Party Shuffle (as usual, I resisted the urge to skip past the bad songs)

Here are the first 15 shuffled songs that come up on my iTunes...

"Particle Man"
They Might Be Giants
Flood

While I wouldn't go as far as saying that this is the BEST song that's ever come up on one of these "Party Shuffle" entries, I could very easily argue that this is the most FUN song that's ever come up.

It's exactly 1 minute and 59 seconds of catchy, nonsensical perfection.

"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, & Understanding"
Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Armed Forces

It comes from an otherwise good album ("Accidents Will Happen," "Oliver's Army," "Senior Service," "Moods for Moderns") but I'm not crazy about this song. The chorus bugs me -- "And each time I feel like this / There's one thing I wanna know / What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding? / Ohhh" -- and makes me cringe a little bit every time I hear it. I don't know, maybe I'm just that jaded; maybe I'm anti-peace and anti-love and anti-understanding.

"Sell My Old Clothes, I'm Off To Heaven"
Saves the Day
Bug Sessions Vol. 1

Hearing an acoustic version of one of my favorite Saves the Day songs has a sort of gimmicky, kitschy value upon the first and second listens. But shortly after that, as with most acoustic covers, you get bored with it and wanna hear the original (amplified) take.

Although I will say their acoustic version of "Jodie" is pretty good.

"Smoke Two Joints"
Sublime
40 Oz. to Freedom

I obviously can't relate directly to anything about this song, but it's still really fun somehow.




"Art is Hard"
Cursive
The Ugly Organ

"Cut it out - your self-inflicted pain / Is getting too routine...Well here we go again / The art of acting weak..."

Not only is this an amazing song (from an overall amazing album) but it's helped define my life philosophy -- the meek shall NOT inherit the Earth.

The lyrics of this song taught me that being weak and soft and timid won't get you anywhere. Sensitivity isn't an excuse for failure. It's kill or be killed. There's nothing admirable or endearing about being a constant victim. Nothing will be handed to you, so if you want it bad enough, you'd better go out and take it. And if someone grabs it first, take it from them. Not to be overly melodramatic, but the key to success really is all about being bigger, faster, stronger.

A lot of the popular music that came out when I was 15-18 years old capitalized on the inclination of teenagers being sniveling, hesitant, and forlorn. And while that sappy kind of stuff served my purposes fine as a kid, this song directly helped shape the adult I would become. That may sound like a lot of credit to give to a two and a half minute song, but it's true.

"Losing My Religion"
R.E.M.
Out Of Time

This is arguably their biggest hit and I don't like this song at all. Normally, I'd just skip right by it. Or, if I was feeling especially generous that day, I'd just tune it out and let it play listlessly in the background. Although I want to make it clear that, as a whole, I do like this album a lot.

And if I were to shoot off on a quick R.E.M. tangent, I think they're one of those rare cases of a band actually being NEGATIVELY effected by their own prolificacy. Their body of work is giant...and that ends up being kind of a bad thing. Meaning, they've produced so much quality stuff in their career, but by virtue of the sheer amount of music they've created over the years, they've also managed to produce a lot more garbage. I'm sure they don't regret releasing so many albums in such a short amount of time (nor should they), but that just allows for a lot more opportunity to fail.

"Waste of Paint"
Bright Eyes
Lifted or The Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground

Connor has grown a lot as a songwriter over the years, but there's something that will always be charming about the lack of polish and ragged edges of these earlier releases.

The earnest repetition of the opening acoustic riff and his typical hesitation of hitting certain syllables to throw off the song's measure is what makes this track great. And he has an awesome delivery of the line "I knew a woman, she was dignified and true / And her love for her man was one of her many virtues."

"Mykel and Carli"
Weezer
The Blue Album Deluxe Edition: Dusty Gems and Raw Nuggets

Back in '04, they re-released my beloved Blue Album in celebration of it's ten year anniversary. The "deluxe edition" remastered the original tapes and included a second disc of obscure B-sides and live tracks. I remember FYE was selling it for something ridiculous like $30 or something. Coming from a diehard Weezer fan, there really isn't anything about this re-release that's absolutely essential and doesn't really need to be bought. But this song is actually one of the few bright spots of a second disk that's mostly unlistenable. As many people know, I have a natural distaste for most live (or in this case, partially live) albums.

"We Will Survive"
Nas
I Am...

I don't care much for the singing in the chorus, but I can appreciate the name-dropping of Biggie, Pac, the Commodores, Al Green, and (especially) Smokey Robinson.

And yeah, I like the track "Hate Me Now"...even with Diddy.


"Shoulder to the Wheel"
Saves the Day
Through Being Cool

I don't consider this an exaggeration at all: from the age of 15 to about 17, this was very likely my absolute FAVORITE non-Beatles song. The two seconds of screeching feedback that opens this song is the single most recognizable, most reminiscent sound of my high school years.

"Kiss"
Prince
Parade

If "Particle Man" is the 1st most fun song that I've ever blogged about, than "Kiss" is very possibly the 2nd most fun song, haha.

"I just want your extra time and your...[insert jangly guitar strumming]...kiss"

This track is so awesome. I'm gonna replay it at least one more time once it ends. lol

"No, Not Now"
Hot Hot Heat
Make Up The Breakdown

When it first came out, this album was catchy and dancey and energetic. But now, I can't stand it. It's obnoxious, his singing voice grates on the nerves. I think this album (as well as this general sound that came out of this general time period) has basically outlived its usefulness to me.

"Under the Boardwalk"
The Drifters
Greatest Hits

The washboard (or whatever it is) that they play throughout this track is extremely soothing. It's like the sound of a babbling brook or rain fall on a tin roof. They should include it on one of those white noise machines you can get at The Sharper Image to help you fall asleep at night. And I mean that to be complimentary, because I do like this song.

"Hey Baby"
No Doubt
Rock Steady

I definitely appreciated No Doubt getting back to their ska/reggae/calypso Jamaican roots, but wow, this song (specifically the heavy-handed chorus) gets so annoying, so fast.


"Monday, Monday"
The Mamas & the Papas
If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

I normally find the vocals of the Mamas & the Papas really drab and dreary and droning, but I do enjoy this track.

And it's common knowledge that this urban legend has already been debunked, but Mama Cass did not die choking on a ham sandwich.

What I Had For Lunch 5/13/08

Wings Plus!

Needless to say, my lunch was the jam.

What I Had For Breakfast 5/13/08

Pancakes.

But I didn't cook them myself this time; instead, I got the ready-made ones you warm up in the microwave.

They were great.

Headlines (Corrupt; Hanley is getting paid; malls are really being targeted lately; teacher appreciation)

Myanmar junta hands out aid boxes with generals' names

Myanmar's military regime distributed international aid Saturday but plastered the boxes with the names of top generals in an apparent effort to turn the relief effort for last week's devastating cyclone into a propaganda exercise.

The United Nations sent in three more planes and several trucks loaded with aid, though the junta took over its first two shipments. The government agreed to let a U.S. cargo plane bring in supplies Monday, but foreign disaster experts were still being barred entry.

State-run television continuously ran images of top generals -- including the junta leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe -- handing out boxes of aid to survivors at elaborate ceremonies.

One box bore the name of Lt. Gen. Myint Swe, a rising star in the government hierarchy, in bold letters that overshadowed a smaller label reading: "Aid from the Kingdom of Thailand." -- the Sun-Sentinel

What a joke.

First, Myanmar seemed unwilling to accept any outside help for their suffering civilians. Now, they seem to to be slightly softening that stance -- but ONLY if those same civilians are being duped into believing that these care packages are a benevolent gift generously bestowed upon them by their powerful government...and absolutely no one else.

It's irrational behavior like this that makes Myanmar (and much of the world's other 3rd world countries) seem corrupt, xenophobic, bloodthirsty, and frankly, uncivilized to Westerners. It's like their backwards in every conceptual way. And for even the most unbiased and impartial mind, that level of stubbornness (and that's being kind..."savagery" would actually be more fitting) is almost completely unfathomable.

Their own countrymen are dying because of starvation, infection, and illness. And instead of doing the right thing (which fall somewhere inbetween saving lives and letting people rot to death), the Burmese government have attempted to use this disaster for political gain. They're capitalizing on the spilled blood of tens of thousands -- and if some estimations are correct, eventually over 100,000 -- for faux-patriotic propaganda and political posturing. They're drumming up national support from their citizens by doing the EXACT OPPOSITE of what is in their benefit and best interest...funny how that works.

Myanmar government officials are a bunch of criminals. And not the fun and entertaining white-collared criminals we have here in the U.S. that get into sex scandals and misappropriation of taxpayer funds; no, these are the evil villain, atrocities-against-humanity kind of criminals. Really deplorable stuff.


Florida Marlins working on $70 million deal with Hanley Ramirez

Lambasted for their major league-low $21 million payroll and perpetual trading of star players, the Marlins are finally keeping one in the fold.

Shortstop Hanley Ramirez told an acquaintance he has agreed to the framework of a six-year, $70 million extension. That ranks as the richest contract in franchise history, topping the six-year, $61 million deal Gary Sheffield received in April 1997. -- the Sun-Sentinel

Wow, way to go Marlins. I didn't think they had it in them. Coming from the cheapest organization in the MLB, this is a very big deal. We're currently in 1st place and off to our best start in franchise history, so it's extremely reassuring to see our owners actually take the initiative and lock up Ramierz for the long haul. That's a huge gesture of goodwill to a fanbase that this team has alienated a thousand times over. We've got a good thing going here, so it's great to see us making the effort to keep it together. And who knows, with the way he's exploded since his rookie season in 2006 and the way he keeps improving, this $70 million contract could end up being one of the biggest discount deals in the league. He can be A-Rod without A-Rod's salary.

And if we can just shore up the tailend of our starting pitching rotation (that means you Miller and Nolasco), we can really be a force all throughout the Summer and, hopefully, well into the Fall.


Possible break in Boca mall murder case

Police say they are questioning a man arrested for disorderly conduct at the Aventura Mall to see if he has possible links to the murders of a mother and daughter at the Town Center mall in Boca Raton. -- the Sun-Sentinel

Not to make light of a terrible situation, but I was at the Town Center mall yesterday and I actually read this article while I was at the Apple Store. That was kind of surreal.


Woman donates kidney to her former English teacher

Twenty-two years after graduating from high school, Angie Collins is now her former English teacher's favorite student.

Collins, 40, donated her kidney this week to Darren Paquin, who teaches English at Elwood Community High School, where she graduated back in 1986.

Collins' husband, Dean, said she offered Paquin one of her kidneys after she learned that Paquin was experiencing kidney failure. -- the Sun-Sentinel

When I was in 9th grade English honors, Mr. Chandler taught me the parallels between the heroic journeys of Odysseus and Luke Skywalker; taught me that Mercutio's death was far and away the most tragic thing about that play; taught me that Steinbeck was inspired by Robert Burns' awesome poem To a Mouse for his novel's title; and taught me that John the Savage's feet pointed "south-south-west, south, south-east, east..." because his neck was broken and his body hung limp. He introduced me to literature, something worth devoting my life to.

I would think that's just about worth a kidney.

What I Had For Dinner (It was light, but filling)

I made a salad (with sesame ginger dressing, shredded black forest ham, sunflower seeds, and garlic-flavored croutons).

And a chicken empanada. I was more in the mood for beef, but it was still good.

Retired Players I Loved Watching #9 (He was a member of that '96-'97 Bullets team that was pretty good)

Calbert Cheaney

Cheaney had an amazing collegiate career at Indiana in the early '90s -- made it to the Final Four, averaged 22 PPG his senior season, won multiple Big Ten titles, is both his school and conference's all-time leading scorer, NCAA Player of the Year.

However, after getting drafted 6th overall in the '93 draft, he didn't amount to much in the NBA. Never made an All-Star team, never averaged more than 16 PPG in a season, never competed for a championship.

His problem was that he wasn't that naturally gifted. In college, he was able to maximize every ounce of talent he had through hard work and determination; but he was exposed in the pros. The wind-up of his jumpshot was too slow, he couldn't elevate or release the ball quick enough. He wasn't fleet-footed, so he couldn't outrace anyone down the court. And because he lacked any kind of explosion, he didn't have the luxury of being able to blow by defenders, to jump through or around them. He just wasn't born with an elite level of athleticism.

Basically, he was slow and unexciting. And in a backwards sort of way, that's exactly what I appreciated about him.

Since he wasn't the innate athlete as most of his peers (and since he played under a rigid, old-school coach like Bob Knight at IU) he did everything the "right" way. It may not have been the most entertaining way, but it was definitely the fundamentally correct way. It's kind of like how you grit your teeth over how boring Tim Duncan is, but begrudgingly respect him for being so steady and solid. Everything Calbert did was perfectly textbook: most of his passes were either chest passes or two-handed passes, cutting down on the likelihood of turnovers; the form on his jump shot (form an "L" with your elbow, bend knees, follow through on the release) was exactly the same each and every time; he instinctively boxed out his man after every shot; understood the importance of spacing on the court, moving well without the ball and rotating from the strong side of the floor to the weak side; played defense by his moving his feet rather than poking with his arms; understood who was left unguarded after a double team; never left his feet without either having a clear path to the basket or an open teammate to pass of too; knew how to fill the proper lanes on a fast break and always trailed a breakaway layup attempt.

For someone like me who could barely get off the ground and didn't have a quick first step with the basketball, I respected Cheaney for making due with his weaknesses and making the most of his (few) strengths. In a game that relies almost entirely on running fast and jumping high, he made a career for himself without being able to do either. For basketball purists that grew up around the game and have a profound understanding of its X's and O's, Calbert Cheaney -- if not necessarily "fun" in the traditional sense of the word -- was a very enlightening player to watch.

Calbert Cheaney's career statistics

What I Had For Dinner 5/8/08

Went to Moe's and had a chicken homewrecker.

I'm very excited about the 1/4 of the burrito I have left. I'm going to eat it when I get home from work.

What I Had For Lunch 5/7/08

Pizza leftovers and Subway leftovers.

The pizza was from Vocelli's and those $5 footlong Subway commercials are both annoying and catchy.

Headlines (Now I'm in the mood for a chicken patty; the obligatory Hilary/Obama story; intelligence in animals)

Soaring food costs forcing changes in your child's school menu

Here's what the soaring cost of food has meant to Broward County's school lunch menu: white bread instead of whole wheat, less-expensive fresh fruits and vegetables, and cutbacks in popular-but-pricey Jamaican meat patties and egg rolls. -- the Sun-Sentinel

Needless to say, with our nation's children as pudgy as they are, this isn't a good thing. Kids can eat as many as five (and if they're eating breakfast there too, as many as ten) meals a week at school, so getting stingy with the food funds can make for a very irresponsible situation. In these hyper-health conscious times, I'm surprised the school board can seriously serve garbage like Wonder Bread to students with a straight face. At this point, I'd actually prefer schools cut back spending in other extracurricular departments like computer labs and just reallocate that same money into getting the healthiest and freshest food for the cafeteria. We don't need a computer in every classroom -- it's the first thing kids hop onto when they get home anyway.

And it's a bummer about those Jamaican beef patties. I always got excited about them as a kid. They were way too salty, but good.

Options dwindling for Clinton

So Hilary won Indiana (barely) and Obama won North Carolina. Obviously, for my own personal benefit -- and, in my opinion, the benefit of the country -- I'm glad that Obama won one of yesterday's two primaries and still holds the inside track to the Democratic nomination. But the Devil's Advocate in me that likes to see controversy and conflict and intrigue ALMOST wishes that Hilary had swept both states last night. Even if you can't stand her, it would have undeniably made things all the more drawn out and, as a result, all the more interesting. A result like that would've really put the superdelegates in a tough spot -- nominate the candidate who leads in the popular vote and appears to be the politician Democratic voters want to see in the White House, or nominate the candidate that they personally may prefer or may passionately believe gives the party the better chance at the presidency.

I guess for now it's a moot point because Hilary's said that she's not dropping out yet and plans to move forward with her campaign. And she might even be on to something, because though the math and numbers crunch of the remaining superdelegates aren't in her favor, I think she still one last hope, one last saving grace that she can hang her hat on. Ultimately, those superdelegates may simply disregard the popular vote and go with what they feel -- what they gut-feel -- is the right thing to do. And that may all boil down to what they think will be more palatable (or less repulsive, whichever way you look at it) to the voting public: a candidate that's white, but is "unfortunately" a woman; or a candidate that's a man, but is "unfortunately" black.

I fully expect Obama to eventually get the nod, but I can definitely see how someone could make a convincing enough argument that Hilary's female whiteness trumps Obama's male blackness. And in the end, the Democratic party is gonna do what's best for them. So who knows what will happen.

For animals, smart isn't always better

"Why are humans so smart?" is a question that fascinates scientists. Dr. Tadeusz Kawecki, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Fribourg, in Switzerland, likes to turn around the question.

"If it's so great to be smart," Kawecki asks, "why have most animals remained dumb?"

Kawecki and like-minded scientists are trying to figure out why animals learn and why some have evolved to be better at learning than others. One reason for the difference, their research finds, is that being smart can be bad for an animal's health.

Dukas hypothesizes that any animal with a nervous system can learn. -- the Sun-Sentinel

I scanned the entire article and there was no mention of Velociraptors learning how to open doors.

What I Had For Breakfast 5/7/08

Cereal.

And cut-up fresh fruit (strawberries, blackberries, and banana).

And I didn't put one into the other. I ate them very much separately.

Headlines (More Hilary/Obama stuff, blah blah blah; it reminded me of Kenny Rogers' Roaster; Cyclone; Favre)

Obama, Clinton focus on gas tax

Much of the exchange Monday centered on proposals Clinton has embraced to give drivers some relief from soaring gas prices. Clinton pushed her plan for a summer suspension of the gasoline tax, which she said she would pay for with a windfall profit tax on oil companies. McCain has embraced a similar idea.

Obama has called that plan a gimmick and implied that it is pandering, and many economists expressed skepticism. In a CBS News/New York Times poll released Sunday, 49% of voters said they thought lifting the gas tax for the summer was a bad idea, while 45% thought it was a good idea.

Obama, who argues the proposal would save American drivers just pennies a day, said Sunday that oil companies would simply pass the costs of such a plan to consumers.

Obama rolled out a new TV ad for Indiana and North Carolina that derided "Clinton gimmicks that help big oil." -- USA Today

I'm all for saving as much as possible at the gas pump; after all, any discount is better than no discount. But that doesn't make Obama any less right -- this really does seem like a deceiving, illusory attempt at "fixing" our country's fuel problem.

The article has already done the math; even if Hilary suspended the gas tax for the entire summer, the average driver only stands to save a meager amount of money. It's like when the state suspends the sales tax (all whopping 6% of it) for those "Back to School" sales so parents can buy their kids crayons and trapper keepers and pencil sharpeners. Or, those Duty Free shops you see at airports. It's a thinly veiled attempt to convince the consumer that they're taking advantage of a great deal when, in actuality, it's just a superficial discount thats worth is entirely dependent on the MORE MONEY you spend.

I can appreciate Hilary (and for that matter, McCain) trying to save us at least a little cash, but Obama's got a point, it does FEEL a lot like political pandering. Since this is such a shallow and short-sighted game plan (cut costs a microscopic amount today, watch prices revert back to normal tomorrow), it really does seem like this is just a shiny new gimmick that she's spoon-feeding to us voters simply because it's what we all want to hear. It isn't a solution, it's a postponement.

Lake Okeechobee fires put stench in the air

A section of drought-ravaged Lake Okeechobee, which normally should be underwater, was ablaze. Smoke from the 4,000-acre fire, shoved east by the wind, shrouded the region, irritating eyes and throats and prompting health officials to sound advisories.

O'Connor cautioned folks with respiratory ailments, asthma or allergies to stay indoors. -- the Sun-Sentinel

It really stunk this morning. And I was out there at 9:00 a.m. playing basketball. It's almost 12 hours later and I still have a headache. At this point, I don't know if this is actually medical or psychosomatic in origin, but either way, my head still hurts (or "hurts," as it turns out).

Burma cyclone: up to 50,000 dead and millions homeless

I don't have anything witty or dead-panned or excessively insightful to say about this article; I just think it's horrible news. The amount of destruction Myanmar has suffered is devastatingly enormous.



Connecticut boy takes off Favre jersey for good after 4 years

This was the lead headline on Yahoo's homepage today...what a stupid story.

I'm a fan of Favre too, but how can you wear the same shirt for 4 years? Even homeless people don't do that.

That kid is more than a little weird.

What I Had For Breakfast 5/6/08

I cooked pancakes for my sister and I.

My pancakes never come out too great -- they're usually oblong-shaped, usually too thick and cakey in the middle. But these were alright; not perfect, but definitely better than normal.

I really need to invest in one of those wide, flat electric griddles. It'll give me more room to cook more pancakes at the same time, which means the stacks will stay warmer, longer. And I'll be able to consistently regulate the surface temperature, cutting down on burning and hot spots. I'm betting a griddle would directly cause the quality of my homemade pancakes to rise exponentially.

What I Had For Dinner 5/5/08

I sauteed some mixed veggies: onions, broccoli, yellow & green zucchini, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and baby spinach.

I always like cooking this because it's so fresh and light and clean-tasting. There's nothing too rich, nothing to weigh you down. It's all about the freshness of the vegetables.

What I Had For Dinner 5/4/08

I cooked spaghetti.

Used vidalia onion and roasted garlic-flavored tomato sauce; seasoned it with oregano and freshly cracked pepper. Simmered frozen meatballs in the sauce. Overcooked the pasta (it was linguine) the first time, so had to trash it and do it over again; the second time was cooked perfectly al dente. Warmed garlic bread in the oven.

It turned out great.

What I Had For Lunch 5/4/08

Went to Roly Poly and had a chicken caesar wrap (incidentally, the best part of the wrap is neither the chicken or the caesar salad -- it's the avocado and sun-dried tomatoes).

And other than it being a quick two minute walk from my work, there really isn't any other reason for me to eat there. It's not that their food is bad, it's just that's it extraordinarily average.

I also got a bag of chips with that.

Retired Players I HATED Watching #2 (Charles Oakley was a close runner-up for this entry)

John Starks

I grew up a Heat fan, so I hated the Knicks -- all of the Knicks, the entire team. But for me, John Starks is as much an embodiment of those 1990s Knick teams as anyone. Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, Larry Johnson (and even bums like Charlie Ward and Chris Childs) normally had better games against us statistically, but Starks was always a pest. He always played so hard, hustling and defending all over the court...I could almost respect his intensity, if I didn't hate his guts so much. I couldn't even stand the sight of him. I don't even want to post his picture on here. He just evoked such a bitterly visceral response from me. I never even met the guy (and probably never will), but he was still one of my least favorite people in the world.

And he was such a streaky shooter, he ran so hot-and-cold. When his jumper was on, he was actually pretty unstoppable from the perimeter; he could drill any shot from any spot on the floor, over any defender, under any kind of duress. But when his shot was off, he was terrible. He couldn't toss the ball into the ocean. If he was having a bad night, he was all bricks. Everything would thud hard off the back of the iron. It was like that elimination game against the Rockets in '94 Finals when his statline was like 2-for-18, or something equally as pathetic. According to my calculator, that's an 11% field goal percentage. That's barely even mathematically possible. And that's how he was -- he either couldn't miss or couldn't make.

Starks sucks.

John Starks' career statistics



Oh, and he's known for this famous (and completely overrated) dunk against the Bulls in the playoffs. Lots of people like to brag about how he banged on Michael Jordan, but that's not entirely true. If you look at the replay, he's really banging on Horace Grant.

What I Had For Lunch 5/3/08

Went to Joe's Crab Shack and had fried calamari as an appetizer (decent, but not crispy enough); glazed salmon with pineapple pico de gallo and rice and steamed veggies as my entree (really good, no complaints); then picked off my aunt's platter of fish and chips, crab cakes, and onion rings (also good, but all that fried food really weighed me down).

And hanging up cargo nets and anchors and other stupid, kitschy nautical stuff like that obviously doesn't make a seafood restaurant seem any more authentic, but at least it gives you random stuff to look at on your way to bathroom.

Party Shuffle (I'm eating fresh blackberries while typing this)

"Clementine"
Elliot Smith
Elliot Smith

If Virginia Woolf wins the award for Best Literary Suicide of All-Time (packed her pockets full of rocks and drowned herself in a river), then Smith wins the award for Best Musical Suicide of All-Time (stabbed himself in the heart). Of course, that's assuming you don't believe the reports that it may actually have been a homicide, but that's a whole other can of worms...

As for this specific track, it's really good. Whenever this album comes up in conversation, I've noticed most people -- or at least, most people I know -- always tend to mention "The Biggest Lie," "Alphabet Town," and "Needle in the Hay" (mostly because of its inclusion in The Royal Tennenbaums, but I think it gets real repetitive, real fast) as the standout songs, but I personally think "Clementine" deserves to be mentioned right alongside them.

"Jump"
Van Halen
1984

I barely have any post-David Lee Roth Van Halen on my iPod, and I'm sure it's gonna stay that way for the foreseeable future.

I always thought it was funny how the use of synthesizers was reportedly a big sticking point that eventually played a big part in the break up of the band (Van Halen wanted to use them, Roth vehemently did not). But ironically, it became the most instantaneously recognizable element to this song, their biggest hit. Heh, go figure.

And it's interesting how listening to this really does make you want to physically jump up and down.

"Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home By Then)"
The Decemberists
The Crane Wife

I'm hardly ever in the mood to listen to the Decemberists, but I really do like this song.

And I'm gonna have to get around to checking out Colin Meloy's newest solo album. I don't know if I'll like it much, but I'll give it a fair shot.


"There There"
Radiohead
Hail to the Thief

Here's what's so crazy about this album: most Radiohead fans I know (and I don't necessarily know a lot of people, but I don't think that should detract from the strong point I'm about to make) will generally agree that this ranks at about #5 in their all-time discography -- OK Computer, The Bends, Kid A, Amnesiac...and then maybe even as low as #6 with the release of In Rainbows.

And Hail to the Thief is an awesome album!

That's really impressive, that something so good isn't even good enough to be near the top. I think that speaks incredible volumes; Radiohead produces both quality and quantity.

And the video for this song is so creepy and offputting. I love it.

"Mambo Italiano"
Rosemary Clooney
16 Biggest Hits

I like Rosemary Clooney infinitely more than I like George Clooney.

Although I'm pretty sure I heard this playing over an Olive Garden commercial one time, and that made me like this song less. I don't know why that'd be, because I actually do like eating at the Olive Garden, but it just did.

"Just a Ride"
Jem
Finally Woken

I like this song a lot and I always wondered why she never really caught on. I don't know, maybe it has to do with her stage name. Considering the cult following of the 80's cartoon show, she probably should've picked something a little less famous. It'd be like me naming my band "Michael Jordan;" no matter how good we are or how much notoriety we gain, we're still only gonna be, at best, the 2nd most famous "Michael Jordan" in the world. Same deal here.

"Say Hey There"
Atmosphere
You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having

This reminds me, I've gotta get their new album. I can't wait.





"The Panties"
Mos Def
The New Danger

Like most other music snobs who want to prove how transcendent and eclectic their taste in music is, I adore this album. It's an incredible and expansive blend of genres and styles, really worth the wait. So I don't think it's necessary for me to wax poetic any further on how great it is.

As for this particular track, it's not one of my favorites off the album (I'd say it's about middle of the pack, not one of the best and not one of the worst), but I like its rich soulfulness. And for the hip-hop heads out there that are still complaining about the singing on this album, get over it already. Mos Def doesn't mass produce empty-calorie party rap.


"Styrofoam"
Fugazi
Repeater

I don't listen to as much Fugazi and Minor Threat as I used to when I was younger, but Ian MacKaye still imposes a huge influence on my day-to-day life.

As for this track, I like it because it's almost exactly 2 1/2 minutes long. Just how long a good song should be.


"The Killing Moon"
Echo & the Bunnymen
Ocean Rain

Wow, haven't heard this song in forever.

I got excited when I heard him sing the line "Though I know it must be the killing time / Unwillingly mine." And it's not like there's anything especially extraordinary about that one line, it's just that it's delivered incredibly well.


"Roll Over Beethoven"
The Beatles
With the Beatles

"Roll over Beethoven / And tell Tchaikovsky the news"

Chuck Berry was probably just talking about music here, but I always applied to life in its entirety. Time is constantly moving forward, so it's out with the old and the dead and the dusty; in with the new and the fresh and the young. I'm very ambitious in my interests and confident in my talent. I'm convinced I'm gonna do everything bigger and better than what came before, so this line has always meant a lot to me personally.

And as a kid, I always got super pumped over George Harrison's guitar solo. One of my favorite Beatles covers ever.


"True Blue"
Bright Eyes
Motion Sickness

I love this song, but I love the studio version a thousand times better. And that's because, for the most part, I'm not crazy about live albums anyway.



"Come See About Me"
Diana Ross and the Supremes
The Ultimate Collection

I wish I had the cover version by Jr. Walker and the All-Stars because they added a saxophone solo to the song.





"Hoodie"
Lady Sovereign
Public Warning

I'm not as high on the S-O-V as I was a short time ago (I don't know if she has longtime staying power), but this song is irresistibly fun and catchy.



"Combat Baby"
Metric
Old World Underground

I'm getting to the end of this blog entry and I'm really getting tired and running out of steam, so I'll make this last one quick and easy:

1) This song -- like the rest of the album -- is a lot fun.

2) "No one wants to fight me" is a good line.

3) Emily Haines is very good-looking.

What I Had For Dinner 5/1/08

Sweet Tomatoes!

I had salad, pizza bread, rosemary potato soup, penne pasta, macaroni & cheese, chipoltle tomato bisque soup, garlic focaccia bread, chocolate and vanilla soft-serve, blueberry muffin, cornbread, and a chocolate brownie.

It's one of my favorite places to eat, so I really enjoyed my dinner. And I was able to smuggle out a good amount of brownies and muffins on the way out.

What I Had For Lunch 5/1/08

Leftover ribs from Bru's Room. I hadn't had ribs in a long time, so it reminded me how much I want to have them again. And soon.

For dessert, chocolate overload cake. It was good, really rich and dense.