The Dilettante's Dilemma

24-Hour Turnaround

2008-09-05T09:53:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's funk has passed...

1. I've got a bunch a houses to look at tomorrow.
2. Nothing to be done about this, but at least I'll get back to The HBG in a few weeks.
3. The pageantry is over, now the real battle begins.
4. "It's merely a flesh wound!"
5. Times of clouds and sun, high 71 degrees.

Plus the draft of the report is almost done, I've got good new music to listen to, and the office closes early today. I am, to quote Dan Wilson, feeling strangely fine.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Rough Day

2008-09-04T09:59:00.002-04:00

1. That house we thought we were going to buy? Not so much. There are good reasons why, but it still means we're back to square one. I'm looking at more houses in the same neighborhood on Saturday.

2. I'm here; my wife and children are here, 682 miles away; given #1, it's likely to stay that way for a while longer.

3. Turns out Sarah Palin can give a great speech (even filled, as it was, with distortions and half- and un-truths) and energize the base, making McCain's gamble pay off. It would have been so much easier over the next two months without an articulate, intelligent candidate in that slot.

4. Five losses in a row and an injured ace (or two). They're still a lock to make the playoffs and odds-on favorites to win the division, but after a season that was remarkably free of bumps in the road, this is a big one.

5. Two straight days without seeing the sun, with no end in sight.

Sarah, Bristol, and Trig Palin: Conspiracy Theory A Go-Go!

2008-09-02T13:01:00.003-04:00

You've all seen the conspiracy theory surrounding republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin's new baby, right? The nutshell version is that it isn't Sarah Palin's baby, it's her daughter Bristol's; there was a huge long diary on DailyKos over the weekend that laid out the entire theory -- it appears to have been taken down but thanks to the power of Google we can read the cached version.

I love this theory. Not in a "oh my god, it must be true" way, but in a "wow, there's an awful lot of circumstantial 'evidence' that feeds into liberal wish fulfillment in a fascinating way" way.

(I should clarify, however, that I don't believe it. If true it would be a cover-up of pretty massive proportions that implicated Palin, her doctor, her entire family, and potentially the McCain campaign. No matter how desperate the McCain people are, there's no way he picks Palin and hopes that something like this doesn't somehow come out. That's way too far on the wrong side of the risk-reward spectrum.)

Still, it's a great crackpot theory. Unfortunately, any possibility that it was true appears to have disappeared with the announcement that Bristol Palin is currently five months pregnant; that timing puts conception before the birth of Trig.

But why let the facts (or should I say "facts") get in the way of a perfectly good conspiracy theory? I laid out the whole theory to my Mom over the weekend, showing her the pictures of a supposedly seven-month pregnant Sarah Palin, the family pictures (my mom: "Sarah's not pregnant, but that girl is!"), etc., and then the story broke yesterday about Bristol's pregnancy. My mom's response? "Well, all they have to do now is announce that Bristol has lost that baby. If that happens, you'll know something was up."

If that were to happen, it would send the crackpot wing of the Democratic Party into a frenzy never before seen. It would be incredible.

Of course, it's not going to happen, and hopefully within a few days we can (as Daryl said to me last night) move past this and focus on the fact that she's completely unqualified to be Vice President.

What's Up?

2008-08-11T17:30:00.004-04:00

So what have you been up to the last six weeks? Me, I've been doing the usual -- buying a house, selling a house, starting a new job, moving halfway across the country, flying all over the place.

It's been difficult to find a topic to post about; typically, the best blog entries are ones that focus on something small and extrapolate some larger truth. With all the huge stuff going on, I worry that the opposite would happen, and whatever I posted would end being trite. Or, you know, triter than usual.

But as the weeks went by I started worrying about my dozens of loyal readers going elsewhere, so here's a post. The short version of events is that I'm ridiculously busy, so busy that I haven't had time to blog about any of the things I might otherwise have: my vacation, Joe Biden, the four-eared cat, the fact that Toby Keith is a Democrat, Zosia's 4th birthday, the Olympics, and any number of other things that have happened recently. But I promise I'll be back (semi-)regularly come next week, and your daily reading experience will be all the richer for it.

And The Wheel Goes Round

2008-07-16T12:34:00.000-04:00

Most of my regular readers already know this story, but I want to make sure I write it down for posterity. As I think I mentioned a few months ago, my tenure at Cutters Edge has come to an end. For a variety of reasons (not all of which I agreed with), the decision was made to close down the office I moved to Harrisburg to open three years ago. My dad offered me a different job within the company but it wasn't a job I was interested in, and I decided this would be a good time to get out of the fire rescue equipment field and back into something I had a better feel for, and got more enjoyment from.

I decided to try to get back into web project management, something I had done plenty of in the 90s before the .com bubble burst and sent me to Cutters Edge in the first place. I spent much of March & April looking for web producer jobs in the area without much success. I did get very close -- it was down to me & one other candidate -- at a company right here in Harrisburg which I would really have enjoyed working at. They regularly place on the "best places to work in Pennsylvania" survey and in the time I spent interviewing I could see why. It was a tight-knit group who seemed to work really hard and get along really well. I really enjoyed the vibe at the office and I was pretty crushed when I didn't get that job.

Once they published their press release showing who they had hired, I went and applied for that guy's old job, at another production company, this time in Lebanon. I went for multiple interviews there, including a half-day spent "shadowing" the PM staff, and once again was one of two finalists. Once again, I didn't get the job. Very demoralizing, especially since those were pretty much the only two leads I had (though in retrospect I think I wouldn't have been too happy at that second company -- the president seemed a bit hard to get along with). In each case, it took them about two months to come to a decision, which meant weeks of waiting and multiple interviews before I was told I wasn't wanted.

After I got turned down for that second job things looked pretty bleak. There just aren't a whole lot of web jobs in central PA for a guy who isn't a programmer, and I was starting to expand my search to project management jobs in industries that didn't really interest me all that much. I was certainly feeling the pressure to provide for my family, something that I hadn't had to deal with the last time I was on the job market.

In early June I re-connected with an old friend on Facebook. This is a guy I met on The Well back when I was living in Chicago -- we quickly became real-life friends as well but once I moved to the Bay Area and he quit The Well we drifted apart. The day I added him as a friend, he sent me a message telling me that his company was hiring, and was I by any chance looking for a job? Now, I have no market research experience but my buddy seemed to think that I would be good in the position, and when he sent over the job description, I had to agree. They were looking for people with good writing skills, strong analytical skills, and knowledge of, and interest in, a wide range of topics.

I spoke to my buddy on the phone a few times and he passed my resume and writing samples on to the VP in charge of hiring. All the while, he regaled me with stories of how tight-knit the office is, and what an awesome time he had working with a tremendous client list (including companies like MTV, MySpace, adidas, the NBA, Sony BMG, ESPN, Disney, Nokia, etc. etc. etc.).

I spoke to the VP a few times and things went well enough that the company flew me to Chicago for a half-day interview. I met with the VP, the president, and a few of the other research directors and managers, and everything went very well. I felt like not only would I be able to do a good job, but that I would enjoy working for the company.

A week later, they made me an offer, I accepted it, and in two weeks I start as a Research Director! I actually already have my first client and have my first business trip all planned for my second day, when I fly to Denver, then Sacramento, then Salt Lake City to do a series of ethnographic (in-home) research studies.

Throughout the process I pushed to allow them to let me stay in Harrisburg, but ultimately they wouldn't go for that, which means that we're moving to Chicago! (This is what is known in the business as "burying your lede.") That's a dream for me, to move back to my home city, but I know it's going to be tough for Daryl and will be a pretty big adjustment for Zosia as well (no big deal for Vivi, I'd say). So, in between business trips and learning not only a new job and company, but a whole new career, we have to sell this house, pack everything up, buy a house in Chicago, and move. All in the next 6-8 weeks.

It's daunting, and at times terrifying, but the end result is going to be really positive. After the multiple rejections it is really nice to be wanted by a company, and specifically to be appreciated not just for my skillset but for what I enjoy doing. The sorts of things this company does are the sorts of things I already did in my spare time -- the possibility of getting paid to talk about new products, product positioning, branding, etc., is almost too good to be true.

This is a job with a future, I think. I didn't have a future at Cutters Edge -- at least not one that was all that attractive. Now I have something to look forward to that could be rewarding not only professionally, but personally as well. All I have to do is get through the next few weeks of The Present to get to that future.

Memetics: The EW Music List

2008-07-02T12:43:00.001-04:00

Like the movie list, the music list ends up almost entirely bold-faced. More than movies or books, I love music, and there is very little of importance or "quality" (however defined) that I don't have -- at least when it comes to the rock spectrum that Entertainment Weekly chronicles.

Much of what I don't have, I used to have but lost in the fire and never managed/bothered to reacquire.

1. Purple Rain Prince and the Revolution (1984)
2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill (1998)
3. Achtung Baby U2 (1991)
4. The College Dropout Kanye West (2004)
5. Madonna Madonna (1983)
6. American Idiot Green Day (2004)
7. The Blueprint Jay-Z (2001)
8. Graceland Paul Simon (1986)
9. Back to Black Amy Winehouse (2007)
10. In Rainbows Radiohead (2007)
11. MTV Unplugged in New York Nirvana (1994)
12. Stankonia OutKast (2000)
13. You Are Free Cat Power (2003)
14. Disintegration The Cure (1989)
15. The Marshall Mathers LP Eminem (2000)
16. Rain Dogs Tom Waits (1985)
17. Odelay Beck (1996)
18. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm A Tribe Called Quest (1990)
19. Dangerously in Love Beyoncé (2003)
20. Tidal Fiona Apple (1996)
21. The Emancipation of Mimi Mariah Carey (2005)
22. 3 Feet High and Rising De La Soul (1989)
23. The Soft Bulletin The Flaming Lips (1999)
24. Come On Over Shania Twain (1997)
25. Turn On the Bright Lights Interpol (2002)
26. Time Out of Mind Bob Dylan (1997)
27. Funeral Arcade Fire (2004)
28. Illmatic Nas (1994)
29. Breakaway Kelly Clarkson (2004)
30. Appetite for Destruction Guns N' Roses (1987)
31. FutureSex/LoveSounds Justin Timberlake (2006)
32. Life's Rich Pageant R.E.M. (1985)
33. As I Am Alicia Keys (2007)
34. Is This It The Strokes (2001)
35. Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morissette (1995)
36. CrazySexyCool TLC (1994)
37. The Moon & Antarctica Modest Mouse (2000)
38. Raising Hell Run-DMC (1986)
39. Sheryl Crow Sheryl Crow (1996)
40. Ready to Die The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)
41. Legend Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984)
42. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Wu-Tang Clan (1993)
43. Paul's Boutique Beastie Boys (1989)
44. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road Lucinda Williams (1998)
45. If You're Feeling Sinister Belle and Sebastian (1996)
46. Homogenic Björk (1997)
47. Exile in Guyville Liz Phair (1993)
48. American IV: The Man Comes Around Johnny Cash (2002)
49. A Rush of Blood to the Head Coldplay (2002)
50. Sounds of Silver LCD Soundsystem (2007)
51. The Score Fugees (1996)
52. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Spoon (2007)
53. King of America Elvis Costello (1986)
54. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 Janet Jackson (1989)
55. It Takes a Nation of Millions... Public Enemy (1988)
56. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Wilco (2002)
57. Harvest Moon Neil Young (1992)
58. Surfer Rosa The Pixies (1988)
59. Ray of Light Madonna (1998)
60. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain Pavement (1994)
61. Paid in Full Eric B. & Rakim (1987)
62. OK Computer Radiohead (1997)
63. The Joshua Tree U2 (1987)
64. Mama's Gun Erykah Badu (2000)
65. Elephant The White Stripes (2003)
66. The Chronic Dr. Dre (1992)
67. Metallica Metallica (1991)
68. Wrecking Ball Emmylou Harris (1995)
69. Give Up The Postal Service (2003)
70. My Life Mary J. Blige (1994)
71. Rock Steady No Doubt (2001)
72. 1984 Van Halen (1984)
73. The Queen is Dead Smiths (1986)
74. Play Moby (1999)
75. Born in the U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen (1984)
76. Heartbreaker Ryan Adams (2000)
77. Dummy Portishead (1994)
78. Vs. Pearl Jam (1991)
79. Let It Be The Replacements (1984)
80. Back to Basics Christina Aguilera (2006)
81. The Downward Spiral Nine Inch Nails (1994)
82. Grace Jeff Buckley (1994)
83. Learning to Crawl The Pretenders (1984)
84. Low-Life New Order (1985)
85. Home Dixie Chicks (2002)
86. Loveless My Bloody Valentine (1991)
87. All Eyez on Me 2Pac (1996)
88. So Peter Gabriel (1986)
89. Bachelor No. 2 Aimee Mann (2000)
90. Toxicity System of a Down (2001)
91. Siamese Dream Smashing Pumpkins (1993)
92. The Writing's on the Wall Destiny’s Child (1999)
93. Either/Or Elliott Smith (1997)
94. Synchronicity The Police (1983)
95. Trap Muzik T.I. (2003)
96. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea PJ Harvey (2000)
97. Britney Britney Spears (2001)
98. Transatlanticism Death Cab for Cutie (2003)
99. Live Through This Hole (1994)
100. Faith George Michael (1987)

After doing the book list I am not at all surprised that of the 28 albums I don't have, 19 are by female artists or bands fronted by women.

Memetics: The EW Movie List

2008-06-30T08:01:00.000-04:00

Another listicle from EW for us all to pore over -- the 100 best films from 1983-2008:

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
3. Titanic (1997)
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
20. The Lion King (1994)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)
46. Children of Men (2006)
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

Unsurprisingly, I did better on this list than I did on the book list -- I've seen 95 of these 100 movies, and two of the five I haven't seen are on my to-watch list (There Will Be Blood and The Lives of Others). The other three are all chick flicks, more or less, though I'm actually surprised I never watched Hannah and Her Sisters, which is always at or near the top of any "Best Woody Allen Films" list, or Pretty Woman, which is on cable all the time. As far as Out of Africa goes, eh.

Music Friday: Crazy Cambodian Garage Rock

2008-06-27T12:07:00.003-04:00

Yes It Does

Wanna hear something really cool? Check this out:

Cambodian Rocks

My pal JoeyX mentioned this album on The Well the other day. It's a compilation of Cambodian psychedelic and garage rock from the late 60s and early 70s that was "compiled by an American tourist named Paul Wheeler from some cassettes he bought in Phnom Penh."

WFMU originally posted the tracks without any attribution (that's the way they are on the album) but thanks to the power of the Internet the song & artist information has been filled in. It's great stuff, full of fuzzy guitars and Farfisa licks that sound like they were lifted straight off the Nuggets record. Play it at your next party and I guarantee you'll have people asking about it once they stop dancing to it.

Memetics: The EW Book List

2008-06-26T08:37:00.003-04:00

I am a sucker for lists; I have been since I was a kid. Anytime a magazine spits out a listicle I am inclined to read it and see how many of the the albums/books/movies on the list I have seen/read.

So when Marjorie pointed me at the Entertainment Weekly list of the 100 Best Books Since 1983 (part of their New Classics series -- I'll blog the other lists later as well), I had to see how I did. The answer is: not very well. Here's the list, with the Books I've read in bold:

1. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

That's 33, which is not very good. But here's what's even worse:

There are 58 books written by men on that list; I've read 31.
There are 42 books written by women on that list; I've read 2.

I am: ashamed. A few of these books (Lovely Bones, Birds of America, Fun Home, Comfort Me With Apples) I remember bringing home from the library for Daryl to read; another bunch (Secret History, Lovely Bones, Kite Runner, Liar's Club, Joy Luck Club, Poisonwood Bible) are books that either Daryl or my mom have been telling me to read for years. I guess I really should read them.

Marjorie tells me I shouldn't be ashamed, that we read what we are drawn to, but still. Call it male guilt, but I feel like plenty of these books are books I should have read by now. Not all of them -- I'll probably never read Bridget Jones' Diary or The Stone Diaries, for (diametrically opposed) example -- but some of them, like Possession, A Thousand Acres, Gilead, and some of the non-fiction (Eat Pray Love, Nickle & Dimed) are going on my ever-growing book list.

What To Drink

2008-06-25T13:36:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Mark Bittman, I now have the entire menu for wht I'll be drinking this summer:

Be Your Own Mixologist

As Bittman points out in this article, just about any combination of liquor, a little sugar, and something sour is a named drink. So if you know how to make one, you can make any of them, depending on what you're in the mood for, and what's in the house. Here's his handy clip-and-save list:

GIMLET: Gin (traditionally) or vodka (more recently), with sugar and lime (or Rose’s Lime Juice).

TOM COLLINS: Gin with lemon instead of lime, sugar and club soda. There are also bourbon, rum, or vodka collinses.

SLOE GIN FIZZ: Tom Collins with sloe gin.

DAIQUIRI: Gimlet with rum, more or less.

MARGARITA: Gimlet with tequila, with triple sec instead of sugar.

KAMIKAZE: Margarita with vodka.

COSMO: Kamikaze with a splash of cranberry juice.

SIDECAR: Margarita with cognac and lemon instead of lime.

To this list I would of course add:

MIDTOWN: Kamikaze with pomegranate juice, more or less.

Drink up!

Must Watch: Lara Logan on The Daily Show

2008-06-20T11:53:00.003-04:00

I have become a member of the cult of Lara Logan, after this interview on The Daily Show earlier this week. Watch the whole thing, it's fantastic.

"If I were to watch the news that you're hearing here in the United States, I'd just blow my brains out, because it would just drive me nuts."

"You get in a Humvee with soldiers, they're all on their best behavior, they've been told not to swear about you, and you say, 'Yo, what's up, motherfuckers?' and then it's all done."

"You know, I was asked once, 'do you feel responsible for the American people having a bad view -— a negative view -— of the war in Iraq?' and I looked at the reporter, and I said, 'Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier. What does that look like? Who in America knows what that looks like? 'Cause I know what that looks like, and I feel responsible for the fact that no one else does.'"

Candor from a MSM correspondent, anger, and a desire to get the real story out to the American people, with a feeling that if she doesn't she's failing us. Pretty damned impressive. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention her hottness.

According to Wikipedia, Logan has been in Iraq and Afghanistan ever since she essentially snuck in via Russia in November of 2001. Also, she pissed off Michelle Malkin, which is always a good thing. She's now Chief Foreign Correspondent for CBS News and her reports appear regularly on 60 Minutes, a show I will definitely need to start watching again.

Attacks In Midtown

2008-06-19T14:37:00.001-04:00

This weekend saw a couple of assaults in my neighborhood:

Attacks unnerve residents

The first was on a residential block about two blocks from my house; the second was in front of a bar about 7 blocks away (a quick aside: I wouldn't describe Shady's as "near the Broad Street Market." I'm sure the management of the Market was un-psyched to see it pop up in this article; they need all the help they can get attracting visitors).

The article I linked to is a typical nearly-useless Patriot-News article, but it does have an interesting quote from Mayor-For-Life Reed:

"We aren't going to tolerate that crap," Reed said. "If we find them, we will arrest and prosecute them."

I am of two minds about our tough-talking mayor. On the one hand, I wonder if he gets this upset when kids get shot in Allison Hill, or only when people get beat up in the one neighborhood that can be pointed to as a New Urbanist success? In general I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he gets upset anytime someone gets assaulted; it's just that the Patriot-News doesn't bother going to him for a quote because they figure assaults in black neighborhoods don't sell papers.

On the other hand, I'm glad he's upset, and publicly, because THIS IS MY NEIGHBORHOOD. There was a roving gang of eight to ten hooligans beating people up, just a few blocks from my house! That is fucking scary. So, yeah, Steve, glad you're pissed. Now let's see the HPD do something about it.

[UPDATE 6/20}: The Penn Street crew (of which I am an auxilliary member) was out in full force last night, with about a dozen of us hanging out on the block for about three hours. We've been doing this since long before these recent attacks, but it seemed like an opportune time to re-convene.

While we were out, a patrol car came down the street, followed a few hours later by an officer on foot with a police dog (who also made an appearance up on Susquehanna, according to some friends up there). Then, right after I went in, a couple plainclothes in a van stopped by and mentioned that they had caught two of the kids:

2 Juveniles Arrested In Midtown Robberies

So, right on. A little increased police presence and at least two of these guys are in custody. Let's hope the police attnetion doesn't fade away, not just in Mindtown but throught the city.

Random Thoughts After Listening to 10 Minutes of the Light Classic Rock Station

2008-06-18T13:04:00.000-04:00

1. As much as I hate the country station that's usually on in the shop, I would gladly listen to that "stick a boot in your ass" song a hundred times instead of being subjected to "All Out Of Love" even once.

2. The line "she blew my nose, and then she blew my mind" confused the hell out of me when I was a little kid.

3. When you open a dictionary to the page that has the word "funky" on it, there ought to be a little microchip that plays the opening bars of "Superstition."

4. If I was walking down the street one day, and I asked a man what the time was that was on his watch, and he said "does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?" I would punch him in the throat.

Must Read: Michael Lewis on Baseball in Cuba

2008-06-13T13:58:00.001-04:00

Jonah Keri calls this "the best baseball article you'll read all year," and he's right. Michael Lewis (of 'Moneyball' and 'Liar's Poker' fame) writes about the state of baseball in Cuba.

Commie Ball: A Journey to the End of a Revolution

This is reporting at its best. Do yourself a favor and read this over the weekend -- you'll be glad you did.

Why To Vote Republican

2008-06-13T10:04:00.000-04:00

Welcome to 2001, UGI

2008-06-11T12:16:00.003-04:00

UGI Utilities has finally implemented online bill payment. For the last two years, the UGI bill has been the only monthly expense I had to write a check for -- everything else, from the phone to daycare to the mortgage, is paid online (and, in fact, automatically).

This cuts my time spent on monthly bills to almost nil -- just an occasional check of the checking account to make sure no one has stolen my identity and my money, and a few minutes here & there tweaking the Excel spreadsheet. Plus, thanks to autopay, I'm never late on any payments. That's a big plus for someone with a tendency to procrastinate like me.

The only downside is that I'm pretty much locked into the bank I have my checking account at -- I can't imagine the hassle involved with changing over the various autopays.

But, that's a small concern; overall I'm just glad that I've finally, in 2008, gotten back to point I was at in 2001 before I left the Bay Area and struck out for the less tech-savvy parts of the country I've lived in since. Now if someone could just figure out a way to bring back Webvan...

Congrats to The Kid

2008-06-10T10:15:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Ken Griffey Jr. for hitting home run #600 last night in Miami. Encomiums (encomia?) are

Sweet-swingin' Ken Griffey

appearing throughout the baseball world as the first untainted 600 in 37 years* comes courtesy of one of the prettiest swings in the history of major league baseball.

As is often the case, Joe Posnanski has one of the best columns about this milestone:

Joe Posnanski: 600 Words for Junior

"There's a pitcher I know who gave up three home runs to Ken Griffey — three of the 600 — and when I asked what it was like to give up a homer to Junior, he said: "You know, that swing is so damn pretty, it’s almost an honor."

Next up in the 600 Club is A-Rod, who should hit his around the end of the 2009 season. He will be an interesting case: untainted by steroid accusations but admired rather than beloved.

* -- I have no idea if Griffey is untainted by steroids. I hope he is. But no one knows, and it's been disappointing to see story after story talk about how Griffey "did it the right way." Will Leitch points out the disservice this rhetorical tactic does to Griffey:

"The implication, of course, is that Griffey hit all his home runs without steroids, unlike Barry Bonds and (presumably) Sammy Sosa. This seems more an insult to Griffey than to the alleged users. Praising Griffey by denigrating others' accomplishment doesn't allow Griffey to stand on his own, turns him into a martyr rather than the upper echelon Hall of Famer he is. Griffey should not be defined by others.

And since I'm giving love to Deadspin (not that they ever give any love to The Cub Reporter), here's my favorite Griffey story.

Movie Friday: SideStreet Cinema

2008-06-06T09:09:00.001-04:00

Movies instead of music this week, as I finally got confirmation that SideStreet Cinema is back! I'll be there, Midtown cocktail in hand, for 'Dazed & Confused' this Saturday, and 'Raising

Son, you got a panty on your head.

Arizona' in a few weeks for sure. I'm glad to see they're doing the live music thing again, this time for the awesome 'Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.'

Here's the press release with the dates & movies:

----------

SideStreet Cinema returns to Midtown Harrisburg this summer. Moviate and The Salvation Army will kick off the outdoor movie series this Saturday, June 7. The screenings, held biweekly at the corner of Green and Cumberland streets, begin at 9 p.m. A $5 donation is requested and benefits The Salvation Army and Moviate Film Camp and Filmmaker In-Person Series.

Nonna's will provide hot dogs, Italian ice and Boylan's soda for most screenings.

SCHEDULE:
Saturday, June 7: "DAZED AND CONFUSED"
Saturday, June 21: "BARBARELLA"
Saturday, July 5: "RAISING ARIZONA"
Saturday, July 19: "FORBIDDEN PLANET"
Saturday, August 2: "SERIAL MOM"
Saturday, August 16: "MR. HULOT'S HOLIDAY"
Saturday, August 30: "THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI" with LIVE ACCOMPANIMENT

For more information, go to www.moviate.org.

An Email to Mike Doughty: The Harrisburg Show and "Super Bon Bon"

2008-06-02T14:39:00.003-04:00

Mike,

I was at your free show at the Abbey at Appalachian Brewing Company in Harrisburg over the weekend. I've been a fan since the Soul Coughing days -- I doubt there's been a record over the last year that I anticipated more than Golden Delicious -- and have been lucky to see you twice in central PA over the last few months (thanks for that -- it seems like no one ever comes to the mid-state at all, and here you are twice).

I really enjoyed the set at ABC (and was very psyched you and Scrap played "Madeline and Nine" since you didn't in Lancaster), but I have to say I was bummed by some of the in-between song comments you made. Since you didn't seem to be playing off a playlist, lots of people shouted song suggestions in between songs, and you'd respond by saying "yes," "no," "maybe," etc. From the live recordings I've heard of your shows, and from the show in Lancaster, I'd say you're one of the best musicians around when it comes to interacting with the crowd. You respond to fans' comments, joke around, etc. It's so much more fun than watching a guy who just stands on stage, plays his songs, and then leaves, and it really makes people in the crowd feel more connected to you and to the show.

At least two different times on Saturday, though, you responded to people shouting out requests for Soul Coughing songs by slagging the songs. And not just by saying something like "naah, I'm not gonna play that," or "man am I sick of that one." I believe you referred to "Super Bon Bon" as the worst song you ever wrote, said you were embarrassed by it, apologized to America for writing it, and would never play it again. Or words to that effect.

Obviously I don't know anything about the inner workings of Soul Coughing, so I have no idea of the particulars surrounding that (or any other) song. Obviously it wasn't a positive experience for you, and judging from your most recent blog entry this is far from the first time that you've gotten upset at the crowd for requesting that particular song.

From my standpoint as a fan, though, I love that song. "Super Bon Bon" has long been one of my all-time favorites of yours; it's got a great beat and you can dance to it, and it's taken on a whole new meaning for me recently now that my three year old daughter loves it too. She starts dancing and singing along whenever it comes on. It's awesome and it puts you on par with Gustafer Yellowgold and Ramones in her eyes -- heady company indeed.

In an essay published after Kurt Cobain's death, New Yorker music writer Alex Ross wrote this:

"Music is robbed of its intentions and associations as it goes out into the great wide open; like a rumor passed through a crowd, it emerges utterly changed. Pop songs become the property of their fans and are marked with the circumstances of their consumption, not their creation."

My brother, who is a musician, disagrees with Ross, and I imagine you might too. But as someone who hasn't created any art which has made it out into "the great wide open" but has consumed his share, I think there's a lot of truth in that statement. I get that you aren't happy with some of the songs you wrote -- I doubt any artist is happy with everything he's created -- and if you don't want to play them, that's cool. But even the songs you dislike have lots of meaning, and positive associations, to me and other fans. The act of listening to a song is only a small part of the experience that surrounds the song, an experience that changes with every interaction with the song, whether it's listening to the original CD, or hearing it live, or done by someone else, or used to market a TV show or a video game or a drug-addled blowhard on the radio.

The next time I put on Irresistible Bliss will I be thinking, "which other songs on this record does Mike hate"? Maybe. Ross might say that's just another circumstance that influences my consumption, and he'd be right, but it'll still be a bummer.

Don't get me wrong -- I had a great time at the show. I hope you guys enjoyed playing the Hbg and the next time you're on tour you'll consider the ABC again. If you do, I'll be there digging whatever you play, and if you don't, I'll go to whatever venue in a two-hour radius you do end up at. And I feel weird writing an email to you in which I'm basically whining about what was a really small part of show that was awesome overall. I just wish you hadn't felt compelled to share those particular comments with us on Saturday night -- it was the only downer moment (for me) of a great evening.

Best,

Christian Ruzich

WANT

2008-06-02T08:17:00.000-04:00

Back before the Internet, I remember seeing ads for a little handheld gizmo that displayed baseball scores. I imagine it was cellular; you could scroll through all

Niiiiice.

the games in progress and see the score, men on base, count, etc. If I remember correctly, it even had some sort of notification feature that would let you know when your team scored. I don't remember much about them other than it seemed REALLY COOL to be able to get scores whenever you wanted them, and I really wanted one.

With the advent of the Internet I assumed that this sort of thing would have died out -- after all, when you've got Gamecast and other things that let you follow a game (or multiple games) pitch by pitch, why would you need a standalone appliance?

Apparently someone thinks people do, because there's this:

Liveboard - Live Baseball Scoreboard

And you know what? I totally want one. Brookstone's is cheaper and more flexible, since it doesn't require an Internet connection, but that Liveboard sure is pretty. It would look very nice on my desk. If only it didn't cost $200.

Music Friday: Music Intelligence Quiz

2008-05-30T10:27:00.002-04:00

Here's a fun little music quiz created by eMusic. It's a mix of pretty easy questions and "who the hell knows that?" stuff.

Music Intelligence Quiz

I scored a 141, just below the "musical magician" level. Not sure how the scoring works, since I got 24 right out of 30. I'm guessing some questions are weighted differently than others. If you care, the ones I got wrong were #5, #9, #12, #16, #20, and #27. I'm embarrassed about two of those.

On another musical note, don't forget: Mike Doughty's free show at ABC is this Saturday. It's part of their 11th anniversary festival -- there's live music outside starting at 4:00, and then Doughty and Scrap Livingston play inside at around 9:30, followed by a DJ set by Doughty into the wee hours. Should be a blast!

Fuck Scott McClellan.

2008-05-29T15:54:00.004-04:00

Excepts from McClellan's upcoming book are in the news, as the former press secretary levels more charges of dishonesty to add to what his publisher released in November, and he's getting a ton of press and making the rounds of the TV news shows to talk

Fuck This Guy

about it. Basically he's taking President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and the rest of the administration to task for lying on a number of issues of critical importance, things that literally are a matter of life and death.

Yes, that's right -- they lied. And what's worse (to McClellan), they lied to him. I'm sure it's tough to find out that your boss lied to you, but I have a hard time garnering any sympathy for him. What did he expect? He was the public face of a presidential administration which will go down as one of the worst in American history, and try as he might to distance himself from their actions, it can't be done.

Look, it's all well and good for him to come out now and talk about how the Administration got it wrong on the war and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and how Rove and Cheney lied to him about Valerie Plame. Maybe he really has been troubled over the last few years by what went on while he worked at the White House.

But, you know, lots of people were saying those things at the time and McClellan was one of the main people responsible for making sure those people were ignored or ridiculed instead of paid attention to. What is this going to accomplish, besides selling some books? It's way too little, way too late.

Fuck him.

Hypermiling: I'm a Believer

2008-05-28T09:54:00.005-04:00

I recently wrote about hypermiling for a publication that you all are not allowed to read. In a nutshell, hypermiling is using driving techniques to increase your car's mileage without making any mechanical adjustments to the car.

After doing my research for the article, I realized that much of what hypermilers do is pretty simple. Some people go a little overboard, but just doing four things can significantly increase gas mileage:

* Drive the speed limit
* Accelerate slowly
* Use the cruise control whenever possible
* Coast to stop lights/signs

I concentrated on these four things over the last week, after filling up the Company Vehicle, and I employed a couple other advanced techniques (park in pull-through spots to avoid going into reverse, turn off engine at long stop lights) as well. The results:

Pre-hypermiling: 14.9 mpg
Post-hypermiling: 18.4 mpg

That's a 23.5% increase, or 63 more miles out of a tank of gas, without changing my driving habits that much (well, except for the no speeding thing, which is difficult). Just think how much gas I'd be saving if I weren't driving a giant truck!

Since my truck has instant MPG readings, it's like a videogame: "ooh, I'm up to 21 MPG! Ohhh, 15 minutes in stop-and-go traffic and I'm back down to 16." I had to think about for the first week but now the techniques are starting to come naturally. Give it a try for yourselves and see what you can do...

[UPDATE 6/4]: I actually ended up at 19.0 mpg for the full tank, thanks to a mostly-highway trip out to Lebanon. That's an increase of 27.5%, or 82 miles, out of the full tank.

Dear Internet: Why Am I Just Finding Out About This Now?

2008-05-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

X, with both John and Exene, playing live? With Detroit Cobras opening? If only it weren't 3 1/2 hours away, and starting in 6 1/2 hours:

Original lineup of L.A. punk legends X plays the Rex Theatre - Pittsburgh

Isn't the great promise of the Internet that all information which is of vital importance to you will be easily accessible to you? Technically I guess this was accessible, I just didn't access it until it was too late.

Off to put on 'Wild Gift' as a pale consolation...

Music Friday: R. Kelly, the Peeing-est Serial Statutory Rapist In R&B

2008-05-23T09:43:00.002-04:00

(Sorry, allegedserial stautory rapist.)

Josh Levin of Slate covers the R. Kelly child pornography trial, and manages to find humor in the trial of a guy accused of (in this instance) of filming himself having sex with (and peeing on) an underage girl -- not the only time he's been accused of this, by a long shot.

Josh Levin's coverage of the R. Kelly trial in Slate

You'll want to bookmark this one; we're only two days in and we've already heard about The Money Store, The 'Little Man' defense, and the vengeance of Sparkle.