LARP

I would imagine that LARPing is not new to you, but just in case...
Here are some great videos I found!
This first video is about 4 1/2 minutes long and is a montage of some great footage of people LARPing. It is appropriately titled: "LARP Sadness." Amen.

Next up is a 5 1/2 minute film of a battle against a... DRAGON! My favorite parts are the random car that drives by in the background (I can't even imagine what would go through my mind if I were driving along, only to look over and see people dressed as wizards and dwarfs, running around a big dragon), the dude that gets taken out by the dragon's arm (and it looks like he really gets taken out by it), and the water or "acid?" that gets shot out of the dragon's mouth. Such realism. Plus, it is great how little is happening in it (everyone is just running around, but no one is fighting). It is called the "Wayfinder Dragon Battle" and is some sort of Finale? I don't get that.

Last up, an old favorite of mine. The classic "Magic Missile" video. If you do nothing else, make sure to watch this 30 second video with sound. You will not be disappointed.

LOTR On The BBC

I had no clue that they had done a radio version of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (the books). For an excellent write-up of similarities/differences of the books, radio version, and Peter Jackson's films: go here. I think I would really enjoy listening to those. Maybe the library will have it in stock.

Now to wax political again. I invite you to watch this video (which is obviously one side's take on the Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae issue). It is showing many Democrats in Congress defending both FM's back in 2004, when many Republicans in Congress were seeking for regulations to be placed on both FM's. Biased? Sure. I'm sure that it is not showing the whole story and I am sure that if the Democrats tried, they could put together a video showing the Republicans in a bad light too. It is still interesting, though to see Frank Raines (I believe that he is Obama's Economic adviser) defend the FM's. Anyway, you can judge for yourself if there is any value here.

The Return Of SNL To Greatness?

A comedy skit show that has been around as long as SNL is bound to have some down years. After Will Ferrell left SNL, I figured that the show was lost for a while (and maybe it was... I didn't watch it for a bit and so I guess I don't know if it was really any good or not). Then they brough in some unusual choices (from my point of view): Kenan Thompson (of that old Nickelodeon comedy skit show that I never watched and thought sounded lame) and Andy Samberg (who got his start making really strange films and skits with his buddies from thelonelyisland.com). It was that same Andy (and his buddies that do a little bit of writing for the show now and are behind the SNL Digital Shorts) who got my attention to want to come back and give the show another try. When "Lazy Sunday" blew up, I think it caught everyone's attention. I have since begun watching little bits here and there and thank hulu.com tremendously for making it possible to see skits without having to stay up until 1:30 or 2:00 am to get my fix. The show has brought in some great cast members. Despite its heavy liberal leanings, I love Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers as the Weekend Update team. Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Will Forte, and Fred Armisen are all very strong comedians and have impressed me tremendously. Most of all, and the biggest surprise to me, is that Kristen Wiig is outstanding. She has become that effortless comedian of the show, that will enhance any skit just by being in it. She doesn't have to try hard like so many other comedians do; she is just naturally hilarious.
Anyway, The season premiere was very disappointing (despite Tina Fey's very funny and now infamous portrayal of Sarah Palin), but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th episodes completely made up for that. My faith in the show is easily being restored to where I now feel it is worth it to stay up to watch it again. It has been a long time since I felt that way.
First up, an O.J. Simpson trial jury selection skit:

Second, one of the best skits I've ever seen. Watch Kristen Wiig in action in the Lawrence Welk Show skit:

Two Random Thoughts

The first is Warren Buffet's plan (or at least a brief version of it) for how to save the economy.

The second is I just wanted to say thanks for the great blessing that is the Redneck. In our troubled times, there isn't hardly anyone to make fun of without being offensive. It's comforting to know that Rednecks are still safe.

Dracula Sequel?

ShockTillYouDrop.com is reporting that Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew (and blood descendant... ooooh... they used the word blood in the description of their relation which is what Dracula likes to eat cause he is a vampire and I'm sorry if I just ruined the story for anyone who hasn't read it yet), has compiled himself a sequel to Bram's Dracula. Apparently, there were lots of things that were cut from the first book or something like that, as well as some notes that his father had made. Thus, Dacre (which is a really creepy name in and of itself) compiled these notes and (I assume) filled in what was missing to make it a coherent story (with the help of a Dracula historian and documentarist named Ian Holt). This sounds very similar to what Christopher Tolkien has done with his father's notes from LOTR. It will be released in October of 2009.

One last tidbit, I guess originally it was to be called The Un-Dead, but they have since changed it to Dracula: The Un-Dead or something like that. I'm sure we'll learn more about this as we get closer to its release.

In other interesting and coincidentally related news, this week I (and a few others) watched the old 1931, black and white version of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. I'm generally not a huge fan of old movies like that, but it was really cool to see how differently movies were made and what was considered scary back then. I think if a time machine allowed us to show one of the Saw movies to a 1931's audience, they would murder and eat each other before the movie ended because it would warp their freaking minds.

Fringe Gets A Season

Comingsoon.net is reporting that J.J. Abrams' awesome new show, Fringe, was picked up by Fox for an additional 9 episodes (taking it to full season length). This is good news for fans of television, Abrams, Joshua Jackson, science, puppies, tentacles, forceps, bits of the flaky outer crust from Marie Calendars' delicious chicken pot pies, and teflon.

Dancing Just May Save The World

Perhaps this is not new to anyone, but it was to me. Matt Harding (a random human being/video game designer that has decided to travel the globe extensively, videotaping himself dancing foolishly in varied locations) seems like a cool guy to me. Big ups to Stride Gum for being willing to toss the necessary cash for travel expenses at him. Also, if you are interested, Jim Walsh from Minnpost.com helps explain how this thing got started and came to fruition. Things like this just make me happy.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Another Way To Die

Jack White and Alicia Keys are two artists that have both impressed me and left me unsure as to whether or not I really like them. Both have released some awesome songs, but at the same time, I don't generally like listening to either artists for any extended amount of time. I guess it is fitting that the Jack White written, performed (with Alicia Keys), and produced theme song "Another Way to Die" for the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace would leave me unsure as to whether or not I like it. I was trying to imagine it as the beginning of a film, with all the random, weird, naked ladies floating and pointing guns through strange environments and I just wasn't getting it. Ah well. I'll hold off judgment until I see the film. Here is the music video for your viewing pleasure:
"Another Way to Die"

MLS To Vegas Through Columbus?

Ives Galarcep is reporting that the Las Vegas Sports & Entertainment Group are looking into purchasing an unknown amount of the Columbus Crew (much like Oscar de la Hoya has done with the Houston Dynamo). LVSEG wouldn't run the team, they would just own a percentage of the team. Why might this be important? Well, despite large attendance figures during their early years, Columbus has struggled in recent years with getting people to come out to the games. This wouldn't be that bad for Columbus (certainly there are quite a few teams with poor attendance figures), but Forbes recently found Columbus to be 2nd to last in terms of overall team value, and tied for last in terms of revenue (they lost $4.5 million last year). This, despite the fact that they were the first team to get their own soccer specific stadium and have been around since the league's inception.
What does all of this mean? Maybe nothing. LVSEG's spokesman, Paul Caligiuri, has stated that there are no plans to move the Crew out of Columbus, but it does raise questions as to what exactly the investment group that is planning to bring MLS to Vegas is trying to accomplish with this move. The fact is, there are some risks and concerns that many have regarding how well a professional soccer team (that plays outside during the summer) could do in a town with no real professional sports history. LVSEG has addressed one of these concerns with a plan that includes a $500M hotel/casino with a stadium alongside (complete with retractable roof and AC). The other concern (will the people come out to support this team?) is much harder to address and overcome; we won't know until it happens. Given the stability and success of Montreal, Vancouver, and Portland's USL teams, it would seem to make more sense to expand into any one of those markets. Add in the NY Mets' bid on a 2nd (and real--RBNY plays in Jersey) NY team, talks of Barcelona making a bid for a team in Miami again, and the soccer history of a town like St. Louis, Vegas is up against some tough competition.
LVSEG says that this move does not mean they won't be pursuing MLS in Vegas. So what are they doing? The signs are pointing toward what is called, "a safety net." Let's assume that things go well for LVSEG and they are awarded the Vegas team. Sweet! Now they own a Vegas team and have own a large share in another team. They have options to sell it or whatever. No real harm done (other than it being a gamble with a large sum of money, but that is not something this ownership groups seems to be lacking in). If they are not granted the team, then at least they still have a team. Sure it's not in Vegas, but it is an MLS team and so they still win. If things don't start looking up for Columbus (attendance/revenue wise) then they are in a good position to consider moving the team out to Sin City. Thus far it seems like a wise safety net that they are setting up for themselves. It may not be real cause for alarm for Columbus fans, yet... but if it were my team that was in this situation, I'd do everything I could to make sure that attendance and revenues increase over the next year or two. Perhaps the success of Columbus this season will help bring some of those fair-weather fans back.

A Second Doppelganger

Well folks, most of you will remember this foul loathsome little creature. He is my doppelganger. I haven't found him yet, but when I do he will be destroyed, for neither of us can live while the other survives.
I am re-posting him, because Misty (currently on an adventure in London, England, Europe, Earth) told me today that she found another doppelganger of me. Hers is apparently one tall drink of water, coming in at 6'2" and completely British. The only real difference she could find was that our glasses were slightly different (as are the glasses of the first other-dimensional me to the right here). Other than that, the eyes, nose, and even teeth reportedly looked exactly the same, although it's been a while since Misty has seen my teeth so who knows how accurate her assessment was.
What does this mean? Is this a whole new menace to my me-ness or is the same one (pictured to the right) and now we know what country he lives in? I don't know what to think anymore. This whole phenomenon has me rather creeped out. It's like I am losing me.
And just to clarify, the man pictured tot he right is not me. Ryan sent me that picture when it came in a forwarded e-mail that Sara had received. I myself was almost taken in by this conjurer's tricks and wondered if someone had taken a picture of me and Photo-shopped it. If you look carefully though, you will see that it is definitely not me. The straight and less-yellow-than-mine teeth are what really give his lies away. Plus, I'm not bald, yet.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Think of two things you really love. Go ahead. Take a minute. Ok got them? Now... put them together! Bam! Doesn't that feel nice? When I did it I got Nelly Furtado singing during the halftime show at one of DC United's games. What's more? She was sporting one of their jerseys. This happened a year or two ago and thus is old news, but I don't claim to be a source of news and especially not new news, so you'll have to take your complaints elsewhere.

I shan't explain my love affair with DC United or soccer, because I have done so extensively on here already. I will take a second to explain why I love Nelly Furtado so much. This begins with a problem: I don't usually like female musical artists. I could count on one hand the number of female artists that I really really like on one hand (at least, ones who are still living, contemporary female artists that I regularly listen to and not because it is fun to like them or funny). I can only guess at why this is and will do so now: I think it is due to what I perceive as a different approach to songwriting that many female artists take. I once read or heard somewhere that men pay more attention (at least initially) to the music of a song and women pay more attention (at least initially) to the lyrics. Who knows if this is true? I certainly don't. However I do find it interesting and as I have asked different men and women over the past few years it seems to somewhat make sense. I think this is the same reason why a lot of country turns me off; it feels like the same music rehashed endlessly with the focus being on the lyrics and story-telling. Anyway, Nelly Furtado was the first female artist whose music actually intrigued me and brought something new to the table. I have since found a few others, namely Frou Frou (and Imogoen Heap's solo stuff as well).

While I had a hard time with Nelly Furtado's newest Timbaland-produced album at first--I felt like it was a step back from the brilliant musical work of her two previous albums, because Timbaland brought it much closer to a generic dance floor/hip-hop/R&B vibe than I would have hoped for--it has since grown on me a lot. Even if I still don't like it as much as Whoa, Nelly! or Folklore, it has some great songs and I can see the appeal to Nelly to make something a little more listener friendly after her last album's sales weren't spectacular.

Thus, three cheers for Nelly Furtado for helping me to learn to get over my initial distrust of female artists. Here is the soccer-themed video for song "Forca" which she sang at the Euro 2004 final in Portugal (she is of Portuguese descent, but grew up in British Columbia--Canada). it has become somewhat of an anthem for the soccer loving world.

Testing

I fully admit that I stole this picture from Stooph. However, I needed a good one to test the waters on this photo uploading feature (which I have never before used in conjunction with the blogosphere). Thank you for your patience.
Also, I added a new feature on the right that will allow people to "follow" my blogsite. I don't actually know what that means yet, but feel free to give it a whirl and we'll figure it out. it's under the "Papa's Peeps" section.
Update: It has now been made clear what happens when one becomes a "follower" of my blog: you get your cute little picture put on the right side of said blog under the clever title of "Papa's Peeps." Feel free to join the swelling and bulging ranks of my army of (current count = ) 1.

Paving The Way...

I don't wax political very frequently on here, but I read something really interesting just now. This article is basically saying that now is a terrible time to be running for president. Read here.

What I find most interesting is how it contrasts the presidents who were elected right as the turmoil was beginning and the president elected immediately afterward. Take three of the most terrible times in our nation's history: The Civil War, The Great Depression, and The Cold War. As these difficult times began to rear their ugly heads, we had three presidents win the election to the white house: James Buchanan (1857), Herbert Hoover (1929), and Jimmy Carter (1977). How do we remember these men today? The truth is we hardly remember them at all unless it is either as a one-termer, or as a joke. Next, look at the presidents that came in office immediately after these three's first and only term: Abraham Lincoln (1861), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933), and Ronald Reagan (1981). Some conservatives would disagree with notions that FDR's solutions for The Great Depression were good, but the man obviously is a historic figure that got our nation through a tough time (for a LONG time). Conversely, there are plenty of Democrats that would diss on Reagan, but the fact is that these guys were solution presidents that came into office and held our nation together during incredibly difficult circumstances. of course, no one except maybe some KKK guys would have anything bad to say about Abe Lincoln; that guy was a stud.
What does all of this mean? Possibly nothing. it does give me hope though, because in all honesty I am not excited for either candidate this election and feel like our nation will still be hurting when the next election comes along. Perhaps we will see someone of high quality that can step up and help our nation become a nation that we all can be proud of again.

I Think We're Back In Business (Disembodied Black Arm Grabs Ellie's Shoulder)

Well folks, The Office is back and I couldn't be happier. Last night's episode was fantastic and things are looking good for the season. One of my favorite moments: "Wait. Back up. Do you think that I'm retarded?"
Oh, I was sad to see that joke end so quickly though. It was one of my all time favorites. Here are some deleted scenes from last night's pleasure-fest.

Holy JEW

Jimmy Eat World (the JEW mentioned in the title--you do the work with the acronym) is airing a video for a song called Beautiful Day tomorrow on some Nick, Jr. show. I have two thoughts:
First, I actually think it's cool that they would do something so cheesy, stupid, and campy (I can't use the word "gay" anymore without it being offensive so I'm toying with "campy"... so far so good), but fun for kids. The song really isn't that bad for one that I'm sure they just tossed together very quickly and didn't put much effort into. I like it when bands are comfortable enough with themselves to do something "non-rockstar-ish" without having to resort to making fun of the thing in the process to maintain dignity.
Second, what is up with that show? That looked just as freaky as Teletubbies. Who comes up with this stuff and why do we think it is worth subjecting our children to? Oh man. That's it. My kids are growing up on a strict diet of old Transformers, X-Men, and Batman: The Animated Series cartoons. I will treat any watching of lame shows like that with extreme prejudice and dole out punishments accordingly. I think I'd be more ashamed of my son for getting caught with drugs then for getting caught watching something like that. I guess if he were on drugs at the time he was caught watching a show like... hmm... maybe that would justify it... I don't know. I'll have to put some more thought into this.
Enjoy...?
Jimmy Eat World-Beautiful Day-Yo Gabba Gabba

Monday Musings

So, last night I saw something great on TV: The Family Guy did a parody of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. I thought it was hilarious. I only saw the last half or so, but I thought I'd give you guys a little snippet of it to enjoy.

Oh My...

Wow. This video is a must see, although I warn you that it is TERRIBLY painful to watch. (Insert Sideshow Bob moan/groan noise here). This is an Epic Nut Shot.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Random Video Friday!!!!

You guys know what time it is? That's right! Random Video Friday!!!!!!! Wheeeee!!! and how.
Today we have some delightful ones. Up first is one of four quadruplets (hence the four) laughing. Does that sound strange? Wait until you see the video, good sir.

Ok. Next up is of a special little girl who is going to make her daddy very nervous someday. Introducing: Baby Beyonce.

Last of all (and on a slightly more serious and somber note), we have the singer from Phantom Planet singing "Anthem" with just his acoustic and some fans. Very nice.

That's it folks. Have a great day.

Ben Folds Five

Matt just reminded me that Ben Folds Five is playing their magnificent album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner in its entirety for MySpace's new music feature/series: Front to Back. This is very exciting folks. This will be the first time in 10 years that these guys have played together. I got to hand it to MySpace for doing something so awesome. I had grown rather sick of that site and hadn't visited it for a while. They've made some changes and it seems to be a little better now, so good for them.

Dreamin' Of Heath Ledger...

I just remembered my dream from last night. I was the warden of a high security prison, and we had The Joker (Heath Ledger's version) locked up in a big wooden box (like a chest or something). The FBI bigwig agent-type people came to me and said that we have to let The Joker escape so that he would lead us to his bosses or the mob bosses or something. So, I had to help him escape and ended up hanging out with The Joker for the remainder of the dream. None of the guards knew the plan, so it was scary cause they would have shot us on sight. It was kind of creepy, but a really cool dream. Heath did an excellent job in my dream as well.

Now, to get our day really started:
"Blue Shadows (on the Trail)"

Another Weezer

I am flooding the webwaves with Weezer lately, but what can I say? I have rediscovered my love for them. Here is an acoustic performance of one of the Red Album's bonus tracks, "Miss Sweeney." It was recorded at the AOL Sessions, also.
One aspect of Weezer that has always endeared them to me is their serious form of being strange. They do random things that are really weird, but they don't sit there and giggle and what not. It is like they are making a joke or doing something funny, but they won't admit that the purpuse of it is to be funny; they play it off like it is serious. I'm not a huge Andy Kaufman fan (I have nothing against him, I just haven't seen much of his work; I am only familiar with his exploits from watching Man on the Moon), but it reminds of how he went out and read a book for one of his standup routines. Brilliant. Weezer is the type of band that would do something weird for the sake of mixing things up, and maybe just because they see the value in artistic strangeness. To me, that kind of strange sense of humor borders on art itself.

Pinback

This one is for you Steven, but I hope others will give the video below a try also (if they aren't familiar with Pinback already).
Brief history Lesson: I first heard of this band while I was on my mission. I heard the song Penelope and immediately fell in love with it. I forgot to look the band up when I got home from my mission though (as happens), and it wasn't until Cody--bless his mutilated soul--got home from his mission that I was reminded of this band that I had planned on looking into. Cody let me borrow his copy of Blue Screen Life--Pinback's second album--and I fell further in love with the band. Strangely though, I had never gone on to purchase/listen to any of their other records until last week when I checked out their newest album Autumn of the Seraphs from the library. Well, I am now hooked on that one too.
Brief Awesome Lesson: this band is awesome. It is two guys (although they perform with a full band) and they have created a very unique sound for themselves. Rob Crow handles the guitar work for the most part, Zach Smith is the bass master, and they both share the vocals. By share the vocals I don't really mean that they take turns singing songs, I mean that they are both constantly in and out of each individual song doing lots of intricate and layered vocals. Their guitar work (both guitar and bass I mean) is incredible and easily transfers from frantic to grooving to haunting to smooth. They are the type of band that you get excited to listen to and sort of dissect into its parts. They are also the type of band that you are excited to just put on in the background and chill to. I have no clue what their songs are about lyrically and I admit that half the time I don't even know the words. So, I guess that they are also the type of band that are so musically intriguing that after a few years of listening to them I still haven't even bothered to "understand" the lyrics. I highly recommend them to all and especially their album, Blue Screen Life.
I had a hard time finding actual videos from their earlier albums (most were fan-made vids you see), but I think this one ought to do nicely. It is "From Nothing to Nowhere" from their 2007 album Autumn of the Seraphs.

Weezer Week Continued!

Ok kids, here is the second installment of MTV's Artist of the Week Tribute of Sorts to Weezer. Yay yay! Ok first up is the Johnny Knoxville introduced black and white video featuring random kids that are like a high school band or something video for:
"Pork and Beans"

Wasn't that delightful? Alright. Next up is a less than exciting but still enjoyable if you love Weezer the guys just standing around on a basketball court video of:
"The Greatest Man that Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)"

And, to top it all off, here is a video of a Brian Bell sung AOL Sessions version of:
"Why Bother"

Well, that ends our day's Weezer fun... or does it? No. More Weezer is to be had for those so inclined by heading over to their Official Weezer Youtube page where many random videos are to be had and enjoyed. I highly recommend it for those needing to spice up their life.

Ben Folds At It Again

Well, I just watched Ben Folds' new video and I gotta say, "Wow that was weird." I liked the song though. I believe that it is the first single from his new album - Way To Normal.
Here, have a watch of your own!
"You Don't Know Me" - Ben Folds

You Dont Know Me (featuring Regina Spektor)

Fringe Science

Last night, J.J. Abrams' (of Lost and Alias fame) new show Fringe aired with its big two-hour pilot, and I gotta say that I really liked it. Fans of X-Files will feel a certain familiarity about the premise; government-ish agents investigate almost paranormal activites and cases while some bigger secrets are revealed along the way. To be honest, it is too early for me to really be able to comment on what is really going to set this show apart from The X-Files other than the fact that it is an Abrams production and therefore bound to have its own flavor in that regard. In particular I want to comment on the performance of one John Noble (who LOTR fans will recognize as the actor who superbly played the deranged Denethor); he was excellent! I am sure that I will comment more on this show in the future, so I will refrain from getting too specific yet about why I liked him (so as not to spoil it for you Sir Steven), but I truly hope that everyone will give the show a try. It sounded like they are re-showing the pilot on Sunday, but I couldn't find anywhere online that would confirm this. So, here is the link to watch the pilot online just in case.

In other news, CNN has a video up that confirms some of what Dan Brown's first Robert Langdon book Angels and Demons purports: that CERN is doing some crazy experimenting with matter/antimatter down deep below the earth. Apparently, CERN is in essense trying to recreate the Big Bang on a tiny tiny tiny little level. One of the possible effects of this experiment is that a miniature black hole would be created down there. CERN scientists say that it would be too small and unstable to maintain itself and would pose no threat, but wow... that is kind of a scary thought. Oh, unless it we could somehow harness it and put it into little canisters that could be shot from a special gun like a bullet, and when it hit the target, it would open up a very temporary 7x7 foot black hole that would swallow up whoever it had hit and then be too unstable to maintain itself and putter out and then voila! Enemy gone for good. Anyway, that is all I have on that for now. Check out that video.

The Great Weezer Shift

Warning: this is a long post about a discovery/realization I had this morning and may drag on. Reader beware!

I began this post with the idea of writing a massive analysis of Weezer's music/albums and especially why I felt they had "dropped off" so to speak after Pinkerton. In doing so I realized a few things:

1. First, the Blue Album and Pinkerton are as perfect as any albums could ever be. They are without flaw and lacking no thing that would improve them. I'm still just blown away by these albums (I listened to the Blue album about 5 times over the past 24 hours, and Pinkerton a few times as well).

2. Second, for the life of me I can not define what it is that has changed. The easy answers are: they sold out by going to a new record label (as was suggested by someone I spoke to), Matt Sharp left and he brought a great deal to the fun feel of Weezer that was irreplaceable, Rivers clammed up after Pinkerton and now writes songs methodically like it is a science project, etc. However, the truth is, I don't know that any of those answers (while all being valid and plausible) really explain it. As I listened to Blue and Pink, I noticed tons of little nuances and subtleties that made the albums so enjoyable. I paid attention to everything from rhythms in chord strumming; silliness in the lyrics and their confusion/make sense factor; types of chords used; speeds of the songs; vocal melodies, harmonies, and fun-ities (thank you Matt Sharp); lyrical content/themes, cohesion from song to song in the album as a whole; etc. There are so many things I thought about while listening that I began to feel like I was getting a clearer picture of what is missing from later albums. The problem is: the later albums all incorporate these elements in their own way. As I dissected the songs and albums into little categories and what not, I began to remember and notice moments from the later albums where Rivers and the band WOULD channel these elements into the songs. In fact, every single item on my list of what made Blue and Pink so great can be found in the later works.

Which brings us to today. As I drove to work, I was listening to the and of the Red Album, and I had an epiphone of sorts: I have been asking the wrong questions. I have grown more and more frustrated over the years, because I have been trying to solve Weezer's "problem." I remember when they first got back together (and we Weezer fans knew all about Rivers depression and why he had given up songwriting and all of that stuff), and they released the Green Album, I was so bloody excited to have my Weezer back. It was obvious that the Green Album wasn't as great as Blue or Pink, but it was Weezer and they were back. I didn't care. Plus, I figured that Rivers just needed time to find his place in music again. Give him some time to trust us again and he'll get back to writing songs like he did for Pinkerton. Maladroit felt like he was headed back in that direction a little bit to me. After Green's generic song vibe (and for the record I really like the Green Album, but the songs have a very tame and safe quality to them), Maladroit was like a breath of fresh air. I started to get my hope back that Rivers was getting to that place of honesty in his musical creativity again. Instead, they released Make Believe which started off with Beverly Hills. Man, what a disappointment. I pretended to like the album for a time (and it does have some great songs), but deep down I felt like Weezer had just lost a step in their recovery process. Now, the Red Album similarly combines some excellent moments with other less spectacular ones.

So, what is the point? I keep thinking of Weezer as a band that is recovering froma traumatic experience and that eventually--if I hold out hope long enough and can figure out what they are missing--they will get back to what I had originally loved so much about them. The truth is, that is neither the case nor a fair expectation. Seven years passed between the releases of the Blue and Green Albums. Seven more years have passed between Green and Red. These are musicians that have grown and changed and they are not the same people they were when they released Blue and Pink. Not only have thier experiences changed, but so have their tastes (and to be fair, the same has happened to me as a fan). So, instead of expecting some return to form from Weezer, what I need to do is learn to approach each album as its own creature and let it get out of its forefathers' shadows.

This realization has somewhat shifted my perception of Weezer and thier music. It is allowing me to bring them back down off of the pedestal on which I had placed them and learn to see them as they really are. I may not always like it, but that is ok; I don't have to love everything they do for me to be a fan and appreciate what they bring to the music world.

What Would Make You Go To Cuba?

I was reading an article today (found here) about five Americans who traveled (illegally mind you) down to Cuba for the US vs Cuba World Cup Qualifier that took place down there on Sat. The US government has put a sanction on spending American money in Cuba (this shouldn't be news cause it's been the situation for more than like 50 years or so), and the penalties for doing so are fierce: $250,000.00 fine and up to 10 years in prison. Sheesh.

It got me thinking about what would be worth (to me at least) going down to Cuba for, and I had a hard time coming up with something. As much as I love music, movies, soccer, etc., none of those things seem worth risking 10 years in prison and $250,000.00 in fines. Good heavens. Well, ok, maybe $1,000,000.00. What would you go down there for?

In other news, even if you don't like soccer, you may find the idiocy of this man's statements funny.

Weezer Week!

In my search for the "Lover in the Snow" video, I stumbled across something really cool that MTV did when the Red Album came out (at least I assume it was back then). They filmed little music videos for a few of the songs from the albums. They also did a lot of backstage/interview kind of stuff with the band too. I'll be posting the videos in no particular order (mostly because I can't find videos for all of the songs) but enjoy them nonetheless.
To start off, one of my favorite aspects of the Red Album is the fact that it finally gives a stage for the rest of the band to take a bigger role in the song-writing and performing. We'll begin with two of my favorite songs from the album.
The first is "Thought I Knew" and surely you'll notice that it is Brian singing.

Today's other video is Pat's song called "Automatic"

Lover In The Snow

I really thought that I had already posted this, but when looking back through my old posts I couldn't find it anywhere. So, this may be old news to many and it is possible that I already posted it, but I am not for caring.
I am about halfway through a Weezer shuffle right now, listening to all of their albums, b-sides, special edition bonus tracks, etc., and I am really enjoying it. Sometimes I get a little sad to think of Weezer, because the obsessive fan-boy relationship I had with the release of their first three (and eventually fourth once I got back from my mission) albums has dimmed somewhat with the release of their last two. It is a situation I find myself in--and hating--with a few of my favorite bands. These are the few bands that I placed on a pedestal, because I had a trust that they would never put out something I didn't love. Sadly, the days have come where some have put out albums that have some great songs, but also some crap songs that I just don't like. Anyway, it has been fun to put Weezer's last two albums in a greater context with their work as a whole. It hasn't made me fall in love with some of these songs that I'm just not fond of, but it has helped me to appreciate those songs more. It has also been fun because I have noticed some patterns in their song-writing that I hadn't noticed before; I can see different movements and musical styles/themes that Rivers has gone through in his development as a song-writer. So, I guess what I am saying is, if you find yourself not enjoying certain aspects of some of your favorite artists' works, try a massive shuffle to help you find a new perspective on those works. It may help.
I now invite you to enjoy a video from Rivers' solo album Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. The song is "Lover in the Snow" and the video explains Rivers obsession with soccer and his experience playing in a celebrity charity soccer match.

The Prize Fighter Inferno

I have noticed a change in the way I approach new music that has begun to take place over the past two or three years. In the past, when a band I loved came out with a new cd, I didn't need any time to be able to profess my love for the new album and be excited to listen to it non-stop for days at a time. This has been changing for me. Now, I can't even begin to count all of the albums that will come out and I won't get into (at least not immediately). Saves The Day's last TWO albums have been that way for me, Coheed's newest, Ben Kweller's new cd, Ben Folds' last two cds, and so on. It even works retroactively at times too. I love Iron and Wine, but when I went out and bought two of their cds (a new and old one) I didn't even get around to listening to them for months.
What happens is that I'll get the new album, get about halfway through it and then just sort of lose interest. half of the time there is another album that I am way into at the moment, so I'll sort of just push the new music aside and get back into whatever I was into. Months later, I'll get in a conversation about that new album that came out and then get excited about it again. It isn't until months later when I am finally ready to take it on and enjoy it. This is very strange to me. I don't really have any sort of explanation, but my guess is that I just feel like there is too much music out there for me to feel like I can take it all in, so I just go with whatever I'm in the mood for most.

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that yesterday I finally listened to The Prize Fighter Inferno agian. I had heard it a few times when it first came out, but to be honest, I just wasn't in the mood for it. So I put it on the shelf and moved on. I gotta say that I think it is an excellent album. When I first heard it, it felt like the ugly red-headed step-child of Coheed and Cambria, and I just wasn't that into it (although I probably tried to convince myself I was by saying it was great--so if I told anyone how great it was back then, I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to lie to you, I think I was trying to lie to me). Yesterday I listened and was really pleased. Some of the acoustic guitar work in it is really cool, and I do like the techo-fun that Claudio throws in. I think I was better able to jsut take it as its own thing, and not compare it to Coheed so much. it is still really weird, but I have always kind of been into weird music I guess.

So, after saying that one shouldn't compare it to Coheed, I will go ahead and do so for the fun of it. Here are some observations:
1. Each song on the album feels like it could be the bonus track at the end of Second Stage or In Keeping Secrets. They each have that kind of "off-Coheed-ish" quality to them, where it is similar to what Coheed is doing, but comes from a very different place.
2. This album feels like acoustic Coheed (of course with some electronic attributes). What does that mean though? Think of it in this light: George Lucas makes Star Wars and it is a space opera/sci-fi adventure. Then, George Lucas makes Indiana Jones which is nothing like Star Wars, but let's be honest... there are some similarities in the feel of the two series. I liken Coheed and Prize Fighter to this. Coheed is the sci-fi space opera that Claudio has written, and Prize Fighter is his Indiana Jones (it is more earthy and has a rustic/acoutsic feel to it).
3. I still have not clue what it is about. Coheed's story made no sense to me until a comic book series was released. That helped, but I still don't fully grasp it. I can see that I would definitely need some visual imagery to accompany Prize Fighter for me to clue in to what story Claudio is trying to get across.

Anyway, there is my review of sorts of the album. I really enjoyed it yesterday and will give it another go today. And... I leave you with a music video from the album's single "Who Watches the Watchmen?"

The Bell Jar

I just finished reading Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, and I gotta say, it was a great book. The first half of it reminded me somewhat of Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, but by the end of it I didn't really know what else to classify it with. It is the tale of a young girl named Esther, and it is filled with stirring imagery and beautiful language. I would choose it as a Giggle Squad Book Club book if I hadn't just read it for class, but I do want to highly recommend it to any and all fans of reading. Ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out.
Yeow.

Goodbye Another Statistic

Another Statistic is a band I came across while living in Provo, saw a couple of times and was greatly impressed by. Yesterday I was listening to them all day and decided to check out their MySpace to see if they'd be coming to Vegas anytime soon. I am sad to report that they broke up a little while ago. I am saddened by this, cause I really liked them. They had a unique flavor to them when I first saw them. Perhaps nowadays it wouldn't be considered as unique, but back then I wasn't aware of too many bands that were getting Indie/Experimental the way they did. Anyway, this is my homage to them and my farewell.

If you get a second, head over to their MySpace and give them a listen, and I hope that you enjoy the video below of one of their older songs (sorry about the sound quality, but this was a local band from Provo/SLC and the selection on Youtube was pretty sparse, you dig?)

UNLV And Cruz Off To A Great Start

Daniel Cruz scored 3 goals in 2 games this past weekend to help give UNLV 2 wins to start off their season. What gets a little confusing is that they also play in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), so there is a difference between their "season" and their "conference games." As far as I understand it, only competitions against other MPSF opponenets count toward winning their conference. Any questions? Good.

Here are links:

Cruz, Rebels Shut Out Dolphins 2-0
Rebels Off To Best Start In Six Years
Cruz Named MPSF Player Of The Week

Frankie And The Knockouts!!!

Oh joy. Thank you Cody for recording this when you did. Thank you TiVo for making it possible for Cody to record this. Thank you me for being able to remember the name of this band and having the common decency to look it up, find it, and put it in an easy to access place where it may be enjoyed by all (assuming that at some point "all" begins to check here on my little blog).
Without further ado, please enjoy Frankie and the Knockouts groundbreaking music video for their hit song "Sweetheart."

A Musician's Growth: The Coheed Backstory

This last week I finally did a Coheed shuffle with their four albums (and some live stuff mixed in there too). It was the first shuffle I've done since their last album came out and it may be the first one that included their third album too. I've done Coheed days where I just listen to all four albums in a row or whatever, but the reason why I bother bringing this up is that it changed the way I feel about their progression as musicians.
Brief backstory: In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (Coheed's 2nd album) was the first Coheed album I ever heard (and as a fun side note, it is the only times that I purchased an album without ever having heard a single song from the artist. It was recommended to me by someone I didn't even really know, but who I knew had pretty good taste in music. It turned out beautifully, but I probably won't ever do that again), and I immediately grew obsessed. It not only introduced me to the idea of concept albums (or bands as they have turned out), but it is an amazing amazing album. Next, I went backwards and listened to Second Stage Turbine Blade (theier 1st album). Again, I was absolutely blown away by this band. Some time went by between this point and the release of their third album Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. I loved this album when it came out, but I would be lying if I said I thought it was as extraordinary as their first two. If the first two both receive perfect 10s, then this one gets 9-9.5. Then, last year their 4th album--Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. II: No World for Tomorrow--came out and I'll be honest, I didn't really like it at first. I'll go into why in the next post, but I found myself with mixed feelings about a band that I had not only been in love with but was also heavily influenced by. It was very discouraging to say the least.
For the sake of space (and hopefully breaking up the monotony) I will just end here by saying that this recent shuffly lasted a few days and was excellent. It allowed me to put all of the albums into perspective in a way that I hadn't been able to just by listening to them all in a row.
More on this to come.

Random Video Day!!!

Today is a day of random videos. First of all, I am sure that most everyone is familiar with the "Rick-rolled" phenomenon. This is where someone pretends to give you a link to a website, but instead it goes to a youtube video of Rick Astley's 80s hit "Never Gonna Give You Up." Well, someone decided to let Barack Obama into the fun. I think they are calling it getting "Barack-Rolled." Anyway, here you get to see the two videos side-by-side:


Next, for all of you fans Guitar Hero and the wonderful Homestar Runner (which, sadly, I haven't watched in years), check this video out:


That's it. Enjoy your day.

Give Me Someone to HATE!

I freely admit that I have been greatly enjoying these Olympic games. Michael Phelps is turning in one amazing performance after another in a sport that doesn't interest me at all (swimming), and I am enthralled by it. Not only has he won the Gold Medal in every even in which he has performed, he has also broken every World Record relating to those events in the process. He has also become the winningest Olympian in history; he currently has won 11 Gold Medals, surpassing the previous tie that a few athletes (including Carl Lewis) held at 9 Golds. He may also win more Golds in a single Olympics than anyone else in history if he can get 8. He already has 5 for this Olympics. Anyway, you get what I'm saying about this being a pretty special Olympics.

However, I have come to realize that there is something missing from these Olympics--someone to hate. France talked a ton of trash coming into the Olympics in regards to swimming, and it made our relay victory over them (and it was amazingly close, and without a doubt THE highlight reel of the games) that much sweeter, but I'll be honest... it's France. I don't take them seriously. They are no threat to us. They are the annoying kid down the street that tries to be cool and look tough but always ends up looking like a fool. They aren't a REAL opponent. China is as close as we can get at the moment. They are beating us in both the overall medal count 35-34, and in the Gold medal count 22-10. The women's team gymnastics final was heartbreaking--to see our girls buckle under the pressure and lose to the supposedly 16-year-old (they look 8) Chinese girls was terribly disappointing. It would seem like China is the country to hate in these Olympics, but, if I am honest, it's just not there for me.

Perhaps what I'm trying to say can better be illustrated with an example of what we are lacking. Think back to those "fairytale" days (they seem that way to my generation for the most part at least) of the Cold War. Did we have a clear enemy? YES. The USSR was the enemy, and they were evil. There was only one thing worse than the US not getting Gold in an event, and that was if the USSR got Gold in that event. I don't feel that way with China. So I guess what I am really saying is that what would make these games more exciting would be to not just have the US to root for, but to also have a nation to really root against. We need someone to hate.

After all of that, the idea behind the Olympics is to promote understanding and world peace through athletic competition, so maybe they can consider this a very successful games.

This video may give you a hint of what I mean.

Burn Notice Revisited

I had a top-secret conversation with Ryan yesterday about TV shows. Amongst other things, we discussed the two shows that I am currently in the midst of, how you say, "catching up on." I am watching the first season of Prison Break and just finished the first season of Burn Notice last night and am greatly enjoying both. Ryan asked me if Burn Notice was as good as 24 or Lost. I didn't know how to answer that question. The reason? These shows are going for very different feels. 24 and Lost are all about the cliffhanger. They are designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, craving to immediately move onto the next episode when the one before it ends. They also provide a puzzle-solving factor that keeps you glued, wondering what twists and turns will be thrown at you.
Burn Notice definitely has tension and some of that edge of your seat power, but it isn't inherently designed for that. Additionally, for as intelligent as the show is (and believe me, it is an intelligent show), there isn't the "rush" of trying to solve things before they happen or the wonderment of how this or that is possible. So, when asked if the show is as good as 24 or Lost, then I have to sit back and wonder if the "addiction factor" of 24 and Lost are required for other shows to be just as good. In the end, I still don't have an answer. The best I can say is that it is too hard to compare 24 to The Office, because both shows offer very different experiences. Similarly, Burn Notice offers a very different experience than 24, Lost, Prison Break, The Office, or Arrested Development. It is almost like a hybrid between the action oriented, espionage show and good old fashioned situational comedies. It is very smart, very funny, and just plain fun. It's not overly intense or dramatic (usually, although there are plenty of intense moments that come as the season develops), but does combine action, big explosions and all those special ingredients that make a show exciting. Also, it brings a sense of learning and enlightenment, because man is it cool (we're talking above MacGyver level cool) when the main character Michael Westen makes some awesome little gadget out of household supplies or explains how best to break into something.
The idea of an ex-spy having to take on odd-jobs around Miami to make money, using his skills in espionage but having to do so without the funds to buy the nice equipment is so appealing to me.

The Olympics Are Here!

They officially don't start until tomorrow, but the group games for women's soccer began yesterday and men's soccer began today. I am sad to say that the US women's team lost their first group game to Norway 2-0. Both goals were scored in the first six minutes. Ouch. All hope is not lost though, because these are the groups games, and the top two from each group advance. So the US women's team can still pull through if they turn it around and start wining.
On a much happier note, the US Men's team (which is technically the US Under-23 Team with three overage players mixed in--Brian McBride, Michael Parkhurst, and Brad Guzan) beat Japan in their group games opener 1-0. The lone goal was scored by Stuart Holden (who plays for the Houston Dynamo).
NBC is doing an excellent job covering the Olympics, and, from what I can tell, they will be providing video footage of all the events online. Until the games officially begin, I won't know for sure, but it looks promising. That website is www.nbcolympics.com.

Congrats to a good start from the US Men's Team in what is a very tough group.

We Thank Thee for Japan...

There is no other nation whose culture both commands my respect and desire to mock as Japan. Think about it for a second; the same nation produced the samurai warrior and anime (sorry to all the anime lovers out there, but that stuff is ridiculous and should be mocked). Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to the powers that be for making Japan. It sure keeps me in a constant state of bewildered awe.

Here is an excellent video of a Japanese prank show that Matt sent me. Enjoy!

Pasadena

I have finally seen the light; Ozma's third album--Pasadena--is excellent. When it first came out I was incredibly bugged by the fact that they redid two songs (from previous discs) on this album. I wasn't angry with the band per se (mostly I blame the label for a stupid move like that), but I was put off by that. I think I felt cheated. With those two remakes as the first and third tracks, and the second and fourth tracks being ones that I didn't like, I sort of shut down and stopped caring to discover the rest of the album. Well, here is what I must say now. The rest of the album is wonderful. Heartache Vs. Heartbreak is a beautiful song that does some incredible things with chords and dissonance and is almost chilling (while maintaining its pop feel). Lunchbreak has one of my favorite little vocal hooks ("Your classmates don't respect you/Asi es la vida") and it has been running through my head almost constantly for the past week or so. In fact, I've even come around on Barriers now too.
So, I have changed the way I think about the album. I still don't really enjoy listening to the two remakes (because I feel like the songs were better captured the first times around), so I have decided to pretend like those songs aren't really a part of this album. Whalah! The album is great! The only song that I will still need more time with is Fight the Darkness, which I still think is a stupid song (at least lyrically, and so far it hasn't done too much for me musically either).
I highly recommend this album though. If you were already an Ozma fan then just pretend like the two remakes never happened, and if you aren't already a fan then it won't matter anyway.
The video below is of the song Heartache Vs. Heartbreak. I apologize for it, because it most certainly isn't the music video. It looks like some fan just made a photo collage background for the song. Ah well. The point was the song anyway.

This one is for Alex. I saw it on youtube and immediately remembered your cover of this song. It is Daniel, Star, and Kenn covering New World Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle." Have atchya.

Born of Hope

Well, in my perusing of The Hunt for Gollum, I came across a link for another fanfilm that is being made about Arathorn (the father of Aragorn). I guess these two little indie films were/are getting made at the same time in Wales and England and they have been collaborating with props and what not. That is kind of cool. Anyway, here is the trailer for that one. It is called Born of Hope.

The Hunt for Gollum

Now, obviously I can't vouch for this film (because it hasn't come out yet and won't until December), but some independent filmmakers are taking a stab at The Lord of the Rings story. Writer/Director Chris Bouchard (an entry of this name exists in imdb, but I currently have no way of knowing if it is the same person) is behind the project. Most of the footage of scenery was shot in Wales, and it is basically just a low-budget higher quality fanfilm. It is based off of the appendices of LOTR that explain Aragorn's hunt for Gollum. Not much more to say about it until it comes out, but here are the two trailers that have been released (trailers below) and also a link to the site if you want to check it out.

Harry Potter 6 Trailer!!!!

Alright boys and girls. I am happy-go-crap-in-the-pants right now cause I just watched the trailer for Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (which my wife Sierra is currently reading for the first time and that also makes my giddy like school girl). Holy Hannah. Man. I am so stinking excited about this film. I am hesitant to be too specific about my next comment (because I hate spoilers), but I was so pleased to see that one of the characters is growing into young adulthood well. This character is an important character and needs to look the part (a thing of which I had my fears after reading HP6 and seeing who had been cast in that role in the films--I just didn't know how growing up would treat this person). Anyway, cryptic speak aside, I am definitely going to be there opening night, even if it means I go alone.

Here is a link to see the trailer (just scroll down and choose your option).

Arrested Development

I realize that I am really behind the times with this, but I LOVE Arrested Development. Sierra tried to show it to me a long time ago (when I was down with un-diagnosed mono) and I couldn't get into it back then. I am guessing that it was either that I was too tired and sick to appreciate the brilliant humor, or that I was too into The Office at the time (and the humor types are very so different that it takes some adjustment to swap from one to the other). Oh, or it could be that I was sexually frustrated (she wouldn't kiss me. I was going crazy...)

Anyway, I just finished watching the final episode (after going through them from beginning to end) and I am so sad that this show was canceled. It is an outrage. A crime against nature. We must do something about getting a film made (and by "we" of course I mean "Mitchell Hurwitz, Ron Howard, and the cast).

Just for fun, here is someone's Top-Ten list of inside jokes that they feel should be included in the film without any explanation at all as to why they are there (in the film of course, as all of them refer back to jokes from the show). Go and enjoy.

Update: I found a petition that any who desire and are willing can sign to show support for the film and/or the return of the show (fat chance people). Who knows if it will help or not, but it can't hurt can it? Maybe...

Steven-Inspired Top-Ten Desert-Island Album-List With-Hyphens-. Extra-Hyphens.

Oh man. Steven went and did it; he posted his list of the ten albums that he'd take with him to a desert island (his motive was that he may audition for the BlueMan Group band--which would be freakin rad--and they ask that question in the application. My motive is that terrorists called and said, "hey, John. How are you? Oh, we're sorry to hear your car got towed, that sucks. Anyway, we're gonna be over there in about twenty minutes to kidnap you and take you to a desert island. You have twenty minutes to choose ten albums to bring with you, cause space is VERY limited. Oh, and you'll want a cute bathing suit.")
Here they are:

1. Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
2. Weezer - Pinkerton
3. Damien Rice - O
4. Thrice - Vheissu
5. Brand New - The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
6. The LOTR Soundtrack (Fellowship if I have to limit it to one)
7. Braveheart Soundtrack
8. Radiohead - OK Computer
9. Nelly Furtado - Whoa, Nelly!
10. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen

This was incredibly hard to make this list (what with so many great albums out there to choose from). Some alternates that I feel deserve mention are--in no particular order:

- Incubus - Morning View
- Dredg - Catch Without Arms
- Saves The Day - In Reverie
- Coheed and Cambria - In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3
- The Format - Dog Problems
- The Get Up Kids - Something To Write Home About
- New Amsterdams - Killed Or Cured

Whiplash!

It has been a while since I've seen something as funny, yet cute, as this. Here is a little monkey named Whiplash who rides a dog in rodeo. I'll give you a news report on him, his commercial (his acting debut I guess), and then some raw footage of him in the rodeo. Enjoy.

Joss Whedon is up to his old tricks again...

Well, Joss Whedon (the creator of Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show, Firefly, and Serenity) has a new project that he is working on called Dr. Horrible. It stars Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, M.D.), Nathan Fillion (Firefly/Serenity), and Felicia Day (who was in some episodes of Buffy, but I haven't ever heard of her before). To be honest, I don't really know how to describe it other than to say it is quirky and funny. Think: Superhero Musical. My guess is that a lot of people wouldn't really get into it, but I enjoyed it. What I don't know is whether this is a potential TV show, film, or just a fun little project for him and some friends to do on the side. Your guess is as good as mine.

Update:
So, I guess this project is actually a strange little experiment for Joss. It began during the WGA strike, and the idea was to basically circumvent the studios in the creative and productive process of making a show.
The mini-TV series will only have three parts (at least initially--I wouldn't be surprised if Joss decided to do something more with it int he future) and only made available online from now until July 20th. The second part will be released tomorrow, and the third (and final) chapter will be released on the 19th.

I Just Can't Get Enough...

I saw this video posted on Alex's website (buy a young woman that could possibly be in cahoots with our man Alex; my team is looking into this), and I can't stop watching it. It cracks me up every time. Whoever made it: thank you and bless you.

Re-Formatting

Well, once again my hard drive crashed and I lost many of the song/story projects that I had been working on. This marks the third time in less than a year the a depository of my creative juices has been stolen or erased. Man, some people just don't take a hint.

Anyway, I am excited to focus in on two creative projects now, and let others sit by the wayside. One is a story and will most likely come out in screen play form by the time it is done. The other is just working with GarageBand to record acoustic demos of songs (old and new) that I have never gotten around to. I will have to wait until I get a new mic to really do the guitar and vocal stuff, but I can begin in other areas for now. My main focus will be on Wishing Well songs (for any who are confused by that--Wishing Well is the name of a full length album that I began writing a few years ago. It became some of the fruit of Twenty Mule Team (My Little Reminder was originally the Prologue-and may still find its way back onto the album-The Ambush, Goodbye Eden, and Sweet Spot in the Spine were all from the album also) and is a massive project that will take me years and years to ever fully develop into the finished product that I desire it to become. It is the first part of a story that will eventually be told over the course of three albums. When all of that musical work is finished I will focus on writing it in story format. My hope would be for it to someday be made into movies, also. I would desire to be involved in the sound-tracking for the films (which would not be a function of just putting in the songs from the albums, but in writing a whole new soundtrack that just borrows themes from the albums).

I'll keep you updated (and don't hold your breath for this to get accomplished anytime too soon).

UNLV's Cruz Gets Call Up

Daniel Cruz, a forward for UNLV's Men's Soccer Team got a call up to play in an Under-20 friendly game in Texas. They play today. Congrats, sir. I'll post the results later.

Update:
The U.S. Under-20's beat Mexico 3-0 last Friday in Texas. Cruz started and played until the 80th minute.


And in other soccer news:
I really enjoyed reading this article from the Laredo Morning Times about youth soccer development in our nation. It chronicles the rapid and unexpected rise in our Men's national Team (which has since balanced out to a more accurate level), and talks about what is currently going on with developing American soccer talent. Good stuff.

Jay-Z vs. Noel Gallagher

I saw this on The Original Winger, and thought you'd enjoy it, Matt. Jay-Z headlined the Glastonbury Festival this past weekend and got a little retaliation against Noel Gallagher (of Oasis), who had stated that rappers shouldn't be allowed to headline the festival. What did he do? He covered Wonderwall. Ha. Well done, sir Z.

I also stole this little nugget from the same site. Enjoy (for scientific and medical reasons...).

Please Let Us See Kenny Cooper

I need to thank The Offside Rules for posting this Mixtape of Kenny Cooper's goals. Not only is it a fantastic compilation of footage of Cooper, but it is also set to an excellent song (as opposed to the usual crap that people put behind the mixtapes they make).

My question is, why on earth are we not giving this kid a chance on the big stage? We have a real lack of quality at this position, and with Dempsey reportedly burnt out from Fulham's relegation battle (and seemingly in need of some rest) and Jozy's injury, we need some help. Wolff has been terrible, Johnson has shown some improvement but that improvement hasn't brought a single goal. Ching could be the man to bring the finishing that we need, but why not let Cooper have a chance to show us what he's got? Everything else aside, consistently playing Wolff over Cooper seems like such an incredibly stupid move to me. It makes no sense. I would love to see Cooper up top with Donovan running the right side and Beasley on the left. Get Adu in that attacking mid role with Mastroeni behind him, and let's see what these guys can do. When Dempsey gets some rest, then let's get him up top with Cooper and see what these guys can do.

Anyway, here is the Mixtape.

Captain Burnsworth: Quirathean Fields

Here we go on the next installment of this little story. For some reason I feel like I should clarify what is going on here; I don't know. I'm not bothering to plan too far into the future with this story. The purpose is to get into the habit of writing close to everyday, even if it is just a little bit. So, I apologize if anyone starts to read this story and then gets disappointed by its "little snippet" format, or that it isn't more cohesive, but cohesiveness isn't the point. My guess is that we'll have a little bit of the Water World effect, where the story starts without an ending and that ending has the potential of being a little disappointing. Oh well. :)

Also, formatting is a problem here on Blogger. It auto corrects "errors" (which are actually what I like to call "indentations") so the dialogue won't necessarily be the standard format you encounter in books. I'm sure you'll get it though.


“What am I looking at here, Harmes?” Captain Burnsworth's eyes never shifted to his navigator as he asked this question. Everyone on board Burnsworth’s ship, the Lucidia, was staring forward at the planet Quirath: their destination.
“To be honest sir, I’m not sure,” Harmes slowly replied. “The planet seems to be encased in some sort of energy field. I’ve never seen anything like this before, Captain. The sensors are going off the charts.”
The Captain leaned forward in his chair slightly and studied the faint blue hue surrounding Quirath. The comparatively small planet was completely surrounded by this field of energy. He was familiar with energy shields; all ships used them for deep space travel. But this field was large enough to engulf a planet. How could this even be possible? What could possibly be powerful enough to produce that large of a field? More importantly, would it even be safe to attempt to pass through it? Was it radioactive? He began to wonder whether or not their trip would be cut short.
“Get me connected to the Quirathean port authority, and let’s get some answers.” Vindler, the communications expert on board the Lucidia, busied himself with his equipment, but it soon became apparent that there would be no communicating with the planet.
“Sir,” Vindler responded, “I can’t get through. We’re getting some massive interference with the signal, almost total communication breakdown.”
The Captain sat silently, thinking of how imperative it was that they get onto that planet to sell those crystals. He had accrued massive gambling debts recently and was running out of time to pay it back, and if Morgan “Titus” Andronicus, could be counted on for anything, it was his punctuality in recovering debts. As strong and fast a ship as the Lucidia was, there was nowhere that it could hide from Titus. He needed to get down to that planet, but would it be worth risking death in the process?
“Thorpe,” Captain Burnsworth yelled, deciding that as risky as passing through that energy field would be, death was certain if he didn't get Titus that money.
“Yes, sir!”
“Prepare one of the recon droids for deployment. We need to get an idea of how safely we can pass through that field. Vindler,”
“Yes sir.”
“You’re my eyes and ears. Bring that droid up on screen one. We’ve got a few minutes to learn as much as we can about that field before we attempt a pass of our own.”

Captain Burnsworth

I decided that I want to flex my writing muscles with short exercises. Some of those exercises will be in the form of random and unrelated stories or descriptions. Other times they will be small parts of a bigger (and most likely developing) story. Today's will most likely be one of those longer developing stories. Let me know what you think.


Captain James Burnsworth sat alone in his quarters, pondering over the recent events that had enticed him to turn his ship toward the Alpha-Centauri Quadrant. Intercepting the small freighter had started as nothing more than a routine boarding--until thirteen crates of Quirathine crystals were discovered in the freighter’s secret cargo holds. Captain Burnsworth understood how important these crystals were to Quirath, or perhaps more specifically to the prevailing religion on the planet, and the thought filled him with great hope; he had some serious debts to pay. He almost shuddered remembering how cruel the Quirathean religious leaders could be—he’d seen the punishments they had meted out on that Quirathean child’s neck and back—but that kind of fanaticism also spoke well of how much they would pay in ransom to get those crystals back. He looked down into the small clear crystal in his hand; mesmerized momentarily by the soft blue streaks that occasionally glittered back at him. Turning the crystal slowly, he smiled, thinking of the good fortune that had suddenly befallen him and his crew.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

I've started this blog because I wanted a place to put my poems. I'd been e-mailing them to people (quite against their will I'm sure), and felt like it would be better to have a central place where those who were interested could come and read them on their own. This was both a great idea and a terrible one: great because I wasn't bugging people as much, terrible because no one came to read (to be fair I have picked up and lost readers over the years, so at any given moment there were maybe two people I knew who checked the blog). A time went on, my interests have evolved somewhat, and I have begun to incorporate many new elements into this blog. At times it feels successful, while at other times it doesn't. Thus, I have decided to try something new; I am going to ask for my two readers to respond and give me their feedback on what they do and don't like.

I will ask you to rate the topics by how much you enjoy reading them. The scale we will use is 1-5 with 5 meaning you love the posts that relate to that topic and 1 meaning that you don't even bother to read them.

The five main topics are (and I am excluding the random ones that just spring up on occasion):

1. Poems/poetry
2. Soccer
3. Movies
4. Books
5. Music

So, in the comments section, feel free to rank them on that 1-5 scale and we'll see if we can't get a better feel for where this blog should be headed. Thank you.

Recurring Dreams

I'm interested in the phenomenon that is the recurring dream. I have heard a few other peoples' recurring dreams before and, while I have never found another one quite like my own, I am fascinated by the idea that our mind would replay a certain scenario over and over to us in our sleep.

Here, for your reading pleasure, is the tale of my own recurring dream that I had repeatedly as a child. I haven't had it since I was about 7 or 8, but I certainly had it enough to remember it vividly.

In my dream, my mom would put me on the timeout chair in the kitchen (what I had done to deserve such a punishment was never made clear) and then leave. I'd be sitting there alone in the kitchen when all of a sudden the pantry door would open up. Instead of being the shelves of food that were normally found inside, it would be an old stone passage that spiraled downward. It was dark and had cobwebs and was incredibly reminiscent of 50's horror film. I'd go over and start heading down the stairs, but never get more than two or three steps before I'd hear someone coming up. I'd run back up into the kitchen, turn around, and then all of the old 50's horror flick monsters would come out of the pantry: Frankenstein, Dracula, the wolfman, mummies... you name it and they were there. I'd be freaked out of my mind, and then the Monster Mash song would start playing and we'd all have a Monster Mash dance party in the kitchen. Very strange.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 29: Class-Mix Rewind 4.0

I do believe that this is the last poem that I shall be posting from my class. I had another one that was a sonnet and it turned out terribly. So I shan't be offending your ears with it, but I do want to say just how much I have enjoyed this little run of poetry--4. Yes, that is right. We've reached level 4 in the enjoyment spectrum (which beats level 3--winning an art contest--but doesn't quite reach level 5--beating a child in an art contest; man their drawings suck).


Drifting

A little fluff of feather floats by
and I wonder if it cares where it’s going.
Back and forth,
up and down;
wherever the wind blows it.
Do feathers make plans
to get some shopping done,
drop the kids off at soccer practice,
budget?
Does it notice how close it gets to landing
Only to be lifted up and carried off
By the next gust of wind?
Does a feather get angry that it can’t chase its dreams?
Does it even have dreams?

I watched a little fluff of feather go by
endlessly drifting.



Oh dear me. What a delightful little poem. It sure makes you think about it. It sure makes you think. And now two haikus to finish us off:


Tiny needles
scrape soft petals.
My wife says to shave.


A lone desert bush.
Moisture falls in single stream—
child frees his bladder.

Papa's Poem Corner Episode 28: Deception Points Your Joints At Slalom

We are over halfway done with the poems from my class. What will we do when we reach the end? I don't know, but if it is anything like that ocean life documentary I watched last night (called Deep Blue), then killer whales will come separate a baby gray whale from its mother and then kill and eat it. So, we better hope that these don't end.


Parting

My memories of melodies
are fading from my mind,
and notes I used to know no longer
harmonize with mine.
Maybe I should take a rest—
Or pretend that it’s all fine—
but I can’t stand the silence
so I try to find
a way to reconnect,
to use my eyes.
I’m groping in the darkness,
and seeking out the blind.
Tired beats for rhythms—
awkward words I can’t make rhyme.
The part of me that is music
grows fainter with time.



Well would you look at that? It's time for another haiku.


Proud rooster heralds
the rising of morning sun.
Dead cock for dinner.