforks Top 50, though I don't recall PJ Harvey. So here it is, my little list to live by for the next couple months:

Dungen| Ta Det Lungt
Fiery Furnaces| Blueberry Boat
The Streets| A Grand Don't Come for Free
Junior Boys| Last Exit
Devendra Banhart| Rejoicing in the Hands/Nino Rojo
Joanna Newsom| The Milk-Eyed Mender
The Futureheads| The Futureheads
PJ Harvey| Uh Huh Her
The Animal Collective| Sung Tongs
Kanye West| College Dropout

I *heart* quotes.

Thanks to DC Pol Sci - "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross -- Sinclair Lewis"