Monday, May 23, 2005
I saw Episode III. I won't discuss specifics of the plots for those who haven't seen it. I'll stick to stuff that's not plot-related or stuff people already know. The thing that struck me most was how the movie was like a link between the look of the original three with the look of the first two prequels. The one thing that struck me about the first two was that the technology looked more advanced in the first two despite being earlier in the time line. The fighters looked like early versions of X-Wings and Tie Fighters. The big ships looked more like Star Destroyers (actually I guess they were star destroyers.) The clones outfits looked more like Storm Troopers. And the thing is, the fact that the ships went through this major war explained their, for a lack of a better term, used look in A New Hope. You got to figure that the rebels had to scrounge for fighters and the empire were more into quantity rather than developing new technologies.
They also closed most loopholes between the two sets of movies. I'll wait another couple weeks before discussing them. I also was disappointed in Mace's final scenes and all the wookie scenes.
Okay, it season finale time for tv shows. On 24, I liked the final scene, even if it did have a "Dr. David Bruce Banner" quality to it. On Desperate Housewives, I was sorta surprised with the probable and previoiusly unknown father-son pairing which made the final scene have even more meaning. On Grey's Anatomy, the final scene answered a question about one of the character. It would have been more interesting if he had been running from an arrest warrant or something. I also felt bad for the geek. He finally has some luck and it turned on him.
The season finale of American Idol is this week. I followed it this year, actually. Being part of pop culture, I always kinda kept an eye on the happenings on the show, but then I discovered that there were a couple of rockers and a cute country singer on the show, I actually turned it on a few times. I also grew to really like Vonzell, so I didn't care who was kicked out last week. I have no preference for a winner this week, although, Carrie needs more work. Her singing is good, but I only saw glimpses of personality during performances.
I did find funny people on a couple message boards on some of the entertainment news sites who said that neither Bo nor Carrie should win because this is a search for a pop star and not rock or country. R&B has been represented so strongly on the pop charts in recent years that maybe younger people don't understand that pop isn't really a pure genre in itself, it's a sort of psuedo-genre that's made up of the most widely listenable current music. Rock and Country have both dominated the pop charts at one point or another. Bo sings rock. Carrie sings country. Vonzell sings R&B. But all three have potential to sing pop, whether it's rock-pop, country-pop or R&B-pop. And there's a decent chance, sometime later this year, I might, for the first time, purchase a cd from a former American Idol contestant.
They also closed most loopholes between the two sets of movies. I'll wait another couple weeks before discussing them. I also was disappointed in Mace's final scenes and all the wookie scenes.
Okay, it season finale time for tv shows. On 24, I liked the final scene, even if it did have a "Dr. David Bruce Banner" quality to it. On Desperate Housewives, I was sorta surprised with the probable and previoiusly unknown father-son pairing which made the final scene have even more meaning. On Grey's Anatomy, the final scene answered a question about one of the character. It would have been more interesting if he had been running from an arrest warrant or something. I also felt bad for the geek. He finally has some luck and it turned on him.
The season finale of American Idol is this week. I followed it this year, actually. Being part of pop culture, I always kinda kept an eye on the happenings on the show, but then I discovered that there were a couple of rockers and a cute country singer on the show, I actually turned it on a few times. I also grew to really like Vonzell, so I didn't care who was kicked out last week. I have no preference for a winner this week, although, Carrie needs more work. Her singing is good, but I only saw glimpses of personality during performances.
I did find funny people on a couple message boards on some of the entertainment news sites who said that neither Bo nor Carrie should win because this is a search for a pop star and not rock or country. R&B has been represented so strongly on the pop charts in recent years that maybe younger people don't understand that pop isn't really a pure genre in itself, it's a sort of psuedo-genre that's made up of the most widely listenable current music. Rock and Country have both dominated the pop charts at one point or another. Bo sings rock. Carrie sings country. Vonzell sings R&B. But all three have potential to sing pop, whether it's rock-pop, country-pop or R&B-pop. And there's a decent chance, sometime later this year, I might, for the first time, purchase a cd from a former American Idol contestant.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
I decided not to go see Revenge of the Sith tonight. I wouldn't get back home til 3am and I just don't think it'd be as fun going on the first night without the group I went to see Episode I and II on the first night with. Anyway, I'll definitely catch it before the weekend is over.
The news:
- I used to walk through this area alot. It was never this nice.
- Here's a follow-up article about the trooper who caught the woman jumping off the bridge.
- Our president isn't the only president to say stupid things. I understand the point the guy was trying to make. But the thing that I feel should be pointed out to him is that nobody wants to do those jobs, not even the Mexican immigrants that he's talking about want to do those jobs. People who do those jobs would almost definitely love to have better jobs, but take those jobs because they are the only ones available to them.
- Has a Norwegian ever won a Darwin Award?
- I wonder how soon this becomes a movie? It has Oscar winner written all over it. Definitely for best lead actor. It would have a good chance at best director and best picture. And if the guy became like this because of a controlling father or smothering mother, there's a definite supporting actor/actress nomination.
- Here's one situation where a execution should be delayed, atleast long enough to confirm all the facts. I realize that they can't make an inmate do it, but every executed inmate should be atleast given the opportunity to donate their organs.
- Unfilled lighters are now allowed in luggage, which makes sense since without fluid, a lighter is just metal and cotton, but, since the passenger isn't around when the checked baggages are x-rayed, how will the security people know they are unfilled. I wonder how many zippos are going to be wrongfully confiscated. Also, they sneak the comment about matches into the caption. Although, I don't believe most lighters shouldn't be banned, the flame from a lighter can be sustained longer and controlled better than a match so it has more potential for abuse.
- This is an interesting "what if". There's no way it's going to happen while Lucas is alive, but it's a believable concepts, especially for those people who can't grasp the concept that they are neither Jedis nor stormtroopers.
The news:
- I used to walk through this area alot. It was never this nice.
- Here's a follow-up article about the trooper who caught the woman jumping off the bridge.
- Our president isn't the only president to say stupid things. I understand the point the guy was trying to make. But the thing that I feel should be pointed out to him is that nobody wants to do those jobs, not even the Mexican immigrants that he's talking about want to do those jobs. People who do those jobs would almost definitely love to have better jobs, but take those jobs because they are the only ones available to them.
- Has a Norwegian ever won a Darwin Award?
- I wonder how soon this becomes a movie? It has Oscar winner written all over it. Definitely for best lead actor. It would have a good chance at best director and best picture. And if the guy became like this because of a controlling father or smothering mother, there's a definite supporting actor/actress nomination.
- Here's one situation where a execution should be delayed, atleast long enough to confirm all the facts. I realize that they can't make an inmate do it, but every executed inmate should be atleast given the opportunity to donate their organs.
- Unfilled lighters are now allowed in luggage, which makes sense since without fluid, a lighter is just metal and cotton, but, since the passenger isn't around when the checked baggages are x-rayed, how will the security people know they are unfilled. I wonder how many zippos are going to be wrongfully confiscated. Also, they sneak the comment about matches into the caption. Although, I don't believe most lighters shouldn't be banned, the flame from a lighter can be sustained longer and controlled better than a match so it has more potential for abuse.
- This is an interesting "what if". There's no way it's going to happen while Lucas is alive, but it's a believable concepts, especially for those people who can't grasp the concept that they are neither Jedis nor stormtroopers.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Cool. They brought back Mia Kirshner to "24". She played an assassin on a couple episodes in the first and second season. Both times she not only wasn't caught, she was never even seen or connected to any of the crimes. She also, quite possibly, has the greatest eyes of any actress.
I got home from lunch today at 11:58, just early enough to flip on the tv, which was already on the ABC channel, to see that Katherine Heigl was a guest host on the view. Finally, a reason to watch the view and I turn it on to see just enough of it to see that it was worth watching.
the news:
- I have some interesting observations about this. First, interesting that the guy's middle name is Clinton. Also, it happened so close to where my dad once worked and my brother lives. Third, I think that the true anti-christ, if there is one, would be smart enough to not go around advertising who he is. And if he did sign his name, he'd used one of his fancier names.
- If the woman in this was actually off the bridge, then I got to give the policeman credit. It would be hard to catch a woman's arm who had jumped off a bridge without risking being dragged off yourself.
- Don't the touchy-feely kids shows today encourage hugging? Adults are such hypocrites.
- Cool. Sports Illustrated has a excerpt from a Myron Cope written article on their site.
I got home from lunch today at 11:58, just early enough to flip on the tv, which was already on the ABC channel, to see that Katherine Heigl was a guest host on the view. Finally, a reason to watch the view and I turn it on to see just enough of it to see that it was worth watching.
the news:
- I have some interesting observations about this. First, interesting that the guy's middle name is Clinton. Also, it happened so close to where my dad once worked and my brother lives. Third, I think that the true anti-christ, if there is one, would be smart enough to not go around advertising who he is. And if he did sign his name, he'd used one of his fancier names.
- If the woman in this was actually off the bridge, then I got to give the policeman credit. It would be hard to catch a woman's arm who had jumped off a bridge without risking being dragged off yourself.
- Don't the touchy-feely kids shows today encourage hugging? Adults are such hypocrites.
- Cool. Sports Illustrated has a excerpt from a Myron Cope written article on their site.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Because I worked last Sunday, I was able to take yesterday off. I took the ferry over into the city. Walked around the city. I went along South Street and looked into the shops. I like South Street. It reminds of Carson Street in Pittsburgh. And walked up around all the old touristy places. Didn't go into any of those. I figure I'll save those to experience when people visit.
Thursday night I went with co-workers after work to a place called The Standard Tap. They had rabbit on the menu. I immediately knew that that was what I was going to order for dinner, since rabbit was a animal that I had never had before. It was good. It was like the white meat of the chicken. It also had a good selection of beer.
Will Ferrell is hosting SNL right now. He sometimes annoys me, but his hosting is great just because it means they can do the Celebrity Jeopardy sketch, possibly one of the greatest recurring SNL sketch since the early 90's, maybe earlier. I do wonder what Sean Connery thinks of that sketch. I would like to see him come on and beat the crap out of the impersonation of him, like Robert Deniro and Joe Pesci once did.
Yesterday I also discovered that the sports bar I watched Steelers games from also has the baseball satellite package, which means I got to watch a Pirate game on tv. This evening, I went to the minor league stadium nearby and watched the game. After saturday night home games, they let the kids onto the field to run the bases. Once again I got front row tickets for cheaper than all but the cheapest Pirate tickets at PNC Park.
I got my registration renewal for my PA car registration. I did have my car registration changed to NJ and they sent the renewal to me in NJ. You'd think someone would figure it out.
News items:
- In this and this column consumer reporter Lawrence Walsh talks about the Subway Club card at Subway restaurants. People complained that alot of the stores didn't have the cards. Well, the Subway Club promotion was always questionable. Workers rarely asked you if you wanted the stamps unless you asked. One employee actually told me he was told by the owner not to give out stamps unless they were asked for. Not the best attitude for a frequent buyer program.
- This article has humor on a few level. First of all, the complete Jerry-Springer-guest quality to it. Second, the title makes it at least a little unclear whether the victim had a machete or he was shot with a projectile shot out of a machete. I'm just surprised this didn't happen closer to the West Virginia border.
- The pastor who kicked out some of his church members resigned and called it all a "misunderstanding". Apparently, he misunderstood the IRS tax code involving tax exempt status on Religious groups. (I unfortunately didn't save the article that said that the IRS is looking into whether his actions pushing his political views, including kicking out members who disagreed with him, caused the church to not be viewed as a religious organizations.)
- Interesting investment for the head of a company that sells machines with Windows.
- This makes me feel old. I played the arcade game, owned the Atari 2600 cartridge, ate the cereal, and watched the cartoon.
- Celebrity Poker was understandable because of the popularity of poker on tv. Celebrity Blackjack was inevitable because it was close enough to poker without downright copying the idea. Celebrity pool and bowling I can deal with. Like poker and blackjack, they are competitions that allow celebrities to drink and converse while competing. But this? It has to go. At best, nobody will watch it. At worst, no man will watch it voluntarily, but will be forced to watch by their girlfriends/wives, which would undoubtedly lead to them being forced to take ballroom dancing classes by their girlfriends/wives and eventually lead to the break up of their relationships.
- I always figured "Happy Birthday to You" to be the most played song on Earth. I had forgotten (intentionally forgotten) the song they wrote.
- I saw this coming five years ago. A seventeen year age difference when one is still really young, a marriage after dating a short time, and the usual entertainment industry bad luck with relationships doomed this from the start.
- This is a shame. She's beautiful, talented, and she sings in a genre that is hot right now.
- I need to start paying better attention to those lucky numbers found on fortune cookies.
- At least one of my readers will be interested in this. Colin Firth gets naked in his new movie. Unfortunately, he's with another guy at the time. And he also gets extremely violent.
- Someone should explain to Hyundai customers that just because a satellite radio gets a channel, they don't have to listen to it.
Thursday night I went with co-workers after work to a place called The Standard Tap. They had rabbit on the menu. I immediately knew that that was what I was going to order for dinner, since rabbit was a animal that I had never had before. It was good. It was like the white meat of the chicken. It also had a good selection of beer.
Will Ferrell is hosting SNL right now. He sometimes annoys me, but his hosting is great just because it means they can do the Celebrity Jeopardy sketch, possibly one of the greatest recurring SNL sketch since the early 90's, maybe earlier. I do wonder what Sean Connery thinks of that sketch. I would like to see him come on and beat the crap out of the impersonation of him, like Robert Deniro and Joe Pesci once did.
Yesterday I also discovered that the sports bar I watched Steelers games from also has the baseball satellite package, which means I got to watch a Pirate game on tv. This evening, I went to the minor league stadium nearby and watched the game. After saturday night home games, they let the kids onto the field to run the bases. Once again I got front row tickets for cheaper than all but the cheapest Pirate tickets at PNC Park.
I got my registration renewal for my PA car registration. I did have my car registration changed to NJ and they sent the renewal to me in NJ. You'd think someone would figure it out.
News items:
- In this and this column consumer reporter Lawrence Walsh talks about the Subway Club card at Subway restaurants. People complained that alot of the stores didn't have the cards. Well, the Subway Club promotion was always questionable. Workers rarely asked you if you wanted the stamps unless you asked. One employee actually told me he was told by the owner not to give out stamps unless they were asked for. Not the best attitude for a frequent buyer program.
- This article has humor on a few level. First of all, the complete Jerry-Springer-guest quality to it. Second, the title makes it at least a little unclear whether the victim had a machete or he was shot with a projectile shot out of a machete. I'm just surprised this didn't happen closer to the West Virginia border.
- The pastor who kicked out some of his church members resigned and called it all a "misunderstanding". Apparently, he misunderstood the IRS tax code involving tax exempt status on Religious groups. (I unfortunately didn't save the article that said that the IRS is looking into whether his actions pushing his political views, including kicking out members who disagreed with him, caused the church to not be viewed as a religious organizations.)
- Interesting investment for the head of a company that sells machines with Windows.
- This makes me feel old. I played the arcade game, owned the Atari 2600 cartridge, ate the cereal, and watched the cartoon.
- Celebrity Poker was understandable because of the popularity of poker on tv. Celebrity Blackjack was inevitable because it was close enough to poker without downright copying the idea. Celebrity pool and bowling I can deal with. Like poker and blackjack, they are competitions that allow celebrities to drink and converse while competing. But this? It has to go. At best, nobody will watch it. At worst, no man will watch it voluntarily, but will be forced to watch by their girlfriends/wives, which would undoubtedly lead to them being forced to take ballroom dancing classes by their girlfriends/wives and eventually lead to the break up of their relationships.
- I always figured "Happy Birthday to You" to be the most played song on Earth. I had forgotten (intentionally forgotten) the song they wrote.
- I saw this coming five years ago. A seventeen year age difference when one is still really young, a marriage after dating a short time, and the usual entertainment industry bad luck with relationships doomed this from the start.
- This is a shame. She's beautiful, talented, and she sings in a genre that is hot right now.
- I need to start paying better attention to those lucky numbers found on fortune cookies.
- At least one of my readers will be interested in this. Colin Firth gets naked in his new movie. Unfortunately, he's with another guy at the time. And he also gets extremely violent.
- Someone should explain to Hyundai customers that just because a satellite radio gets a channel, they don't have to listen to it.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
The ad on the bottom left of this page is my favorite magazine ad I've seen in a while. It's the one that starts "We love". I first saw it on the back of the tv guide. Great ad. And something I've been saying for years.
And the news:
- If you've ever asked what would Jesus do, you can ask him.
- Here's a column comparing Hines Ward to Jason Kendall. It makes good points, but I think it's wrong.
First, two different sports and you can't really compare the twos. Not the least of which, a wide receiver can dominate a game more than a catcher can. A batter in baseball goes up to bat 4-5 times a game. A good batter succeeds three out of ten times. A starting wide receiver usually gets more attempts than that per game and is expected to catch at least half of them. Also, comparing singles and short passes is not that as close as the column makes it seem. A batter gets a single, he needs other players to step up to make the single worth something. A receiver catches a short pass for a first down, he can come right back and do it again. And his catching passes successfully can open up the game for the other receiver and the running game.
Second, you can't ignore the fact the Pirates haven't won in years and the Steelers had the best record in football last year. Kendall's contract would have been less of an issue had the Pirates been competitive. And although both players were among the most popular, if not the most popular, players on their teams, Ward's popularity in Pittsburgh far surpasses Kendall's.
Also, factor in that the salary cap in the NFL would make Ward's contract demands less than Kendall's since he wouldn't hit the lottery that a baseball players with any skill gets when he hits the open market.
It's an interesting and different viewpoint, but the column is wrong.
- This high school is screwed up. This student was on a track to go to any college she wants, and apparently will, but she won't be graduating and have to get her GED because she chose to take an AP Biology class instead of a Phys. Ed. class.
- And it looks like I'll have the opportunity to add another concert to my future brag list.
- When I first heard the news that the Chappelle Show had stopped taping, my immediate thoughts was that the network was trying to hold back his humor. It definitely not the money. This article suggests that the network was just one of the reasons.
And the news:
- If you've ever asked what would Jesus do, you can ask him.
- Here's a column comparing Hines Ward to Jason Kendall. It makes good points, but I think it's wrong.
First, two different sports and you can't really compare the twos. Not the least of which, a wide receiver can dominate a game more than a catcher can. A batter in baseball goes up to bat 4-5 times a game. A good batter succeeds three out of ten times. A starting wide receiver usually gets more attempts than that per game and is expected to catch at least half of them. Also, comparing singles and short passes is not that as close as the column makes it seem. A batter gets a single, he needs other players to step up to make the single worth something. A receiver catches a short pass for a first down, he can come right back and do it again. And his catching passes successfully can open up the game for the other receiver and the running game.
Second, you can't ignore the fact the Pirates haven't won in years and the Steelers had the best record in football last year. Kendall's contract would have been less of an issue had the Pirates been competitive. And although both players were among the most popular, if not the most popular, players on their teams, Ward's popularity in Pittsburgh far surpasses Kendall's.
Also, factor in that the salary cap in the NFL would make Ward's contract demands less than Kendall's since he wouldn't hit the lottery that a baseball players with any skill gets when he hits the open market.
It's an interesting and different viewpoint, but the column is wrong.
- This high school is screwed up. This student was on a track to go to any college she wants, and apparently will, but she won't be graduating and have to get her GED because she chose to take an AP Biology class instead of a Phys. Ed. class.
- And it looks like I'll have the opportunity to add another concert to my future brag list.
- When I first heard the news that the Chappelle Show had stopped taping, my immediate thoughts was that the network was trying to hold back his humor. It definitely not the money. This article suggests that the network was just one of the reasons.
Just caught some more news:
- Anyone wants to start a pool on how long this marriage lasts?
- When Britney was first told she was eating for two, her response was "I'm having twins?"
- Anyone wants to start a pool on how long this marriage lasts?
- When Britney was first told she was eating for two, her response was "I'm having twins?"
Last month, I had the opportunity to vote for the local school board. Tomorrow, I get to vote for the Mayor and Council. Next week, I'll vote in the primary for New Jersey Governor. See something wrong, or atleast inefficient, here?
And the news:
- This would make for some interesting debate and lawsuits if this happened in the United States.
- Everyone who commutes, read this headline and repeat after me: "duh".
- This one is a good read for those who are looking for jobs or will be in the future. I personally always go in with a few questions, but then have them answered by the interviewer before the interview reaches the point where I get the opportunity to ask questions.
- I personally hope this happens. The story I heard was that Paul McCartney told Jackson about the catalog being up for sale and that he intended to buy them back. Then Jackson went ahead and outbid McCartney. Either way, if the Beatles can't have control of their songs, I'd still prefer a group of investors having them instead of Jackson.
- This isn't news, just a cool math link.
- Does this mean that all wardens will now have Domino's on speeddial?
And the news:
- This would make for some interesting debate and lawsuits if this happened in the United States.
- Everyone who commutes, read this headline and repeat after me: "duh".
- This one is a good read for those who are looking for jobs or will be in the future. I personally always go in with a few questions, but then have them answered by the interviewer before the interview reaches the point where I get the opportunity to ask questions.
- I personally hope this happens. The story I heard was that Paul McCartney told Jackson about the catalog being up for sale and that he intended to buy them back. Then Jackson went ahead and outbid McCartney. Either way, if the Beatles can't have control of their songs, I'd still prefer a group of investors having them instead of Jackson.
- This isn't news, just a cool math link.
- Does this mean that all wardens will now have Domino's on speeddial?
Sunday, May 08, 2005
The ballpark near me is hosting two concerts this summer. One is Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. The other is Def Leppard and Bryan Adams. Interesting twin bills. I ordered tickets to the Dylan/Nelson concert today. It should be a great concert and it'll just be cool to be able to say that I saw Bob Dylan in conert. This is something I can't say about Frank Sinatra, The Grateful Dead, or Stevie Ray Vaughn. I can say I've seen the Baha Men and Jackyl in concert. I definitely need to balance that out.
Speaking of the ballpark, I just realized that John Rocker is playing for a minor league team in the same league as the local team, so I'll have the opportunity to see him play live.
And going back to the music subject, it got me thinking of what acts or people I've seen that I could brag about. I mean there have been great musical acts, but how many can be talked about years from now and get an almost awe from the listener. It's like the Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers' song "What did you do in the War?" where he asks "Did you see Jimi or Janis? Did you go to Woodstock, too?" Which concerts will impress my kids in the future?
I can say I've seen Aerosmith a few times, but that's only impressive if they were before they're breakup and comeback. It still can't be said for certain that Martina McBride will make the move from great to legendary that would put her on the list, especially since she doesn't write her own songs. It would seem that the concert would have to be huge or the act be legends either by greatest followed by an early death or by sheer volume of work.
To start with events, I can brag I went to the first Rolling Rock Towne Fair, but that only will mean anything if they keep having them. I can also say I went to a concert the first year Star Lake Amphitheatre was open, but that'll only mean something in the Western PA area and only as long as Star Lake exists and thrives. I passed up a last-minute chance to see the Guns 'N' Roses / Metallica concert in Pittsburgh. It was a shortened tour and the Three Rivers stadium show was one of the few to go off without a hitch, but by the time they came, there'd been so much trouble with that tour, I didn't want to crowd into the stadium just to have the concert cancelled or shortened.
Prince has the potential to reach that level, especially after his death and if the contents of his vault gets released. I guess it adds to it that he was going by the symbol when I saw him. I saw Van Halen, but with Sammy not David. I passed the chance to see the Ramones at Spring Carnival just because Carnival tends to be so busy. I missed seeing Springsteen for various reasons, although hopefully I'll fix that in the near future. Alabama will be impressive to country fans. Kiss might make the brag list, just on the basis of their legendary stage show and make-up. James Taylor and The Eagles will probably be good shows to have had attended. (And I'll readily admit that I was semi-dragged to the former.) I can say I saw the Monkees but not the Beatles; Rusted Root, but not the Rolling Stones. I had tickets to see Run DMC (with Aerosmith and Kid Rock), but my old company said I had to be up in Long Island that week, so I sold my tickets. So, if all goes well, Bob Dylan will be my most-solid entry on my future bragging list. Willie Nelson is alson enough of a legend, atleasat in country circles. Elton John's free concert on the fourth of July could also add to the list, although, like Aerosmith, I'm not sure that seeing him at this stage of his career is as impressive. Also, the fact that they're expecting well over a million people means I might not, technically, see him or this concert could actually become legendary. The sheer size of the concert might make it a legendary show.
At least, I can say I've seen some legendary athletes play, including Mario Lemieux and pretty much every Pittsburgh sports celebrity in the last 20+ years, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, just to name a few.
Which concerts/acts have any of you seen that you think will be great for storytelling and impressing in the future.
Okay, now for the news:
- I didn't even know you could vote people out of a church? I hope the people that got tossed find happiness in another church.
Being a member of a small church myself, I find it hard to see how a church that small could survive with atleast 10% of their congregation having left.
- Here's an update on the Leonard Little story I talked about a short time back. He now says that he has quit drinking. Better late than never, I guess. I wonder how much of it is just to get a lesser sentence.
Speaking of the ballpark, I just realized that John Rocker is playing for a minor league team in the same league as the local team, so I'll have the opportunity to see him play live.
And going back to the music subject, it got me thinking of what acts or people I've seen that I could brag about. I mean there have been great musical acts, but how many can be talked about years from now and get an almost awe from the listener. It's like the Joe Grushecky and the House Rockers' song "What did you do in the War?" where he asks "Did you see Jimi or Janis? Did you go to Woodstock, too?" Which concerts will impress my kids in the future?
I can say I've seen Aerosmith a few times, but that's only impressive if they were before they're breakup and comeback. It still can't be said for certain that Martina McBride will make the move from great to legendary that would put her on the list, especially since she doesn't write her own songs. It would seem that the concert would have to be huge or the act be legends either by greatest followed by an early death or by sheer volume of work.
To start with events, I can brag I went to the first Rolling Rock Towne Fair, but that only will mean anything if they keep having them. I can also say I went to a concert the first year Star Lake Amphitheatre was open, but that'll only mean something in the Western PA area and only as long as Star Lake exists and thrives. I passed up a last-minute chance to see the Guns 'N' Roses / Metallica concert in Pittsburgh. It was a shortened tour and the Three Rivers stadium show was one of the few to go off without a hitch, but by the time they came, there'd been so much trouble with that tour, I didn't want to crowd into the stadium just to have the concert cancelled or shortened.
Prince has the potential to reach that level, especially after his death and if the contents of his vault gets released. I guess it adds to it that he was going by the symbol when I saw him. I saw Van Halen, but with Sammy not David. I passed the chance to see the Ramones at Spring Carnival just because Carnival tends to be so busy. I missed seeing Springsteen for various reasons, although hopefully I'll fix that in the near future. Alabama will be impressive to country fans. Kiss might make the brag list, just on the basis of their legendary stage show and make-up. James Taylor and The Eagles will probably be good shows to have had attended. (And I'll readily admit that I was semi-dragged to the former.) I can say I saw the Monkees but not the Beatles; Rusted Root, but not the Rolling Stones. I had tickets to see Run DMC (with Aerosmith and Kid Rock), but my old company said I had to be up in Long Island that week, so I sold my tickets. So, if all goes well, Bob Dylan will be my most-solid entry on my future bragging list. Willie Nelson is alson enough of a legend, atleasat in country circles. Elton John's free concert on the fourth of July could also add to the list, although, like Aerosmith, I'm not sure that seeing him at this stage of his career is as impressive. Also, the fact that they're expecting well over a million people means I might not, technically, see him or this concert could actually become legendary. The sheer size of the concert might make it a legendary show.
At least, I can say I've seen some legendary athletes play, including Mario Lemieux and pretty much every Pittsburgh sports celebrity in the last 20+ years, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, just to name a few.
Which concerts/acts have any of you seen that you think will be great for storytelling and impressing in the future.
Okay, now for the news:
- I didn't even know you could vote people out of a church? I hope the people that got tossed find happiness in another church.
Being a member of a small church myself, I find it hard to see how a church that small could survive with atleast 10% of their congregation having left.
- Here's an update on the Leonard Little story I talked about a short time back. He now says that he has quit drinking. Better late than never, I guess. I wonder how much of it is just to get a lesser sentence.
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Thursday night I took the ferry across the river into Philly. You have to buy a round trip ticket despite knowing that I'd have to take a taxi or subway home. So I have an extra ticket that is only good going from Philly to NJ. I can see doing the ferry over/taxi back thing more this year and not many reasons to only take the ferry back from Philly, so unless I take the subway over (a cheaper but less relaxing ride) and the ferry back, I could end this year with a bunch of Philly-to-NJ ferry tickets.
I enjoyed the walk from the ferry to South St. I think the next off-friday I have, I'm going to take the ferry over again and just walk around. I walked past the Eulogy tavern. I don't think I blogged about it when I went there last month with co-workers but it's a interesting place. It has a huge beer list, which is on their website and the room we sat in had a kid-sized coffin with a glass top as the table. And in the coffin was a skeleton (I assume a fake one) and other death-type items. But it's worth going just for the beer selection.
I met up with Adam at the Copabanana, which, to be perfectly honest, was your standard "Margaritaville"-type place. Then went to Fat Tuesday's. The party was just getting started. We hung around with a group of Pyschology majors. Adam had to leave to do schoolwork but I stuck around long enough to drink to many Coronas and weak tequila test tube shots. Got to see my first wet t-shirt contest in-person. It was easy to see who was going to win before they were all up on stage. The eventual winner was the first up on stage, had her t-shirt cut completely down the front and flashed the crowd early and often. Anyway, I really like South Street. Reminds me of Carson Street in Pittsburgh. A lot of activities, a ton of bars and clubs. I'm definitely going to have to go back again.
For the second time since moving to New Jersey, I took a taxi home and one thing still kind of surprises me. The toll across the bridge is only going from Jersey to Philly. So a taxi driver has to pay the toll after I'm already dropped off. Yet, they don't add a toll charge to the fare, despite the fact that it's highly unlikely that they'd pick someone up to take back across the bridge. The fare is about what it was to go from the Strip to the Oakland/Squirrel Hill area. Not too much more than a subway ride and I didn't have to walk unsafe streets to get to and from the subway station.
And now some new news:
- Carnegie Mellon's Red Team is at it again. Hopefully this year, someone, anyone, will actually finish the race.
- This story is a little screwed up. They suspended for ten days for not hanging up on his mom who is in Iraq and said they were being lenient because they could have had him arrested? They also said this kid was suspended because he used profanity on the way to the office, but why were they taking him to the office if he wasn't already going to be punished. I'd like to think that even in my old high school, the teacher would have let the kid keep talking to his mom, but then again, in my hometown, the teacher probably would have known the mom. Then again, I've been out of high school a long time. Now they have the "zero tolerance" policies, or, as a guy I work with puts it, "zero intelligence" policies.
I enjoyed the walk from the ferry to South St. I think the next off-friday I have, I'm going to take the ferry over again and just walk around. I walked past the Eulogy tavern. I don't think I blogged about it when I went there last month with co-workers but it's a interesting place. It has a huge beer list, which is on their website and the room we sat in had a kid-sized coffin with a glass top as the table. And in the coffin was a skeleton (I assume a fake one) and other death-type items. But it's worth going just for the beer selection.
I met up with Adam at the Copabanana, which, to be perfectly honest, was your standard "Margaritaville"-type place. Then went to Fat Tuesday's. The party was just getting started. We hung around with a group of Pyschology majors. Adam had to leave to do schoolwork but I stuck around long enough to drink to many Coronas and weak tequila test tube shots. Got to see my first wet t-shirt contest in-person. It was easy to see who was going to win before they were all up on stage. The eventual winner was the first up on stage, had her t-shirt cut completely down the front and flashed the crowd early and often. Anyway, I really like South Street. Reminds me of Carson Street in Pittsburgh. A lot of activities, a ton of bars and clubs. I'm definitely going to have to go back again.
For the second time since moving to New Jersey, I took a taxi home and one thing still kind of surprises me. The toll across the bridge is only going from Jersey to Philly. So a taxi driver has to pay the toll after I'm already dropped off. Yet, they don't add a toll charge to the fare, despite the fact that it's highly unlikely that they'd pick someone up to take back across the bridge. The fare is about what it was to go from the Strip to the Oakland/Squirrel Hill area. Not too much more than a subway ride and I didn't have to walk unsafe streets to get to and from the subway station.
And now some new news:
- Carnegie Mellon's Red Team is at it again. Hopefully this year, someone, anyone, will actually finish the race.
- This story is a little screwed up. They suspended for ten days for not hanging up on his mom who is in Iraq and said they were being lenient because they could have had him arrested? They also said this kid was suspended because he used profanity on the way to the office, but why were they taking him to the office if he wasn't already going to be punished. I'd like to think that even in my old high school, the teacher would have let the kid keep talking to his mom, but then again, in my hometown, the teacher probably would have known the mom. Then again, I've been out of high school a long time. Now they have the "zero tolerance" policies, or, as a guy I work with puts it, "zero intelligence" policies.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
I'm going to start tonight's post with a question. If I'm trying to get a taxi, do I flag down the ones with the light on or off. Most of my taxi experience have been in Pittsburgh and Vegas. Vegas has a stand in front of every place and Pittsburgh you either have to call one or go to the one stand in the downtown area. I think that if the light on top is on, I can flag it down, but I want to make sure.
Since I worked last weekend, I'm taking tomorrow afternoon off. I'm thinking of taking the river ferry over to South Street and celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Since I'm not driving over and I will be drinking and the ferry doesn't run late, I'll need a way home, which will probably be via taxi.
Did anyone else see that the same casino that buys every weird crap that gets sold on eBay just bought Britney Spears's home pregnancy test that was supposedly found in the trash outside her hotel room. Eeew. The only use I can see for it is to take her DNA and clone her, except raise the clone to have brains and class.
I had this movie from Netflix. Great movie. It had to been weird for the kid who played Mario Van Peebles in the movie. Some people meet the real person they're playing in the movie. The guy he was playing was the director.
Elton John is doing a free concert on the steps that Rocky ran up in the movie. They're expecting 1.5 million people. I'm thinking of going. It would be great to hear a musical legend from far far away.
I got a card in my mailbox yesterday saying I had a certified letter at the post office that I had to come pick up and sign for. I found this unusual since the guy at the front desk of my building can sign for mail that needs signed for. I thought it was something like something from a tax office or something. There turned out to be a lot simpler explanation. The letter was a copy of my lease renewal noticed sent by the building's management company. It was sent certified so they have proof that I got it. That's why the desk guy couldn't sign for it. It wouldn't mean much if the signature on the proof of delivery of the letter they sent belonged to one of their own employees.
More news:
- Psst. Wanna by a nail clipper? I still don't see how nail clippers, especially those without nail files on it, can be considered weapons. I've had some that wouldn't even cut my nails.
- Here's something I never thought I would see: the words "Oscars", "David" and "Hasselhoff" in the same sentence.
- Anyone want to help me make a Star Wars movie?
- This is funny. And to think we couldn't even get a high chair from McDonalds.
- Could have used this when I lived in the dorms and other apartments. Then again, we never needed the cd to make noise. And if we did ever need a cd, we had plenty of Manilow.
- I would love to see every play in August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle. Heck, I'd be happy to see just one at this point.
- I've been trying to figure out what to do with t-shirts I have that I like the design of but are in too bad of a shape to actually wear. This is a possibility, if only if one of these weren't so damn expensive.
- I have two comments on this.
First of all, the first paragraph should be made into law, except replacing the phrase "shipped off to rehab" with "execution".
Second, I have this gut feeling that the Republicans in 2008 are going to be obsessed with beating Hilary Clinton in the same way the Democrats were obsessed with beating George W. Bush in 2004. And with similar results.
I wonder if it's too late to pass a constitutional amendment banning any more presidents named "Bush" and "Clinton". The Democrats wouldn't have to worry about Jeb, Republicans wouldn't have to worry about "Hilary", and U.S. voters would simply win.
- If we had read this article in college, the first two words would be "Road trip".
- Am I the only one who read this article and wondered how anyone could mistake a body bag with a body in it with a body bag with just clothes in it.
- Why is this news? I've been adding twenty minutes to the starting time published in the newspaper for years.
And I'm not officially caught up with news items I wanted to blog about.
Since I worked last weekend, I'm taking tomorrow afternoon off. I'm thinking of taking the river ferry over to South Street and celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Since I'm not driving over and I will be drinking and the ferry doesn't run late, I'll need a way home, which will probably be via taxi.
Did anyone else see that the same casino that buys every weird crap that gets sold on eBay just bought Britney Spears's home pregnancy test that was supposedly found in the trash outside her hotel room. Eeew. The only use I can see for it is to take her DNA and clone her, except raise the clone to have brains and class.
I had this movie from Netflix. Great movie. It had to been weird for the kid who played Mario Van Peebles in the movie. Some people meet the real person they're playing in the movie. The guy he was playing was the director.
Elton John is doing a free concert on the steps that Rocky ran up in the movie. They're expecting 1.5 million people. I'm thinking of going. It would be great to hear a musical legend from far far away.
I got a card in my mailbox yesterday saying I had a certified letter at the post office that I had to come pick up and sign for. I found this unusual since the guy at the front desk of my building can sign for mail that needs signed for. I thought it was something like something from a tax office or something. There turned out to be a lot simpler explanation. The letter was a copy of my lease renewal noticed sent by the building's management company. It was sent certified so they have proof that I got it. That's why the desk guy couldn't sign for it. It wouldn't mean much if the signature on the proof of delivery of the letter they sent belonged to one of their own employees.
More news:
- Psst. Wanna by a nail clipper? I still don't see how nail clippers, especially those without nail files on it, can be considered weapons. I've had some that wouldn't even cut my nails.
- Here's something I never thought I would see: the words "Oscars", "David" and "Hasselhoff" in the same sentence.
- Anyone want to help me make a Star Wars movie?
- This is funny. And to think we couldn't even get a high chair from McDonalds.
- Could have used this when I lived in the dorms and other apartments. Then again, we never needed the cd to make noise. And if we did ever need a cd, we had plenty of Manilow.
- I would love to see every play in August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle. Heck, I'd be happy to see just one at this point.
- I've been trying to figure out what to do with t-shirts I have that I like the design of but are in too bad of a shape to actually wear. This is a possibility, if only if one of these weren't so damn expensive.
- I have two comments on this.
First of all, the first paragraph should be made into law, except replacing the phrase "shipped off to rehab" with "execution".
Second, I have this gut feeling that the Republicans in 2008 are going to be obsessed with beating Hilary Clinton in the same way the Democrats were obsessed with beating George W. Bush in 2004. And with similar results.
I wonder if it's too late to pass a constitutional amendment banning any more presidents named "Bush" and "Clinton". The Democrats wouldn't have to worry about Jeb, Republicans wouldn't have to worry about "Hilary", and U.S. voters would simply win.
- If we had read this article in college, the first two words would be "Road trip".
- Am I the only one who read this article and wondered how anyone could mistake a body bag with a body in it with a body bag with just clothes in it.
- Why is this news? I've been adding twenty minutes to the starting time published in the newspaper for years.
And I'm not officially caught up with news items I wanted to blog about.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
First of all, I got good news this weekend. My lease is up at the end of July and I want to stay, but it all depends on how much the rent was increased. I got the lease renewal form and the rent did not increase at all. The notice said there was no increase because I was one of the first round of tenants in the building, but I think it was a way of keeping people from leaving after the water fiasco the last couple of months. I want to keep living here one more year and experience a full summer living so close to the minor league baseball stadium, an amphitheatre and a ferry ride away from Philly.
Of course, I can't afford car insurance on a new car in this area, so I'll likely put off getting a new car until next year. Although, I'm thinking of seeing if I can buy a new car but keep it at my parents and pay PA insurance until I move out. I don't drive too much anyway and I'm planning on keeping my old car anyway because it has no trade-in value and is better in the snow than the car I want.
Although there is no rent increase, the deal to new tenants for free access to the gym runs out, so if I want to keep using the gym, I'll have to pay $25 a month. The gym at work is $4 per week, but has limited hours.
Two disturbing things I've been meaning to bring up here but I don't believe I ever did. If I've mentioned either of these before, sorry.
- Went into a Wendy's a couple weeks ago and a guy behind the counter working for Wendy's joked to the guy in front of me who had just ordered chili that "there aren't any fingers in our chili". Now, I'm not an expert on business, but I think that the guys at corporate headquarters of Wendy's would extremely discourage their employees from reminding customers that a finger was (allegedly) found in chili at one of their stores.
- A notice appeared overtop of the garbage chute on my floor (and I assume every garbage chute) asking tenants to put the by-product of cleaning litterboxes into bags before discarding and to NOT simply dumping the box into the chute. That posting could only have been put up because someone had been cleaning their litterboxes by carrying the box to the garbage chute and dumping it. I have a high tolerance for disgusting, but that is disgusting. Especially, if it was being done on one of the higher floors.
Has anyone from the western PA area heard of this movie? It was filmed in Washington, PA and based on a true story. I think it might even be set in Washington. I had mentioned to a coworker that I had grown up pretty close to Washington and he told me about this movie. He owns it and has loaned me the DVD, so I'll watch it and let you all know, but it surprises me that I hadn't heard of it. I know most of the movies filmed in Pittsburgh in the last ten years. One filmed in Washington County would be something I heard of, especially since my parents subscribe to the Washington newspaper and my mom would have mentioned it. God know that the Observer would have mentioned it since there are definitely slow news days in Washington.
And now for the (not-so)news:
- This sucks. Aldephia was starting to creep into the Pittsburgh markets to challenge Comcast. At my last Western PA place, I was getting flyers for Adelphia the last six months or so. Comcast might get challenged, so they buy the company? There needs to me more competition for cable companies. At least the satellites companies are competition.
- Looks like a computer can write better than me.
- One last Chiodo's item.
- This is interesting. A Carnegie Mellon professor wrote a book on losing and failure. I wonder how much of his research he did down at Pitt? Just kidding. And I won't point out the fact that he's a professor in the H&SS school.
- This article was linked from the one mentioned in the previous item. It's humor is in the first three words of the headline put together with the last sentence.
- I live within view of the most depressed city in the nation. It's might be bad, but it can't be as bad as Cleveland. The fact that Pittsburgh beat out both of those cities could cheer up the residents enough to get them out of the top 25.
- Sorry, Tiff. More new coins are coming. And it's going to change every year until every president is on it.
- I'm against companies that sell dvds with all the "offensive" stuff removed. But I don't think I'm against the ones this law would affect. I'm not sure I see too much difference between a device that automatically skips parts of a movie and someone who manually fast-forwards through parts. The movie is changed between the disc and the screen as opposed to movies that are changed on the disc.
- According to this article, girls are expecting bigger engagement rings. I actually have a few jokes I was going to add here, but they might be seen as mean by one of my readers, so I'll be nice and just say that by the time I actually find a female willing to be engaged to me, I won't be able to afford the ring. I can only hope that a trend starts involving engagement rings that are also lollipops.
- Here's a poll for who should be the next James Bond. Pierce Brosnan is the best choice, by far. I like Hugh Jackman, but I don't see him as Bond and I especially don't see a Austrailian becoming Bond. Of the new ones, I'd say Clive Owens. I think he showed in Sin City that he can pull of Bond. Sorry Susie, but Colin Firth is a definite no.
- A belated happy Birthday to Jessica Alba, who shares a birthday with Terri. (Yeah, I'm now only five days behind on my blog news topics.)
- Here's a headline I didn't think I'd see for a while.
- These guys would have gotten away with illegally keeping found money if they hadn't gone on morning shows with a false story. Serves them right. If you find your hands on money or valuables and you're not 100% sure you have a right to them, but you plan to keep it anyway, keep your mouth shut! Don't tell people about it and don't go on national tv. And if you are stupid enough to do it, have your story down-pat before you talk to anyone.
Of course, I can't afford car insurance on a new car in this area, so I'll likely put off getting a new car until next year. Although, I'm thinking of seeing if I can buy a new car but keep it at my parents and pay PA insurance until I move out. I don't drive too much anyway and I'm planning on keeping my old car anyway because it has no trade-in value and is better in the snow than the car I want.
Although there is no rent increase, the deal to new tenants for free access to the gym runs out, so if I want to keep using the gym, I'll have to pay $25 a month. The gym at work is $4 per week, but has limited hours.
Two disturbing things I've been meaning to bring up here but I don't believe I ever did. If I've mentioned either of these before, sorry.
- Went into a Wendy's a couple weeks ago and a guy behind the counter working for Wendy's joked to the guy in front of me who had just ordered chili that "there aren't any fingers in our chili". Now, I'm not an expert on business, but I think that the guys at corporate headquarters of Wendy's would extremely discourage their employees from reminding customers that a finger was (allegedly) found in chili at one of their stores.
- A notice appeared overtop of the garbage chute on my floor (and I assume every garbage chute) asking tenants to put the by-product of cleaning litterboxes into bags before discarding and to NOT simply dumping the box into the chute. That posting could only have been put up because someone had been cleaning their litterboxes by carrying the box to the garbage chute and dumping it. I have a high tolerance for disgusting, but that is disgusting. Especially, if it was being done on one of the higher floors.
Has anyone from the western PA area heard of this movie? It was filmed in Washington, PA and based on a true story. I think it might even be set in Washington. I had mentioned to a coworker that I had grown up pretty close to Washington and he told me about this movie. He owns it and has loaned me the DVD, so I'll watch it and let you all know, but it surprises me that I hadn't heard of it. I know most of the movies filmed in Pittsburgh in the last ten years. One filmed in Washington County would be something I heard of, especially since my parents subscribe to the Washington newspaper and my mom would have mentioned it. God know that the Observer would have mentioned it since there are definitely slow news days in Washington.
And now for the (not-so)news:
- This sucks. Aldephia was starting to creep into the Pittsburgh markets to challenge Comcast. At my last Western PA place, I was getting flyers for Adelphia the last six months or so. Comcast might get challenged, so they buy the company? There needs to me more competition for cable companies. At least the satellites companies are competition.
- Looks like a computer can write better than me.
- One last Chiodo's item.
- This is interesting. A Carnegie Mellon professor wrote a book on losing and failure. I wonder how much of his research he did down at Pitt? Just kidding. And I won't point out the fact that he's a professor in the H&SS school.
- This article was linked from the one mentioned in the previous item. It's humor is in the first three words of the headline put together with the last sentence.
- I live within view of the most depressed city in the nation. It's might be bad, but it can't be as bad as Cleveland. The fact that Pittsburgh beat out both of those cities could cheer up the residents enough to get them out of the top 25.
- Sorry, Tiff. More new coins are coming. And it's going to change every year until every president is on it.
- I'm against companies that sell dvds with all the "offensive" stuff removed. But I don't think I'm against the ones this law would affect. I'm not sure I see too much difference between a device that automatically skips parts of a movie and someone who manually fast-forwards through parts. The movie is changed between the disc and the screen as opposed to movies that are changed on the disc.
- According to this article, girls are expecting bigger engagement rings. I actually have a few jokes I was going to add here, but they might be seen as mean by one of my readers, so I'll be nice and just say that by the time I actually find a female willing to be engaged to me, I won't be able to afford the ring. I can only hope that a trend starts involving engagement rings that are also lollipops.
- Here's a poll for who should be the next James Bond. Pierce Brosnan is the best choice, by far. I like Hugh Jackman, but I don't see him as Bond and I especially don't see a Austrailian becoming Bond. Of the new ones, I'd say Clive Owens. I think he showed in Sin City that he can pull of Bond. Sorry Susie, but Colin Firth is a definite no.
- A belated happy Birthday to Jessica Alba, who shares a birthday with Terri. (Yeah, I'm now only five days behind on my blog news topics.)
- Here's a headline I didn't think I'd see for a while.
- These guys would have gotten away with illegally keeping found money if they hadn't gone on morning shows with a false story. Serves them right. If you find your hands on money or valuables and you're not 100% sure you have a right to them, but you plan to keep it anyway, keep your mouth shut! Don't tell people about it and don't go on national tv. And if you are stupid enough to do it, have your story down-pat before you talk to anyone.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
I went to a Camden Riversharks game friday night. How can you not love minor league baseball. I went there at game time and, for $10, I bought a front row seat between home plate and the third-base side dugout. The visiting team had three left-handed batters in the top half of their lineup so, in the first half-inning, I saw at least six foul balls go over my head. It forces people to pay attention.
Being minor league, they have some sort of entertainment or activity during every half inning, including a inflatable cow-tipping contest. Tomorrow night is pay your weight night, where the tickets cost a penny for each pound someone ways. Good deal for anyone, even someone my weight.
I worked a total of about twelve hours between yesterday and saturday, trying to get some time in and catch up on work.
Now for some news:
- English is now West Virginia's official language. Make your own joke.
- I would hope that this will discourage spammers, but, at best, it will discourage American spammers. This won't discourage those based in foreign countries.
- Simply a great article about Darth Vader.
- If this happened ten years ago, I just might be one of the people being sued. Probably not though, I still like the act of physically buying the cd and looking at the artwork. Also, it always seems to me that, with the exception of the acts with strong fan bases, internet music is mostly singles and some of the greatest music moments for me have been finding a great b-side. Besides, a single is only a four minute experience, but a good album can be a forty-five minute roller coaster ride. The thing I fear the most that could come as a result of the coming of internet music is the death of the album. Granted, pop music has been putting out albums with a couple good singles and the rest filler, but this could simply speed up the death of albums.
- This is what I'm saying would happen. I've heard in the media how Pittsburgh wasn't a big market for flyers. But I've personally flown out of Cleveland, Columbus, and even Baltimore, not to mention driving to Washington, D.C., because of expensive flights coming out of Pittsburgh. With cheaper airfares out of Pittsburgh, people flying out of Pittsburgh has increased. Hoping with Southwest coming this month, it will only go up. The cheap rate between Pittsburgh and Philly will be great.
- This mentions the Loew's at the waterfront near Pittsburgh. The reserved seats at the one in Cherry Hill isn't as nice.
- You could create a whole tourist industry, drawing people in just to hunt cats. Might be more challenging than hunting deer, unless you get one of the cats chasing the laser on your laser sight.
- Possibly my favorite quote in a tv or movie review in a while is in this one:
"'Revelations' opens moodily, with a series of end-is-nigh visions: War and famine abound; a mysterious baby is rescued from the Adriatic; Bill Pullman lands a role in which he's not entirely neutered."
- If you're gonna sell your kid for a car, you can do better than a Mercury Cougar.
- I agree that they should give the cup out to someone this year.
- I actually own this album on cd. My mom had a decent record collection, including old Beatles and Elvis albums, but this one caught my eye for obvious reasons, but the music was also really good. It's still one of my favorite album covers of all time.
- I remember when Trivial Pursuit came out. I wasn't even 100% sure what Trivia was, but, for some reason I wanted that game for Christmas. It just fascinated me. But my parents had already bought it for my brother as a present. They didn't switch it over to one of my presents, I think, because they thought I was too young at the time for it. Still, over the years I got more use out of that set than my brother ever did. At one point in high school, I think Bill, Sig, and I had the whole Genus I edition memorized.
- Back in collge, I think the term "SWAT Monkey" would have become a over-used phrased after this article.
Being minor league, they have some sort of entertainment or activity during every half inning, including a inflatable cow-tipping contest. Tomorrow night is pay your weight night, where the tickets cost a penny for each pound someone ways. Good deal for anyone, even someone my weight.
I worked a total of about twelve hours between yesterday and saturday, trying to get some time in and catch up on work.
Now for some news:
- English is now West Virginia's official language. Make your own joke.
- I would hope that this will discourage spammers, but, at best, it will discourage American spammers. This won't discourage those based in foreign countries.
- Simply a great article about Darth Vader.
- If this happened ten years ago, I just might be one of the people being sued. Probably not though, I still like the act of physically buying the cd and looking at the artwork. Also, it always seems to me that, with the exception of the acts with strong fan bases, internet music is mostly singles and some of the greatest music moments for me have been finding a great b-side. Besides, a single is only a four minute experience, but a good album can be a forty-five minute roller coaster ride. The thing I fear the most that could come as a result of the coming of internet music is the death of the album. Granted, pop music has been putting out albums with a couple good singles and the rest filler, but this could simply speed up the death of albums.
- This is what I'm saying would happen. I've heard in the media how Pittsburgh wasn't a big market for flyers. But I've personally flown out of Cleveland, Columbus, and even Baltimore, not to mention driving to Washington, D.C., because of expensive flights coming out of Pittsburgh. With cheaper airfares out of Pittsburgh, people flying out of Pittsburgh has increased. Hoping with Southwest coming this month, it will only go up. The cheap rate between Pittsburgh and Philly will be great.
- This mentions the Loew's at the waterfront near Pittsburgh. The reserved seats at the one in Cherry Hill isn't as nice.
- You could create a whole tourist industry, drawing people in just to hunt cats. Might be more challenging than hunting deer, unless you get one of the cats chasing the laser on your laser sight.
- Possibly my favorite quote in a tv or movie review in a while is in this one:
"'Revelations' opens moodily, with a series of end-is-nigh visions: War and famine abound; a mysterious baby is rescued from the Adriatic; Bill Pullman lands a role in which he's not entirely neutered."
- If you're gonna sell your kid for a car, you can do better than a Mercury Cougar.
- I agree that they should give the cup out to someone this year.
- I actually own this album on cd. My mom had a decent record collection, including old Beatles and Elvis albums, but this one caught my eye for obvious reasons, but the music was also really good. It's still one of my favorite album covers of all time.
- I remember when Trivial Pursuit came out. I wasn't even 100% sure what Trivia was, but, for some reason I wanted that game for Christmas. It just fascinated me. But my parents had already bought it for my brother as a present. They didn't switch it over to one of my presents, I think, because they thought I was too young at the time for it. Still, over the years I got more use out of that set than my brother ever did. At one point in high school, I think Bill, Sig, and I had the whole Genus I edition memorized.
- Back in collge, I think the term "SWAT Monkey" would have become a over-used phrased after this article.
This is my first posting from my new digital camera. It's of a buggy being pushed during the buggy races during spring carnival at Carnegie Mellon.
I posted that one because before I post a picture of someone I know, I want to make sure it's okay with them.
I posted that one because before I post a picture of someone I know, I want to make sure it's okay with them.
