Top 10 of 2011

End-of-the-year list time! Please make a new post and list your personal top 10 of 2011 (open to interpretation).

Bella Ciao

In October, I saw Goran Bregovic and his Orchestra for Weddings and Funerals in Oakland. He played for over three hours. This was one of the songs he played, an Italian partisan song made famous, especially in the Communist world.

A Russian friend explained to me that she knew of it from the American singer Dean Reed, notorious in this country for having deserted to the Communist world and living in East Germany. Here's a documentary made about him in the USSR in 1983.



Last night, walking along the port road in Oakland, I heard a brass band playing one English version, written by Chumbawumba I think.



There was also an Arabic version that went viral during the Arab Spring, even though Egyptians have their own battle songs.

Winter Songs

NPR is doing a series called Winter Songs where people write in about a song that they associate with Winter. I submitted something (below); you should, too!

My song is GARDEN by THE FALL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdintQNo9og

I was in an odd spot in college -- it was the Winter semester of my Junior year at the University of Michigan. I was living in a co-op with 20-some other people, but a lot of my close friends were studying abroad, and those in town were either getting more serious about their majors or their girlfriends. I was taking Introduction To Screenwriting and writing a road trip movie set in a surreal, almost hellish version of late-50s Pacific Northwest, but I was stuck in middle of The Great Midwest where the sky was perpetually overcast and it felt like midnight by 6:00 in the evening. Plus, this was before I invested in a seasonal depression lamp. I had gotten into The Fall, the British post-punk band, and I loved the off-kilter guitar hooks and distinctly cantankerous vocals. In this song, like a lot of their others, I have my own understanding of what Mark A. Smith is ranting/mumbling about -- the song isn't specifically about Winter (I think it's about a former Nazi), but, to me, it held the feeling of isolation that I was experiencing. One of the stand-out lyrics while I spent hours holed up in my room writing is "see what flows from his mushy pen". The guitar has a chilly, clanging drone which evokes rows of icicles, or maybe Nordic fjords. I think of this as a night-time song, and, in my mind's eye, I remember seeing moon-shadows of barren limbs in the snow from my window, or walking through empty streets, looking at houses with the lights off, and the sound of snow crunching under my feet to underscore the solitude and stillness. Ann Arbor felt like it had emptied out, and even though I was exploring a new imaginative world in my class, I was exploring it by myself. The moseying bassline is the counterpoint: it bounces along with some obliviousness to the threatening swells that occasionally flare up in the song, and -- as I shuffled home through the bitter cold after my evening screenwriting class -- I, too, was strangely contented.

Needless to say, the screenplay was never produced.

Drunken Singing Bike Ride Home

Now the courtroom is quiet, but who will confess.
Is it true you betrayed us? The answer is Yes.
Then read me the list of the crimes that are mine,
I will ask for the mercy that you love to decline.
And all the ladies go moist, and the judge has no choice,
a singer must die for the lie in his voice.
And I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty,
you keepers of truth, you guardians of beauty.
Your vision is right, my vision is wrong,
I'm sorry for smudging the air with my song.

Oh, the night it is thick, my defences are hid
in the clothes of a woman I would like to forgive,
in the rings of her silk, in the hinge of her thighs,
where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise.
Oh goodnight, goodnight, my night after night,
my night after night, after night, after night, after night, after night.

I am so afraid that I listen to you,
your sun glassed protectors they do that to you.
It's their ways to detain, their ways to disgrace,
their knee in your balls and their fist in your face.
Yes and long live the state by whoever it's made,
sir, I didn't see nothing, I was just getting home late.

R.I.P. Frederick Meijer

As many of you know, ol' man Meijer kicked the bucket the other week, leaving palaces of commerce scattered throughout the Midwest... Would anyone care to celebrate the man's contribution to our lives by sharing a Meijer memory?

SCSF Around The World

Nicole had a few hours to kill around Union Station in Chicago before heading to the airport, I was able to skirt out from my first day at work. See a photo of us here.

Noble Square Apartment

Photos of my new place, provided by the broker, here.

Regrets Only

I got stuck on one of those email chains that never ends, so I finally threw my hat into the ring.

"I apologize, I won't be able to make it this afternoon. I was hoping to come to the Prospect Park portion of the day before heading to Bushwick Country Club for farewell drinks (I'm moving to Chicago), but am running behind schedule -- I stayed out late last night at a Soul dance party and talked extra-long on the phone with my father this morning because today is his birthday. Additionally, I'm going to attempt to shoot a little video with friends in a couple hours, a last-minute development which precludes my attendance in any case. The net loss to you is merely my personality as I'm not much in the kitchen and wasn't planning on bringing any food to the table. At any rate, have a great time without me and Happy Thanksgiving!"

Cornbread Cain

Via POLITICO's Juana Summers, Herman Cain mused in his book "This is Herman Cain" about what he would want his Secret Service code name to be if he ever got that far in his White House quest.

From Summers: Explaining it in his book, Cain says Nathan Naidu, one of his aides, already refers to him as "Cornbread" on the campaign schedule.

Cain describes driving from Atlanta to Memphis for his aunt’s funeral. He, his father and his brother drove in a caravan in three Cadillacs, all owned by his father.

They had all been using CB radios to communicate for each other and Cain says he chose the handle Cornbread. (“I love cornbread, so that was my handle,” he writes.)

“Incidentally, my handle seems to be sticking to me. One member of my campaign staff, a young man named Nathan Naidu, insists that when I’m president my Secret Service name is going to be “Cornbread!” And in the meantime, he says, whenever he puts anything on my campaign schedule, instead of writing “Mr. Cain,” I’ll just be referred to as “Cornbread.” Well thanks Nate! You’ve just told the whole world my future Secret Service nickname!”


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68686.html#ixzz1e5Wuwn7j

I Am Interested In Your Room I Am Being Evicted

Hi, How are you?I am interested in your room I am being evicted because the landlords are thieves that never go to jail, I don't know how to make a motion and I don't have a lawyer that will save me on time so I don't know what to do... sorry if I share too much but anyway, a little about me: I am not working at the moment but I am in such a difficult situa...tion that my uncle can pay for my rent and co-sign

I am not a writer, nor a singer, nor an actor like many people so I will never win an Oscar or be a platinum singer I also don't have an amazing intelligence but just do very regular work however I can provide at least three months deposit if you are interested in that I am not rich, but again my uncle has a nice pension, no kids and a good heart by the way I am single and don't have many great friends, so will never have a crowded room I hope this info is enough Let me know when I can come thanks B ps. I also don't have any pets like frogs, cats and dogs - but dont mind if you do

“I give you Chicago. It is not London and Harvard. It is not Paris and buttermilk. It is American in every chitling and sparerib. It is alive from snout to tail.”

-H.L. Mencken

Delayed Reaction - Comment # 11 (see "Vail Dictatorship")

Hey Tricia,

I'm sorry I didn't include you, Claire, and Marlowe with whom I did live but only for 2 months. I don't have enough information to make a Communist fantasy profile. I'm sorry to have made this purely sausage post.

Take care,
Ian

Why Am I Still Single? Episode 102 Bonus Clip

I got dating advice and a makeover!

SCSF New Year's Eve

In light of my previous post, I'm interested to hear if anyone is doing anything in Michigan for New Year's Eve. There's Mittenfest, the local indie festival/benefit in Ypsilanti, but maybe people would want to do a house party somewhere else?

It seems like people are finally going to have a party in NYC now that I can't attend! Is this the year that we branch off into our individual city chapters? San Fran, Seattle, et al., what are you planning?

Dax => Chicago

When I was 25, I knew I had to make a move -- I was living at my dad's halfway between Lansing and Jackson and working the circulation desk at a library. In December 2006 I scouted things out in NYC, put in my two weeks when I got home, celebrated the holidays and stayed with Ian in Dearborn for a weekend, then caught the night train with a rucksack full of clothes; luckily, things worked out!

Now that I'm 30, I've had the same itch to shake things up. I just didn't realize I'd get shaken all the way back to the Midwest! I got a job in Chicago (I'd rather not say publicly with which company) and should be out there in two weeks -- just in time for Winter! I visited my sister three times during the three years she lived there, so I feel like I know the town pretty well; I love Chess Records and the Blues, and I've gotten into a few Chicago authors (Saul Bellow, Nelson Algren), so I have a head start on becoming a Chicagoan. It's also the birthplace of improv, and I'm registered for a class starting in January at the iO (ImprovOlympic)! It seems like a good way to meet people... (Speaking of which, I only know a handful of folks out there -- if you know anyone fun, please put me in touch!)

CLAIRE -- I would love to see you and meet your husband (and dog)! Only stuff I've done on the South Side are the Robie House and Harold's Chicken (with mambo sauce); I recommend both!

TAREK -- I'm bummed that I didn't make it down to Baltimore one last time! If you'd like to come up to NYC this weekend, let me know!

Michigan Party

We had our 3rd annual Michigan Party a couple weeks ago; my friend Steven made a video from it!

Michigan Party 2011 from steven mosley on Vimeo.

Not really sure how to read this - Detroit State of Mind (after the Keys, Jay-Z song, not Nas)

UAW shout out at 2,45.

Some anti-Lansing lyrics!

Rival Blog

Myself, Josh Schultz, and Alex Gray are giving this a shot: http://jtosullivanlives.blogspot.com/  It's a football podcast/blog creation.  I've been worried there's not enough sports content on the internet, and this is my attempt to remedy that situation.

Irena Zofchak, Lifestyle Reporter

This girl interned for a parallel department, but we were friendly. I had no idea she had such charisma!

Cell Phone Roulette

I learned a new game the other day:
1. Everyone sits around a circular table and puts their cell phones on a Lazy Susan.
2. One person spins the Lazy Susan; whoever's cell phone lands in front of them they take and have one minute to text as many people as much as they want for a full minute. Family and colleagues are off-limits.
3. After their round, they place the cell phone back on the Lazy Susan and the turn goes to the next person.

The fun part is when you get the cell phone of someone who previously got your cell phone -- take revenge!

It's Lonely At The Top

I had an odd encounter with my boss' boss' boss the other day. I was chatting with a co-worker about her son's Halloween costume as we were entering the building. When we got to our floor, we ran into the Bossman. My co-worker split off, leaving the two of us alone to walk into our floor.

Me: What was your costume?
He: This IS my costume. Every day.
Me: I see...
He: No one knows the real me.
Me [pause]: There's a phrase for that -- it's lonely at the top.
He: Huh.

We had 5 seconds of walking next to each other before I got to my area. I figured I had crossed a line, so awkwardly tried to recover.

Me: We watched some movies at my place. Uh, last night.

He kept walking, then turned around. He enthusiastically recommended a new film by the writer of "Shaun of the Dead". I said I'd check it out. I know from others that, deep down, he's a geeky guy, so I figure this was his way of reaching out.

I own this animal.

I haven't checked in here for a while and I'm glad I did. I'm sorry I missed out on the football league because I recently made up my mind to start liking football. I live in Chicago now with my husband and greyhound, and I'm in grad school for social work. Things are good. I hope you're all doing well--- if you ever need a place to stay in Chicago or want to hang out, let me know.

Promo Reel

I recently updated my promo reel:

Promo Reel from Dax de la Monta on Vimeo.

Halloween

What did people do? What were your costumes? On Saturday the gang of North Brooklyn Michiganders ventured South for a party hosted by Patrice S., for those of you who know her. Myself and all the non-UMich people in our group (that is, a lot of people who the hostess didn't know) were dressed as Party Down, so it was very clear who brought them. I also invited my workfriend Steven M., who happens to live a mere two blocks away! He, I, and Tristan heated up the dance floor as well as closed it down.

On Sunday there was the annual dog parade:



Last night we hosted a get-together. Here's the crew hanging out:



First, we watched "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", then played a drinking game with spiked apple juice (New York City was out of cider, apparently). Everyone took turns reading a stanza from The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. After each stanza, everyone took a sip of their cider. Below are the two roommates who were present.





We then watched my old VHS copy of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on an HD TV (which has a big crack in it, if you've never seen it). Josh and Alex were an air band over the end credits:



But, alas -- the party was NOT over! After everyone left Tristan, Alex, and I fell asleep while pondering, weak and weary, "The Evil Dead" (also on VHS). Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"

Dragons!!

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/clt/2665083303.html

Wolf Eyes on The Office

Via Eric Gallippo!

Vail and Dictatorship

My wife was born in the Soviet Union and last night we were discussing living in communal apartments. It came up that I had this experience, as did all of us who lived at Vail. Then, we decided to detail each Vail housemate individually to determine what exactly what would have happened to us had we lived in the Soviet Union, probably during the 70s Brezhnev neo-Stalinist period.

Ian: I'll start with myself. I was "work manager", a job that entailed no work but a sort of overseer tattler position. It was awful, but I conceived a good understanding of different comrades' work ethics. This made me privy to information that I might not have wanted to know; that is, information that might have made me a liability. That plus my association with a Tarek Dika would have sealed my fate for sure.

Tarek: A self-proclaimed revolutionary, Tarek would never submit to the bureaucratic state. He made this clear with his dish-washing habits (or lack thereof) and his ideologico-philosophically induced spasms of activity, such as when he defied time by breaking our clock. His anti-science position during that time would also have been a problem. I think he would have gone pretty fast and we would have been asked not ever to speak of him again.

Dax: A loyal party member, Dax also knew his way around the system. However, he played down his leadership role which would have saved him for a while. I think he would have survived longer than most.

Brian: Brian was an Old Bolshevik, like an Old Believer, more dedicated to the original principles of the Revolution than any of his contemporaries. That plus his background in science would make him a liability on the scale of a Sakharov. He would have to be removed.

Graham: Graham was committed just enough but also remained aloof enough not to raise too much suspicion. However, that itself might raise suspicion with this paranoid state. At this point, it's important to bring up the fact that most everybody who had any affiliation at all with Vail would most likely be liquidated. Graham loved all his comrades, he worked and sweated by our sides. So, he would likely join us either in the gulag or the grave.

Adam: Adam might have survived. He knew the Communist world, but, as Food Steward, he was able to maneuver his way around the markets of the Capitalist world. This could very well be his salvation. However, not even friends in the West with whom he had constant contact through trade might have been able to save him from the rest of us undesirables and counter-revolutionaries dragging him down. If he would have gotten out, he would have to have left us behind - something which would have left him a depressed, hollow-hearted man for the rest of his days in the West, unable to enjoy all the blessings of that life.

Paul: Paul's personality is, by nature, subversive. The "time capsule" prank alone would likely have landed Paul in a gulag. Humor at the expense of the reigning ideology is more dangerous than an atomic bomb. Paul's level of intelligence would allow him to manipulate any ideological attacks against him, diverting them onto others or simply diffusing them. The only answer for this would have to be the "Control Shot", as they call it. Sorry, Paul.

Justin: Justin was our best worker and, likely, this would have created a problem. He could go the path of a state hero, like Yuri Gagarin, but he would then have a venue and soapbox in front of the whole world. If he were unhappy with something, it would be very difficult to prevent him from making an international stink. And, given his hard-working credentials, the state would be in a weak position to discredit him.

Colin: Smart and principled, but given to strange habits. Also, a cartoonist: the humor thing.

Ross: Involved in the entertainment industry. Very dangerous.

Stefan: Like Paul, able to maneuver his way through the ideology. But Stefan may have legitimate belief in the system that would sustain him, as long as he was willing to bend as far as they would like.

Okay, I'm sure you're all sick of this by now. I know I didn't cover everyone, but many of you lived there when I didn't, so I can't really say what would have happened.

My Job

I wrote this very short chapter: http://www.cic.nyu.edu/politicalmissions/docs_missions_11/notes/latinamerica.pdf in this big boring book: http://www.cic.nyu.edu/politicalmissions/index.html.  Cool, right?

The Return of Mazzy Star

There are a few Mazzy Star fans here, right? Anybody jazzed for their new album?

The Adventures of Brian and Ian

Brian and I saw Shellac on Saturday night. Despite being older, I still really love this band and this kind of music. It's intelligent but it gets the job done in terms of rocking me out. On the other hand, my hearing wasn't damaged too badly.

Brian really liked the song "Copper" about the element. He yelled out copper several times after the song had ended and everything had quieted down. The lyrics go:

Copper I want to take you
to a furnace where I'll break you

And another verse is:

plated or anodized
you even fool a layman's eyes

Then the chorus:
Copper - you'll never be gold



You might remember me singing one of their songs "Prayer to God" by the fire back when we traveled up to the UP at the end of the summer in 2004. Watching a bunch of people head-banging to the end of this song and singing the final lyrics, "Kill him, just fucking kill him," was kind of strange. I stopped singing and just watched the crowd and I became a little disturbed.



We also slam-danced pretty seriously. I have a sore neck.

I told the bassist Bob Weston after the show that Brian was a chemist and a big fan of "Copper". Bob said, "Make it quick, drunk guys."

I wished they had played this song:



We'll keep you guys updated about more Adventures of Brian and Ian.

Saturday Love

UPDATE 10/25/11: I disembedded the video since it was auto-playing when the webpage loaded. You can watch it here.

My buddy Steven was playing around with his new camera and made a video; I'm in some footage from a grill-out this past weekend.

Social Media Methodology

I've been less engaged with the blog over the Summer, but am trying to get back in the habit of it. I try to make all my web presences mutually exclusive, and have recently begun using Google+ and Twitter. As such, you may locate me on the platforms below for the following content:

FACEBOOK: activities, books, albums, concerts, cultural detritus.
TWITTER: private thoughts, fragmented sentences, and out-of-context quotes.
GOOGLE+: videos, articles.
SCSF: I plan to write more in-depth anecdotes that might give a more intimate view of what's happening in my life than in any of the above Dax-streams. I've enjoyed those sorts of things by Tarek, Josh, et al., and I think it's the most meaningful thing the blog can do. From hereon out, my criteria for posting non-self-generated content within these hallowed walls will be if, and only if, I believe this particular group would find it to be of interest.

I've also taken to using GCHAT since forsaking Lycos Mail.

I'm curious to know how others organize their cyber-presence!

Improv 101 @ UCB

After taking a yearlong hiatus from continuing ed classes to pursue online dating and lap swimming (both to mixed results), I was looking to get into something again but wasn't sure what. I wasn't able to sustain a commitment to screenwriting, being a working stiff and also finally having developed an active social life after four years living in NYC. After having improv recommended to me both by Graham (who knows me well) and a stranger at a party (who didn't know me at all), I took the plunge and registered at the Upright Citizens Brigade.

I went into every class nervous but wound up having fun! It was a good group of people -- I break them down into Theater People who have been told by their agents to take improv, Funny People who have been told by their friends they should take improv, and Normal People who aren't sure if they will continue with it but want to dip their toes in. In the Aristotelian model, all three have skills and drawbacks due to their innate qualities. Theater People are good at doing characters, but lose some individuality. Funny People can get a quick laugh, but often stop scenes from progressing. Normal People are the most interesting to watch due to their individuality if they are fully committed, but frequently are afraid to do so.

I also came to the realization that, on some level, improv is a synthesis of two long-standing interests of mine which I have not excelled at independent of each other: writing and acting (you write the lines as you speak them). Without getting too into the method, I think that improv COMEDY is misleading -- the funny thing about it is that it works better if you're NOT trying to be funny. There are only a few basic rules, but they're easy to break -- but if you don't break them, funny stuff will inadvertently pop up just because of the way the human mind works... Not to toot my own horn, but I think I have some knack for it so I'll keep taking classes as long as I'm enjoying them. I was disappointed in the choices I made in my graduation show, but it was fun to perform in front of a (skimpy) crowd, and there's always room for improvement!

Eddy J Lemberger

A legend performs an intimate version of one of the great football polkas ever written.

Pretty Sexy - PJ Harvey

Michigan Connection

I bought a couple really old books of bowling tips at a stoop sale for someone at work who organizes a league; the other day she told me how much she's enjoying them -- both for the tips and the old ads. "There were even some old receipts in one of them..." she said, and pulled out a carbon paper receipt from 1976 for lessons with diagrams and checklists on it. The place was Mike's Pro Shop in Lansing, Michigan!

Michigan Vacation

I went home for a full six days last week. My grandma was visiting and my dad was recuperating from shoulder surgery. It's also my first visit home since my sister has moved back from Chicago. Below are some highlights.

pasties
help Dad in the garden
take Chicha on trails at a county park
Woody's Oasis
Flat, Black & Circular
Altu's Ethiopian
Tasty Twist
Black Jake & The Carnies @ Mac's Bar
MSU Dairy Store
downtown Lansing
outlet shopping
Old Town Oktoberfest
dancing at Dublin's
gummi bear brats
Uncle John's Cider Mill
applie pie à la française w/ Padrino

Old Wilt Chamberlain Newsreel

Old Gray Lady Visits College Town

Hey, the New York Times did a travel piece on Ann Arbor!  I haven't been to a good portion of the places they mention, and it evens recommends boring cookie-cutter Italian restaurant Palio.  It tells you how to avoid the provincial riff-raff: "Avoid South University and State Street (student hubs) and head to the more civilized Main Street."  Also, excellent advice on where to eat "if it is ethnic food you crave!"

Interview: Nick Cave, Shane MacGowan, Mark E. Smith 1989 NME Unreal

SM: "It seems to me that in your songs, Nick, you're doing a Jung-style trip of examining your shadow, all the dark things you don't want to be. A lot of your songs are like trips into the subconscious and are therefore nightmarish."
NC: "Possibly."
SM: "You're exploring the world through the subconscious. I've done that on occasions for various reasons, whether it be illness or self abuse, or whatever. Once things start to look grotesque I don't write them or sing them. I couldn't write them the way you do, I couldn't - making nightmares into living daylight..."
NC: "I think you do a pretty good job of it in some of your songs."
SM: "The minute it gets dark I shoot back, retreat. I haven't always but I do now 'cos..."
MES: "Don't give too much away Shane, don't tell them. Hold a bit back."

 

Link

Wrestling, and a dream, and an update

I have a secret Twitter where I post quotes from WWE wrestling:
http://twitter.com/#!/conchairtos

You twitterers should follow if you like.

A couple nights ago I dreamed that I was waiting for a Greyhound bus and when it pulled up Tarek was driving. You were wearing a very dapper outfit (as usual) and told me that you like the job because you can make $18 an hour doing the route from Pittsburgh to Boston and it only takes you 5 hours each trip, leaving you enough time for scholarly pursuits.

Where do our brains get this kind of stuff? It does not take 5 hours to get from Pittsburgh to Boston.

I've been working at my new job for 3 months now. I think I made it through my customary 2-month disappointment phase. I think I like it and will do it for awhile. I have headaches though, so I have to wear dorky reading glasses when I work on the computer (which is all day) and I think I'm going to go get acupuncture. I don't appreciate having to spend some of my weekends representing my employer at resource fairs, but that's the price of rolling with the big dogs I guess. Personal sacrifices and free mystery meat lunches in Holiday Inn conference rooms. And a never-ending list of tasks that are all "top-priority". It's good to feel like what I'm doing matters, but sometimes I do miss the days of slacking off at work.

I am super into yoga and baroque music and military sci-fi. These are the things that mostly occupy what little free time I have. Making more money is nice because I can finally buy tickets to go see musical performances and visiting yogis. I bought numerous fancy lady pants for work only to somehow grow out of them in a couple weeks. I guess that's a sign that things are going well.

For Brian

SCFL Week 2 Recap

Week two of the NFL season ended Monday night, meaning there have been all sorts of exciting developments in the SCFL.  What happened?  Well........

Dominant story lines:
-Lions blew out the Chiefs.  Kansas City looks like a really mediocre Division III team right now.  Detroit looks good so far, but they haven't had much real competition.
-Packers give up 400 passing yards to a rookie QB and still win.  Heisman Trophy winner and current Carolina Panther Cam Newton has proven to be very talented, but also very capable of throwing interceptions.  Former U of M Heisman winner Charles Woodson got two of those.
-The Buffalo Bills are not awful and their QB went to Harvard.  Can't help but love those dudes.
-Michael Vick of the Eagles got a concussion and could miss a game.  He should probably sit out a while, but that's not how the NFL works.  His backup's last name is KAFKA.  But you pronounce it with a flat, nasally Midwestern "A" sound.
-In other QB injury news, Tony Romo of the Cowboys sustained a broken rib and slightly punctured lung, yet got back on the field and led the Cowboys on a game-winning drive.  Again, he probably shouldn't be playing, but he will.

SCFL Results:
Hot Miners (My brother) defeat Marquette Mosquitos (Me): A devastating loss for the Skeeters.  They played well, but got hit by the twin punch of San Diego WR Vincent Jackson and Matt Fitzgerald, the Harvard-educated QB of the Bills.  So the Miners are the high scorers this week, and my team was not.  One-word summary: Harvard
Dunwich Horror (Justin) defeat Calamities (Marlowe): Not the most entertaining game.  Even without Miles Austin's huge game, Justin would have beat Marlowe.  One-word summary: Lopsided
18-cent-a-pack-missy (Josh Schultz) defeat Detroit Defenestrators (Chris): Defenestrators had Matthew Stafford, who played well, but the rest of the team let him down.  Josh had Jeremy Maclin, Michael Vick, and (one of the great football names of our time) Rob Gronkowski.  That's a path toward success. One-word summary: Let-down.
Kingslayer (Stefan) defeat Smackdown Zombies (Tricia): Not the most exciting matchup.  Tricia had some good players, but no running back production.  In the brutal world of fantasy football, that equals failure. One-word summary: Production
Seattle Sounders (Carlie) defeat Delicious Nachos (Nicole): Carlie continues her rookie dominance, thoroughly routing the Nachos.  Nicole got nothing from her wide receivers. One-word summary: Routing
Douchbaggers (roommate Doug) defeat Harbringers of Death (Andi Hargrave): In an insanely high-scoring affair, Doug takes advantage of the Lion's defense humiliating Kansas City.  The big point total for the D gives him the win.  Andi had Tom Brady and Adrian Peterson, yet came up short. One-word summary: Insane

Highest Score: My brother
Lowest Score: Marlowe
EVERYONE CHECK YOUR ROSTERS - SOME OF YOU HAVE INJURED DUDES IN YOUR LINEUPS.  YOU'LL FEEL BAD IF YOU DON'T FIX THAT.

Bye bye, R.E.M.

After 30 years, R.E.M. is calling it quits.  These guys were one of the first bands I was really into - I had a bunch of the late 80s/early 90s stuff on cassette and would listen to it on my Emerson walkman when I was falling asleep.  I'll admit that the first CD I ever bought was Monster, which I don't think I've listened to in over 10 years.  Anyway, the early albums are great, and even as they became progressively older and lamer, they still maintained some degree of dignity, which is more than you can say about a lot of bands (U2, cough cough) that kept rocking well past the time they should probably have hung up the axes.

Here's my favorite R.E.M. song:

REM Don't Go Back to Rockville by Celtiemama

And a silly classic from their ultra-popular years:

And Pavement's R.E.M. tribute song:

Palms up

Hey guys,

Before Dax busts me (maybe he already has), I wanted to admit that I'm on Twitter now. Don't worry about calling me out for taking such a hardline position and spreading hypocritical mayonnaise all over it. It's fun. So far, I love it. Steve Martin encouraged me. I really like his tweets. Here's a sample:

"With all my gadgets, had to start carrying a 'man-purse.' Reluctantly gave up my girl-purse."

I'm @singleton_ian, not to be confused with @singlebroni. Here's a sample of what this broski has to offer to the Twitterverse:

"Blockages have been found in the showers. Originally suspected as hair, it's evident these were the result of large clumps of semen."

This guy has my name....

Anyways, I hope that I haven't lost all your respect now. I still think Twitter should pay their taxes, but that's just me (an old poop when it comes to corporations).

SCFL Week 1 Recap

Passes were thrown, draw plays were run, ACLs were torn, and melted cheese was consumed.  It was week 1 of the NFL season and therefore also week 1 of the fake football league of which I am the commissioner, and in which some of you participate.  So what happened?  You probably don't care that much, but I'll put pictures of old NFL players in this post to grab your attention.  I'll also provide one word summaries of each matchup - just read those to save time.

Dominant story lines:
-Two former Michigan QBs each threw for over 7,000 yards in a game.  Patriot uebersuperstar Tom Brady throws for more thanks to a 99 yard pass play that beat a really crappy defensive effort.  Chad Henne, the Dolphins QB with much less hair and without a Brazilian uebersupermodel significant other (as far as I know), reaches almost equally ridiculous stats but will never be remembered.  He lost.  That's America.
-Packers start their Super Bowl championship defense with a successful goal line stuff of the Saints.  So I'm happy.  Less than half the Pack's defensive players were injured this game, which means they are looking better than last year.  But last year they won the Super Bowl...  OH MY GOD THEY'RE AWESOME.
-The Lions won.  They looked alright.  Their quarterback didn't break into two pieces, which is a real danger.  They played the Buccaneers, who didn't look that good.  I'll admit I watched less than half that game.
-America.  September 11th was awkwardly commemorated by the NFL in all sorts of ways.  They keep running this nauseating Budweiser ad where those stupid horses bow in front of Lower Manhattan.  I think that's even worse than the current Miller Lite campaign, which not-too-subtly deems male viewers gay if they don't drink Miller Lite.

SCFL Results:
Marquette Mosquitos (Tristan) defeat 18 cent a pack missy (Josh Shultz): Plaxico Burress (former MSU dude who went to jail for shooting himself in the leg at a night club and is now on the Jets) sealed the deal for me. One word summary: Plaxico
Kingslayer (Stefan) defeats Dunwich Horror (Justin): Justin's team severely underperformed, while Stefan had Ray Rice.  One word summary: Rice.
Delicious Nachos (Nicole) defeat Hot Miners (My brother): The Miners got big points from silly Buffalo QB Matt Fitzpatrick, Eagles RB LaShawn McCoy, and the Jets defense.  Thing is, nobody else did anything.  The Nachos were much better balanced, and they won.  One word summary: Balance.
Harbringers of Death (Andi Hargrave) defeat Calamities (Marlowe): Harbringers had Tom Brady.  One word summary: Brady.
Seattle Sounders (Carlie & fiance) defeat Det. Defenestrators (Chris Singleton): In a battle of SCFL newcomers, the Sounders score a ton of points.  They have Wes Welker, who was on the receiving end of a lot of that Brady yardage.  One word summary: Wes.
Smackdown Zombies (Tricia) defeat DouchBaggers (My housemate Doug): Drew Brees and the Baltimore defense destroy another newcomer.  Tricia probably feels conflicted because Baltimore got all those defensive points against her beloved Steelers, who played like shit.  One word summary: Shit.

I'll start doing standings next week.  For now, the teams that won are doing better than the ones that didn't.
Highest Score: Carlie's Seattle Sounders
Lowest Score: Justin's Dunwich Horror

letter to the editor

The Eagles, Condensed

It's not cool to like the Eagles.  I am aware of this, but there are a few songs of theirs that I secretly love.  I should feel some sort of shame about this, but I've come to terms with it.  I'm convinced that for a brief moment in their early years, there were actually a pretty good country rock band with a few cool songs. In this post, I try to present the best of the Eagles. The thing is, this is it.  This all you need to know about them.  Everything else belongs in a genre best defined as "crap-rock," EXCEPT for the double guitar solo at the end of "Hotel California."  That's legitimately awesome.

"How Long": This is the best Eagles song, although it's not very famous these days. Really solid, except for the fact that Don Henley sings the middle verse. I just can't deal with his voice in this context - Glen Frey is a much better country singer.  Check out the sweet lead guitar work by Bernie Leadon, who left the band when they got too far from their country roots.

"Take it Easy": The best of the early mega-hits.

"Already Gone": The second-best early mega-hit:

"Silver Threads and Golden Needles": They were way tight with Linda Ronstadt in the early days.  Here's them bringing the very best out her:

One More?

We could use one more team in the fantasy football league.  Any takers?

Irene

Be careful, guys.

Eleven Mediocre Southern Accents From Movies and How They Should Really Sound

Eleven Mediocre Southern Accents From Movies and How They Should Really Sound

SWIM CLUB FOOTBALL LEAGUE SEASON 5

OH HELLZ YES IT'S BACK.  HARDEST-HITTING FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE ON THE INTERNET.  ARE YOU MAN ENOUGH TO PARTICIPATE?  

Here's what you need to know:
1. Go to: http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/601770
2. Press some button that says "join" or something.
3. The password is "buttso".
4. Rank your players if you care to.  Otherwise they're auto-ranked.
5. Participate in the draft on Wednesday, August 31st at 7:00 PM.  Or don't.  The computer will do it for you.  (Time is negotiable if that doesn't work for anyone.)

Last year, Josh Schultz was 1st, Andrea Hargrave was 2nd, and the Commish was 3rd.  Nicole was last, but that's fine!

Anyone who has participated in this will tell you what a rich and rewarding experience it is.  And you don't use your old Yahoo account for anything else, so why not hop on board?

News!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Klayton asked me to marry him and I said yes!

Anthem Facility - Trace

Take a look at the music video for my friend's song!

Detroit Connection: Poet Laureate

The new poet laureate is Philip Levine, an old Detroit poet who worked under the subject of my undergraduate thesis, John Berryman.

North Korean Photoshop Jam

DPRK tricked the Associated Press into publishing this photo, supposedly depicting the flood damage experienced by the country:

The red circles helpfully point out the suspicious parts.
Those kooky tricksters!

The Misfits At The Michigan Union?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VS29ojqkgc&feature=related

Poem from Michigan

I wrote this poem when I was last in Michigan. A friend was kind enough to publish it in her journal.

Michigan Connection: Robert Hayden

Robert Hayden was a poet from Paradise Valley, which no longer exists in Detroit.

This is probably one of his most famous poems.

It's very interesting to think how this might have influenced contemporary African-American forms of art.

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden : The Poetry Foundation

Hard at Work

Winning MAGGI Stories

SRIRANJANI
One day, my husband's friends came home unannounced. I didn't know what to serve them. Then I thought of making MAGGI Bonda with Masala MAGGI. His friends were very impressed, and my husband praised me for my intelligent idea!

UDIT
Though it was an official holiday, I had lots of urgent office work -- which meant I had no time to eat all day! At around 1:30 a.m., when I was finally done with my work, the only thing that rescued me from the growling hunger was a steaming bowl of delicious MAGGI noodles!

I presume the chemists among you will appreciate Chemistry Cat:

Abe Watch

Abe weighs in on recent tragedies.

Hot Pepper

I saw the Les Blank documentary Hot Pepper the other week -- it's a portrait of Zydeco originator Clifton Chenier and the people and places around him. Excerpt below.

Stanford Prison Experiment

One thing that I thought was interesting about the experiment was whether, if you believe society has assigned you a role, do you then assume the characteristics of that role? I teach at an inner city high school in Oakland. These kids don't have to go through experiments to witness horrible things. But what frustrates my colleagues and me is that we are creating great opportunities for these kids, we offer great support for them, why are they not taking advantage of it? Why are they dropping out of school? Why are they coming to school unprepared? I think a big reason is what the prison study shows—they fall into the role their society has made for them.

Participating in the Stanford Prison Experiment is something I can use and share with students. This was one week of my life when I was a teenager and yet here it is, 40 years later, and it's still something that had enough of an impact on society that people are still interested in it. You never know what you're going to get involved in that will turn out to be a defining moment in your life.

The Yoop

Yooper family reunion = sooooo many Nascar hats.

Chicago Trip (June 2011)

I spread out my birthday festivities by taking one last trip to visit my sister in Chicago before she moves home. Adam, Johnny, and Arthur Tanimoto came down for the weekend and I got to catch up with a bunch of people from high school and college. Facebook album here.

30 Harshest Author-on-author Insults

You guys'll love this:
http://www.bspcn.com/2011/06/20/the-30-harshest-author-on-author-insults-in-history/

Sample:
26. Vladimir Nabokov on Fyodor Dostoevsky

“Dostoevky’s lack of taste, his monotonous dealings with persons suffering with pre-Freudian complexes, the way he has of wallowing in the tragic misadventures of human dignity — all this is difficult to admire.”

Let Freedom Ring

Last night I left Mary Jane in Grass Lake. She was staying over to help in the morning with her sister's mother-in-law's funeral. I was driving back to Lansing to deliver painting supplies to our church, but driving right back in the morning to play music for the funeral. It was late, and I was feeling rushed, knowing that I already didn't have enough time for a full night's sleep. When I feel rushed, I have to concentrate hard on my mental to-do list, or I inevitably forget something. So I'm running through the list in my head (pick up cat food; drop off the painting supplies; review your slides for tomorrow's training session; clean out the litter box, etc.). I pull off 127 at the Mason exit where there's a Meijer right there. Easy off, easy on, then I can scratch cat food off the list. One less thing to remember.

I took the right off the exit, drove up to the light and just beyond the knoll that obscured the Meijer gas station I see the sheen of gun smoke. No, not gun smoke. The residue of fireworks. Because it's the 4th of July. But it's the same cloud of thick grey fog that used to cover the streets along my paper route the weekend they had the Civil War reenactments in the park.

There just 20 feet or so from the gas station, from the thousands of underground gallons of combustible gasoline, were crowds of children lighting off cheap fireworks. Punk kids, I thought, they're going to kill us all. But as I continued to round the corner I saw it wasn't just the kids. It was the entire populace of Mason, Michigan spread out in the parking lot of a Meijer like a NASCAR tailgate party. Thousands of greasy bodies, automobile engines running, exhaust fumes colliding with the firework smoke, flashes of light and fire. All hope of retaining any hold on my list slipped away, survival instinct forced every ounce of brain power to weaving my poor Focus wagon through a gauntlet of green, pink, and yellow flames exploding all around me in an ocean of lawnchairs, open cases of beer and cars piled high with men and women, naked arms stabbing up at the sky with each bursting flare. At this point, with fire behind me and fire ahead, there was no turning back. I pointed my car at the nearest clearing of asphalt and with full steam ahead landed in the yellow rectangle of a parking spot, one of only a dozen or so cars that hadn't dispensed with order altogether. The Masonites who weren't burning trash or making explosions in their own little tailgate camps were watching the horizon. Just over the hill you could see the tiny fireworks show, the one officially endorsed and produced by the village, unlike Grass Lake, who couldn't afford the liability insurance this year. Fire all around me, and fire in the sky, however faint.

I made a mad dash for the door, gave the requisite nod to the old greeter just beyond, and marched toward the gigantic sign that read "Pets." Two full city blocks away, at least. The sprawling department/grocery store teemed with clusters of high school girls, bundles of fireworks under their arms. Their braces flashed as they approached and pyromania was in their eyes. I watched them pass and cringed to see their thighs pinched at the hip by the tiniest piece of stretch cloth that now passes as shorts. My march broke into a run as I realized the need to flee. The parking lot was only getting worse. Meijer held an unlimited supply of explosives and fireworks, and they were selling them to children for instant fiery gratification as soon as they walked out the door.

Cat food in hand, I sprinted for the U-scan. A cold impersonal check-out was necessary, I can't look any of these fire fiends in the eye. Then to the car, past the same herd of school girls. I half expect the engine to stall, feeling myself in the climax of a horror movie, but it doesn't and I speed off on the same route I took in, dodging the lawnchair encampments, multicolored blazes and streaming rockets. Then back around the knoll away from the children at the gas station and back to my easy-on highway ramp. The haze of smoke lasted another two or three miles down the highway.

Story in journal from LA

I published this story in a journal out of LA (Lower Alabama). I really like the production of the journal. It's called Prick of the Spindle. I'm really happy to publish this one, finally.

from the album "Epocheclipse"...

Space is dark it is so endless
When you're lost it's so relentless
It is so big, it is small
Why does man try to act so tall

Is this the reason
Deep in our minds

It does not feel it does not die
Space is neither truth nor lies
Into the void we have to travel
To find the clue which will unravel

Is this the reason
Deep in our minds

The secret lies with our tomorrow
In each of us is a hidden sorrow
The path goes onward through the night
Beyond the realms of ancient light

Is this the reason
Deep in our minds

life changing

guys, i got a real job! i think i might finally have a career? and i will be making enough money to be considered an adult finally, i think. i'm going to be doing indexing/database stuff for the United Way of Pittsburgh. it's like a dream come true because i get to be a nerd but help people too.

holler!

Calling you out

A visitor from Paris, Ile-de-France viewed "swim club super friends" 5 hours 44 mins ago

Herzog on Colbert Show

Celebrity Sighting

Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, & Mary fame, being interviewed outside a record store in Greenwich Village.  Sounded like a pretty boring discussion of the old folk scene, but I guess there's nothing else you'd want to talk to him about.

More importantly, I found a vinyl copy of Bob Dylan's New Morning in the store for three bucks!  That's the one the Cohen brothers used for The Big Lebowski.

NOLA

I'm going to New Orleans for the first time this weekend. Any tips on things to do/check out?

Gardens - All Is School All Are Teachers

Detroit Cobras

I saw the Detroit Cobras Friday and gave the guitarist a hug.

Caltrain suicides

Yesterday, my train from work was delayed because of a fatality. This happened the day before too. In the last couple of years, it was a trend at Palo Alto High School for brilliant, wealthy students to throw themselves in front of these commuter trains. There was even a group of people who formed to guard platforms to prevent jumpers. It happened once to Natalya when she was on the train. She heard a loud thud. Each time they have to stop for hours until the coroner clears the scene. Yesterday was bad because there was a Giants game and people often use the Caltrain (on which drinking alcohol is allowed) to arrive at the World Series winners' games.

Here's the article:

Caltrain service restored: 2nd fatality in 2 days

(06-09) 18:09 PDT SAN MATEO -- A second person in as many days was killed after being struck on Caltrain tracks.

At about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a southbound train struck and killed a person on the tracks near Bellevue Avenue in San Mateo, said Caltrain spokeswoman Christie Dunn.

Service was disrupted between the Millbrae and Hillsdale stations, but has since been restored. Service was expected to be halted for one hour and fans on the way to the Giants game at AT&T Park were advised to find other means of transportation.

On Wednesday, a man was struck and killed at 12:23 p.m. at Peninsula Avenue in Burlingame in an apparent suicide. His name was not released.

There have been nine Caltrain fatalities this year. Last year there were 11 fatalities.

BeckyYK's Blog

This girl in MTV Promos has a great blog! It's kind of zany -- she deadpans her silly fantasies and Photoshops a lot. You can read it here or take a look at two recent entries below that stood out to me.

Golden Girlize It Up
An Awkward Experience on the Subway

MICHIGAN CONNECTION: Becky's 93-year-old grandma is from Michigan. Becky is from Staten Island.

DAXdelaMONTA @ Twitter

I'm toying around with Twitter. I tweet here.

The Bechdel Test

1. It has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something other than a man.

Bento Designs

Apparently in Japan there's this trend of making bento (cold lunch boxes) into cool cartoony designs.  Examples from this website:

Japanese moms must have a lot of time on their hands.

I feel connected to Greg and Turkey

A visitor from Ankara viewed "swim club super friends" 10 mins ago

Billie Jean Beatboxed

Memorial Day Weekend

What did everyone do?

Yooper Steez

I think these would make great gifts for Paul & Tristan!

The Grand Rapids LipDub

"The Grand Rapids LipDub Video was filmed May 22nd, with 5,000 people, and involved a major shutdown of downtown Grand Rapids, which was filled with marching bands, parades, weddings, motorcades, bridges on fire, and helicopter take offs. It is the largest and longest LipDub video, to date. This video was created as an official response to the Newsweek article calling Grand Rapids a "dying city." We disagreed strongly, and wanted to create a video that encompasses the passion and energy we all feel is growing exponentially, in this great city. We felt Don McLean's "American Pie," a song about death, was in the end, triumphant and filled to the brim with life and hope." Rob Bliss, Director & Executive Producer

The A to Z of Dennis Coffey

Dennis Coffey is a Yooper who became a Detroit funk guitarist. Below is a mix of his work; track breakdown here.

Constellations - The A to Z of Dennis Coffey: A Mix By House Shoes by Strut

Celebrations of Curious Characters by Ricky Jay

I think this would make a great gift for Brian!

Times New Viking - Ever Falling in Love

Cookie-batter

"Maybe I write because blood is thicker than water."

"So's goddamn cookie batter. So what?" Sam said.

Wisonsin Tavern League

This photographer has been going around taking photos of Wisconsin's taverns, which, as I gather, are like bars but more family-friendly and serve food. There are some really charming spots. Albums here.

Not In This Town

"I'm a copper," he said. "Just a plain ordinary copper. Reasonably honest. As honest as you could expect a man to be in a world where it's out of style. That's mainly why I asked you to come in this morning. I'd like you to believe that. Being a copper I like to see the law win. I'd like to see the flashy well-dressed muggs like Eddie Mars spoiling their manicures in the rock quarry at Folsom, alongside of the poor little slum-bred hard guys that got knocked over on their first caper and never had a break since. That's what I'd like. You and me both lived too long to think I'm likely to see it happen. Not in this town, not in any town half this size, in any part of this wide, green and beautiful U.S.A. We just don't run our country that way."

Slayer Goes To Church

The Rapture

See you guys on the other side!

I go, I smoke

I really like this song by Leningrad band Nol' (Zero), an accordion rock n' roll band. The best part is at about 2:55.

Bernard Henri-Levy and Ben Stein suck camel anus.

I'm not endorsing either pieces of the mental excrement I've linked to.

While Dominique Strauss-Kahn has not even been indicted of any charge yet, Bernard Henry-Levy (the French philosopher who has previously defended CONVICTED rapist Roman Polanksi and his continued evasion of justice) and Ben Stein (presidential speechwriter, the boring teacher in Ferris Bueller’s day off, game show host, ill-informed nutjob anti-evolution propagandist and eye-drop salesman) have proven themselves beyond all reasonable doubt to be assholes par excellence. Disgusting pigs, the both of them.

Ramblings of cretinous (my apologies to all cretins) Bernard-Henri Levy

Scribblings of idiot Ben Stein

25 Watts

I saw this Uruguayan slacker comedy the other night -- it's sort of like if Jarmusch had directed Slacker instead of Linklater. Worth tracking down if you can find it. The trailer gives away a little too much, but gives away less if you don't speak Spanish.

Chromosomal Cues

By six weeks, I have eyes and ears. By seven, nostrils, even lips. My genitals begin to form. Fetal hormones, taking chromosomal cues, inhibit Müllerian structures, promote Wolffian ducts. My twenty-three paired chromosomes have linked up and crossed over, spinning their roulette wheel, as my papou puts his hand on my mother's belly and says, "Lucky two!" Arrayed in their regiments, my genes carry out their orders.

Joshua & Mary Jane = parents

Hey everyone. I posted about this a few days ago, but apparently that post was lost with Blogger's service outage. I don't know if it will ever be restored, but I just wanted you all to know (most already do, I think) that I'll be a dad sometime around December 1st. After that, I'm sure I'll be posting mostly baby pictures on here.

Florrie Fisher

This woman is the inspiration for the Jerri Blank character in Strangers with Candy.

How it Happened

Memorial Day Weekend in NYC

Would people be interested in coming to NYC over Memorial Day Weekend for a big visit, like we did a couple years ago?

Suleiman the Magnificent

To anyone out there who has visited, lived in, or considers themselves an expert on Turkey,

I'm departing for Istanbul in about two weeks, and will be there for two weeks. Unfortunately I haven't had much time to research the excursion or put together an itinerary so I was wondering if any of you might be willing to share with me some tips, warnings, recommendations on what to do there. Also, any pertinent book recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Greg

Cold List
Topkapi Palace
Hagia Sophia
24hr harem fuck fest
Massage from large, hairy backed man

Colin Daly?

Colin, I don't know how else to get in touch with you. Send me your information:

ian.singleton@gmail.com

Jim Harrison : a Michigan-born poet and novelist

The Villainy of Hamlet

I published a poem in this journal from Chicago. It's a long blank verse story. This is the first half.

Link.

Lord Huron - The Stranger

A couple guys from Okemos (Ben Schneider and Mark Barry, if you know them) live in LA and started a band; over the past year they've gotten some buzz. The recordings are Ben solo -- he recorded his first EP at his family's cabin on Lake Huron, where they shot the music video below. I saw them play last Friday -- the live iterations of the songs are a bit more energetic, sometimes almost ska-ish, which may be appropriate because they used to be a third-wave ska band in high school called Razor Dave.

Lord Huron - "The Stranger" from Jacob Mendel on Vimeo.

Dads On Vacation

Tumblr here.

Exploding Swedish Fish

Tour poster from The Beets/Christmas Island/Beach Fossils here.

Osama Dead

WHERE'S THE DEATH CERTIFICATE??? The Birther movement will not die; the Deather movement has been born!

All kidding aside, what do you guys make of this news? I guess it's good that they snuffed him before the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 (especially given that Ground Zero is still a work-in-progress). To me, it feels like a grim victory -- I imagine that for people who lost loved ones in 9/11 it's a bit like watching an execution of a murderer; it's satisfying on some level, but it doesn't bring back the person you lost. There's also the theme of closure -- not personal, but in the national psyche. This signifies the end of the 9/11 era -- but wasn't that time eclipsed by the Great Recession? In a weird way, it takes me back to a more simple time -- the nation had one clear objective, to exact revenge by killing this figurehead. But our mission is more muddied and less direct these days, living in the Decline...

If you feel like celebrating -- here.

Band Name

The Out-of-Towners. Begin every set with "Hi, we're The Out-of-Towners, we're from out of town."

Winter 2011

Added March photos -- highlights include Alix Sorrell's birthday, karaoke with workfriends, a visit from Paul, Mikey Barringer's birthday. FB album here.

Armadillos are DANGEROUS!

Beware, inhabitants of the desert southwest:

"Armadillos have never been among the cuddly creatures routinely included in petting zoos, but on Wednesday federal researchers offered a compelling reason to avoid contact with the armored animals altogether: They are a source of leprosy infections in humans."

Do any Super Friends live in the Southwest? Colin is the only one I can think of.

Article here.

D.C. Trip (March 2011)

FB album here.

re: post below

from the onion...

This is not over.

I know we're all reeling a bit from the supposed release of "President" Obama's supposed long-form certificate of live birth, but this is not over.  Hey Obama, how about these other relevant documents, nicely listed by our friends at Atlas Shrugs, the premier Ayn Rand-inspired conservative blog:

"Where are Obama's 

...........

Occidental College records 

Columbia College records 

Columbia Thesis paper 

Harvard College records 

Selective Service Registration 

Medical records 

Illinois State Senate records 

Illinois State Senate schedule

Law practice client list 

Harvard Law Review articles that were published 

University of Chicago scholarly articles 

Record of baptism

I hope that Trump can get to the bottom of this void in Obama's mysterious past."

Yeah, where's your baptism record?  Where's your boring grad school thesis?  WHERE WHERE WHERE WHERE WHERE?!?!?!?  FAKE FAKE FAKE!!

This blog also points out that this birth certificate is just a forgery anyway, as demonstrated in a poorly written report by an anonymous "expert."  

AND to cap it all off, it's actually irrelevant if he was born in the US because his father was Kenyan, so he had dual citizenship growing up, which apparently means he cannot be considered a "natural born citizen" under the terms of the constitution.

SO DON'T BELIEVE FOR A SECOND THAT THIS GUY IS YOUR PRESIDENT.  RIGHT?  RIGHT?  RIGHT?

iPod Touch 2011

Added photos; now includes a secular Seder and pasty cooking. FB album here.

Also, here's a full three minutes of pasty-making action!

Toivo, The Happy Pasty!

Here's a scan of the cartoon I did from Tristan & Annie's pasty display.

Benevolent Anarchy

Some day this world, now seemingly so composed and eternal, to the edges of every sea shall be merely a tangle of gaping trenches, of crashing walls and broken bodies. Everything must be torn from its accustomed place where it has rotted for centuries, hurled skyward and distributed, cast down again clean as rain, without separate identity. Nothing shall survive that the stiffened hands of poverty have created for the rich and no one shall be left alive except the elect spirits destined to procreate a new world cleansed of cruelty and in justice, ruled by benevolent anarchy.

Panic in Detroit

Michigan State Fair @ The Bell House

There's a bar in Brooklyn that is doing a "state fair" for every state, one per month, and yesterday's was Michigan! Tristan and Annie entered the pasty cook-off and won first prize! Photos here.

Crystal Stilts - Through the Floor

Crystal Stilts "Through The Floor" from Slumberland Records on Vimeo.

Easter Vomit - Rhythm Rock

25 Abandoned Soviet Monuments

...that look like they're from the future! Take a look here.

They Call Him Baby D

Loleatta Holloway - Hit & Run

Hikashu - ???

4:20

Happy 4:20 Y'all