30 September 2005

junior high-esque meme

probably I just wanted an excuse to fire up the music player at work, but for some reason this meme amused me today. it's Friday, it's been a hell of a week, and, well, junior high wasn't all bad. Sherm, if anyone I know also does this, I expect it to be you :)

turn on your iPod, mp3 player, iTunes, Winamp, whatever you use for the listening of the musics. use the first 13 songs on random/shuffle as answers to the following questions. because if anyone knows the real you, it's your music player. (make sure pop-ups are blocked if you click on any of the song titles for lyrics. lyrics sites are horrid for pop-ups.)

1. What do you think of me?
Elvis Costello - (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
bwahahahahaha. it's true, I don't (unless it's to sit in the away end and watch as we beat their sorry blue asses). so far so good, Winamp.

2. Will I have a happy life?
The Beatles - Norwegian Wood
well, that's not the positive outlook I was hoping for, although I do really like the song.

3. What do my friends think of me?
REM - High Speed Train
you have to ask: how would the antelope have gotten into the building and up the stairs in the first place?

4. What does my SO think of me?
Dave Matthews Band - #41
awww, that's ever so sweet.

5. Do people secretly lust after me?
Cake - Cool Blue Reason
not so much, then.

6. How can I make myself happy?
They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
obviously I'm supposed to watch the Champions League final when I feel down. I can totally get behind that idea.

7. What should I do with my life?
Kaiser Chiefs - Na Na Na Na Naa
heh, nice.

8. Why must life be full of pain?
Rilo Kiley - Small Figures In A Vast Expanse
it's so emo it actually hurts.

9. How can I maximize my pleasure during sex?
Ferry Corsten - We Came
I swear this came up randomly. and, duh, I hope I'd know that already.

10. Can you give me some advice?
Paul Simon - The Cool, Cool River
"My life's so common it disappears / And sometimes even music / Cannot substitute for tears"
that's deep, man.

11. What do you think happiness is?
Gorillaz - Every Planet We Reach Is Dead
so maybe to stay here with the planet we already know which is a few generations away from being dead? not sure that's helpful advice.

12. Do you have any advice to give over the next few hours/days?
Buena Vista Social Club - Amor de Loca Juventud
I believe this translates roughly to "love of crazy youth". Really pretty song, depressing lyrics about the naivete of youthful love, so let's hope this one is a swing and a miss.

13. Will I die happy?
Nick Drake - Place To Be
that's not really an answer, you know.

on second thought, I didn't actually go to junior high. looks like I didn't miss much if this is the kind of thing that went on.

27 September 2005

picnic food

corn avocado salad

mission adjourned, for the time beating

it's autumn again, which means it's time for the biennial (or Bennial, if you will) migration of our friends and family. for some reason, other than the occasional weekend or overnight visit, and excepting our weekly roommate/guest, we tend to play host only in the fall.

this year it was Dunc's parents for two weeks, slightly overlapping Kevin Smith's stand-in, who was here for ten days and just left yesterday. next Monday it will be everyone's favorite BBC journalist for about a week and a half.

I guess it was a good enough visit with the parental units, but I only saw them for a day at the start of their holiday, and a day at the end. they spent the whole time at various cabins in the mountains, which was probably much more relaxing than two weeks of sightseeing and entertainments. Dunc was able to spend a couple days up north with them, where his mother cooked him eggs and bacon and beans for breakfast when he said he wasn't hungry enough for cornflakes.

I wish I'd had a little more time off while Jim was here, but we still managed to fit in several movies and some quality PS2 time, as well as a too-brief trip to the lake and a picnic at a winery nearby. Mmmm, grilled sausages and a cheese roundabout, what more could you want at a picnic?

Haiku-esque creations in honor of this past week:

Harold and Kumar go to White Castle
Harold and Kumar--
hilarious. Doogie did
coke lines off girl's ass.

Revenge of the Sith
I stand above you
on the hill, which means I have
higher ground. I win!

Transporter 2
Improbable stunts.
Caricature villain. So
funny anyway.

Good matinee, but
maybe do not let
Jason S. talk. Thanks.

Batman Begins
A most excellent
addition to a checkered
catalogue. Good job!

Great plan: Michael Caine
as Alfred. Chris Nolan should
have done last three films.

Garden State
Conundrum! Can a
film be both hip and good si-
multaneously?

16 September 2005

but why is the rum gone?

chocolate rum cake

13 September 2005

and so it begins...

five minutes left in the Liverpool-Betis match... we just had a nice little bit of passing in their half which didn't come to anything, but wasted a bunch of time.

great save from Reina on that free kick there. looks like we just might hang on (famous last words, right?). I'm still getting used to the Spaniard in goal, but he's mostly made good decisions in this match, only a couple times where he looked in the wrong place.

I was very pleased with the first half, particularly the first twenty-five minutes or so, but am much less pleased at the moment. they made some changes at the half that we didn't compensate for, and they became a much greater threat in midfield. Rafa won't be happy with the second half, I think.

five minutes of extra time, ugh. another goal would be good here, lads.

as far as the squad goes, I thought Carra did a reasonably competent job as captain, but perhaps the second half is where we really missed the leadership of Gerrard, when they altered their formation, we didn't cope well; Hyypia really needs some cover at the back, he's just not fast enough to get in the way of some of these speedier forwards; Sissoko is improving rapidly, this is the first match I've really been impressed with his contribution; Garcia still isn't a right winger, but he didn't give the ball away as much as I expected him to; as for Crouch, he has a good touch and decent vision, but it's like watching a giraffe play, I get distracted by how bony his knees are and I miss what he's done with the ball; Cisse needs to settle down a bit when he (or his teammate) makes a mistake, I'm all for my team playing with passion and heart, but I worry that he gets discouraged too easily. the rest of them were good at times, but overall not breathtaking.

the goals, though, were awfully fun to watch. Carra's ball forward for the first goal was great, and Flo-Po's control was excellent to chip the keeper so neatly. some nice passing for the second goal, with every passer having a defender breathing down his neck and still sending the ball to where it would do the most good.

and that's it finished. Real Betis 1 - 2 Liverpool. could have been worse, but I wouldn't want to be in the dressing room now. one expects strong words to be spoken.

in other CL matches today:
so there ya go. the group stages of the Champions League are underway. ESPN2 had the Liverpool match on today, and should have Man Utd on tomorrow. it's like they know.

07 September 2005

"All we are, basically, are monkeys with car keys."

- Grandma Woody, from Northern Exposure

Duncan had a rough re-introduction to Atlanta drivers two weeks ago when a guy in a large SUV changed lanes into the car he was driving. Unfortunately, there was someone else on the other side of him, and he couldn't move out of the way because there was no where to go. The car (my '96 Miata) got spun around and then smacked again by a delivery truck. He's fine. The car isn't.

After a couple weeks of waiting for the insurance to decide the car was a total loss, we finally got the payoff check yesterday. Twenty-four hours and lots of frantic car-shopping and loan check acquiring later, we have a new addition to our household. We are as relieved that the ordeal is over as we are pleased by our new purchase.

This is without a doubt the cleanest car I've ever seen in my life. You could run your finger over any piece of the engine or anywhere under the hood, and it would come out spotless. It was a little more than we wanted to spend, but it was too beautiful a car to pass up, and the price really was reasonable considering all the work the previous owner had just done on it. More pictures available here. It's a 2000, all original equipment except for the wheels and a K&N air induction system. Not only does it drive like a dream, but it gets 33mpg. Performance AND fuel savings, what more can you ask for? (And don't say "a back seat", we have Dunc's car for that.)


No name for it yet, since I tend not to name my cars, but maybe something will gel. I'll be getting a personalized license plate for it. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait a couple months for it to get here. By then, Liverpool will probably have mediocritized themselves out of the Champions League, and I will not be nearly so smug about it.

04 September 2005

lake burton salsa

recipe here.

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