Chico vs. The World

Errors and omissions

2007-01-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I left a few albums off my Best Of 2006 list that need mentioning:

Hot Chip - The Warning
Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
French Kicks - Two Thousand
Menomena - Friend and Foe

The (Obligatory) Best Albums of 2006

2006-12-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, isn't it? Well, in no particular order, here's my top ten:

Mute Math - Mute Math
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope
Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson In Crime
Hank Williams III - Straight To Hell
Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The Black Angels - Passover
Oh No! Oh My! - Oh No! Oh My!
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain

If you're looking for a #1, I'd have to give it to TVOTR and/or B&S. Deal with it.

In case you're curious how they made my list, here's my slipshot, entirely subjective criteria:

published this year (duh)
be an original album or ep release (no remix, best of, or collection albums)
be a solid listen through the whole album (no one or two song wonders)
have kept itself on heavy rotation on my iPod at some point during the year (gotta love it)
... but still be able to relisten to it when the initial sheen wears off (staying power!).

Behinds the scenes at the Zune Design Laboratory

2006-12-15T13:35:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned how ugly I think those things are? RIP DOA Zune.

New job!

2006-12-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Howdy all! I just accepted a position at the University of Chicago to do full-time Linux systems administration. I'll be managing a couple of computation clusters that analyze data from the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. Yeah, that's right, my dream job. No more Microsoft. Living in a bash shell.

So, on the flipside, if anybody wants to be an IT manager for a division in the Northwestern Med School, let me know. ;)

All the father's men | Salon.com

2006-11-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

It's like Dallas, but hundreds of thousands of people have died and we're trillions in debt. All so "Sonny" can show daddy what a man he is. *sigh*

2006-11-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Blondie Hanging On The Telephone

Debbie Harry is so incredibly fucking hot!

Even more good news!

2006-11-10T11:58:00.000-08:00

Jesus Camp is closing it's doors!

Not as dumb as we look

2006-11-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Holy cow. Rummy resigns, we take bake the House, and for all intents and purposes, the Senate as well. Has hell frozen over? Six of the longest years of my life are over. Hot damn! Congrats Democrats!

Bansky!

2006-09-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Great photos of a recent exhibition of Art Terrorist Bansky. Maybe you've heard about his Paris Hilton CD stunt?

360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii

2006-09-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

All due credit for this post goes to Mike Lawler. He sent me this video this morning, which lampoons the latest Apple vs. PC commercials with a PS3 vs. Wii spin that definitely says the Wii is the better product. Basically it casts the PS3 as a large, homely woman and the Wii as a skinny blond tart. The message is yeah, the Wii may be cheaper and less powerful than the PS3, but hey, when you just want to have a good time, go get a Wii. I thought the casting of the PS3 wasn't quite fair, and initially thought a curvaceous, sassy black woman would have been more appropriate. We went back and forth on different casting scenarious, but Mike's last spin, which includes the Xbox 360, totally nailed it:

I'd make the 360 a spoiled sorority girl. Readily available, a bit upscale, fun, but needs YOU to buy her stuff. One commercial would feature the core "model", and she'd be hot enough, but constantly trying to convince you to "upgrade" her with a chrome finish or 20GB hard drive. Her Xbox Live subscription would be her allowance.

The Wii should certainly be a bouncy little Japanese tart who speaks limited English (non-traditional joystick). Plenty friendly, accomodating, really nice to look at, fun as hell, but not really useful. Certainly doesn't cook, clean, or do laundry. Strictly for ornamentation and entertainment purposes.

Then, I'd have the PS3 as the super-hot, unattainable, controlling to borderline dominatrix, ultra-high-end Mercedes driving bitch that wants to come to your house to throw your DVD player and PC off your roof. She speaks Sanskrit (Blueray), is in Mensa (Cell processor), and craps little rectangular blocks (HDMI output). She'd go absolute ape shit if she knew you had another gaming console around, so forget about that. She wants to monopolize your entertainment time, which, because she's so hot, is cool, but only for so long. Dates (games) with her cost a fortune ($60-$100).

My commercial would have the 360 standing there because she's already been realeased. Then, the PS3 and Wii would show up in a skimpy Misses Claus outfits (just in time for Christmas). Then the 360 and PS3 would start arguing over who was better (more features) and what they could each do for you. The Wii would just stand there looking hot, oblivious to any conversation. The PS3 would end up winning the argument, but you'd end up thinking that she was a total bitch and wondering if you want her in your house.

Feel old!

2006-08-25T10:05:00.001-07:00

I give you the Beloit College Mindset List! The incoming freshman class was born in 1988, which means there are certain facts about their lives that will make you feel old:

* The Soviet Union has never existed
* Germany has always been one country
* Richard M. Daley has always been mayor of Chicago.

You've lost that blogging feeling? Hell no!

2006-08-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Lost that blogging feeling? Nah, just busy, busy, busy lately. So here's the story of that photo.

That photo was from Friday night of the Lollapalooza weekend. My friend Keely had won tickets, a hotel room and airfare for some friends from XRT. The hotel was a fairly swanky place downtown in the loop, so it served as party HQ for the weekend. After spending the day at Lolla, we got back to the hotel, had drinks and prepared to continue festivities on the northside. The hotel had these really posh terry cloth robes priced at $75 a pop. What can I say? I was feeling a bit Hefner, so I put one on. Damn, damn comfy if I do say so. Almost wore it out with me. Sure, I was hamming it up a bit but, that really did kind of capture the mood of the summer.

And that was only Friday. Saturday proved to be even wierder: After Lolla Dance Party on the El, DJ'd by yours truly. Cab ride to the Nisei with crazy cabby through traffic all fucked up by Marketdays. Friends in tears. A totally blown random pick up at the Nisei. Almost spending more than 5 minutes at sodding Barleycorn, but getting to see Gossy anyways. Random people craziness at Bar None. Wrigleyville normally has a wierd vibe on the weekends, but it was extra special wierd that night. My life went psychedelic around 3AM, without of the requisite drugs involved. Keely's cab back to the hotel getting stopped and the driver arrested for speeding and a DUI. Getting home at 5AM.

All in all, a pretty damn good time. You really could feel that wave everybody'd been riding all summer crest that Saturday night. After that, nothing else was really the same.

What in the hell happened to me?

2006-08-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Christ, it's been a while since I posted, eh? Well, I've been busy. Exhibit A:

I'd say that kinda sums up the summer so far...

What a perv!

2006-07-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

Fearless Leader gropes the Chancellor of Germany.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

2006-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

Check out this clever mash up/remix that has Dubya singing U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday.

Please kill me

2006-07-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

After a bout of whiskey drinking last night that can only be described as "heroic", I'm now dwelling in the inevitable afterglow of such inspired misdeeds. In other words, I'm hungover as hell and generally feeling like a zombie. Can someone explain this to me: I actually got to work a whole half hour early today.

Btw, has anyone seen my liver?

New blog is up!

2006-07-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Jesus, I finally found time to whip that new blog into shape. Intonation Fest info's up, and only a week late. Drop everything and go check out The Analog Hole now.

Hippo eats dwarf

2006-06-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is so funny, I can't even comprehend it in its entirety. Only later tonight will I burst into a fit of laughter so violent that I vomit.

Intonation, you rock my world

2006-06-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Intonation Fest was an absolute blast this weekend. I've got some lengthy write ups to come, which I hope to post tonight. Actually, I'll probably be posting it all on a new blog, one with more lengthy content about happenings and to-do's here in Chicago. I should be able to get at least the first day's worth up tonight. I'll be sure to announce it when it's good to go.

Oops, Ozzie did it again...

2006-06-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ozzie's in classic form again. Unfortunately. For those not in the know, Ozzie Guillen, the White Sox's manager, called Jay Mariotti, Sun-Times Columnist, a "fucking fag" in an interview with reporters. Now personally, I love Ozzie for his in-your-face honesty, even if he does sound like a jackass. But I also knew that it'd only be a matter of time before he really got himself in trouble, and it looks like this might have done it. Go check out Jake Berlin's post over at The Bard's Room for our strangely prescient conversation on the subject a few weeks ago, as well as Jake's usually thoughtful and entertaining commentary.

And oh yeah, the Sox have been on an utter tear lately, having taken the last two games from the Cards by a combined score of 33-11. They've won 8 outta 9 since nearly coming back to win in the ninth against Cleveland two weeks ago. Is there a connection? Maybe this is part of some secret scheme by Ozzie to motivate his players? Are we all too ignorant and base to understand the scope and complexity of his Machiavellian schemes? Is this man a baseball genius the likes of which we haven't seen since Casey Stengal or John McGraw? Nah, probably not...

Cubs, Cubs, Cubs, tsk, tsk, tsk...

2006-06-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Come on Cubs, you can't even win one freaking game against the Tigers and help out my Sox a little bit? We sweep the Reds at home only to find that we're still a game and a half out of first in the division 'cause the Tigers swept the Cubs at home. And we have the second best record in all of baseball! For the first time this year, I feel the Cubs' pain.

Cubs fans, leave some of your sorrow and pain in the comments below. Trust me, you'll feel better.

Libertarian Democrats?

2006-06-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Not to spoil the party mood after what I figured would be my last post before the weekend, but I read this over at Daily Kos, and found it pretty interesting. The author's comments about the role of government with the rise corporate power is something I've always wanted to argue about with a libertarian. Strange bedfellows for strange times indeed.

Enjoy your weekend y'all!

2006-06-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

From Page Six, via Salon.com:

"I didn't start drinking until I was 30," Jewel tells Blender. "I grew up singing for alcoholics, and it never really seemed like alcohol fixed anything. I was afraid that it would get me. Around 30, I kind of realized that alcohol really does solve all your problems. Whoever said drinking doesn't help lied. You live and you learn."

Ne'er a truer word spoken! Double dang!

Tom Verlaine @ The Double Door

2006-06-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

Tom Verlaine is a fucking amazing guitar player. I repeat: Tom Verlaine is a fucking amazing guitar player.

I saw him play last night at The Double Door, to a small but appreciative crowd that appeared to be a pretty even mix of music geeks both old enough and not old enough to have actually have seen Television in person. Marty Lennartz put it best is his little introduction before he played, "I think everybody here tonight has spent a night with the lights turned off doing nothing but listening to the amazing interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd..." *huge roar from the crowd*

His presence on stage was exactly what I had envisioned after all those hours doing just that. Shy, but friendly; not introducing himself upon walking on stage, but endearing himself to the crowd just a song or two later by twice politely admonishing the guy working the light board to quit changing the stage lights because he couldn't see the neck of his guitar. He played a set that was close to two hours straight, without a break, despite a broken string and the oppressive heat in the club. (Seriously, I hadn't sweat that much at a show since I saw Ministry in 1996.) The man is a total master of his craft, easily and fluidly switching between styles and influences. Blues licks that broke from the genre's tired forms morphed gracefully into improvisational stretches that didn't lose the plot by wandering for too far or too long. And boy could he make that guitar sing, just like in the more inspired passages of Marquee Moon. Hell, just listening to him tune up his guitar while the band started the song was amazing in and of itself. Admittedly, I haven't spent much time listening to his solo work, but he completely impressed me with the set that he did play.

No dear reader, he didn't play a single Television song. *sigh* Not even a few bars from Venus De Milo? *deep sigh* Oh well, great show nonetheless. When I get that time machine though, first trip: NYC, The Bowery, 1977.

Update: Don't take my word for it, check out a review of the show in the Chicago Tribune.

Supreme Leader Bush

2006-06-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a couple of days behind on catching this, but over at Crooks and Liars is a clip of Bill Kristol actually suggesting that Bush should be referred to as "Supreme Leader". For those of you not familiar with Kristol, he's one of the head ideologues over at the Project For The New American Century (PNAC). They're the kind-hearted braniacs who think we should quit fucking around and just take over the world by force. That's boiling it down, but that's pretty much the jist of their twisted little world view. Seriously, I wish I was making this shit up.

Back to the "Supreme Leader" crap. Admittedly, he made the crack after referring to Iran's head of state, who apparently does go by that honorific. Watch it for yourself though, he was serious, and even had a warm little smile after he let that little thought skate across his little pea brain.

I'd point out that there was a time when something like this would lead to outrage, public censure, or at least a collective labelling of this asshole, as well, an asshole. But I'm too jaded to be surprised by this anymore. It's a new century baby!

BTW, I found out about this via a silly little podcast by Twilight and Thebes. I've only heard a bit of one of the podcasts, but it ain't half bad. Mainly politics and porn so far, so I dig it.

BTW (Parte The Seconde), I found out about them via Shelley The Republican, which spouts more truthiness than even Fox News can spit out.

Gelaskins

2006-06-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

All us iPod owners love our little iPods like children. As such, we want to make sure they're kept safe from harm and protected from the scratchy, scuffy, mean, old world. In my experience, most cases and sleeves are either too bulky or keep me from actually seeing the screen or touching the click wheel. Or, the case ends up getting scratched all to hell, which kind of ruins the whole point of having a case. Why bother if your iPod's still gonna look like ass?

Behold Gelaskins. A vinyl sticker with slick ass graphics that are also removable. I just got one in the mail today for my 4G. I haven't had a chance to stress test it, but it looks cool as hell. No bulk, but durable with all sorts of space age 3M technological goodness. They're available for the Mini, 4G, Nano, and Video, so I've already ordered a matching skin for my nano. Aww, won't they look cute???

The only negative so far has been the fact that it took damn near a month to get the thing delivered. There is only one shipping method, standard post, and apparently they've been having problems getting them cleared through customs. It does appear to be well worth the wait though.

Update: The second skin I ordered for my nano came in only a couple days after ordering it, so it would appear that the shipping problems Gelaskins was having have been resolved!

Midsommerfest in Andersonville

2006-06-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! Those looking for some more festival fun this weekend should check out Andersonville's Midsommerfest, I will be (on Saturday). At the very least, it's a good excuse to stop by the Hopleaf. Anyone who's down that way should ping me while you're down there, voice or txt.

The latest album I'm obsessing over

2006-06-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

There are those albums you run across that you just can't stop listening to. They stick in your head and fuel your soul when you hear them. These are the ones you actually go out and buy. (On vinyl, because that makes me better than you. Or just an elitest douchebag. Either way...)

Spoon's Gimme Fiction: It was released last year, but I've finally just caught up with it. I won't bother to comment on it, as you'll find many more out there better qualified to do so. Just consider this one of those shut-the-hell-up-and-listen-to-it moments.

More Colbert Goodness

2006-06-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sure, we all loved Stephen Colbert's White House Correspondance dinner speech. Not only was it brilliant, it was ballsy. The greatest act of gonzo journalism since HST shuffled off this mortal coil. Well, the esteemed Mr. Colbert just gave a commencement speech at Knox College just chock full of hilarious, classic bits. Go get your truthiness fix with the transcript here.

Higher Education is a scam

2006-06-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

This little comic from AppleGeeks pretty much sums up my attitude towards higher education:

Why do I find this so damn funny?

2006-06-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

From the eXile: An ex-pat American writing for an indie/alt/underground English language newspaper published in Moscow, visits one of Germany's greatest philosophers' grave, which used to be in Prussia-now in Russia, and gives him a Lynndie England. NICE.

The Summer Of Music

2006-05-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

This summer promises to be one of the best summer's for music in Chicago ever. Hell, I'd wager that, in the words of Sam Barnett, "Chicago truly is the center of the universe this summer. Viva la revolucion!" Along with a host of great individual shows at all summer long, we'll also be visited by three music festivals that I'll be going to. Here's the run down:

Pitchfork Music Festival: July 29-20. One day: $20, Both days: $30. My Must Sees: Spoon, Mission of Burma, Aesop Rock

Intonation Music Fest: June 24 & 25, Union Park. $20/day or $35 for both. My Must Sees: Block Party, Chromeo

Lollapalooza: August 4-6, Grant Park. $140 for all 3 days. My Must Sees: Too Many. Really, the $140 ticket price makes my gag reflex fire, but the lineup is, quite frankly, fucking amazing.

Also of note, New City's Guide and the Guerilla Guide, with info on just about every festival, music or otherwise, coming through Chitown

I love YouTube

2006-05-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

This why I love YouTube (and I guess Google Video too): When you get the sudden urge to watch a black and white Popeye cartoon, what do you do? Go to YouTube! A quick search gets you this: The very first Popeye cartoon, with a guest spot by Betty Boop. Sweet...

A.J. Pierzynski is my new hero

2006-05-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks Keels!

From "Three Million Yen"

2006-05-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

"The greatest antidote for despair was the faith of a man and a woman in each other."
- Yukio Mishima

Yul Brenner: Teen Heartthrob

2006-05-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

From The Onion A.V. Club blog: The 10 Commandments spun as a teen comedy.

Farting preacher

2006-05-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Bobby showed me a few of these viral videos this weekend and I was damn near rolling on the floor. I honestly hadn't laughed that hard in ages. For first timers, I'd say go check out Farting Preacher #5.

The way I figure it, in another 20 years we won't need TV, we'll all just be laughing at each other.

Classy Cary Grant

2006-05-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

I watched a good little documentary about the life and films of Cary Grant over the weekend. A quote of his had me absolutely cracking up. When asked about a possible homosexual nature to his friendship with Randolph Scott, Grant replied:

"If someone can't find anything bad to say about you, you are a tightwad or a homosexual."

Yay! I'm famous.

2006-05-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

Go check out the CTA Tattler's More tales from the "Crazies" front. That first story about the 151 lady was written by yours truly. I'm so proud (just kidding, not really)...

Wolfengitmo

2006-05-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

From BoingBoing:

WolfenGitmo is a Guantanamo Bay mod of the classic 3D first-person game Castle Wolfenstein. In WolfenGitmo, your hands are bound and you have no weapons, so you merely run around and get mauled by dogs and beaten up by soldiers.

Oooh! Pretty!

2006-05-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

Barry Bonds: Biggest asshole in baseball?

2006-05-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Your daily dose of Barry Bonds hate: Bonds chases cherished record...

Dear David Blaine: stop, please stop.

2006-05-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who, when unfortunately reminded of David Blaine's continued presence on this sphere of existence, is reminded of that kid you went to school with who was constant doing dumb shit just to get attention? You know, the kid, who without prompting, would offer to eat something disgusting or stick his finger in an electrical socket if you would only dare him to do it. Or even just watch him, so long as he had an audience, because apparently mommy and daddy didn't love him enough.

So today, little spazzy Davey is all grown up, and is eating worms in the biggest schoolyard of them all, New York City. (There are benefits to living in the Second City!) Now we all have to be punished by Blaine's antics thanks to the ratings-crazed media that will cover any sort of spectacle regardless of what kind of or how many assholes are involved. I just wonder if he knows that most of those people who do stop by to watch him are there in the hopes that he'll finally off himself, so they can tell all there friends at work the next day that they were there when he finally did himself in. If he does realize it, do you think he cares?

Hey David! I really don't care what your next stunt will be, or what record you're going to try to break, just do it somewhere out of site, okay? Like a nuclear holocost bunker, or the bottom of the Hudson River or something...

Baseball chat

2006-05-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

Me: I predict that Maddux with get pigeon shit in his eye and be out for 2
months with conjunctivitis. Then the pessimism will truly begin on the Northside.

Lawler: I think if a pigeon shit in his eye, he'd use his heat vision to zap it out of the sky. I predict that his injury will be of the self-inflicted nature. Either that, or he'll go 32-8, and the Cubs will lose 100 games. That sounds about right.

Telling truthiness to power

2006-05-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

Stephen Colbert has giant-sized man balls hanging between his legs. Catch the video of his White House Correspondants dinner speech over at Crooks and Liars or the transcript over at DailyKos. You might also want to thank him over at ThankYouStephenColbert.org...

Baseball's other drug problem

2006-05-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Now I know why Freddy's fastball has lost some of its zip this season. Who am I kidding? He just jumped up a few notches in my book. Oh yeah, he's also the winningest pitcher Venezuelan born pitcher in Major League history. Way to go Freddy!

1986 WS Redux

2006-04-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Just found this, it's the 1986 World Series Game 6, recreated with the 8 bit NES's RBI Baseball, and synched up perfectly with Vin Scully's original play by play.

Battlestar prequel announced!

2006-04-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

SciFi just announced that they'll start producing a Battlestar Galactica prequel called "Caprica". It takes place 50 years prior to the current series, just before the development of the first Cylon. *drool*

A note to those of you out there who aren't watching BSG: You're missing one of the best shows on television, I swear.

Technolust

2006-04-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Jeez, just as I was getting used to my sexy little Motorola RAZR, along comes the Nokia N93. *drool* Must have.... *drool*

Let's Go Go Go White Sox!

2006-04-24T07:33:00.002-07:00

My boys in black have been on an utter tear lately combining great pitching with great hitting to take the lead in the A.L. Central having won the last 8 in a row. This team could be an utter monster if they keep this up. They're off on a ten day, eight game road trip though, which should prove to be a good test of their mettle.

God I love baseball!

Ewwww...

2006-04-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

This is so totally fucked up, and just the sort of thing that makes me laugh.

Uncle Shelby's ABZ's

2006-04-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a great little post somebody put up, scans from Shel Silverstein's "Uncle Shelby's ABZ's", originally published in Playboy in August of 1961. Funny adult humor from a man I'm sure many of you know only by his children's work.

Ouch!

2006-04-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

Seriously, my condolences, Cubs fans. For those who haven't heard (and cried) already, Derrek Lee will be out for at least 8 weeks with a broken wrist.

Happy 4/20!

2006-04-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 4/20 bitches! May your stash always be full and your pipes always clean!

MS Fanboy slams Vista

2006-04-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mike Lawler for sending me this, a great article about why Vista sucks (notice the tense) by a Microsoft fanboy. A good little article talking about how Vista fails and the reasons why Vista will be seen as a major failure by Microsoft. For those SysAdmins out there, be sure to read about UAP, Microsoft's new security feature designed to mimic the user/admin split found in Mac OS X and Linux. Apparently you can no longer delete a desktop icon without jumping through a half dozen warning screens. Ha! All this and it hasn't even been released yet!

It's official: The White Stripes are no longer cool

2006-04-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

You had to question their indie cred when they won the Grammy. But hey, Elephant was a fucking spectacular album, so you let it slide. You had to wonder when their last album was an overproduced stinker with only two decent tracks. But now, it's official, Jack White has sold out. Yes, that's him doing a jingle (A JINGLE?!?!) for Coca-Cola. That's right, he's shilling for the man.

I really shouldn't be upset, should I? This is the way of the world, right? The circle is unbroken?

Secret Love

2006-04-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I'm not a big fan of The Lord Of The Rings. After watching the first movie, I was convinced that J.R. Tolkien was a closet homosexual. Can you blame me? I had just spent 3 hours watching hairy footed midgets hug and cry and talk about their feelings for each other. Would it have killed him to put one freakin' female in a major role?

Well, I am not alone. TBS is running some parody promos to hype upcoming showings of LOTR on their network. Witness a love that dare not speak its name, a secret love...

Don't worry Cubs fans!

2006-04-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a little hope for all you Cubs fans out there, courtesy of America's Finest News Source, The Onion.

EX-TER-MIN-ATE!!

2006-04-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, if I only had $90 I could just drop without even thinking about it. I'd get me a remote controlled Dalek over at Think Geek and take over the world. Or just annoy people at the office. Or the cats. That would be fun....

Jesus is Dead! Happy Easter!

2006-04-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Now go to church, you heathen swine. When you get home, fix yourself a nice warm bowl of easter bunny stew. And I better not catch you playing with any of those filthy pagan colored eggs...

Speaking of enormous pricks...

2006-04-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here's horrible piece of internet gossip on Something Awful that can't possibly be true, but is a fun read nonetheless, if for no other reason than you hope that just one of the allegations is actually true. The Rumsfeld stuff has got to be my favorite of the bunch. Big pantyhouse wearing freak that he is. Ha!

Festival of the Steel Phallus

2006-04-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Ah Japan, is there anything you don't have? How about a little fertility festival celebrating the penis? It's called Kanamara Matsuri, literally translated as the "Festival of the Steel Penis". Can you imagine what all the awful Puritans in this country would do if they saw this marching down the street???

Art & Pooping

2006-04-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a real low brow post for all my high class friends. Behold, the mirrored toilet. It's a public toilet, surrounded by one-way mirrored glass. You can see out, but they can't see in. And believe me, you can see out, all the way out in every direction. There's one in Houston if you're really dying to use it and don't want to fly overseas.

I know art when I see it, and that's art!

Ignore the coming apocalypse

2006-04-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ran across a good article in The New Yorker by Seymour Hersh, The Iran Plans, talking about what the Bush Administration has in store for dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions. Boy, if you thought they had fucked up in Iraq, just get a load of this.

I for one will be outside enjoying the flowers, the birds, and the fresh air while they and I are still around to appreciate it...

You've got to be kidding me

2006-04-06T15:07:00.000-07:00

Why does this sound like the same thing as the Nazis opening up a Jewish Cultural Center?

Joe Strummer's immortal, I swear

2006-04-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Reuters UK is reporting that a man was taken off an airplane and detained by police as a suspected terrorist after the cabbie who took him to the airport overheard him singing along to The Clash's "London Calling".

Yankees Suck

2006-04-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

One good baseball post deserves another. With love always comes hate: yankeeshater.com. Apparently the caps are all the rage...

Sox Win!

2006-04-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

Huzzah! Baseball season is upon us again. Just when you think you've gotten used to it not being around, it sneaks up on you.

The Sox won their season opener last night against their division rivals, the Cleveland Indians, by a score of 10-4. Jim Thome hit his first dinger of the year and Brandon McCarthy provides some solid relief for his first win of the year. All in all, the boys looked like they were ready to play. Unfortunately I say that having only seen the first 3 innings of the game (damn rain!).

I heart Chicago

2006-03-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

God I love this town: City Council will not enforce new immigrant legislation.

Animated Flash Map of Iraq Casualties

2006-03-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

Via BoingBoing, here's an animated flash map of Coalition casualties. Gruesome when you really start to think about it, but a pretty easy way to see that the violence is truly escalating over there. I wonder if Dubya's seen this?

She Wants Revenge

2006-03-30T10:17:00.000-08:00

I first heard/saw these guys on MTV2 late one night while I was basking in the sentimental glow of Beavis & Butthead reruns. What I saw was the video for "Tear You Apart", directed by Joaquin Phoenix, so expect to see it if any of you still watch MTV regularly (yeah right). It's off their recently released self-titled debut, a great little gothy synth-pop album with heavy Depeche Mode and Interpol influences. I have been surprisingly taken with album. Maybe I'm just a sucker for tasty retro synths, which this album has in spades. Maybe I'm a sucker for dark love songs. Songs with plenty of heavy passion, but with a little S&M kick to keep things from getting too serious and emo. Think, "My heart aches for you, my soul burns for you, I can't bear to be without you. Now tie me up and tell me what a bad boy I've been." Good stuff. At the very least, it's a guilty pleasure.

FYI: They'll be performing on Conan next Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on whether you believe the day or date on their website.

And you thought "The Backlash" was scary

2006-03-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

A good article is posted over on Salon today about Tom Delay and the extreme Christian right. It's enough to scare you shitless. So, put a little karmic balance back in your life is my recommendation. Go enjoy the gloriously warm weather, then read this little nightmare of a horror story.

Sam Barnett's Flickr

2006-03-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

When you get a chance, go head over to Sam Barnett's Flickr page. He's been doing photography for several years now, and he's been kind enough to take me along on several of his photo jaunts. After much pleading, he's putting the best of the best up on Flickr. At the moment, the subject matter is mainly urban photography, as he's an urban historian/planner at heart and in profession. His pictures of New Orleans he took this last December are a great first hand account of our government's inability or indifference towards repairing the damage done by Katrina. But, on the lighter side though, you've got Whiting, Indiana's Pierogi Fest, the usual suspects, and this shifty bastard.

And now for something completely different...

2006-03-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

Geoduck.

Yukio Mishima's "Wild Horses"

2006-03-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ed.: Actually, I'm nearly done with the third book, so I thought I'd better get this posted. I had originally self censored it for fears that it was the insane ramblings of a madman. But, the only reply I got after sending it to a few people for comments recommended I post it, so here it is:

I've just finished the second of Yukio Mishima's Sea of Fertility tetrology, and it did not disappoint. It's a tale of Japan and the social turmoil she experienced in the 1930's. It's protagonist, Isao Iinuma, is the reincarnation of the first book's protagonist Kiyoaki Matusugae. While one might think this is a convenient plot device, it becomes very believable to the reader as it is viewed through the eyes of Honda, Kiyoaki's friend. Honda is a judge, 20 years after the first book ended, and he has become the embodiment of his profession, viewing the world with a cool detachment marked by order and rationality. The evidence of Kiyoaki's rebirth initially fills him with doubt, but his acceptance of the impossible becomes the reader's acceptance as well.

The book has a darker tone than the first, with an almost unnerving obsession with ritual suicide (seppuku). Not the sort of thing to be reading in the cold darkness of February, but, rest assured, I made it through. (It could have been worse, I could have read Ayn Rand.) This is seen most notably in a novella in the book, the history of the "League of the Divine Wind", which tells of an attempted coup by a group of Samurai fiercly loyal to the emperor and their Samurai ethos in the face of the stunning changes brought on by the Meiji Restoration. (The Meiji Restoration sought to modernize Japan in order to protect her from and compete with imperialistic Western nations). This story though not only foreshadows later events in the book, but succeeds, in the opinion of this reviewer, in convincing the reader that such men and their actions are not motivated for personal gain, but through purely altruistic beliefs.

Having finished the second installment, a theme has begun to emerge. This, as is most boldly revealed in the tale of the League of the Divine Wind, is Mishima's idea of purity. In the first book, he dealt with the purity of love; in Runaway Horses, he deals with the purity of loyalty. In realizing this I think I've discovered the personal appeal Mishima holds for me. Something which until now, has been a mystery to this reader. Being a white, liberal Westerner suddenly feeling a kinship with an Asian reactionary who died after commiting ritual suicide, is surely cause for examination, wouldn't you agree?

Mishima's notion of purity is not childish or naive, and neither does he express the anger and self-righteousness of a zealot. Mishima admits that the world, as it is, and even more so, simply the nature of existence, is one that embraces and celebrates diversity and multiplicity, not singularities or purities. But while believing this, he also cannot deny the want, the need people have for pure or singular ideas. In fact, it is this contradiction that drives the action of the book. Mishima acknowledges that searching for such purity, whether it be Love, or Loyalty, or Truth, is an inherently self-destructive pursuit. Still, Mishima considers the desire and pursuit of such notions, though inevitably leading towards the destruction of either the object of pursuit or the pursuer, as a noble and worthwhile endeavor.

Now, leaving all discussion of the book aside, I cannot help but ponder the impasse such conclusions present. Most importantly, why do we, or more specifically, I, seek such purity? I can't deny the fervor with which I feel and argue a point of truth, or the beauty of a song that has spoken to me with its own voice. I can't deny the fire that feel burning deep inside me, one that both scares and exhilates me.

I have admittedly been greatly influenced by my own readings of Buddhist teachings and philosophy which talk of the illusion of duality. Seeing all as one is wisdom to be sought. Being able to see past the illusion of what separates the individual from the world, life from death, positive and negative is the place where true wisdom is kept. The traditional symbol of the yin-yang represents this; two equal forces of white and black, but all held within the same circle.

Or maybe as the great sage, Beavis, has taught us, "You have to stuff that sucks to have stuff that rocks." (paraphrased of course) ;)

Cutting such mental masturbation short, I'm, well, perplexed by what the answer could be. Is this just some way of trying to deny our own mortality? In grasping something pure, do we seek to commune with something timeless, something that cannot die, and in doing so achieve a sort of immortality ourselves? This answer doesn't satisfy me though, and I don't think Mishima would either. If this were one of the many paths to enlightenment, our protagonist would keep being reborn. (Another reincarnation is foreshadowed in the next book, The Temple Of Dawn.) I prefer to think that in trying to attain such purity, we seek to assuage our own inherent, subconscious doubt of our own existence. In achieving something pure, we deny that all is one, and in doing so, we can deny that we are not separate from the world. I think that Mishima would answer that though by saying that the price of achieving such purity is always destruction, for, as ever, all is one, and to deny that is to deny one's self.

All in all, a pretty good book.

KeepVid

2006-03-15T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a useful, fun little site that'll let you download video files you would otherwise have to stream over the web: KeepVid. They've got videos from around 3 dozen sites available, including Google Video.

Velvet Jesus

2006-03-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Craig's List silliness. Sorry, this gets funnier the more I look at it.

The Future Of The Future

2006-03-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

Salon.com has a great article today titled I, Nanobot, with a good run down on nanotechnology and where it will be leading us. The author claims it's the biggest thing to happen to life on this planet since, well, life began. A must read.

Yanni: Wifebeater

2006-03-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Yanni's been arrested for domestic abuse. This was sent to me by Mike Lawler. His original email was too funny, so I'm quoting it here:

Can you imagine the 911 call? "My boyfriend beat me up. His name is Yanni", followed by uproarious laughter. What kind of woman can't take Yanni in a throw down? He's Yanni. Is there surveillance footage of this? I need it! It would have to be the most theatrical fight ever.

Who's next? Vern Troyer, Webster, Garry Coleman?

Chester Hajduk's Cup of Coffee

2006-03-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

Attention all baseball fans: head immediately to Chester Hajduk's Cup o' Coffee. Written by Jake Berlin, it's a must read. Really, he should be writing for a major paper. Cubs fans be warned, it's a White Sox focused blog, but the content would interest any fan.

Casshern

2006-03-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Last night, while the rest of the proles were watching the circle jerk that is the Academy Awards, I decided to actually watch a film. I'm funny like that. What'd I watch? Casshern.

A Japanese film, yet to be released stateside (but coming soon apparently), was recommended to me by Bob Busch. I believe I saw a trailer a year or so ago when I went to see Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence, but luckily I had Bobby to remind me. I watched the movie just hoping to catch some visual eye candy (or heroin as Bobby put it, and he was right), but was surprised to have found much, much more.

The movie is an absolute visual stunner; soaked with surreal CG landscapes and action scenes, intricately sculpted sets, smart camera work, all topped off with precedent-setting digital effects added in post. You can tell the makers set off to use every trick and technique available to them, and they pulled it off with great aplomb. But, like some movies (*cough* Star Wars prequels), it doesn't make the movie feel artificial, thanks a plot solidly grounded in very human characters. Human characters played by real, live humans as well; there are no CG characters in the movie at all. (There are enormous armies of robots at points, but they're just there to kill and be killed). As such, the acting is genuine and the performances moving, no actors with stilted cardboard expressions anyone would have talking to a tennis ball on a stick.

This is what makes the movie worth watching. The themes explored in the movie deal directly with what makes us human; what drives to do the awful things we do as a species. Yeah, it's a pretty contemporary theme. It does not however descend into moralizing by pointing fingers at any country in particular (*wink wink*). What drives us to kill, what it says about us, and how we can find redemption. The movie ends beautifully and had me quite moved.

Having said that, this movie isn't for everyone. Clocking in at 2 hours 20 minutes long, it's an epic. The plot moves slowly for the first half of the movie, and can be quite confusing at times, though the threads are woven together quite well by the end of the film. You'll half to suspend a great deal of disbelief while watching to comprehend the stunning mix of themes and inspirations the creators drew from: Frankenstein, the New Testament, 70's anime, 60's live action sci-fi kung fu, Akira (the anime film), Akira (Kurosawa), Soviet propoganda, Nazi's, and the usual dose of Eastern Mysticism. And it's all set in an alternate timeline/universe, which only adds to the confusion/fun.

Having said all that, I if I could sum the movie up in one sentence it would be this: Final Fantasy come to life. Now, before you think I'm selling this movie short, lemme say a few more words. I know there are a lot of readers of this blog out there who still see computer games as child's play and mindless diversions for the teeming masses. Granted, many of them are, but some of the most popular are popular precisely because of the depth of storyline, characters and gameplay. Games are also not a passing fad. The same was said of those "moving pictures" a hundred years ago, and look where they are now. The line between movies and video games is becoming more blurred by the second, and will at some point cease to exist altogther, mark my words.

I've always been a big fan of Final Fantasy. I've always managed to play at least part of most of the games, and the appeal to me has been the depth and originality of their stories. The characters, their relationships, and moral themes of the games are always as complex, detailed and meaningful as anything you'd find in a movie, novel or TV show. Grandiose in scope and always visually stunning. The franchise is a legend in Japan (and America) with an army of loyal fans who share the same passion for it that I do.

Having said all of that, in the end, I found the movie to be a rare example of a film that made me think and touched me emotionally. It's heartily recommended by this reviewer.

Phrases you can't use anymore

2006-03-06T12:46:00.000-08:00

I officially declare the following phrases taboo because they can be used to describe anything, and as such have no meaning:

Social construct
Viral meme
Zen

;)

Feel free to add your own in the comments.

My new favorite baseball stat: DPRP

2006-03-06T10:33:00.000-08:00

I knew my previous post about Baseball Hacks would hit with somebody, and it did. Mike Lawler dove right in and came up with a stat that I think is interesting as hell. Without further ado, I give you Dollars Per Run Produced.

Mike used 2005 season stats to calculate runs produced, then divided by last year's salary paid to that player to find the best and worst values last season. A minimum of 200 at bats was used to screen out players with injuries, etc.

Worst Value

Team	LastName	FirstName	Runs Prod.	DPRP
BAL	Sosa	Sammy	41.98	404969.01
WAS	Wilson	Preston	35.28	354287.79
SEA	Boone	Bret	30.76	292610.84
SDN	Nevin	Phil	33.97	283310.44
NYN	Piazza	Mike	57.81	277988.86
NYN	Matsui	Kazuo	27.43	256404.59
CHN	Garciaparra	Nomar	33.09	249313.19
SLN	Walker	Larry	58.58	216212.77
NYA	Williams	Bernie	57.57	214650.10

Best Value

Team	LastName	FirstName	Runs Prod.	DPRP
PIT	Bay	Jason	134.19	2645.44
FLO	Cabrera	Miguel	133.13	2779.27
NYN	Wright	David	115.38	2795.22
CLE	Sizemore	Grady	106.17	2998.01
PHI	Utley	Chase	108.68	3174.51
CLE	Hafner	Travis	116.11	3250.32
CLE	Peralta	Jhonny	95.57	3313.82
TBA	Cantu	Jorge	91.46	3464.95
BAL	Roberts	Brian	111.83	3487.55
TBA	Crawford	Carl	99.47	3719.85
CLE	Martinez	Victor	98.03	3795.67
CLE	Crisp	Coco	96.04	3799.55

Not a lot of surprises in the worst values list, with the king of all flops Sammy Sosa leading the way. Glad to see Mike Piazza put in an appearence as well. Time to retire Bernie.

One the flip side, in the best values category, you'll see 5 Indians in the list. Something to fret over Sox fans?

Lazy Muncie

2006-03-03T12:06:00.000-08:00

Unless you've been living in a cave half-sedated for the past couple of weeks (Sam, sorry 'bout your teeth man), you've seen SNL's Lazy Sunday skit. Funny stuff. Best line: "Call us Aaron Burrs 'cause we're dropping Hamiltons".

And you've probably seen the (lame) West Coast reply. Well, Indiana's getting in on the act. Check out Lazy Muncie for a reminder of why you've either left or stayed in Indiana.

Thanks to David Greenberg for sending that along.

Transmetropolitan

2006-03-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

"The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And even if he is not romantic personally he is very apt to spread discontent among those who are." - H. L. Mencken

Anagram map of Chicago's El lines

2006-03-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

There's been a runaway meme over at Boing Boing; people have been posting maps of cities' public transit lines with anagrams instead of the proper stop names. Finally, somebody's posted one for Chicago. Simply silly fun.

March Madness?

2006-03-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

I found this story via Boing Boing. Someone had posted a CBS newsstory to youtube.com, but CBS had ordered the story pulled, preventing people from sharing and enjoying this story in the name of protecting profits. Bollocks.

Admittedly, I started watching it expecting to get a cheap laugh at a disgustingly saccharin human interest piece that does more to ridicule it's subject than celebrate them. (I delight in schadenfreude, you know you do to.) To my surprise, this wasn't the case at all, and the excitement of the crowd at the end was contagious. I will say no more; go watch it yourself.

Unseen: Civil Rights Struggle Photos Unearthed

2006-03-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

An photography intern at The Birmingham News recently discovered a treasure trove of old photos from the 50's and 60's while searching an equipment closet for a lens. The negatives were found in a box marked "Keep. Do Not Sell.", and contain some absolutely stunning photographs of people and events in Birmingham during the height of the civil rights struggle. In total, around 5,000 photographs were found, most of which had never been published.

EDIT: God do I hate that fucking flag.

Baseball Hacks

2006-02-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

For those who are baseball nuts, and good at math, I'd recommend looking at O'Reilly press's Baseball Hacks. The venerable all-things-geek publisher has released another entry in their popular Hacks series. For the record, O'Reilly puts out really the only computer books that I'll read.

The bulk of the book is devoted to the study of baseball statistics, and how you can use free, open software to analyze the numbers like the big boys. Every baseball fan knows the beauty of a boxscore. The game, more than any other sport, can be understood with numbers thanks to the discrete tallying of balls and strikes, hits and errors. Of course, if you don't have the time to do it yourself, you can get the predigested numbers over at Baseball Prospectus.

I'd recommend that anybody looking to get into the game learn how to do a scorecard. There are a million different ways to keep a card, and every fan has their own system. Many times these are handed down like heirlooms in the family. So, grab a baseball fan, and have them teach you to keep a book. I'm sure they'd be more than happy to, and you'll learn alot about the game, how it progresses, and what to watch for during the game.

For those who already know how to keep score, go check out the Project Scorecard system. It's the most comprehensive system I've ever seen. It was designed years ago when Major League Baseball wouldn't release their official statistics to the public. Much like those pioneering OSS geeks, they decided to do it themselves. This, Project Scorecard was born. That however is not the case now, and I'm not sure if the Project is still actively run and maintained.

If you don't have time to thumb through the 28 page how-to manual, just take a look at the reference card and how they have the field divided to accurately record the location of hits. Wow.

Johnny Rotten's still punk

2006-02-28T12:15:00.000-08:00

I know some readers of this blog aren't big fans of the Sex Pistols and doubt whether they were ever the real thing. Well, that's bollocks. They always were, and still are. Go check out John Lydon's webpage for his official response to their induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

Thanks to Julie Maxwell for sending that along to me.

You sure this is a free country?

2006-02-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

Why not throw another log on the crazy fire?

The Washington Post is running a story about Homeland Security officers trying to prevent people from viewing porn in a library in Maryland. Thankfully the good guys won the day, but this really scares the hell out of me.

God bless Librarians, and God bless the Bill of Rights.

Exposing hypocracy

2006-02-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

The World Intellectual Property Organization is meeting at the United Nations this week, attempting to carve up the developing world so that rich countries (us) can get even richer. If you're at all familiar with the WTO or the World Bank, then you know what I'm talking about. I now, you're thinking it's tinfoil hat time, but I just can't be bothered to go into details about that, and I'm sure I wouldn't do it justice. Go read some Noam Chomsky or Confessions of an Economic Hitman.

This time around however, there's an interesting monkey wrench being thrown into the problem. Public interest groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Free Software Foundation Europe are there taking notes, and publishing them twice a day on their respective websites. The EFF has them posted here. What makes this so subversive is that traditionally notes from these meetings are published six months after the meetings take place, and only after the participants are allowed to edit the notes to their liking. Not this time around however, and the picture they paint is pretty fascinating. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you're interested in this kind of thing, it's worth your time. Developing nations want and push for copyright and intellectual property laws that help the common good and promote the public domain, while western countries balk at and dismiss their proposals to shield their greed.

Happy Birthday Link!

2006-02-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

Twenty years ago today, Legend of Zelda was released to gamers in Japan on the 8-bit NES console. It became an instant classic that changed gaming forever. Blah, blah blah, yes, the standard accolades and laurels apply. This is one of my all time favorite games, one that I still play occasionally when the mood hits. It's the first game I can recall ever beating completely. I'll remember that world map and all of its hidden secrets 'til the day I die.

Go check out this little retrospective, then fire up your NES emulator and go kick Gannon's ass.

NoMachine

2006-02-16T08:59:00.000-08:00

Attn: Linux Geeks!

Call me old school, but I've always preferred tunneling my X connection via ssh, rather than running a virtual desktop program. But, tunneling X progs over ssh through that too damned tiny broadband up pipe can just take too long.

The solution: NoMachine. It will allow you to run X progs through an ssh connection and all the encryption therein, but uses client side caching to alleviate a lot of the traffic overheard, making it perfect for low bandwidth connections. You can use it either to just run a specific app, or with a full fledged desktop. And it can use the desktop manager of your choice, so XFCE fans such as myself, don't have to get stuck with Gnome or KDE.

Setup and install was a breeze on Gentoo, with one exception. NoMachine uses it's own set of pubkey's for authentication, so you have to make sure you get the right keys copied to the right places. The one thing I did, which wasn't in any HOWTO was to copy /usr/NX/home/nx/.ssh/client.id_dsa.key from my server to /usr/NX/share/ on my client. That got it working with no problems.

Thanks go to Bobby Busch for showing NoMachine to me.

Mike Davis: He gone!

2006-02-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hoosiers can rejoice! Mike Davis will be officially announcing his resignation today.

While a lot of fans gave him some gruff when he first started after that other guy's departure, I tried to give him a fair shake. Fact is though, he's just a bad coach, all hyperbole and conjecture about race and the NBA aside. To watch 5 talented teams start strong and then self-destruct has tested the faith of even the most die-hard of fans. For an IU team to not make the NCAA tournament once is bad enough, twice is inexcusable.

Abu Ghraib: new photos

2006-02-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

Salon has an exclusive detailing a newly released batch of photos and documents dealing with prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. Not a pleasant experience certainly, but of definite value to those who want to see the truth, no matter how ugly it may be.

Pitchers and catchers report!

2006-02-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

YES! The four most beautiful words in the English language. Well, my White Sox don't report until tomorrow actually, but what the hell, this is a party! Another month or so and we get baseball, baseball, and more baseball.

FYI: White Sox single seat tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday 2/17, and 10 AM CST.

House of Flying Daggers

2006-02-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Good movie. Had a real thoughtful post about it, but I think I'll self censor. Caught enough hell for that silly ass sex post a month of so past.

"Shotgun" Dick Cheney rides again

2006-02-13T08:15:00.001-08:00

Well, Dick, do you believe in karma? (I'm sure it believes in you though, Dick.) How about horrifibly poignant irony at the very least? Well if a shotgun blast to your 78 year old buddy's face doesn't convince you, I don't know what will.

Also of note is how the White House tried to cover up this little boner.

Godzilla vs. Kurt Angle

2006-02-10T13:49:00.000-08:00

What happens if you take pro wrestling and cross it with Japanese monster movie fight scenes? Answer: kaiju.com

I've just found this and have only just started looking around the site, but do check out the latest video. It features highlights from a recent show in West Virginia (of all places). As a big fan of both genres, I must say I laughed pretty hard at this. Just brilliant.