A to Z cds: Day 15

65. Behind the Gap ~ Black Eyed Peas (last listen: 1-3 years): BEP before Fergie, back when they made music with something of a message. Not that "My Humps" doesn't have a message. But, I think you know what I mean.

66. Black Eyed Peas ~ Bridging the Gap (last listen: 1-3 years): This cd is well written and sounds better than the first BEP disc. Also, the gents do a song with Wyclef.

67. Frank Black ~ Frank Black (last listen: 1-3 years): I obtained this disc from Squater thinking it might be like the Pixies. Boy, was I wrong. However, this disc grows on you with each listen.

68. Frank Black ~ Honeycomb (last listen: 0-3 months): This cd is what I would consider to have an "alt-country" vibe. Again, it seems like an odd choice for Frank Black but it seems to work for him.

Fray

Beth suggested that we all should read Fray. So, I did.

Fray is a Joss Whedon comic book that tells the story of Meleka Fray, a slayer in the future. I thought the story was interesting. I liked how Meleka had parts of Buffy and Faith. It made her seem very realistic. I had a few issues with the storyline, mostly be it didn't seem to gel with the way that Buffy, the television series, ended. But then again, some of that might be addressed in the season eight comic.


In other news, I wore my Toaster shirt to work yesterday. Three different people came up to me and commented on how cool they thought it was. One of those people was a patron who was really geeked to see the shirt.

A to Z cds: Day 14

59. Telegram ~ Bjork (last listen: 3-5 years): This cd is a remix of Post. Features an awesome remix of I Miss You.

60. Homogenic ~ Bjork (last listen: 0-3 months): To date, my favorite Bjork cd. Starts off with a bang and ends with the gorgeous All is Full of Love. But I think I like best the way she seamlessly links 5 Years to Immature to Alarm Call. Alarm call might be my favorite Bjork song thus far. I mean, what's not to love about a song with the lyrics I'm no fucking Buddhist/But this is enlightenment?

61. Selma Songs (aka Soundtrack to Dancer in the Dark) ~ Bjork (last listen: 1-3 years): I never really got into this cd probably because I found the movie to be so depressing. I remember watching it in my old E'ville pad with Deanna. She absolutely hated this movie and couldn't fathom how I was so enthralled and bawling my eyes out. Of course, Deanna's favorite band is Journey. I think that tells you all you need to know. Actually, the songs on this cd are pretty good. I love the little duet with Thom Yorke on I've Seen It All.

62. Vespertine ~ Bjork (last listen: 6 months - 1 year)

63. Medulla ~ Bjork (last listen: 6 months - 1 year): Bjork a capella. This cd always reminds me of how much I dislike Katie Couric. Back on that old blog of mine that is long gone, I do believe I ranted about how Bjork's Oceania was used as the song for the opening of the Olympics in '04. Anyway, I sat through the extremely long opening ceremony patiently waiting for Bjork to perform. I was pretty stoked. Then Katie frakkin' Couric decides to spend the whole time Bjork sings to lament what a poor dresser Bjork is. For Christ's sake. Sigh. Breathe. Anyway, this is definitely one of Bjork's more experimental cds, which is saying something. There is only one song where instruments used on the cd. And I swear, if I didn't know that, I never would have been able to tell.

64. Volta ~ Bjork (last listen: never): I just bought this cd last weekend and I so far it's pretty awesome. It's definitely got more of a hip hop vibe to it. However, it doesn't sound like hip hop at all. I am digging Earth Intruders and Declare Independence.

A lil quiz coming at ya

Your results:
You are Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)

Malcolm Reynolds (Captain) 75% Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic) 60% Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic) 55% Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command) 50% Derrial Book (Shepherd) 40% River (Stowaway) 35% Wash (Ship Pilot) 30% Jayne Cobb (Mercenary) 25% Inara Serra (Companion) 25% Alliance 20% A Reaver (Cannibal) 0%

Honest and a defender of the innocent. You sometimes make mistakes in judgment but you are generally good and would protect your crew from harm.

Click here to take the Serenity Personality Quiz

Dragonriders of Pern

Back in 1998, I was a student teacher because I thought I was supposed to teach high school kids all about history. Well, one really bad student teaching experience later, I realized that was not the life for me. Thank the gods.

One decent thing came out of that terrible experience. See, I had to teach "the slow kids" a book. The book that the supervising teacher picked out was called Dragonsong. The students, mostly a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons kids, didn't like the book for whatever reason. However, the book had me intrigued. Dragonsong is part of Anne McCaffery's Dragonriders of Pern series. Anyway, for a long time, even though the series interested me, I associated this series of books with what could be argued to be four of the worst months of my life.

Finally, I got over it. Over the last couple of weeks I read The Dragonriders of Pern books 1-3 (roughly). The story is about a world called Pern. There they have a very destructive planet neighbor called the Red Star. The Red Star drops Thread on the planet of Pern and if the dragons don't attack the Thread then the planet is doomed.

There are certain people who control/ride/bond with the dragons. For those of you who've read the His Dark Materials trilogy, dragons and riders share a bond similar to people and their daemons.

Yes, it's science fiction. Yes, it's completely unbelievable. But it's also pretty entertaining. Anyway, check it out if you are into that sort of thing.

Books Read in 2007:

The Dragonriders of Pern ~ Anne McCaffery
Embroideries ~ Marjane Satrapi
13 Little Blue Envelopes ~ Maureen Johnson
The Cider House Rules ~ John Irving
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ J.K. Rowling
The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy ~ Charmaine Craig
An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green
The Count of Monte Cristo ~ Alexandre Dumas
Looking For Alaska ~ John Green
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest ~ Stephen Ambrose
Drinking, Smoking, and Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times ~ edited by Sara Nikles
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood ~ Ann Brashares

A to Z cds: Day 13

54. Dangerously in Love ~ Beyonce (last listen: 1-3 years): This cd haunts me. Why, you ask? Well, because even though I listened to the song Crazy in Love well over 100 times I failed to correctly identify it back in March. Part of me still thinks that's why the Biz Sinkers failed to make the cut even though I know there is no way to actually determine that. All that aside, I actually dig this cd. There are some pretty fun dancing songs here.

And now we enter the Bjork phase....

55. Gling-Glo ~ Bjork (last listen: 1-3 years): I came across this cd while in Bloomington when I, for a short time, was friends with a fellow Bjork lover. This cd is a Bjork side job while she was a member of The Sugarcubes. I like to think of it as Bjork does jazz.

56. Debut ~ Bjork (last listen: 6 months - 1 year): I love this cd. I honestly am not sure how many times I have listened to it. Favorite songs: Big Time Sensuality, There's More to Life Than This, Violently Happy. Big thanks goes out to my former, at age 19, crush Rick Hecke for introducing me to all things Bjork.

57. Post ~ Bjork (last listen: 1-3 years): I haven't listened to this disc in ages. I remember listening to this disc for the first time and just being in awe of Bjork's talent. Favorite songs: Army of Me, Hyper-Ballad, Enjoy

58. Cirkus ~ Bjork (last listen 1-3 years): This is a live cd from a Bjork concert in Sweden back in 1995. According to the sticker on the front, I bought this gem at Vintage Vinyl for $21.99.

A to Z cds: Day 12

52. The Chess Box ~ Chuck Berry 3 Discs (last listen: never): This box set was something that this asshat from Staunton, IL gave to me with a huge pile of other cds. It got lost in the shuffle. However, it seems fitting to play Chuck Berry after the Beatles, since he's clearly an influence on their early years.

53. Odelay ~ Beck (last listen: 5+ years)

A to Z cds: Day 11

48. The Beatles ~ The Beatles (aka The White Album) (last listen: 0-6 months): Favorite songs: Blackbird. Don't know why but that song always puts me in a good mood. Also, I just love While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I can listen to that song over and over again.

49. Let It Be ~ The Beatles (last listen: 1-3 years): Favorite song: It's a tie between Two of Us and Get Back.

50. 1962-1966 ~ The Beatles (aka the Red Double Disc cds) (last listen: 6 months - 1 year) : So listening to all my cds has made me realize that this double disc constitutes all of early Beatles music. I really need to invest in some of that don't I? Favorite songs: Disc 1: Yesterday; Disc 2: another tie between Norwegian Wood and Paperback Writer.

51. 1967-1970 ~ The Beatles (aka The Blue Double Disc cds) (last listen 6 months - 1 year): I also realized that I need to buy Abbey Road. I swear I used to have that cd. I guess it got lost in a move or someone stole it. Who knows. Favorite songs: Disc 1: A Day in the Life; Disc 2: Here Comes the Sun and The Ballad of John and Yoko.

A to Z cds: Day 10

44. To The Five Burroughs ~ Beastie Boys (last listen: 6 months-1 year): Their first post 9/11 disc. It's got an old school vibe and it's a nice homage to the city they love best. Plus, I love all the lil' digs at W. "We got a president we didn't elect." Holla, Beastie Boys, holla.

45. Revolver ~ The Beatles (last listen: 1-3 years): This is my favorite among all of the Beatles albums. It's just solid musicianship throughout and the songs are amazing. In fact, I think it's reasonable to say this is possibly one of the best albums of all time. It would definitely make my top 10 list.

46. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ~ The Beatles (last listen: 1-3 years): Favorite song: A Day in the Life

47. Magical Mystery Tour ~ The Beatles (last listen: 1-3 years): Favorite song: Hello, Goodbye

A to Z cds: Day 9

41. Check Your Head ~ Beastie Boys (last listen: 1-3 years ago)

42. Ill Communication ~ Beastie Boys (last listen: 0-3 months): This disc came out my freshman year of college. This cd was in heavy rotation for most of 1994-1995 along with some gems that will pop up later in the a to z listing. Probably my favorite Beastie cd of the lot. I think this another cd that will be imported into work music. I still listen to this disc when I clean house. Plus, I've got the savoir faire with the unique rhyme.

43. Hello Nasty ~ Beastie Boys (last listen: 1-3 years): I stopped listening to this cd not long after it came out because I associated it with this psycho girl who almost became my roommate. I am sorry for that because this cd has some sweet tunes on it.

A to Z cds: Day 8

34. Gordon ~ Barenaked Ladies (Last listen: 3-6 months): I broke my own rule with this cd. See, I never loan out cds, a lesson I learned as an eighteen year old when I loaned a cd to my senior year best pal and she fucked it up. And then refused to replace it. Needless to say, this should have been my first inkling that the chick was a bitch. Anyway, I recently loaned this cd to my cousin Jim and he has yet to return the cd to me. Trust me, I will get this cd back and enter it into the great relistening project.

35. Born on A Pirate Ship ~ Barenaked Ladies (Last listen: 1-3 years): This cd has some pretty decent songs on it. What's not to like about a song with these lyrics: I know why I like you/It's cause of your haircut/and your clothing/and 'cause you're racist. Hee!

36. Maybe You Should Drive ~ Barenaked Ladies (Last listen: 1-3 years): Probably my least favorite of all the BNL cds I have. Funny since, all the songs they end up singing off this album on Rock Spectacle sound so much better on that cd.

37. Rock Spectacle ~ Barenaked Ladies (Last listen: 0-3 months): Their live album. And, it's pretty awesome. Mostly because these guys are funny and put on a good show.

38. Stunt ~ Barenaked Ladies (last listen: 1-3 years): Honestly, I have to say that this was the cd that was my intro into BNL. If you can get past the whole One Week as the first song, there are some real gems on this cd. Alcohol is a upbeat, happy sounding song about alcoholism or the other song I would sing to myself in grad school when I was so tired, "Who Needs Sleep?" But I think I like the song "Call and Answer" the best.

39. Licensed to Ill ~ Beastie Boys (last listen: 2-5 years): Probably my least favorite music wise of all the Beastie stuff. However, it gets major points for nostalgia and the ability to make me feel like a high schooler again, even though I was technically 10 when this cd came out. BTW, have you ever drank a Brass Monkey? I have and they really are funky monkeys.

40. Paul's Boutique ~ Beastie Boys (last listen: 1-3 years): This is the cd, or if we want to be technical, TAPE, that really got me into the Beastie Boys. I sort of had a love/hate thing with License to Ill because my little brother just played it tooooooooooooo much, well, that and LaBamba (if I never hear that song again I will be just fine). But then he decided not to like the Beastie Boys anymore so I was free to enjoy their music in my own way.

Embroideries

Last Christmas, a friend bought me Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi. I've sang her praises before over on that other blog I had but is now gone. She's an Iranian ex-pat currently living in France. She wrote the wonderful graphic novels Persepolis I and II. Persepolis has even been turned into a film.

Anyway, like her earlier works, Embroideries is a graphic novel reflecting some portion of Marjane's experience growing up Iranian. In this book, the setting is tea time at her grandmother's home one afternoon. Marjane joins her grandmother, mother, and assorted female family friends to discuss, well, sex and men. Not something you'd expect from Iran, eh?

The book was a quick read. It was funny and interesting. It was also how I imagine most Iranians to be rather than the fanatics we see on the telly.

Books Read in 2007:

Embroideries ~ Marjane Satrapi
13 Little Blue Envelopes ~ Maureen Johnson
The Cider House Rules ~ John Irving
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ J.K. Rowling
The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy ~ Charmaine Craig
An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green
The Count of Monte Cristo ~ Alexandre Dumas
Looking For Alaska ~ John Green
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest ~ Stephen Ambrose
Drinking, Smoking, and Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times ~ edited by Sara Nikles
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood ~ Ann Brashares

A to Z cds: Day 7

28. Arabic Groove ~ Various Artists (last listen: 6 months-1 year)

29. All-Time Greatest Hits ~ Louis Armstrong (last listen: 1-3 years)

30. The Definitive Louis Armstrong ~ Ken Burns Jazz (last listen: 1-3 years ago): This cd has a lot of realy cool instrumental songs by Armstrong, plus the documentary wasn't half bad either.

31. Falling in Love with Louis Armstrong (last listen: never)

32. Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-4 ~ Johan Sebastian Bach (last listen: 1-3 years ago): This cd (and an instrumental Bela Fleck disc) seriously got me through my history graduate program. When you are writing papers for Eric Ruckh you do not want songs with words clouding up your brain. And I wrote many, many, many papers for Eric (Honestly, over a two and a half year period, it ended up being close to 100 papers. Trust me, I counted.). But I couldn't write my papers in complete silence either. Thus, the Brandenburg Concertos. Thanks Bach for helping me crack the code that is Marx; although, you helped very little when it came to Weber. That 2.4/3 still stings.

33. Baduizm ~ Erykah Badu (last listen 3-6 months): I go in and out of phases with this cd. I will listen to it a lot and then not at all. But really, Appletree is an awesome song.

A to Z cds: Day 6

24. Marc Anthony ~ Marc Anthony (last listen: 5-7 years): Wow, I can't believe I ever thought this cd was remotely good. I even remember defending it to my former coworker Cory. He was right; this cd is a piece of shit.

25. Mer de Noms ~ A Perfect Circle (last listen: 1-3 years): I forgot how amazing this cd is (Mike, if you are reading this then please only marginally chastise me for forgetting how awesome anything involving Maynard is). Looks like this one is getting imported into my itunes.

26. aMOTION ~ A Perfect Circle (last listen: 1-3 years): Basically, a bunch of remixes. But kick ass remixes.

27. Acoustic Soul ~ India.Arie (last listen: 1-3 years, excepting the part where I uploaded a song onto my ishuffle): This cd has many scratches that made it very annoying to listen to. But listen I did.

At this rate, it will take me forever to listen to all my cds. Now I understand what GMYH meant when he said this was a noble task.

Freaks and Geeks

Back in late 1999 - early 2000, I was going through some stuff. My life was in some serious transition. I was just starting grad school and I was working full time at Target and I really didn't have a clue. I also stopped watching tv at that time. I even stopped watching Gilmore Girls. I know! It's hard to believe. I was just too busy. Going to grad school and working full time is hard stuff, kiddies.

That's why I missed being able to watch Freaks and Geeks. Although, I made up for that very recently. I think this might seriously be one of the best shows I have ever seen. This show revolves around Lindsay and Sam Weir. Lindsay, a one time mathalete, braniac, good girl becomes a "Freak" after she starts hanging out with a less "smart" non-Jesusy crowd. Sam, her younger brother, is a freshman geek. You know the kind, the a.v. club kid, playing D & D, and LOVES Star Wars and Steve Martin's "The Jerk."

It's hard to say which character I love the most; the entire Weir family is at the top. But I can tell you, that I have the biggest crush on Jason Segal now. I love him as Marshall on How I Met Your Mother, but as Nick Andopolis, he is just the most adorable creature ever. On the geek side, I have to say that Martin Starr is just perfect as Bill.

The show is amazing in the way it portrays the family, school, and friend dynamic filled with all the drama, trauma, funny, silly, and romantic things that makes high school some of the best, oddest, most cringe worthy years of your life.

In a way, I am glad I didn't watch this show when it was on because I would have been seriously devastated at it's cancellation, like Everwood devastated. Plus, it would have possibly meant not getting HIMYM or The 40 Year Old Virgin. Anyway, it ended really nicely, although, I am sure I would have gobbled up a second season, were it to be had.

If you haven't seen this show, I seriously recommend watching every episode. You won't be disappointed.

Now it's time to watch Judd Apatow's other tv show, Undeclared. I can only hope that Apatow will do for college what he did for high school.

A to Z cds: Day 5

20. Strange Little Girls ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 1-3 years): I never really caught on to this cd. Parts of it I didn't like but I do love Tori's cover of I Don't Like Mondays. I think I am most disturbed by the cover of Eminem's '97 Bonnie and Clyde. For all that I love Em, that is one messed up song. We will get deeper into to Em love when we hit the "E" section of my cds.

21. Tales of a Librarian ~ A Tori Amos Collection (last listen: 6 months-1 year): This is a good cd to take in the car if you don't want lug around all your Tori cds. Plus, in the packaging she assigns Dewey numbers to her songs. The librarian in me is amused.

22. The Bee Keeper ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 6 months-1 year): I think I was harsher on this cd than it warranted. There are actually some catchy tunes on this disc.

23. American Doll Posse ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 0-3 months): I haven't listened to this cd enough to form an opinion as of yet. But give me some time.

I can't believe I am saying this but I could do without some Tori for a while.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

I read Maureen Johnson's book 13 Little Blue Envelopes this weekend.

This is the story of Ginny Blackstone. She has a crazy, eccentric, artist aunt. Ginny worships at the altar of her Aunt Peg. But Peg dies unexpectedly. Soon after her death, Ginny receives a package with 13 blue envelopes. In each envelope is a challenge that must be met culminating in the adventure of a lifetime, sending Ginny on a European backpacking trip she will never forget.

I don't want to give too much more away about the story than that but I think you can probably guess that a cute foreign boy is involved and Ginny learns some lessons about herself. I thought the book was a pretty fun read with some occasional heaviness. I will be giving this to my niece for Christmas this year.

Books Read in 2007:

13 Little Blue Envelopes ~ Maureen Johnson
The Cider House Rules ~ John Irving
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ J.K. Rowling
The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy ~ Charmaine Craig
An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green
The Count of Monte Cristo ~ Alexandre Dumas
Looking For Alaska ~ John Green
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest ~ Stephen Ambrose
Drinking, Smoking, and Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times ~ edited by Sara Nikles
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood ~ Ann Brashares

A to Z cds: Day 4

AKA: Tori Amos Day 2

18. From the Choirgirl Hotel ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 0-3 months): By far my second fave Tori cd. It's where she finally incorporates a bit of the Rock n Roll into her act.

19. To Venus and Back ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 1-3 years): I need to listen to the song riot proof more often.

Coming up next: Tori Day 3

The Cider House Rules

Last night I finished reading The Cider House Rules by John Irving. Going into this book I very vaguely remembered seeing the movie. I remembered it had Tobey Maguire in it and that orphanages were involved and so was ether. But that's about it.

The book is very John Irving. Meaning if you like the way John Irving is able to tell stories that span decades and show how young people change into adults then you will probably like this book.

This book is the story of Homer Wells, born an orphan and taught to be a doctor (of people and apples). I have a lot of strange feelings about this book. For example, I feel like I am supposed to pity Candy and yet, I don't. I kind of feel like she's a selfish bitch who got to have her cake and eat it too. Also, I felt like the book just sort of ended without really going into how the relationships changed after the big reveal to Wally and Angel. Oh yeah, the book also talks A LOT about abortions. But I won't tell you why. Go read the book and find out for yourself.

Overall though, it was pretty good. It's not my favorite Irving book that I've read so far but it's not my least favorite either. I think it might be time for me to reinvest in a copy of Garp. I haven't read that one in a while.

Books Read in 2007:

The Cider House Rules ~ John Irving
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ~J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ~ J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ~ J.K. Rowling
The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy ~ Charmaine Craig
An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green
The Count of Monte Cristo ~ Alexandre Dumas
Looking For Alaska ~ John Green
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest ~ Stephen Ambrose
Drinking, Smoking, and Screwing: Great Writers on Good Times ~ edited by Sara Nikles
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood ~ Ann Brashares

A to Z cds: Day 3

AKA: Tori Amos Day 1

12. Woody Allen Classics ~ Various Artists (last listen: 6 months-1 year)

13. Little Earthquakes ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 3-6 months): How do I pick a favorite song on this cd? I don't know if I can. But I do so love it.

14. Crucify (EP) ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 2-5 years): Wherein, Tori covers Smells Like Teen Spirit.

15. Under the Pink ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 1-2 years): I really never was a Cornflake Girl but boy do I love that Cap'n Crunch. Seriously, this cd is great but it's always been just below my radar. I think I will have to change that.

16. God (EP) ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 2-5 years): Wherein, Tori sings a haunting version of Home on the Range.

17. Boys for Pele ~ Tori Amos (last listen: 2-5 years): It took me a while to get into this cd. That probably had something to do with my sister coming hone one day talking about this song she heard on the radio by some "new artist" Tori Amos. I sighed rather loudly and explained to my sister that this was actually Tori's third full album as a solo artist and that she could listen to but not borrow said earlier cds. But you should check out this duet with Tool's Maynard where they sing Mohammad My Friend. It's pretty awesome.

BSG: Oh how I will miss thee!

Well, it was announced last week that the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica will be it's last. I for one am saddened by this news. I would have liked to have seen this show go on for a few more years. Sigh. I am only sorry that I came so late the party. But better late than never, as they say.

Anyway, if you've watched all of season three, check out this little interview with some of the cast members. I do love me some Jamie Bamber. I hope that he and Katee Sackoff end up getting a lot more work after this show ends.

Catch and Release

Last night I watched the movie Catch and Release. I have to say, the movie was only okay. It was a typical sort of your fiancee dies and you find out he's kind of a liar but it helps you grow as a person movie. Also, you maybe develop feelings for one of his friends.

Mostly, all I could think about watching the movie was how much I missed have Jennifer Garner on my tv every week.

Honestly, even though I knew what the movie was about when I rented it I thought the movie was lacking a little something. I didn't care enough about the Juliette Lewis stuff. They could have made that more compelling. I don't know....I just know the movie was missing that mystical *something* that could have made it great. I do know this, when Jennifer Garner fake cries she is just so good at it and it tugs on my heartstrings.

A to Z cds: Day 2

8. Jackson City Limits ~ Ryan Adams and the Cardinals (last listen: 1-3 years): I admit that this cd fell through the cracks of Ryan releasing three cds in a year. Probably his most "country" album to date.

9. 29 ~ Ryan Adams (last listen: 0-3 months): I bought this cd right after I turned 30. Which is, I am pretty sure, about the exact age of Ryan Adams when he wrote this disc. There's a line or two in this song that I seem to really relate to these days. It goes like this: Most of my friends are married and making them babies/To most of them I already died. Now, don't take offense baby-making friends but it's undeniable that we are on vastly different life tracks.

10. Aladdin Soundtrack ~ Various Disney Artists (last listen: 5+ years): It's even the version that they recalled because those Ay-rab types complained about the songs saying Ay-rabs are barbaric.

11. Lily Allen ~ Alright, Still (last listen: 0-3 months)

A to Z cds: Day 1

7. Cold Roses (Discs 1 & 2) ~ Ryan Adams (last listen 6 months- 1 year ago): I used to this a lot. Itunes picked it's songs up in shuffle quite regularly. But since the new j-o-b, I haven't really given these cds much thought. I really love the song Sweet Illusions.

6. Love is Hell (Part 1) ~ Ryan Adams (last listen: 3-5 years): I don't know why I've never really paid attention to this EP.

5. Rock n Roll ~ Ryan Adams (last listen: 0-3 months): This cd is awesome to take with you on a long drive. In fact, I listened to this disc on my way home from SoInd.

4. Gold ~ Ryan Adams (last listen: 0-3 months): My favorite Ryan Adams cd by far. I think I may have told you that already.

3. Demolition ~ Ryan Adams (last listen: 0-3): I listened to this cd for the first time in over a year about two weeks ago. I forgot how much I loved this disc.

2. Heartbreaker ~ Ryan Adams (last listen: 0-3 months): I really love the little intro into this cd and the song Come Pick Me Up.

1. I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky ~ Music and Lyrics by John Adams, et. al. (last listen: never): I remember burning this cd from Jamie/Dan but I never found myself listening to it. It's a musical soundtrack and deals with some pretty deep racial stuff.

A to Z cds: The low down

Today I am beginning my quest to emulate GMYH by listening to my entire cd collection. So, here are the rules I am going to follow.

These rules closely follow those of GMYH but I have made some modifications. I will be listening to (1) full albums; (2) CD singles and EPs; (3) soundtracks; (4) greatest hits CDs; and (5) compilation CDs (ones that I bought, not ones that I made).* I will not be including any mix cds made by myself or made by friends.

I reserve the right to occasionally forget cds at home thus causing infrequent happenings of imprecise alphabetical order. My cd collection is in the Jalehlabad version of alphabetical order meaning people with number names (like 50 cent) will not be found at the beginning under a number but rather under a letter (like the letter "F"). And sometimes I deal with people band names differently. For example Alison Krauss and Union Station are found in the K section while The Dave Matthews Band are found in the D section. Deal with it.

ETA: Once in "alphabetical order" cds will be played in order of release date. Yes, I am that anal in my cd organization.

I also make no apologies for my cd collection. I like to believe that we sometimes make fateful errors in judgement and that sometimes those errors apply to buying cds.



*Taken almost verbatim from GMYH to keep quality control.

The Office (US edition)

So, after I watched The Office (UK) I decided it was time to watch the NBC version of The Office. I netflixed seasons one and two.

I really didn't expect to like the American version of The Office because often when we try to improve upon what the Brits have done first, we sort of fail miserably (can anyone say our situation in the Middle East?). However, since sitcoms and ruling nations aren't exactly similar I thought I would just dive right in. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that I love The Office (US edition).

I was detailing all the reasons why Squater should start watching this show. He asked which version I liked better. When we talked I hadn't yet finished season two and I really couldn't decide between the two. But I think I may have a bit more love for the US edition of The Office. It's just so hard to choose.

I mean, how does one choose between Jim and Tim or Pam and Dawn or Michael and David or Dwight and Gareth? I don't think it can be done.

I will say this, I am very glad that The Office (US) has more episodes than The Office (UK) has even if they are following the sameish timeline at a slower pace.

Anyway, I have set the tivo to record whatever NBC will show of season three over the summer while I anxiously await the season three dvds.

It's June and I've got stuff to say

So, after my long hiatus I am back. I have so much to tell you all. First, I had a lovely little trip to my old SoInd stomping grounds over Memorial Day Weekend. It was so nice to see my old pals. Not to much to talk about there. Lots o' beer was drank and I got to grill meat products at Robyn's new house.

I came back to the Lou ready to veg and relax for the rest of the week. And that is pretty much exactly what I did. I read some more of The Cider House Rules and watched several films and started a new tv series. So, let me tell you all about that stuff.

I finished watching the first season of How I Met Your Mother. I know I am late to the party on this one but that show is great. I sometimes wish they would utilize Alyson Hannigan more often but how can I not love a show where Wesley has horrible hair, is a lech and works as a weatherman?

I also watched some good (and bad) movies. The first movie I watched was called Bedrooms and Hallways. This movie is basically a Brit rom/com about gay men. And it was awesome. The movie was made in 2000 and stars Vorenus (aka Kevin McKidd) as Leo a gay man who falls for the straight Marc Antony (aka James Purefoy). It was a very funny, sweet, and a tad sad movie. The movie also stars Hugo Weaving and Tom Hollander. I really liked it. Plus, it so seems like a funny precursor to the hoyay of Rome.

I also went to the movies and saw Hot Fuzz. Beth already told you all this movie was good and she was right. I loved the movie. I think I may have a lil Simon Pegg crush. Especially when he hires people like Martin Freeman to talk for like three lines. The movie is just the right mix of farce, spoof, and honoring of the cop movie genre.

The bad movie I watched was Strangers with Candy. I'll admit that I never really got into this tv show even though I have much love for Stephen Colbert. I'll even admit that the sole reason I netflixed this flick was to see some Chris Pratt action. Anyway, I found the movie to not be that funny. It could have been but for some reason it felt flat to me. Sigh. Anyway, I can't like everything, can I?

Just so you don't think I spent my entire vacation in my apartment watching television and movies, you should all know that I had a good time hanging out with my pal Jody and her two girls one day and my sister and my nephews another day. My sister is even under the deluded impression that I would be willing to watch all three of my nephews at once for a fee. To that I say, the fee will be large and followed by another vacation.

I also went to a wine tasting event. My suggestion to you, if you ever go to a wine tasting event, either pick white or red wines to taste and stick to it. The mixing of red and white wines made my stomach hurt.