1992 Top 100 songs

I should be doing other things...
I got this music meme from Ben Kepple's Daily Rant.
Here's the idea:
Go to musicoutfitters.com, put the year you graduated in the search field, and find the Top 100 songs.
Then, strike through the songs you hate, bold the ones you like, ignore the ones you don't know or don't remember, and underline and bold your favorite.
Top 100 songs of 1992:
1. End Of The Road, Boyz II Men(hated it then, like it now. don't ask me why.)
2. Baby Got Back, Sir Mix A-lot
3. Jump, Kris Kross
4. Save The Best For Last, Vanessa Williams
5. Baby-Baby-Baby, TLC
6. Tears In Heaven, Eric Clapton
7. My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It), En Vogue
8. Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. All 4 Love, Color Me Badd
10. Just Another Day, Jon Secada
11. I Love Your Smile, Shanice
12. To Be With You, Mr. Big
13. I'm Too Sexy, Right Said Fred
14. Black Or White, Michael Jackson
15. Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus 16.
16. I'll Be There, Mariah Carey
17. November Rain, Guns N' Roses
18. Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane

Oh, bloody hell. I don't have the patience for this. Sheesh!
Here's my favorites of 1992
60. One, U2
71. Friday I'm In Love, Cure
100. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt

Art on drugs

How is it that Art Garfunkel gets stopped twice in one year for pot possession, yet Willie Nelson, probably the biggest pothead out there, hasn't?
Garfunkel Faces Another Pot Charge in NY
Is it because Willie is an American icon and Art is a hippie folkie? Hmmmmm.
More power to ya, Willie.

Katrina

The hurricane totally thrashed the Gulf Coast, especially Louisiana and Mississippi. It could have been much worse, but still, neighborhoods are destroyed and people are homeless.
So, if you want to help people in need, check out this resource:
Network for Good

The Aristocrats

I went to go see The Aristocrats this weekend, and it was, bar none, the raunchiest, vilest, and most obscene movie I've ever seen. And it was bloody funny!
It starts like this:
A guy walks into a talent agent's office and he says, "I've got this great act. It's a family act." (Usually involves a mother, father, children, and various pets.)
It ends like this:
The talent agent says, "So, what is this act called?"
The Aristocrats!
In between, you add the raunchiest things you can imagine. The idea is to determine the lines of decency and acceptibility, and then step over that line without reverence. The punchline isn't all that funny, but that's not the point. The point is the journey, and what makes it funny is how vile you can get.
Not really family entertainment, just so you know! I was shocked! Shocked I tell you!

Score one for the humans!

The shark tried, but this little 12 year old was up for a fight. Score one for our species!
12-Year-Old Tells of Escape From Shark

Friday Evening Car Show

Went to the car show yesterday in Somerville. The weather was perfect for it (perhaps a bit overcast), so there were even a couple of side parking lots full of classic cars. All sorts of shiny chrome everywhere. Plus, I had great company who likes cars. We were looking at a 58 Corvette convertible, black on black--all sorts of fierce, and she says, "How cool would it be to tool around in this thing?" Nice!

Feed me, Seymour!

Went to Amici Milano in Trenton for dinner with Mike. Never went to the Chambersburg area of Trenton, but it looked pretty cool and there were a whole batch of restaurants I'd like to try.
Nice meal, I must say, and I could have sworn the dessert was actually trying to kill me. There should be a law for desserts being that rich and tasty, but if desserts aren't so, what's the point, right?
Tomorrow, I make a trek to the car show in somerville for the last time this summer. I only went there twice this year...the weather for the most part has been unhospitable on friday evenings. Either too damn hot or rainy. Tomorrow should be perfect though, so I'm looking forward to it. I will try to put some pics up. Of course, I've said that before....
I'll be a good blogger, I promise.

Cleaning

Someone has finally motivated to do some cleaning! (not like the place is terribly dirty, but still...)
After a long evening, I have a clean kitchen. Also, I have rediscovered that my oven is truly hideous 70s yellow. The bugger might just be that old too.
What has caused this spate of cleaning? Not quite sure, but I know along with a clean kitchen, I have two loads of clean laundry I've yet to fold.

Moog

Another music-related note:
Robert Moog Dies; Created Electronic Synthesizer
He was hugely influential, to say the least. Rock on. Thanks for the new sounds.

Play it once or five times

Sometimes certain songs just grab me, and I have to listen to them over and over again, until they are properly stuck in my head.
This time, it's "Don't Change Your Plans" by Ben Folds Five. I think these lyrics are bloody brilliant, especially the first verse, which is just a touch sardonic:

sometimes i get the feeling
that i won't be on this planet
for very long
i really like it here
i'm quite attached to it
i hope i'm wrong

all i really wanna say
is you're the reason i wanna stay
i loved you before i met you
and i met you just in time
'cause there was nothing left

i sat here on my suitcase
in our empty new apartment
until the sun went down
then i walked back down the stairs
with all my bags and drove away
you must be freaking out

all i know is i've gotta be
where my heart says i oughta be
it often makes no sense
in fact,
i never understand these things i feel

don't change your plans for me
i won't move to LA
the leaves are falling back east
that's where i'm gonna stay

you have made me smile again
in fact, i might be sore from it
it's been a while
i know we've been together many times before
i'll see you on the other side
but don't change your plans for me
i won't move to LA
the leaves are falling back east
that's where i'm going to stay

all i really wanna say
is you're the reason i wanna stay
but destiny is calling and won't hold
and when my time is up i'm outta here

all i know is i've gotta be
where my heart says i oughta be
it often makes no sense, in fact
i never understand these things,
i feel

i love you, goodbye
i love you, goodbye...

What ever caused these dudes to break up the band? They're great.

Chuckie

Another republican has decided to throw his hat into the "man, this iraq thing is starting to look like vietnam and we should really think about getting out" ring.
Brilliant. Better late than never, I suppose. But, dude, where were you when we could have had a chance to stay out of there? Seriously! Are you just looking at the polls and seeing that 35% don't agree with Bush's Iraq policies? You could have been a lot more effective if you had said something before, when mainstream America had bought the Administration's story hook, line, and sinker.
GOP Senator Says Iraq Looking Like Vietnam

Sunday, Sunday

There should be a low against pizza this tasty. Look at all that cheesy goodness! There is just no way that this stuff is in any way good for you.
Today, I'm going to D-town, and I plan on taking my camera, so maybe it'll be another of those Sunday photojournals I did a while ago. Should be a nice afternoon. Am also planning on watching The March of the Penguins. While they might be flightless, they are quick little buggers under water.
Friday evening, I went to see Broken Flowers, the new Bill Murray. I don't think I liked it all that much. It lost me within 20 minutes, as I didn't have the patience to really focus on it. Also, the movie just seemed to stop, and I was like "Wha??" If I had been paying better attention, it might have made better sense.
Overall, I would have been better served going to see something with a little bit more energy (paint drying, perhaps). Maybe at some point, I'll give it another go.

Nice!

Leave it to the Onion:
Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory

Top 10 albums

This list has turned out to be harder than i thought it would be. Do I include albums that meant a lot to me when i was younger but don't quite move me the same way? Do I set limits of albums from certain bands, even though that might affect the integrity of the list? I have at least 4 albums from the Beatles and two from the Cure, potentially leaving only four for everything else. That's not right! Also, a lot of the CDs i bought when i was younger were greatest hits CDs, but I can't include those in the XPN list, which effectively cuts out many of the artists that i listened to then. What to do?
Here is an inexhaustive list of possible top 10 albums that come to my head:
Beatles: Rubber Soul, Revolver, White album, Abbey Road
Cure: Kiss me, Kiss me, Kiss me; Disintegration
REM: Automatic for the People, Out of Time
10000 Maniacs: In My Tribe, Our Time in Eden
Psychedelic Furs: World Outside
Van Morrison: Moondance
Jeff Buckley: Grace
Peter Gabriel: So
Nick Drake: Bryter Later
Simon & Garfunkel: Live in Central Park
Michael Jackson: Thriller
Bob Dylan: Blood on the Tracks
David Gray: White Ladder

Damn it! I know there are so many more! I just can't think of them right now.

We don't have enough good stampedes

I saw this article today, and it kind of freaked me out.
Va. Laptop Sale Turns Into a Stampede
See, folks got a chance to buy 4-year-old ibooks for $50. Perfect opportunity as ever for a stampede, right?
Have we, as a culture, turned that final corner toward insanity? First, you have to ask yourself, why the hell would anyone wait in line to buy four-year-old macs? Is consumerism so ingrained in our genetic makeup?
Second, take a look at this quote:

Jesse Sandler said he was one of the people pushing forward, using a folding chair he had brought with him to beat back people who tried to cut in front of him.

"I took my chair here and I threw it over my shoulder and I went, 'Bam,'" the 20-year-old said nonchalantly, his eyes glued to the screen of his new iBook, as he tapped away on the keyboard at a testing station.

"They were getting in front of me and I was there a lot earlier than them, so I thought that it was just," he said.

You just have to marvel at the casual hatred and violence evinced from this statement. Plus, I love that the writer makes him come across as some sort of automoton with the critical thinking skills of a six year old and the kind of thought process that has us stuck in Iraq at the moment.
On to something completely unrelated: We broke Iraq, so regardless of all the hell that comes along, we have to stay there and fix it. If not, it will be an even more dangerous place than when we found it. We made ourselves sitting ducks for terrorists. They don't have to fly planes into buildings anymore when they can just detonate a roadside bomb and get four or five of us at a time.
Well, that was off topic, no? How can you still let this administration be in power when they completely pulled the wool over your eyes?! They have the blood of 1840 soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians on their hands, and I think impeachment would be letting them off easy, frankly.
Excuse me for the rant. I don't know why I'm so riled up; I'm not even drinking.

Fi-o-na!

Fiona Apple is finally able to release the album that was put on the shelf by Epic for years.
Fiona Apple's New Album to Be Released
I hear this is supposed to be an excellent album, and well worth the wait. I have no idea why Epic thought it would be a good idea for it to sit after they invested in it. Oh well, they are a major label record company, they must know what they are doing, right?

Burger king?

Have you seen those new Burger King commercials where they have some sort of metal punk band wearing bird masks? How is that supposed to be appealing? It does not make me want to hit BK for anything.
BK seems to have a thing for creepy-ass commercials. First, they had that "king" that just kind of stared at people, with that weird plastic smile. And now, this band thing. Disturbing.

Notes from a Sunday, part 4

Review: 'Lennon' a Bland Stage Biography
I'm not into musicals, not in the least. You'd figure that since I'm a huge Lennon fan, I'd be interested in seeing this, though. You'd be wrong. A bunch of people doing lennon impersonations? Come on. This just looks like a poor excuse for a money grab. Yoko, please don't give that excuse of "trying to spread lennon's message to a new audience." He's already the martyred Saint Beatle already.

Another interesting Lennon article:
Why Lennon lives on

I went to the Poconos this weekend to spend some time with the parents, who will be leaving shortly to go back to Europe to be with my grandparents. Nice quiet weekend, spent out of the sun. Holy crap, it was brutal hot this weekend. Enough already.

The Muppets

I loved the muppet show when I was a kid, and Season 1 is being released on DVD.
Muppet Show Highlights
When you think about it, it was all kind of weird. You had stuffed puppets that appealed to the kids, but there was also humor aimed at the adults.
While Kermit's great and all, my favorite will always be Swedish Chef. You and I might have some problems if you don't find Swedish Chef funny. OK, they won't be big problems, but still.

What the??

Vienna Is Celebrating Elvis Week
I'm half Austrian and I like Elvis, but something about this pairing seems incongruous to me. Did Elvis ever actually set foot in Austria? Well, all I can say is "Long live the king."
I'm going to have an operation this afternoon. I'm removing a kidney and giving it to the highest bidder so that I can afford gasoline for my car. You only really need one, right?
I guess I shouldn't complain. Europeans have been paying out of the ass for gasoline for ages. (Nevertheless, they usually don't have to drive as far, and they have efficient public transport.)

A different weapon of mass distraction

Trying to get bush to take accountability for anything that has gone on in Iraq is like trying to get a cat to take accountability for scratching a sofa. Ain't gonna happen.
So, that's why I like this lady. Her protest is most likely futile, but at least it means something. To her, I say best of luck. To Bush, if more people get atttention for protesting like this, you are done for, hopefully.
Grieving Mother's War Protest Draws Notice

Praise the lowered

Falwell's 'Vote Christian' Criticized
Seriously folks, do you honestly think Jerry Falwell, the uber-christian of the uberchristians, will say anything else but "I vote Christian"?
I'm not all that surprised when he says something like that, but I don't ascribe anything sinister to it. It's almost what I completely expect from a person like him. (Let's just say I hold him in absolutely no regard). I actually kinda believe him when he says:

"What I was saying was for conservative Christian voters to vote their values, which are pro-life and pro-family," Falwell said. "I had no intention of being anti-Jewish at all."

I will have to cleanse myself. I feel dirty for talking about him here.

Coffee

Some people collect stamps, while others have a desire to visit every Starbucks in the world.
Texas Man Aims to Visit Every Starbucks

"Every time I reach a Starbucks I feel like I've accomplished something," Winter said, "when actually I have accomplished nothing."

Couldn't have said it better myself.
There's going to be a documentary about this, just so you know.

Not walking, not in Memphis

Singer Marc Cohn survives being shot in head
Not even the rock stars are safe, yo. Kinda knew that for a while, huh?

Peter Jennings

ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings Dies at 67
Every night, these news anchors come into your homes, until their voices become so familiar that you can tell who they are without even looking.
Peter Jennings, along with Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather, will leave a much larger legacy than anyone at the cable companies just because of how many people they were able to reach.
I haven't watched nightly news in a long time, but I always prefered Peter Jennings. He had stature.

A Sunday dressed as a Sunday

I set out today to do nothing, and I almost accomplished it. A trip to the grocery store and a load of laundry got in my way. Also, it's amazing how much crap there is on TV.
I did want to do my top 10 album list for xpn, but i don't think that's going to happen unless i get a bout of motivation before I go to sleep.

Sunday morning

The Best (Worst) Foods
I must be a walking nightmare for any nutritionist. Curse my Swiss heritage! We love cheese, and Fondu is in the top 5. Also, the dish I eat most at Chinese places is General Tso's chicken, which made the list as well.

FFRF: Creationists Bolstered by Bush "Intelligent Design" Nod More fodder for the fire. This is an editorial from the Freedom from Religion Foundation. Interesting article, and I also believe Intelligent Design isn't science and shouldn't be taught in the science classroom. However, as with every "foundation," it's trying to sell you something, in this case an idea, so take it with a grain of salt. He makes some fine points, though.

The ancients thought thunder and soil fertility were evidence of deities, but now we know something about electricity, weather, and agriculture. Those gaps have closed, and those gods have died. Isaac Newton, a fervent Christian, played the same game. After brilliantly discovering the laws of gravity that hold the planets in orbit, he failed to come up with an explanation for why the planets move in the same plane and same direction. He impatiently declared that these unsolvable mysteries were evidence for an intelligent designer. But now we know something about the formation of solar systems, and that gap has closed.

Google Maps
You can get a satellite image of anywhere in the US. How bloody cool is that?

Where am I? What time is it?

I was in a moment of half sleep, just about to wake up for the day. The problem was, I couldn't for the life of me remember what day I was waking up in. Took me a minute or so to pin down the day as Friday. I guess it's been a long week, so I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Huff and puff

Robert Novak huffed and puffed off the set during the "Inside Politics" show on CNN. Check out the video here.
CNN Suspends Novak After He Walks Off Set

Take a look at this article that was published last year:
52 Things Every New Jerseyan Must Do
I don't quite consider myself a New Jerseyan yet, although I happen to live here and have been known to say the pizza rocks. However, I do really like it here, and not just bacause all my stuff happens to be here. The place has some remarkable nooks and crannies if you take the time to look for them.

A musical Q and A

Q: What artists from the last 50 years would you have liked to see in concert and why?
A: That will be a question I will answer in a few parts.
1: Otis Redding. They called him the gentle giant, and when i listen to him sing on the CDs I have, his voice sounds so honest and without pretension, so much so that i feel i absorb it and feel what the song is saying. It's piercing, and I could only imagine what it would be live.
2. Buddy Holly and the Crickets: This dude should be given as much credit as Elvis. Only 22, he (singlehandedly, perhaps?) pointed rocknroll in the direction it would ultimately go. He was absolutely robbed, but his direct influence on 60s rock, and hence all the music of today, can't be measured.
3. Beatles. In 1962, Hamburg. These guys put on 8-hour long shows, and they would have been a riot to see.
4. Elvis. Well, Duh. It's fucking Elvis, the king of rocknroll! I would have loved to see him before he went in the Army. Also, I've always said I wanted to get married by an Elvis impersonator. I think people think I'm joking, but come on ...an Elvis impersonator?!? That would be beyond cool.
5. Bob Dylan. Especially when he first went electric. I would have loved to been around when it was all new.
Q: If you could see any music festival, what would it have been?
A: Hands down, the "Monterey Jazz festival of 67. It had Otis, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Mamas and The Papas. Woodstock? Whatever. THIS is the concert where it was at, no doubt! Woodstock did have Jimi do the Star Spangled Banner.
Q: In relation to music, during what time would you have liked to live?
A: Another multiparter:
1: 1955-1957. To be there at the birth of it all would have been mind blowing.
2: 1962-1963. Just about before Rock was about to explode again, but the reason I want to be around at this time is because it was the beginning of Surf music. Place me on a beach in California listening to Jan and Dean and The BEach Boys, and I'd be happy. Happier if I knew how to surf.
3. 1965-1966. This was my favorite Beatles period, and it was right before the rest of the 60s went to shit in war and assassinations.

Questions I can't answer

These are some questions for which I can't even begin to fathom an answer.
Why do Canada Geese cross the road single file? It's the oddest thing.
Where do all the missing socks go?
Why does my cat lick the condensation off of soda cans?
Why does said cat like plastic bags?

Mighty Mouse

This is cool in a totally geeked out Apple-fan kind of way. I apologize.
Apple introduces the Mighty Mouse
More info.

I can still run. Yeah!

I played tennis for the first time in years this weekend. I wasn't all that sore yesterday, but today, oi! I feel old, but I def. enjoyed it, and I'll need to get out on the court again soon.
We had a company picnic this weekend, and while not everyone was able to make it out (actually, there were whole departments not represented), the people who made it enjoyed it. I went fruit picking with Bree, who just started at cube central, so that was cool, too.
I think I've also decided to look for a place in Princeton so that I can get out of this rectangle I call home. And while I'll miss looking out over the parking lot and having people see into my apartment when the blinds are open(har har), it would really be kick ass to be able to stumble out of bed in the morning and run to the coffeeshop. I've always wanted to live in town, (or at least within walking distance), so this is a perfect opportunity.
I shall keep yall informed. It should be an interesting process.