The winner happened yesterday. Not a bad list of prizes too.
Now that it is over, I can pursue a really cute application my friend/co-worker Ayako recommended without fear of getting caught in the contest. It wouldn’t look too hot if an Apple won but the $10,000 iTunes card is a sweet, tempting possibility.
So any of you out there, do you have any favorites? I’m torn between Talking Cat and SmackTalk.
On to the next billion and wondering where is Apple on music downloads now.
A major peeve about Facebook, other than its rather intrusive nature, are all the quizzes/requests I get from a small handful of friends. Where was this crap 15 years ago when I had time? I bet AOL would’ve remained a viable business entity if figured this out sooner; preferably before they bought Time Warner for a handful of magic beans.
I couldn’t resist the D&D alignment test on what I allegedly am as a person in the 21st century. It was pretty unscientific from what I could gather through the 20 questions it asked. Either way I got Lawful Good which seemed like a stretch. Personally I would say Neutral Good or back in the super, convoluted First Edition days when the rules were an esoteric mess, Neutral Good with Lawful tendencies. Not quite the Orwellian verbal gymnastics of Time Warner Cable’s bandwidth cap argument.
Then again, I haven’t had exactly an LG kind of day, especially in light of the Ladytron photos as I (rightfully) invoked the ire of owner. At least I was able to keep them by apologizing politely through e-mail, there’s a rarity in the Internet from my experience and following some conditions she set. Hopefully I’ve met them.
This test also had me fix up and repost an old alignment clarification piece I did last year. I think I nailed it.
Guster in Austin after a 2-3 year hiatus.
For Earth Day, I finally got to see Guster; a band who really impressed me with their 2006 release, Ganging up on the Sun. Sadly, there’s no solid information/plans on when their next album will be appearing but currently they’re touring to raise awareness about environmental issues. Austin is one of the few dates not on a college campus too. Compared to the previous night’s show of Ladytron and the Faint, this was an improvement. Nothing as drastic as a 180, more like a 45-degree move over in the right direction: no split audience, 80-minute set, etc.
There were also some great surprises in Guster’s performance. They threw in the bridge and ending from Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” to wrap up their own song “Red Oyster Cult.” Having someone run around, banging a cowbell is rather cliche but they get a pass for enthusiasm. Later on, recent Austin resident, Ben Kweller joined them on stage to sing and play guitar to a Guster tune followed by covering Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So.” Pretty awesome. It was like watching a five people play Rock Band at Expert level yet it wasn’t with the 80% scale toys using only five buttons. I should’ve paid more attention to their CDs as well. I never knew the members of Guster not just swapped around on the singing duties, they do the same regarding the instruments which makes them an American version of Sloan or is it the other way around? I mentioned this to band member Joe Pisapia and how the Onion left them out unfairly in an article of this nature last year.
Ryan is a pro at taking a picture (at arm's length) without any help.
After the encore, Guster came out to thank all the Earth Day volunteers for their time (more on this below). Me? I was with Ecology Action which treats every day as Earth Day anyway. I really wanted to meet them to at least thank them for having some of the most well-behaved/cooperative fans because I didn’t have to fish out as many plastic cups from the recycling bins. Plus there were fewer empty soy milk boxes in them from my previous prediction when I was setting up before the audience was let in. All four of them, Ryan, Adam, Brian and Joe graciously signed my copy of Guster on Ice: Live from Portland, Maine which I scored from the merchandise booth: it has a cover the Talking Heads’ “(Nothing But) Flowers.” Other bands usually go with the easier choices like “Burning Down the House.”
Brian signing my copy of Guster on Ice, a live album with a DVD.
I need to pursue/listen to more Guster when I get the chance. Solid Power Pop is what the world needs more of amongst the genre bands.
Now the Earth Day elements were decent, especially the free samples of chocolate Silk (soy milk). I had two for dessert after eating a slice of NY-style pizza. There were booths explaining the arguments on carbon neutrality/caps, biodiesel, the Hill Country Conservancy and I think a retailer. The first spot didn’t have any literature to make better points against people who regurgitate the talking points of corporations or worse, the editorial staff of The Economist. The biodiesel stand was more on the ball regarding the myths, namely this only contributing to three percent of the recent hike in food prices. Besides, this alternative fuel is promoting more sustainable crops which aren’t foodstuffs. I didn’t look over the rest too thoroughly other than agreeing with preserving the water supply, its recharge zones and all matters related to it.
This stuff rocks when making a latte.
Ladytron at Stubb’s courtesy of Shannon J. Rodgers Last night I saw Ladytron for the third time and I’m grateful I didn’t pay to attend. Oh, they were in decent form but on this outing the quartet shared the billing with another act (The Faint, more on them later) which meant a shorter set list. One positive outcome was them doing “Destroy Everything You Touch” for the encore. I think even the mellow crowd (compared to other genres) would’ve rioted if this hit were excluded.
Originally, I walked out thinking it was a short show and I got to wrap up my volunteer work earlier than most evenings. Then I overheard a couple arguing on the way to our cars. The lady was busted the man’s chops about being in a funk after seeing a band he liked. His complaint had a ring of some truth to it; he said the band only felt obligated to arrive on time. I disagree if he meant there was a lack of enthusiasm but I completely agree over any ire on the clipped itinerary since it lead to Ladytron sticking to a very heavy Velocifero set (the current album). No “Blue Jeans.” No “Evil.” No “Cease2xist.” Those are faves I caught the last two appearances.
I’m going to stick with the positive though and chalk this up to a one-time incident caused by the booking arrangements unlike bands I would never want to see live again regardless of what I paid: New Order immediately comes to mind, the main culprit who made me skeptical of all heavy Electronic performers as live acts until Mark cajoled me into giving them another chance.
Between them and The Faint, there was an awesome DJ mixing up the tunes with impressive versions of standard Alternative songs missing familiar elements which made it refreshing. The easiest example was Smashing Pumpkins’ “Zero.” I always felt James Iha’s guitar was the foundation or hook to the hit. It wasn’t necessarily better, more like in the same vein as a cool cover. Ladytron also changed up their entrance. Past shows had them greet the crowd with messages in the light show; the projection of “Hello Austin, we are Ladytron” in 2006 was the best. Not last night. They took the stage in the dark after playing ELO’s “Livin’ Thing.” Solid choice. Jeff Lynne’s best known band has some of its DNA in Ladytron. Again, they opened with “Black Cat” which prompted a stranger to ask me (of all people) what language was Mira singing in. Captain Trivia to the rescue because I knew, “Bulgarian” and I found a translation. As I stated before, the bulk was Velocifero material which I saw last Summer yet it didn’t bore me. Sometimes it’s cool to see if bands shake it up when they swing through a destination for the second or third time, promoting the same record. Lastly, they did alter the light show. Behind them was a series of lights, similar to a marquee for a bank but smaller bulbs. During certain tunes, Ladytron videos were crudely appearing on it, rather cool.
Now I want to rip a little on the opener, Crocodiles I think they were called. Noisy and bit off-putting. Maybe they’ll improve like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or stay annoying like Sleater-Kinney. I do hope to be wrong like I was with Toad the Wet Sprocket in 1989. This duo made Shearwater (on before Neko Case) look good.
The Faint at Stubb’s courtesy of Shannon J. RodgersThe Faint was what a sizable portion of the crowd went to see, including a former Kenny’s co-worker I ran into. I wonder why I never heard of them. They were decent so I’ve got them on my “investigate further” radar yet I wasn’t motivated to buy a CD at the merchandise booth as Oppenheimer, The Phenomenauts or Epoxies did. Sadly, the only lasting impression The Faint left on me was their singer (Todd Fink) and how he resembled the offspring of Scott Weiland (appearance and movement), Keith Flint (singer of The Prodigy) and a dash of John Waite! Seriously. Maybe I should hunt down Bad English, Babys and John Waite videos on YouTube to make my point that it was more than the reddish hair.
Update Apr. 23, 2009: The originator-owner of the photos contacted me to iron out my faux pas. Actually, I’m glad she did, not only did I misspell her surname but I got her permission (finding how to reach someone through flickr.com isn’t its strength in the urgency to write something timely, maybe I have to have an account). Shannon requested her flickr page to be linked as well in return. The lady is a very good photographer so I recommend it.
The release of Guitar Hero: Metallica and Rock Band: The Beatles made me reply with, “that’s nice, but where’s my blankity blank blank dedicated bass guitar controller for my PS3?” Actually, I think both are mediocre titles because the former’s material is cool yet sounds all too similar (like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith) and the latter is overrated.
However, this upcoming Lego crossover is way cooler! If they could convert the three, awful Star Wars prequels into a humorous game, then the famous Danish plastic bricks will make Rock Band (the superior of the two franchises) go to 11. My other hope is this version is easier for little kids like my nephews Canon and Wyatt plus the special guest to my 4-0 party, George. Hmm. All I need to do is convince RC to be the girl singer, I could be their manager! The good guy manager though, like Alexander Cabot III of Josie and the Pussycats, just competent.
This is the second time I have encountered this stray cat while hanging out at Underground during a car repair. Somebody must care for her because I can pet the feisty little thing and I didn’t get my arms lacerated holding her like a baby. Due to the cat’s attraction to Volkwagens, I have named this feline Scirocca, after the discontinued model originally called Scirocco. Why the “a” on the end over “o?” The former vowel has a more feminine ring to it. I feel the title works well, this animal is always quite dusty too.
…with the car. Turns out I did receive a silver lining, after spending $200.
John, the mechanic who worked on my VW discovered the culprit on the alarm system. I suspected it wouldn’t be anything as easy (or cheap) like a loose battery connection. Nope. Cut wires from the driver’s side lock (non-functional for at least three years) running to it. Having the whole alarm set up disabled was out of the question. However, John said it was only a matter of replacing the door handle which came with a new lock. The kicker? It was a five-dollar part requiring 90 minutes of labor, hence $200. As for the wiring, it was only a matter of soldering the busted ones back together.
Now I have three keys to operate the Golf. One for the trunk (the only lock the original set works with), one for the ignition (2001 and counting) and the latest for the door. But regaining the ability to secure the vehicle easily has been regained! It couldn’t have come at a better time thanks to the volunteer work I’m doing over two consecutive evenings in downtown Austin.
It may sound trivial yet I think only Somara has witnessed me doing the primary workaround I’ve had to execute twice in the airport parking lot when we return from vacations. Before we get on the plane, I would leave the passenger door open, hit the button to lock it down and then close it up, protecting it for the duration we’re gone. Upon our return, I open the hatchback, climb up to the front seats, press the internal button to unlock the doors and then we could go home. Even I know it resembles a WC Fields or Three Stooges routine.
I’ll redo the math on my car’s average yet I think it’ll still remain under $100/month because I paid it off eight years ago.
Somara and I will continue to talk to the Toyota dealership in Round Rock anyway. A new Yaris may be the stronger, more expensive and less anxiety-inducing option.
A little inspiration on the door of our future library.
There haven’t been any photos that would show much difference on our upcoming library lately. Due to the recent rain in Austin, the yard sale was postponed a week and this gave Somara an extension on finding additional items to liquidate. We’re not particular about the money. Sure every cent counts (it’s all gravy to me), especially with my car’s schizophrenia and the 800-pound gorilla on everybody’s mind, aka the Economy. However, I assure you there have been results, they’re just subtle: shredding old bills, checks and taxes from eight or more years ago. The other diversion was eliminating a bookshelf in the master bedroom. I have to purge the remaining one’s contents because it holds my meager (compared to Somara’s) collection.
Meanwhile, I stumbled upon a fortune (probably from Pei Wei) in the future office and taped it to the library’s door as a perpetual pep talk for both of us. As for what used to be my private sanctum, it’s making gradual progress too. The picture below doesn’t show it well but Somara has a clear aisle to put more boxes against the west wall. I have a few shown too. Obviously the shelf of CDs to the left of the picture is only a fraction of my giant collection which grew by eight last night thanks to National Record Store Day (thank you Waterloo Records!).
Losing my so-called office doesn’t bother me. Actually, it used to upset me and contribute to my current anxiety battle. Much like Somara’s room, mine has been a crap-gathering point filled with clutter and it was disorganization-procrastination personified. How could anybody relax, think, write, read, listen or receive a moment’s peace in it? I know it made me feel more tense. I had a false start at the end of 2004 in anticipation of us possibly moving to Phoenix but it lost all momentum by the time Somara left for her externship; I got distracted into tackling the living room and kitchen as my Summer 2005 projects as the trade off. Now I feel great working on it! Within a year this room may look as kick-ass as our friends Leslee and Michael’s office in their home, a workspace I’m quite jealous of (in a good way).
This will probably resemble a storage space or shed in a month or two
By the next time I post photos (within two weeks again), I hope you’ll see some greater contrast.
I’m going to close with my doctor’s acronym since a few friends have asked what is our battle plan or inspiration: SPACE.
C and E are going to be the hardest for the both of us: Somara is the more entropic person and I have yet to master the art of nagging her effectively.
…my VW Golf would’ve been shot and put out of its misery a few years ago.
Today’s latest adventure with the car involved it setting off the alarm indefinitely which also disables the ignition until it’s reset. The hard part is doing this with both front-door locks being busted…for several years. VW’s Roadside Assistance was of no use unless I wanted the car towed or needed help putting on the spare tire. The uglier problem is finding a mechanic or dealership open on Sunday in Texas. You’d have better luck finding a Democratic candidate who could defeat Rick Perry in this state.
Right now we’re on Plan B (borrowing a car from the in-laws) until I get the assessment from Underground, hopefully tomorrow. I would’ve preferred Plan C (renting a car for the interim due to my immediate plans) but thanks to Austin’s recent hail storm, every place is booked until Thursday, except for Bergstrom (Airport). If I have to drive that far South, I might as well hit the car dealerships in the region too.
Fingers crossed Toby’s crew can solve this and it won’t cost very much. I had to call Jose today to let him know my car decided that we won’t be joining him in Las Vegas around his birthday next month. The upside is…well, I think it’s too early to declare an upside until tomorrow as this will push the VW’s average cost to $100/month now.
Update Apr. 19, 2009 (Evening): After I demonstrated to my father-in-law (Tom) how my car was freaking out and disabling the engine through the alarm system, he decides to disconnect the battery, thus killing the incessant honking/flashing lights. This much I figured made sense because I didn’t want to exhaust the battery with four-minute bursts of aural torture nor did we want to tow it in such a state. But I countered that the steering wheel would be crippled (correct). So Tom chose to reconnect the battery temporarily, hoping there was a way to regain steering control. Voila! The whole alarm system reset itself which I thought was impossible and the car started. Tom then told me the negative cable connector had come off with little effort anyway. He theorized something had bumped it enough to interrupt the flow and triggered the anti-theft system. I don’t find it re-assuring though. My car can still be stolen if what we did worked most of the time. Bust the window, pop the hood, disconnect the battery, wait a minute, re-attach the battery, unlock the car from inside and hotwire the ignition. The only downside to this strategy is the radio being in a frozen state without the special code. Yeah, I’m sure the car thief’s disappointment over what a fence would give him for a broken cassette deck-FM/AM radio could give me solace in the loss of my wheels.
My in-laws were gracious enough to follow Somara and me all the way to Underground because I want Toby to give it a once over. Tom probably fixed it. Me? I won’t the touch battery. Knowing my luck, I’ll get zapped real well despite my recent Apple Hardware certification on CRTs.
Fingers remain crossed due to my upcoming agenda requiring a car to get around Austin.
I recently bought this shirt from the fake T-Shirt Hell going-out-of-business sale and it makes the perfect, succinct rebuttal to the governor’s moronic, implied comment about secession which he then poorly tried to clarify…once he realized the Ron Paul-Glen Beck vote isn’t enough to defeat Kay Bailey-Hutchison. Not to worry though, this gaffe will blow over since Rod Blagojevich has been the living picture of Rick Perry for years.
Philly choked right at the very end by losing home ice when they lost to the struggling NY Rangers. Either way, they were facing the Penguins under the “leadership” of Crybaby Crosby, it just would’ve looked better if they could do it in Philadelphia not (Arm)Pittsburgh.
Here’s my prediction which isn’t very informed this year due to all the other distractions in my life but I’m no less qualified than Barry Melrose who got his old job back from ESPN.
For the East
1. #1 Boston v. #8 Canadiens: Boston Bruins in 5.
2. #2 Washington v. #7 NY Rangers: Washington Capitals in 5.
3. #3 New Jersey v. #6 Carolina: New Jersey Devils in 5; Is there any doubt New Jersey will lose with Brodeur in goal?
4. #4 Pittsburgh v. #5 Philadelphia: Pittsburgh Penguins in 6; My Flyers are suffering from greater expectations after what a surprise they were last year but they’re just inconsistent.
For the West
1. #1 San Jose v. #8 Anaheim: San Jose Sharks in 5.
2. #2 Detroit v. #7 Columbus: Detroit Red Wings in 5, all Columbus has to do this season is show up and they “win.”
3. #3 Vancouver v. #6 St. Louis: Vancouver Canucks in 6; The whole Northwest is terrible but they’ll prevail over the rebuilding Blues.
4. #4 Chicago v. #5 Calgary: Calgary Flames in 6; This isn’t to taunt my former roommate. The Blackhawks are appearing for the first in a years and the Flames have more experience in the clutch.
Let’s see how close I get it this year without as much access to hockey on TV.
Five years ago when I received my first plaque, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry because the situation was messy, stressful and downright awful. I certainly realized I was in position I didn’t want to be in nor did I plan on it. What a difference a change in leadership can make at the national and work level. I have so many people to thank, I hope I will receive the opportunity in the near future when I get my ten-year plaque.
I am still the last person from my hire date, a distinction I think I earned when the other guy left for Brazil several years ago. However, I am only number three in seniority for my team. What can I say, Servers is where the experience coalesces.
Now to review the e-mail I had from futureme.org to see what I will write to the myself should I get to 11 years.
It wasn’t an editorial like I had in Austin’s dying newspaper, more of a correction about Neko Case’s nationality. I’m surprised they used it since it’s just a trivial thing but I got my say in the printed copy! I bet more people actually read the Austin Chronicle than the Austin American-Statesman in this city too. Being polite and succinct probably helped getting a positive response from the editorial staff (they requested my permission before publishing). All too often people make snotty comments on forums which I resisted the temptation to do. Lately I’ve been thinking it over a while before I hit the publish button on those things. I’m trying to combat my own inner demon so I don’t get sucked into a juvenile flame war, especially the last one I had with the Ayn Randroids.
Jeremy and I are season ticket holders for the upcoming Austin Stars so one of the perks is being invited to little parties to celebrate. He couldn’t make it due to chores around his house so I was on my own. Last night’s get-together was at Hooters on 183 where the food is better than one would think for a cheesecake factory.
Unfortunately, this game between the Dallas Stars and the Colorado Avalanche was meaningless because both are out of the running for the Stanley Cup already. Still it ended in a tie during regulation and the five-minute OT period. Then came the shut out which had this goal which brought the crowd to its feet.
I may not be crazy over the Dallas Stars but I applaud Mike Ribeiro’s daring to skate butt first into the goalie to cover up what he was planning to do against Peter Budaj.
Such a shame this man finally gets the overdue create he was owed in death as the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons. Thankfully, he did receive recognition about 10 years ago when WOTC took over the game in their purchasing of TSR. How much money was involved was never disclosed but I hope it was enough to compensate for the dick move Gary Gygax used to cheat Dave out of any money their collaboration made.
Ever wonder why it was called Advanced Dungeons & Dragons for 20 years? By tacking on the word “Advanced” and changing up some of the rules, it was enough from a legal standpoint to say AD&D and D&D were separate games despite the former being a derivative work. Thus, Dave had no claim on any money AD&D generated. TSR would use the same tactic against Gary later in the 2nd edition era.
I never met Dave Arneson. I had heard his name off and on. He did appear in that awful movie starring Jeremy Irons and Thora Birch. Hmm. It says his scene(s) was deleted. Seems to be par for the course of the poor guy’s career. Well, I can only hope the last 10 years of his life went better than the previous 25 since he was vindicated in every D&D rule book from Third Edition on.
