hansthecat

2011-01-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

It's 2011. Are personal blogs still relevant?

Man, these folks really steam my tail.

2010-09-16T18:43:00.002-04:00

Dear Governor Kaine,No, you can't send me a sticker.I mean, Are you serious? "Democrats: Change That Matters"?! Really? That's the best thing anyone could come up with? Is there anyone, anyone at democrats.org who really thinks that sticker will do anything at all to rally the footsoldiers and make the undecideds stop and consider their choices?Perhaps if you had a sticker to send me with some

2009-09-07T15:38:00.000-04:00

Once again, a composition from my favorite feline poet, Garfield:Labor Day, shmabor day.What a dumb day.To hire some jerk,Then send him away.To celebrate workBy playing all day.

if you're a human being we're in business

2008-11-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

2008-11-29T19:42:00.001-05:00

Consider this post a cry for help:I don't have any Elliott Smith records. Where should I start?

just some quick thoughts

2008-11-05T00:26:00.002-05:00

The W. in George Bush's name stands for "Who?"Headline in Le Monde: "Le changement est arrivé en Amérique"I wish Tim Russert was still with us tonight.

countdown

2008-09-10T23:38:00.003-04:00

From time to time, Keith Olberman breaks his leash and broadcasts a "Special Comment". Invariably, the results are nothing short of spectacular:

all i ever wanted all i ever needed

2008-07-18T23:50:00.002-04:00

The latest reason I've been so quiet is here:http://www.immediatetheatre.orgAnd a song is here: Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence (reinterpreted)

with scarves of red tied ’round their throats to keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow

2008-07-09T16:16:00.002-04:00

Just in case you really like My Morning Jacket but think they just don't listen to enough Beach Boys, now there are Fleet Foxes!Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

stacy can't you see you're just not the girl for me

2008-05-06T13:00:00.002-04:00

It's a big day around these parts. I woke a few times during the night last night, fitfully thinking that it was all over and I had to check the results immediately.I voted a week ago in North Carolina's nifty early voting, but I wish I hadn't. That is to say, I wish I'd waited and gotten more information on local races before casting a ballot. The local board of elections put out a pamphlet in

and i know that you'll find, love, i will possess your heart

2008-05-05T01:40:00.003-04:00

The poet's name is Robin Robertson, and this is from the book A Painted Field. Reprinted here without permission, but I'm saying, if you like it, buy the book.STATICThe storm shakes out its sheetsagainst the darkening window:the glass flinches under thrown hail.Unhinged, the television slips its hold,streams into black and whitethen silence, as the lines go down.Her postcards stir on the shelf,

it's looking like a beautiful day

2008-04-25T00:04:00.002-04:00

Here's the difference between finance professionals and music lovers: if you're a finance professional, you divide the year up into quarters, and April, rather than being the fourth month of the year, is the first month of Q2 2008; whereas if you're a music lover, you wonder what the hell took 2008 so long to finally give you some really great music.I'm speaking, of course, of M83's new record,

i'm 15 years old and i feel it's already too late to live. don't you?

2008-04-22T23:01:00.000-04:00

To answer Xtian's question, no, M83 did not sound this 80's before. They used to be a bit more ambient. But it's not just 80's that they're going for here, it's 80's teenagerdom, and that's what makes me so ecstatic about it. Allmusic.com's review says it sounds like "the soundtrack to the most glamorous film John Hughes never made", which is about right. As if to drive that exact point home, the

you obviously you didn't want to stick around

2008-04-11T23:22:00.002-04:00

Note to IAH:Well, the Pappadeaux seafood lunch buffet jumped up a couple dollars in price, didn't it? No matter, it's still well worth it, and I hope I can always be seated right there at the railing, looking out over some gates - where are all those people going? - and the big windows to the runway.I've said it before, IAH is not a bad place to spend the better part of a day, at least as far as

they have a secret world in the twilight

2008-04-10T23:53:00.005-04:00

This may surprise you, but I'm a regular reader of Patrick Smith's "Ask A Pilot" blog, and I often end up sharing his articles in my feed reader (someone says I should share in FriendFeed as well, but I don't know, it all sounds very complicated, and might make it just that much easier for the robots to find me). But today's is particularly good, especially regarding the safety record of

i'm not lyin' sure it seems like i'm tryin' to get back at you

2008-04-10T18:39:00.000-04:00

Note to BNA:I noticed when I got off the plane that the gate area smelled like sauerkraut. What's with that? I didn't see any places selling the stuff or anyone cooking it on a camp stove, so where was it coming from?Generally, you're about what I would expect from an airport in a medium-sized southern city. Pretty friendly overall, but nothing spectacular, no cutting edge to be found. But I did

something is happening in the world

2008-03-03T21:49:00.004-05:00

The contrasting '3am' videos and the pitter patter of MSM analysis:What nobody is talking about, however, is that the narrator of Obama's ad is quite obviously the same narrator as on Paul Hardcastle's classic "19" (you know: "In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was twenty-six. In Vietnam, he was nineteen. In-in-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam he was nineteen"). Surely that's relevant.

who imposes the terms of the battle will impose the terms of the peace

2008-02-24T00:35:00.002-05:00

Redbelt, new film from David Mamet. The trailer is here. With Joe Mantegna, Rebecca Pidgeon (mmmm, Rebecca pidgeon), Chiwetel Ejiofor, and... Tim Allen?!!That's right, boys and girls, Tim Allen in a real film with a real director, almost as if he was a real actor. I'm shocked, shocked I say, but I'll withhold judgment until I've seen the whole performance. Deep down, though, I'm hoping Mamet put

stevevaiyesecholyn

2008-02-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

Pamelia Kurstin is the theremin star you always wanted to be.

so the sign says "ok"

2008-02-13T01:18:00.005-05:00

Well it seems that my activity in these environs has been, at the least, lacking. Here's the briefest of updates:Primaries!Xtian asks who's the bigger loser, Hillary Clinton or Jeff Tweedy (nominated for a Grammy but didn't win). I have to give this one to Hillary: at least Jeff Tweedy was nominated!But seriously folks. I really, really hope Obama's momentum continues. I'm done with the Clintons.

read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes

2008-01-31T00:39:00.000-05:00

You could ask what the hell takes me so long to post pictures from the trip I took over a month ago, but it's not like I'd have an answer.How I spent my Xmas vacation:P.S. LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 Part III

the coffee isn't even bitter

2008-01-30T01:31:00.000-05:00

Just saw Darjeeling Limited, finally. I love Wes Anderson films, so why do I wait so long to see them? I've never seen one on opening weekend, and I waited so long to see Rushmore that it was ruined for me by all the hype. On the other hand, I waited years to see Life Aquatic, and I think it might have been sweetened for me by all the mixed reviews. Anyway, I liked this one as much as Royal

you said heroes are needed so heroes get made

2008-01-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what a little disgust will do; I fired this off in one draft tonight:Dear Democratic Party,I am a registered Democrat and I came to the Democratic Party website looking for information on the nominating process for the presidential election. I'd hoped to find a detailed schedule and explanation of how things worked from here, but I wasn't necessarily surprised when I didn't find it.

while you debate half-empty or half-full

2008-01-04T00:43:00.000-05:00

Oh man, I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight; the Iowa caucus results have made me giddy. If you haven't seen Obama's victory speech, it's riveting.Songs today:Jim Sturgess - GirlEddie Izzard - Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite(but really, go see the movie)

i'll be right here for you my dear

2008-01-02T14:02:00.000-05:00

I don't so much do the whole new years resolution thing, mostly because it always ends in disappointment. But I do have a kernel of an inkling of an idea of a plan for this blog, and that is: songs, songs, and more songs. I'm gonna post a lot of songs, is what. Maybe not every day, but at least every other day, or every few days, or once a month or something like that. Sometimes I'll post a song

yes i know it was late but we were greeting the sun before long

2007-12-04T19:10:00.000-05:00

Well, here's what I've been up to:And here's what the Charlotte Observer thinks of it:http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/387785.htmlClassic tale, fresh approachRadio-style staging, sound effects add charm to `Wonderful Life'JULIE YORK COPPENS"You've been given a great gift, Charlotte: a chance to see what the world would be like if you'd never lost your professional regional theater."At least I

i wanted to be a ghostie

2007-10-29T23:18:00.001-04:00

Halloween's soon, I guess. Take a look at this.

all of the things that go to make heaven and earth are here

2007-10-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

Not a single day off since August. That's why I've been so quiet. Won't get one until November 10. And yes, my sanity is challenged a little more every day. But a few things have helped out in that regard.Example: New Pornographers show last night. It was everything I hoped for. No, it was more than that, actually, as I'd already resigned myself to the fact that Neko Case doesn't usually tour

i said speak your mind, jack, but jesus!

2007-10-19T01:06:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness gracious. Hat tip to Bernhard Grier for this one:

ready to bolt at the first glimpse of failsafe

2007-09-10T15:41:00.000-04:00

I put a bell on the handlebars of my bicycle. This makes me feel:A) marginally safer in areas of high pedestrian traffic (especially important in Asheville, where most of the pedestrians are high).2) like a schoolgirl.

he whistles and he runs

2007-09-06T23:02:00.000-04:00

I haven't been as excited about a script since maybe The Runner Stumbles in 1999. I'm convinced that Copenhagen is among the very best scripts in contemporary drama. My original copy is still bookmarked with the boarding pass from my Newark-Hamburg flight last September, when I knew I had to sleep some ("all those dark and frantic transatlantic miles") but I couldn't because I was so amped up

it's a sweet and sour concerto

2007-09-05T23:50:00.000-04:00

Anybody got any theories on what's the deal with the fake songs in this trailer? Very strange.

watch this meeting hall sweat and shake

2007-09-03T11:54:00.000-04:00

As every year, dear readers, I offer you this Labor Day po-eme from a Garfield strip a hundred years ago:Labor Day, Shmabor DayWhat a dumb dayTo hire some jerkThen send him awayTo celebrate workBy playing all day

through the storms and the light baby you stood by my side

2007-08-30T14:09:00.000-04:00

Well this is just kind of genius, isn't it?

all hands on deck

2007-08-30T01:22:00.000-04:00

I can tell I'm really busy when I can't quite figure out when, within the space of a week or two, I'll be able to do laundry. Certainly I'm not one to read a book about the seven habits of highly successful people, or care about those habits or even those people, but if I were a betting man I'd say those people habitually keep a washer and dryer in their residences. It would save me a lot of time

as i leave you with restless liars and dealers on the take

2007-08-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

So, in another of innumerable missed opportunities to right a sinking ship, the President didn't fire the Attorney General. Instead, Gonzales has resigned, which of course only makes Bush look even worse.

tell me your own politik

2007-08-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

No offense to President Bill (I love you, man!), but this banned commercial is just real danged funny, not to mention well done:

still your face is young

2007-08-21T14:53:00.001-04:00

I can't quite put my finger on why this is such an emotional issue for me, but I'm really happy that Endeavour landed safely. Maybe it's because the Challenger explosion was the first major tragedy I was really clued into. Also I always wanted to be a spaceman when I grew up.

we ain't going to the town we're going to the city

2007-08-20T11:07:00.000-04:00

There's an article in today's Times about a bike race through Staten Island organized mostly for Manhattan bike messengers. A couple of interesting things from the article: one guy warms up with a cigarette; another says Manhattan is "basically as bike-friendly as you can get". I have no experience with the former, but my experience with the latter is that this guy's crazy. Staten Island traffic

sweetness and light

2007-08-19T22:08:00.000-04:00

Apparently Japanese people like to gaze at their shoes too.Asobi Seksu - Goodbye

yes a heart will always stay one day too long

2007-08-17T10:27:00.000-04:00

Summertime is for staying put. Or at least that's the lesson it seems I'm meant to learn, but of course I'm way too dense for that.My plan today:EWR-DCADCA-IAHIAH-AVLAs of now, everything looks fine, the biggest hitch being that I don't have a way to get home from the airport. But there's this tropical rainstorm named Erin hanging out in South Texas who may have other ideas for me...UPDATE: Well,

spare me the suspense

2007-08-10T23:17:00.001-04:00

So the Discovery bicycling team is disbanding. Seems Discovery doesn't want to be associated with a sport whose image just gets tarnished more and more. I just don't understand the whole thing, and I gots questions:How does it get this far? A few years ago, steroids in bicycling was a big, widely-publicized deal. The next year it was bigger, and bigger again the year after that. Until finally

babe it's time we give something new a try

2007-08-04T23:37:00.000-04:00

The record is tied, Bonds hit number 755 tonight. But how beautiful is it that hope for redemption bloomed in the same afternoon, as Alex Rodriguez hit his 500th at the age of 32, well ahead of Bonds for his age?I think Bonds is an asshole, and there are good arguments for his guilt, but I'm still impressed by his achievement. But there were fans at Petco Park tonight holding signs bearing huge

if i get scared i'll just call you

2007-08-01T23:27:00.001-04:00

Don't touch anything. Seriously. Because chances are whatever you'd touch, even that mouse and keyboard in front of you, is made of plastic, and it's becoming clear that plastic is bad for you because of a magic ingredient known as bisphenol. I'm not sure how anybody is surprised by this, but there it is. I'll call this good news, because if it's bad enough that we really need to worry about it,

now it's my rights versus yours

2007-07-25T00:52:00.000-04:00

Okay, let me just get this off my chest first: when there's one out left in the game, why can't the Braves just go ahead and get the out? I mean instead of blowing a four-run lead?Anyway, so far (although here we go into extra innings) Smoltzie and Hudson have been able to keep Bonds's home run bat silent, and I'm glad about that. I'd like it if Bonds didn't break the record against Hank Aaron's

all the boys with their homemade microphones

2007-07-22T14:09:00.000-04:00

I wrote a haiku for Weston about driving his VW Combi, Ethyl, up to DC a couple of weeks from now. The haiku was pretty poor. Here was his response:Your haiku leave much to desirePlease don’t answer to ‘Poets for Hire’ But as to your plan For driving the vanAnd the fucked in a bucket of shitNo one can say my friends aren't funny.

when your mind's made up there's no point trying to change it

2007-07-20T14:05:00.000-04:00

Round-up:Pirates of the Caribbean At World's EndEnjoyed it, certainly much more than the last one, but overall I'm glad that whole thing's over with.Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixAt last a really good, though not great, movie has been made out of this series. Why did it take five tries to get it right? It helps that it comes from my favorite book of the series, but the filmmakers'

we rejoice because the hurting is so painless from the distance of passing cars

2007-07-16T18:15:00.000-04:00

Just a few quick things:- If you ask Google Maps for directions but don't care for the route they suggest, you can now click and drag the blue line to match the way you want to go. I've been wanting someone to do that for a long time, and now Google has gone and done it. It's especially useful if you want to see how far you've been on your bike. Now if only they could add topographical

do you think the girls here ever wondered how they got so pretty

2007-07-10T18:53:00.000-04:00

The New Pornographers' Challengers has quickly become the soundtrack to my summer. If you haven't heard it, here are some samples.Myriad HarbourIf your name was Reid, which it isn't, I'd say this song has all the hallmarks of seeming to be made specifically for you. Then you'd ask me what those hallmarks are, and I'd say I couldn't explain it exactly, but it would have something to do playful

we are liars like the summertime

2007-07-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

I think it has been twenty years. That would put me at fourteen years old; sounds about right. It was the first and, until tonight, the last time. Funny, though, how some things never change.Yes, after a twenty year hiatus, I can still report with certainty: Rolling Rock tastes like soap.So here's an idea: instead of drinking soap, have a real beer and listen to this song. It's summer, dontcha

deus ex machina, good morning christina

2007-07-04T00:59:00.000-04:00

I haven't even seen A Might Heart yet, although it's high on my list, and it's not like I've been following the story especially closely, but the news of Alan Johnston's release today really touched and cheered me like no news story has in quite a while. Not everything leads directly and inevitably to a worst-case scenario, much to the chagrin of the American press.

who cares you always end up in the city

2007-07-03T15:22:00.000-04:00

News-junkie readers, do you miss the old layout of the Washington Post? And do you think the Japan Times is not a credible news source? No worries, just go to The Japan Times Online; they've got the old WP layout perfectly replicated, giving your eyes something fresh and delicious to look at and clearly demonstrating that theirs is a quality publication just like the Washington Post was and still

person man hates triangle man

2007-07-03T00:31:00.000-04:00

There's an hour of setup in the morning at work before we open. If I'm bartending downstairs, I often use that time for BNRW (one of the myriad things this blog has stolen or plans to steal from some other blog). Upstairs I don't have that option, but sometimes someone will bring in a CD so we're not stuck with the mystifying inconsistencies of Muzak all day. This morning the CD was Fashion

what's the weight of the world worth to ya

2007-06-29T01:59:00.001-04:00

George W. Bush now says that Israel is a great model for Iraq. What, does the guy have advisors who are paid by American taxpayers to figure out exactly what sort of comment will irk the Arab world the most?Lordy.

if man is five

2007-06-28T17:06:00.000-04:00

In 1990 I found a CD called Creeping Up On Jesus by a band called The Big Dish in the dollar bin at a Coconuts Records & Tapes in Jacksonville, FL. It might be one of the most radio-friendly and -ignored records of all time. Now, this is not something I should admit to many people, and so it may seem strange to broadcast it over the World Wide Wave, but the fact is this blog has four readers, and

and the sun has charred the other side of the world and come back to us, painting the smoke over our heads an imperial violet

2007-06-23T03:00:00.001-04:00

Note: this post is very long and maybe also a little boring. Which is about right, considering the day I've had.5.00See, here's what happened last night. The San Diego (SAN) - Newark (EWR) flight had between 9 and 12 empty seats, and I was about 7th on the list to get one. Weather in Newark was keeping our crew from getting to us, so another crew was brought in, one of whose members was due to

and the fingers bleed in the factories

2007-06-14T18:37:00.000-04:00

Look, I understand that the percentage of posts on this blog which mention robots is perhaps excessive, but I can cite two (2) good reasons for this:1> Robots are funny.B> Robots are scary.To illustrate both of these points, I direct you to the following 2 (two) pages located on the World Wide Wave: Donut Robot of Love 2000 (if you haven't seen this before, it's well worth the time to read the

while we lost track of time in dreams of grandeur

2007-06-13T00:15:00.000-04:00

Okay, here's where I go a big rubbery one.Damn if this ain't some effective (and affective) television.It occurs to me that something this touching would be incredibly hard to recreate in a scripted moment, especially since the kind of person inclined to try is likely the type to heavy-hand his/her own grocery lists and probably wouldn't be able to resist turning this kind of thing into

i have scaled these city walls

2007-06-12T09:15:00.000-04:00

So Apple released a Safari 3 beta for Windows. A guy over at Wired wants to know who in their right mind would run Safari on Windows, and I can see his point. Right mind or not, though, I installed it and have been playing with it a little, and it doesn't seem like the crappy Safari he's talking about. It's a nice browser as far as I can tell, faster than Firefox or IE7, and pretty; the text box

what we want is what you want

2007-06-04T17:47:00.000-04:00

This is the text of a handwritten note that Melanie found on a fridge in the common room:A person who takes my Korean red ginseng put it back in the kitchen.It is not a ginseng!!!A substance inside of a bottle is only for a pregnant woman.Actually, it belongs to my aunt.She is a pregnant!!If a man or who woman who is not a pregnant takes and drinks it, he or she will be die or goes to hospital.It

son, your average russkie don't take a dump without a plan

2007-05-31T11:03:00.000-04:00

I tried to leave a comment on Grabbingsand yesterday, but for some reason it didn't take, so I'm making it a post here instead.The issue is Fred Thompson and whether or not he's the Messiah or the second coming of Ronald Reagan. Thomas argues that he's neither, and is in fact just an ex-senator with very little experience. Thomas has a point there.But I've heard a couple of Fred Thompson's

let the cold wind blow, rough night in jericho

2007-05-31T00:29:00.000-04:00

You've read the story, now see the pictures.(Sorry for the delay in getting these shots up. Uh, blame it on the rain?)

the wise man built his words upon the rocks but i'm not bound to follow suit

2007-05-30T23:10:00.001-04:00

If there's anything I can't stand, it's a smart owl.

we're only losers til we reach the end of senior year

2007-05-29T20:49:00.000-04:00

What, wish The Postal Service would make another record? Go listen to Plushgun (via AM Music Blog) instead. Silly fun bratty-kid pop with stunningly gorgeous electronic interludes. Especially recommended: "How We Roll".Also, this is hysterical (thanks to Grabbingsand for the tip):

give me the words and i'll say them like i mean it

2007-05-29T20:30:00.001-04:00

Notice:hansthecat postings are no longer published at www.immediatetheatre.org/hblog, but have been moved to hansthecat.blogspot.com. Please take a moment to update your readers accordingly. Thank you for your attention. This moment has been duly noted on your timecards and will be deducted from your pay. That is all.

no one can eat fifty eggs!

2007-05-20T22:57:00.000-04:00

I just think it's a shame that adults don't dare each other to eat outrageous things as much as kids do.

hands to the ceiling, it's a gas

2007-05-09T01:26:00.000-04:00

Took some pictures is what.In and around Asheville

we know a place where no cars go

2007-05-08T21:05:00.000-04:00

Not to beat a dead horse, but I fear that our folly will be known only when it is too late:Termibot robot exterminator kills termites, heralds terrifying future(Okay, to beat a dead horse...)

reeling with the feeling don't stop continue

2007-04-27T02:28:00.000-04:00

I have decided that the most insidious combination of words in the English language is "one more drink", especially when directly preceded by the phrase "come on".

so you think you can tell heaven from hell

2007-04-25T23:53:00.000-04:00

Geek news gets more and more terrifying. Today it's headphones that turn into robots.But they're just toys, you say. Sure. Sure they are. Are they?It's not just geek news, either. You may not have noticed this pattern, but my keen eyes have observed that every summer, like clockwork, Hollywood has a grand new blockbuster predictor of our doom - fictionalized, yes, but based solidly in reality.

as we feel our weight return

2007-04-20T18:50:00.000-04:00

I don't mean to downplay this week's tragedies, but this is ridiculous, and I have two questions:Was the perpetrator wearing a diaper?How many more news reports like this before we stop joking about "going postal" and start joking about "going astronuts"?

in europe and america there's a growing feeling of hysteria

2007-04-18T23:22:00.000-04:00

The Russians want to build a tunnel from Siberia to Alaska. 64 miles long. With a highway in it. There might be people who say you can't do that because it's too fucking far, but I'm all for it. Google Maps' swimming directions notwithstanding, my only hope is that when I'm 55 years old and the thing is complete, I'm still up for a (hydrogen-powered) roadtrip from New York to London. Wait a

i'm your only friend i'm not your only friend

2007-04-17T14:10:00.000-04:00

Not much, just a few links.http://blog.wired.com/tableofmalcontents/2007/04/the_amazing_osa.htmlhttp://xkcd.com/http://xkcd.com/c235.htmlhttp://xkcd.com/c169.html

squeaky swings and tall grass

2007-04-12T22:33:00.000-04:00

Well I officially started my own personal summer today, ordering Gameday Audio from mlb.com. I heard the last two innings of the Braves/Nationals game, in which Smoltz's strong showing was lost. The Braves had a great chance to pull out a nice win right at the end, but came up short. I won't say I couldn't have been happier, because obviously I could have, but damn it felt great to listen to

the more i think about it the more i know it's true

2007-04-11T00:05:00.000-04:00

My guess is Jeff Tweedy's been listening to some 70s soft rock, and I, for one, am glad of it. When I felt my first actual craving for Sky Blue Sky today, I knew a slow addiction was setting in. Which suits me just fine.

drop it like it's?

2007-04-10T12:06:00.000-04:00

This is fascinating and very funny.

genius to fall asleep to your tape last night

2007-03-30T15:58:00.000-04:00

My cat ate my iPod headphones. I don't know why, go and ask him. They were the newer, sleeker style of whites; they looked better (though perhaps they lacked a certain Modernist charm) but they didn't fit as comfortably as the older ones. And anyway I have a pair of Sony earbuds that sound better. Still, fucking cat.In other news, I'm back on Last.fm, and you can see my chart right over there to

i can't get enough

2007-03-28T13:34:00.000-04:00

As long as we're on the subject of trying to imagine a rock band playing dance music or vice versa (or as long as we're a couple of days late in adding to the thread), here are some tracks for further discussion.The Infadels debut album, We Are Not the Infadels has a sort of early-INXS sensibility to it, if early INXS was British and making records in 2006. There's definitely something in common

i can't help thinking and i won't stop now

2007-03-27T15:20:00.000-04:00

I'm not saying the same thing will happen for you, but I listened to the whole of Coldplay's X & Y this weekend and found that it has aged quite well. I used to think the first half of the record was superior and the rest was unnecessary, but now I find that it all comes together nicely as a whole.And Spring is here, so I have a little extra for you from the album's Special Dutch Edition. It's

the cows all like to milk themselves, and the hens lay eggs three times a day

2007-03-27T01:43:00.000-04:00

From Mountain XPressPlay Review: Oleanna at NC Stage—Alli Marshall, A&E reporterby Alli Marshall on 03/22/2007It’s telling that title of this two-person David Mamet play is completely obscure. It’s taken from a 19th century folk song that references the ideal of utopian societies. Got that?The play, performed by Immediate Theatre Project (ITP) at NC Stage Company, is not an easy one to

someone hit the brakes we're gaining too much speed

2007-03-15T15:53:00.000-04:00

Howard Dean just emailed me to say:This could be George Bush's Watergate.Eight U.S. Attorneys, fired because they wouldn't follow orders by the Bush Administration.Now, look. I disapprove of George W. Bush as much as the next guy, but if the Democrats want to beat some drums, and of course they do, can't they find something real?Or am I missing something? Seems to me that U.S. Attorneys, being

friday night's alright for lighting

2007-02-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

So this lady Maureen Ryan, who watches a lot more TV than I do (they pay her for that), says here that Friday Night Lights is the best show on network television. Okay, I'll grant that a show can be better than Lost. Then she goes on to say it's as good as The Wire. That's a hell of a thing to say. Can any of yous offer independent confirmation?

2007-02-15T00:45:00.000-05:00

Me too.

with parts made in japan i am the modren man

2007-02-13T17:55:00.000-05:00

I hope some of the first bionic human modifications made available on the mass market include flamethrowers and laser-guided BB guns. Until then, however, I'm getting robot insurance from Old Glory to protect me from this guy:

working for the black gas

2007-02-13T14:48:00.000-05:00

Why isn't North Korea's pledge of nuclear disarmament getting bigger headlines all over everywhere? Kudos to the Washington Post for recognizing how huge the story is.

don't know if i feel joy or pain

2007-02-12T23:13:00.000-05:00

The presidential race in this country has gotten too long and too expensive by far, but I sure am addicted to the show.For the record, I'm a fan of Hillary Clinton. Always have been. As a matter of fact, I got into a fight with my Republican girlfriend in 1992 when I said that I thought Hillary was pretty. Not that the measure of her as a politician is her physical attractiveness, but I liked her

just a stranger on the bus

2007-02-06T23:19:00.000-05:00

Reader discretion is advised.I heard a story on BBC Newspod about a guy planning to swim the length of the Amazon River. Now, I understand the attraction of epic river journeys, but swimming the Amazon? That's a bit much.Anyway, what's the first thing that pops into your head when you think of swimming the Amazon, besides "don't"? It's a piranha, right? Well, forget about that, 'cos that ain't

remember new york staring outside

2007-01-26T14:47:00.000-05:00

On the subject of winter songs, here's one near and dear to my heart. Certainly it helps that it mentions Staten Island, which is rare, and I first heard it when I lived on Staten Island during my first New York winter. But it also helps that it's a gorgeous, sweet-hearted song, warm and cozy like hot apple cider by a crackling fire.Fountains of Wayne - Valley Winter Song

finding our way around indecision

2007-01-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

It's 2007. I first watched video (albeit a sorry excuse for it) on the World Wide Wave at least ten (10) years ago. You'd think that ten years on it would be easy to find a video of a major address by the leader of the free world, but that wasn't my experience last night.So yeah, I had some sadistic or masochistic, I don't know which, impulse to watch the president's 2007 State of the Union

i can feel it coming in the air tonight

2007-01-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

h meyercat: gd dleechump: g your own d h meyercat: daaaaaang. h meyercat: Did you see that movie yet? dleechump: which? rocky balboa? h meyercat: Oh yeah, that too. dleechump: children of men? h meyercat: Also that one where Good

and may your dreams be realized

2007-01-16T16:35:00.000-05:00

Alright alright, so maybe the Google Reader thingy is worth looking into. But since I've had neither time nor inclination to do so just yet, consider this shared:Why Apple Makes Me Cry from Wired News

won't it be strange when we're all fully grown

2007-01-13T03:16:00.000-05:00

I wish I could live until the year 3000, how delicious, because in Roman numerals that'll be 'MMM'.

all those dark and frantic transatlantic miles

2007-01-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

I've always followed commercial aviation news pretty closely for some reason, even long before my sister started to fly friendly-like in the skies. I'll also admit to an above-average, possibly abnormal, arguably irrational obsession with corporate aesthetics and image (for example, I hold the conviction that people can be pretty neatly placed into Coke or Pepsi camps, and the Pepsi camp, with a

but i just had to look

2007-01-10T17:28:00.000-05:00

No time to write today, really. Instead I'll just point you in the direction of the result of the work I've been doing in my "spare" time over the last couple of weeks: archival pages and pictures from previous immediate theatre project productions The Glass Menagerie, The American Dream, and All My Sons.

a crowd of people turned away

2007-01-09T15:30:00.000-05:00

By now, surely, you've heard today's news, the biggest news in popular communications trends in a long, long time, but I just wanted to throw my two cents in.First of all, in a perfect world the Tribune wouldn't have run the story without hearing what Cusack had to say first. But it's not a perfect world, and the Tribune Co. needs to sell newspapers just like any other honest, hard-working

i read the news today oh boy

2007-01-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

I'm thinking this is the best "Overheard in New York" I've ever read:http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/008536.html(Even if I were set up on the magical Google Reader, this would seem to would merit more than simple 'share' status...)

sometimes you want to go

2007-01-06T23:42:00.000-05:00

In New York the other night, I stopped by Great Jones Cafe on a whim. With a ticket to Spring Awakening in my pocket and plenty of time to kill, I decided to walk from the tkts booth at South Street Seaport all the way up to the theatre on 49th Street, and after a while I found myself in the Great Jones neighborhood so I dropped in for a beer. Nanette and Artie were working, just like they did

began an end today

2007-01-05T15:47:00.000-05:00

A long time ago, the guitarist tried to convince me that we should do a cover of U2's 'Numb' with the vocals somewhat mimicking a certain impassioned speech given by Denzel Washington in the role of Malcolm X (Hoodwinked! Bamboozled! Led astray! Run amok!). I just couldn't see how that would work, and we never tried it. But it hit me today. I get it now. I don't know if I would have had the

and the little plastic castle is a surprise every time

2007-01-04T15:31:00.000-05:00

File under "How is that news?"Says here that the holiday shopping season turned out to be worse than expected for many of the nation's retailers. Come on now, are retailers' memories really that short? Every year there are news reports that the Christmas shopping season wasn't quite what retailers expected. Hey retailers, lower your damn expectations! Don't base your annual budgets on projected

i hear in my mind all of these voices

2007-01-03T10:53:00.000-05:00

When either Silas or my sister recommends some music to me, it's worth my while to pay attention. When they both come at me with the same recommendation, well, then it's a conspiracy. If I join up, does it become a movement?Regina Spektor - Fidelity