| (white noise) |
[Sep. 4th, 2008|10:14 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  worried | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Maps & Atlases | ] |
John McCain is giving his address at the RNC convention right now. I can't deal with it.
Hey, I'm going to Europe! Bought an airline ticket yesterday for eight days in the north of England. Leaving Sept 29, returning Oct 7. Why there? Well, hotels are expensive, and I can stay with my colleague/friend Colin. Plus, I've always wanted to see places like Liverpool, Manchester, York, etc. Colin's working on getting us tickets for the Liverpool vs Manchester City match on Oct 4, which would be sweet indeed.
The last time I was in Europe was June 2006, for World Cup in Germany. I was rummaging through some stuff and came across a notebook for an article I started writing, but didn't finish, knowing it probably wouldn't have found a home anyway.
Here's some of the things Iwrote down:
* Worst idea for fast food in Germany: "currywurst"
* Bad Durkheim is a small city - more a big town really - yet it has a modern streetcar system. Why can't we do this for our large cities?
* German cities have faceless suburbs too; I give you Niederrad, outside Frankfurt, with soulless corporate parks and all.
* There are only two types of women at the World Cup: those who are serving food & drinks, and those who are with their boyfriends.
* What's on German television? Well, there's ALF, Little House on the Prairie, The Nanny, and a L'Oreal commercial with Jane Fonda. If you thought Fran Drescher sounded weird in English...
Whoa - Code Pink just interrupted McCain's speech. Yikes.
Where was I?
* When I wear my Arsenal shirt around English people at the World Cup, I feel kinda dumb.
* In 2000, when I visited Europe, the song you couldn't get away from was "Sex Bomb" by Tom Jones. This time, it's "Doncha Wish" by Black Eyed Peas.
* The only time I ever eat cheese for breakfast is in Europe. Hard-boiled eggs in Germany are served in those wafer cones you get soft-serve ice cream in. Tonic water in Germany has actual quinine in it, and is undrinkably bitter.
* Berlin is full of crusty punks, and they're annoying as shit. On the bright side, I saw a guy playing a Hurdy Gurdy, and that made me happy.
* Asshole American Comment, First Prize -- USA fan to Germans cheering for Ghana: "Hey, at least we won the war!"
* Asshole American Comment, Runner Up -- Different ugly USA fan to French fans: "See if we ever help you again!"
* Most Americans were really nice and well behaved there; the most irritating thing they did was they were constantly showing off their soccer ball-juggling skills in train stations and parks and town plazas. Put the ball down, kids. Have a sausage.
Right on, right on. Don't forget to vote this November. This is a big election. |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 3rd, 2008|06:32 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  annoyed | ] |
Yeah, so, sorry I never did get around to posting my thoughts on the Summer Olympics. I had a lot of them, and enjoyed the coverage and the competitions immensely, but couldn't be arsed to write about it. I think I've reached my threshold on internet communication.
In other news, the Palin story just gets more hilarious by the hour. Wonkette has had some good stuff. Chiggidy-check-it:
http://wonkette.com/402464/a-childrens-treasury-of-random-photos-of-sarah-palin-or-the-rnc
I love the photo of the Wasilla City Hall, a place in which -- less than two years ago -- Palin had an office as mayor. Now the Republicans are asking America to consider this person as a suitable back-up president. And they're doing it with a straight face. Unreal.
The photo of Palin holding a rifle while wearing an American flag bikini is almost certainly fake, but it pretty much sums up my impression of her at this time.
EDIT: Well known Republican insiders privately speak about what a pile of shit the Palin selection is: http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080903/pl_politico/20576
But who cares what the consultants think as long as 51% of the public is fooled? |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 31st, 2008|01:47 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  determined | ] |
It occurs to me that three of my last four posts have been band-related, and even the fourth one had band stuff too. Sorry about that! What can I say... it's the dog days of summer, and I'm feeling pretty doldrumatic lately. Music is the only thing that gets me amped right now.
Another thing that gets me amped is travel, but I haven't done any substantial trips in two years. I have 90 hours of vacation time saved up, so what's the problem? High prices, deluge of projects at work, no one to go with, etc. I'm so envious of Mr Dave and Mrs Natasha, who are in Denmark at this very moment, that it's made me start thinking again of doing a trip. My friend Colin lives near Manchester, so I was pondering maybe 10 days in the north of England and Scotland. Go to some footy matches, hit the pubs, take pictures of industrial blight -- could be a fine time! And Disco Scott is there too... Hi, Scott! Another alternative is Barcelona and Valencia for 10 days. That seems like the kind of trip I'd want to do with someone else, preferably of the girl half of the species, but fuck it -- maybe I'll just go by myself. Will it be more or less interesting vacationing alone? Don't know until you try.
I did go up to Long Island last weekend for a family event, and that was pretty fun, though not what you'd call a vacation. There are a bunch of loony tunes in my extended clan, but some of them are cool and interesting to talk with. A lot of babies though -- my word. No offense to those of you who are the proud owner/operator of a small child, but I watch the crying and the pooping and the repeated "No, don't put that in your mouth!" and I think, Man, I'm glad that's not my life! If that is your life, you are truly a brave soul.
Taylor's idea to go to AFI more often is a good one. I've been there a few times, and it's fantastic; a great resource for our area. I haven't seen many films lately that have made me go "wow," so it's cool that AFI dips into the archives for timeless classics... amazing stuff we were too young or not around yet to see when they originally hit the screens.
I've been a vegetarian for 17 years, but starting tomorrow, I'm going vegan for a month. Just to see if I can. If it's especially hard (oh, pizza - how I'll miss you) I can always go back, but I'm just curious to see what effects are produced by not eating dairy and eggs in addition to meat. Will keep you posted. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 30th, 2008|11:50 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  hyper | ] |
Hey, I just wanted to say thanks to you guys -- Rob, Beth, Mike, and Doug -- for coming out to the show Friday night. It really means a lot to me, and I hope you were sufficiently rock'd!
Never too early to announce the next show. I know, it's a work night (lame), and that's a tall order, but if you want to see what rock music is all about, you MUST witness Caverns live. See them in an intimate venue while you can, because I predict that they're totally heading for the summer festival circuit in 2009.
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 10th, 2008|12:20 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | disappointed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | air conditioner and the sound of fluid crackling in my left ear | ] |
Xraytheenforcer will be pleased to know that Imperial China has named one of its new songs "Mortal Wombat".
This has been a rough week. Can I get some wombat love from y'all? |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 5th, 2008|12:33 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  relaxed | ] |
At my parents' house in Va Beach now. Actually I should just say "at my parents' house" and leave it at that, because people always think I'm doing beach-related things, and I'm not. I don't go to beaches.
What I am doing, however, is a lot of sleeping in late, reading, and watching quality tv. The best way for me to celebrate the 4th of July is to watch all seven episodes of John Adams on HBO, which is fucking brilliant. I also saw WALL-E, which was absolutely breathtaking from a technical and artistic standpoint, and had some sharp satire on consumer culture and our over-reliance on technology, though the storyline was kinda weak.
For those who don't know, there's a very large marshland in southeastern Virginia called the Dismal Swamp. This is true, even though it sounds like something from the Princess Bride. Well, large sections of the swamp have been burning out of control for weeks, casting a pungent haze over the area. I've never seen (or breathed) anything quite like this -- it's hard to be outside for more than a half hour without getting a headache.
Next two Imperial China shows: Friday, July 25, at Velvet Lounge with Len Bias (DC), Bound Stems (Chicago), and Seeing Eyeball (Pittsburgh). We play second. That show is gonna be packed, so try to get there early if you plan to come. Then, Wed, Aug 27, at the Black Cat downstairs with Caverns and True Womanhood, both from DC, and both great bands. We headline that one.
Hope you all are having a lovely weekend. |
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| Ovechkin wins Hart Trophy... |
[Jun. 14th, 2008|03:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | good | ] |
...and so it's official -- he's more valuable than Crosby and Malkin. Sorry to rub salt in those wounds, Pittsburgh.
"I have key for the city. And I'm the president this day in the city, so everybody have fun - and no speed limit."
- Alex Ovechkin upon accepting the Key to the City from DC Mayor Adrian Fenty. |
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| Totally bumming |
[Jun. 13th, 2008|04:03 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | sad | ] |
I just read a minute ago that Tim Russert of Meet the Press died of a heart attack today. He was only 58.
I don't usually get all weepy over celebrity deaths, but this one is like a punch in the gut for me. I'm seriously welling up right now. In a media world filled with meaningless soundbites, bias, and shoddy coverage, Russert was a titan of fairness and professionalism.
Meet the Press is one of only three programs I Tivo every week and I haven't missed an episode in probably a dozen years. Wow - I just can't believe Tim Russert is gone. He'll be missed. |
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| I hate it when... |
[May. 25th, 2008|09:46 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | calm | ] |
| [ | music |
| | murmansk | ] |
...you're trying to do a show and bunnies come on stage and destroy your equipment.
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| (no subject) |
[May. 15th, 2008|11:42 am] |
| [ | mood |
| | frustrated | ] |
Hey all you DC guys: I've just bought a new DVD player and I'm having a dickens of a time hooking it up to the receiver/TV/cable box or whatever it needs to be hooked up to so that it can run through both the TV and stereo speakers. The instructions are useless; there's just a dense tangle of wires behind my TV and I've given up hope of sorting the mess out myself. In short: HELP!
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| Weirdest radio convo ever. |
[May. 9th, 2008|02:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | sleepy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Polvo tonight at the Black Cat | ] |
As some of you may know, this week marked the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel. So I have NPR on last night, and the host and a couple of Israeli scholars were talking about that subject. I'm kind of half-way listening, then something perked my ears up. One guy says, "If you take the Jewish religion out of the Israeli state, then all you're left with is the hole in the bagel." And I thought, hmm, not the analogy I'd have used considering we're talking about Jews here. But then it got even weirder. As in weird enough for me to post about it. One guy said that a common fear in Israel is that Palestinians are making a conscious effort to outbreed Jews, and he echoed an oft-heard sentiment that "Israel won't be conquered by bombs, but with Arab women's vaginas." Then there was a long pause, during which I said to myself, "Wow, did I just hear that on the radio?" And after a few seconds of dead air, one panelist cleared his throat nervously and replied, "Well, if we're going to be conquered by anything, I'd rather it be vaginas." Everyone on the panel busted out laughing. Ahh, NPR, you lovable nerds!
In other news, this one goes out to you bacon lovers:
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/health/leave-bacon-out-of-it%2c-health-experts-warned-20071031506/ |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 28th, 2008|11:10 pm] |
I trust that some of you have seen this, but if not -- wow -- this video will make you sit there mesmerized, slack-jawed, wondering how many drugs the people who made this were on. I don't know what's worse -- Nimoy's off-key warbling, the sickening guitar tone, the melody that makes you want to jump off a building to get away from, or the awkward choreography performed by girls who look like escapees from the Spahn ranch. Truly fucked up beyond belief.
B...b...b...but wait it gets worse! Someone took the video and overdubbed the Bad Brains' classic "Pay to Cum." Geeeen-ius!
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 21st, 2008|11:20 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | excited | ] |
Game 7, baby!
Biron getting punked by Ovie on the breakaway. Game winner - SUCK IT, PHILLY!
Even Sabre-homer Tim Russert is on the bandwagon. |
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| "Methods:", the debut CD by Imperial China |
[Apr. 7th, 2008|03:34 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| | satisfied | ] |
"Methods:" is four songs, 24 minutes, and priced to move at $5.00. The songs are available to listen to and download now at our myspace page -- www.myspace.com/imperialchina -- and the actual CD will be available at our CD release show, Friday, April 18, at Rock & Roll Hotel.
We're playing with three amazing bands that night:
www.myspace.com/blackandwhitejacksons
www.myspace.com/zulupearls, and
www.myspace.com/doubledaggersucks,
...so come early and make a night of it. Getting there early also ensures that you'll get in; I have a feeling this show is going to be pretty packed.
Okay, thanks and hope to see you guys there. If you live in the national capital area anyway :o) |
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