Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Away
This afternoon I'll be going away for a few days with my family, so aside from a vending machine post tomorrow things will be pretty quiet around here, probably until next Wednesday (or possibly Tuesday evening).
We'll be driving to Kagoshima and getting on a car ferry that will take us overnight to Osaka, where we'll be spending a day and a night at Universal Studios Japan. I'm looking forward to the ferry ride. And if I can survive USJ (these places are my own personal hell on earth), on Sunday we'll be heading to Hiroshima for a day/night followed by Fukuoka for a couple of days (with a stop at Costco before we come home--hmmm.... blocks of cheddar...).
Have a good weekend, folks!
We'll be driving to Kagoshima and getting on a car ferry that will take us overnight to Osaka, where we'll be spending a day and a night at Universal Studios Japan. I'm looking forward to the ferry ride. And if I can survive USJ (these places are my own personal hell on earth), on Sunday we'll be heading to Hiroshima for a day/night followed by Fukuoka for a couple of days (with a stop at Costco before we come home--hmmm.... blocks of cheddar...).
Have a good weekend, folks!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
More Devo: No Place Like Home
Another fan vid for another Devo tune, "No Place Like Home." I usually hate this type of music (techno, etc.). Devo have this nailed. And a very nice video. Worth watching/listening to...
Monday, July 26, 2010
Human Rocket
I was looking to post something off the newest Devo album, because I find it so infectious and fun to listen to. Came across this rather dark fan vid for "Human Rocket."
Jarring juxtaposition of music and images, although I can see now the lyrics fit beautifully. If you're bothered by the apparent anti-Muslim images at the beginning, don't worry, there's "balance" [/mad cackle]. There's even an upside down Canadian flag! Yeah! How cool is that?
It's my birthday in about 5 minutes. Thank you Satan!
Jarring juxtaposition of music and images, although I can see now the lyrics fit beautifully. If you're bothered by the apparent anti-Muslim images at the beginning, don't worry, there's "balance" [/mad cackle]. There's even an upside down Canadian flag! Yeah! How cool is that?
It's my birthday in about 5 minutes. Thank you Satan!
Fire
Just a few minutes ago there was a fire in a restaurant right in front of our condo. The restaurant was closed, so there was nobody inside. Some low-res unedited pics taken from my front balcony:
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
People in the Middle
I would, very seriously, like to see some sort of law passed mandating any and all music videos to follow the template of the Spearhead clip you see below.
I believe in "truth in advertising," and I'm sick and fucking tired of shit bands putting out flashy (but still shitty) videos that suck people who either don't know any better or who just have crappy taste in music into buying shittyrecords albums CDs.
I guess if you didn't watch the video, you might not know what I'm talking about. Get the fuck outta here. Now.
If you watched the video, you saw actual musicians making actual fucking music. Yeah, the vid's a few years old (maybe the concept of "music" is too, I don't fucking know). So what? It's either good or it isn't. Time ain't gonna change that.
I believe in "truth in advertising," and I'm sick and fucking tired of shit bands putting out flashy (but still shitty) videos that suck people who either don't know any better or who just have crappy taste in music into buying shitty
I guess if you didn't watch the video, you might not know what I'm talking about. Get the fuck outta here. Now.
If you watched the video, you saw actual musicians making actual fucking music. Yeah, the vid's a few years old (maybe the concept of "music" is too, I don't fucking know). So what? It's either good or it isn't. Time ain't gonna change that.
Life--It's a Killer
I have no idea what it's like for women, but being a middle-aged guy kinda sucks. If I told you what was really on my mind, you'd run away screaming. You'd escape easily enough because, really, that ain't what it's about. You'd still probably want to call the police. And they, having listened to you having listened to me, would probably want to lock me up. For nothing more than thinkin' about the stuff that works its way into my head.
Probably beats being old, I guess. Not that there's anything wrong with that either.
Probably beats being old, I guess. Not that there's anything wrong with that either.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
I Suppose I Can Manage...
My lovely wife and daughter have been away at the in-laws' since Monday, leaving me here at home to fend for myself. I was expecting them back this evening, but they just called to say that now they wouldn't be coming back until Saturday evening. I suppose I'll manage another couple of days by myself somehow...
[Note to self: After work tomorrow don't forget to go by the, ah, eerbay orestay.]
[Note to self: After work tomorrow don't forget to go by the, ah, eerbay orestay.]
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Branches and Wires
[Added 23/07: I must be getting senile! I already posted this damned thing a couple of weeks ago. Commenters too kind to say anything!]
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Whoa!
I mentioned a while back that I've been catching up on some TV shows that I like, especially Battlestar Galactica and Lost. I finished Galactica a while ago. Today I watched the first seven episodes of Season 6 of Lost. Whoa!
I have to hand it to the writers of Lost. They're not fucking around. The way they keep moving the plot forward while at the same time giving even more depth to their characters should be appreciated by TV viewers everywhere. Bleh... that sounds lame. Seriously, the writers of Lost rock, and I don't have any problem at all saying that this show is likely one of the best things to ever appear on TV. Hell, they've sucked me into the story.
The writers of Lost have basically thrown in every dramatic "device" one could imagine and managed to make it cohere. And they've developed their characters to such a degree that the viewer has no nagging questions of motivation. When a secondary character says to Ben Linus "I'll have you" rather than killing him, we are not left conflicted. We would have done the same thing.
That's the strength of Lost. In every case, in every situation, wouldn't we all have done the same thing? Is this also a weakness? I'll let you know when I finish.
I have to hand it to the writers of Lost. They're not fucking around. The way they keep moving the plot forward while at the same time giving even more depth to their characters should be appreciated by TV viewers everywhere. Bleh... that sounds lame. Seriously, the writers of Lost rock, and I don't have any problem at all saying that this show is likely one of the best things to ever appear on TV. Hell, they've sucked me into the story.
The writers of Lost have basically thrown in every dramatic "device" one could imagine and managed to make it cohere. And they've developed their characters to such a degree that the viewer has no nagging questions of motivation. When a secondary character says to Ben Linus "I'll have you" rather than killing him, we are not left conflicted. We would have done the same thing.
That's the strength of Lost. In every case, in every situation, wouldn't we all have done the same thing? Is this also a weakness? I'll let you know when I finish.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Unrelated Segments
Tonight, right now, for the first time in, I don't know, weeks or months, I feel comfortable. Must be the long weekend.
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On The Iliad and The Odyssey: I can understand the typical lit-crit opinion that The Iliad is generally a more cohesive, unified work than The Odyssey. I won't even bother debating it. It's a fact. Having granted that, though, I'd argue that, in terms of theme, plot, and character, The Iliad sucks hard when compared to The Odyssey. I mean, really, what have we got with The Iliad? One dimensional characters: Achilles, as the main character, is pretty representative--honor,chicks, glory, that's all these guys are into. They cry like little girls when they don't get their way. What the fuck are the Greeks doing in Troy? Well, the sacred guest/host relationship was violated when Paris took off with Helen, the wife of Menelaus (who happened to be the brother of Agamemnon, the king). Uncool, to be sure, but it's not like anyone in this story actually gives a shit about Helen. No, it's the principle of it. And this is what we have all through The Iliad. Wars, battles, and individual conflicts arising because of fucking abstract principles. And where do these abstractions lead? They lead to death, of course, because that's all they represent.
Odysseus is my kinda guy, and his story is, as far as I'm concerned, infinitely more interesting and educational than that of Achilles. Some will argue that the character of Achilles grows during the course of The Iliad, but I don't see it. He was born and died an asshole. (If you know the books, I'd also remind you that, for all intents and purposes, nothing happens in The Iliad.) Odysseus grows and grows and grows. And at every stage of his growth we see that it's not like the earlier stages have been rejected; rather, earlier stages of growth are taken up and incorporated into the new ones. The guy who returns home and slaughters the suitors to take back what is his couldn't have done it if he weren't both a mean-ass motherfucker AND one clever sonofabitch. Odysseus has something that Achilles doesn't: experience. Odysseus knows when to run or fight. Odysseus has had lots of women. Odysseus ate the lotus. Odysseus debated a goddess (Athena), even after incurring the wrath of a god (Poseidon). In the Trojan War "pre-history" Odysseus was the only one who didn't want to go, but it was his idea that won the fucking war. I could go on. Sorry, but Achilles has nothing, nothing on this motherfucker.
Achilles died a young man. For nothing. Odysseus died an old man. With everything. That's really all that needs to be said about this. I guess I might add this: these two stories are like the differences between Plato and Aristotle. Plato's much easier to read, but Aristotle has a lot more substance.
-----
I bought a new pair of pants (or something) today. They're those ones that the younger guys wear in warm weather--too short to be "pants," too long to be "shorts." Actually my wife picked them out.
-----
On The Iliad and The Odyssey: I can understand the typical lit-crit opinion that The Iliad is generally a more cohesive, unified work than The Odyssey. I won't even bother debating it. It's a fact. Having granted that, though, I'd argue that, in terms of theme, plot, and character, The Iliad sucks hard when compared to The Odyssey. I mean, really, what have we got with The Iliad? One dimensional characters: Achilles, as the main character, is pretty representative--honor,chicks, glory, that's all these guys are into. They cry like little girls when they don't get their way. What the fuck are the Greeks doing in Troy? Well, the sacred guest/host relationship was violated when Paris took off with Helen, the wife of Menelaus (who happened to be the brother of Agamemnon, the king). Uncool, to be sure, but it's not like anyone in this story actually gives a shit about Helen. No, it's the principle of it. And this is what we have all through The Iliad. Wars, battles, and individual conflicts arising because of fucking abstract principles. And where do these abstractions lead? They lead to death, of course, because that's all they represent.
Odysseus is my kinda guy, and his story is, as far as I'm concerned, infinitely more interesting and educational than that of Achilles. Some will argue that the character of Achilles grows during the course of The Iliad, but I don't see it. He was born and died an asshole. (If you know the books, I'd also remind you that, for all intents and purposes, nothing happens in The Iliad.) Odysseus grows and grows and grows. And at every stage of his growth we see that it's not like the earlier stages have been rejected; rather, earlier stages of growth are taken up and incorporated into the new ones. The guy who returns home and slaughters the suitors to take back what is his couldn't have done it if he weren't both a mean-ass motherfucker AND one clever sonofabitch. Odysseus has something that Achilles doesn't: experience. Odysseus knows when to run or fight. Odysseus has had lots of women. Odysseus ate the lotus. Odysseus debated a goddess (Athena), even after incurring the wrath of a god (Poseidon). In the Trojan War "pre-history" Odysseus was the only one who didn't want to go, but it was his idea that won the fucking war. I could go on. Sorry, but Achilles has nothing, nothing on this motherfucker.
Achilles died a young man. For nothing. Odysseus died an old man. With everything. That's really all that needs to be said about this. I guess I might add this: these two stories are like the differences between Plato and Aristotle. Plato's much easier to read, but Aristotle has a lot more substance.
-----
I bought a new pair of pants (or something) today. They're those ones that the younger guys wear in warm weather--too short to be "pants," too long to be "shorts." Actually my wife picked them out.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
CanCon
An old April Wine tune. I must have seen these guys 4-5 times at the Truro (NS) Stadium back in the 70s.
You don't have to like it. It's my blog and you'll notice there are no announcements advertising its quality or anything like that (well, outside some of the the posts themselves, you know?).
You don't have to like it. It's my blog and you'll notice there are no announcements advertising its quality or anything like that (well, outside some of the the posts themselves, you know?).
Friday, July 16, 2010
Non-Stop Action
The other morning I witnessed the spectacle of my wife, rolled up piece of newspaper in hand, trying to kill a cockroach. While running away from it. Now, being something of a student of the classics, I got to wondering what Jed Clampett might say in a situation like this. It came to me.
"Pitiful. Pitiful."
"Give me that fucking thing," I said. I grabbed the newspaper out of her hand, and charged at the cockroach. The paper came down. A moment later there was a dead cockroach on the floor. Something in the newspaper caught my eye. I started reading it as I wandered back to my coffee.
"Pitiful. Pitiful."
"Give me that fucking thing," I said. I grabbed the newspaper out of her hand, and charged at the cockroach. The paper came down. A moment later there was a dead cockroach on the floor. Something in the newspaper caught my eye. I started reading it as I wandered back to my coffee.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 09, 2010
Little Bittern
There's a sound in my head. It sounds a lot like this John Zorn tune:
As I slowly and carefully begin to mine the works of John Zorn, I get the feeling that this might be the motherlode of music.
[ADDED: I should have mentioned that "Little Bittern" appears on Zorn's album O'o. This album--essentially a jazz album with a lot of other cool stuff woven into its fabric--receives the highest possible Kyklops recommendation. Seriously.]
As I slowly and carefully begin to mine the works of John Zorn, I get the feeling that this might be the motherlode of music.
[ADDED: I should have mentioned that "Little Bittern" appears on Zorn's album O'o. This album--essentially a jazz album with a lot of other cool stuff woven into its fabric--receives the highest possible Kyklops recommendation. Seriously.]
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Comments
Blogger seems to be sending comments into the abyss today (my own included). I'm seeing them via email notification, so perhaps they'll magically appear later.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Friday, July 02, 2010
Top Tunes of All Time
Listen to this or some scraggly-haired akimbo Japanese girl is gonna give you a call.
Yeah.
Yeah.
TwitBookBog
Clearly the technology is still inadequate to our (or at least my) needs. Too many devices, too many apps. A fucking claptrap of crap.
Let me know when the neural implants are in production. Check that. Let me know after the first service pack.
Let me know when the neural implants are in production. Check that. Let me know after the first service pack.
On Pop
Following pop music is like watching foam forming on the surface of the water at the beach. It can be pretty.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
I Think I've Read Enough...
I stopped reading this article after the first sentence:
Enough, already!
No topic is liable to prompt a fist fight among mothers so rapidly as breast-feeding.If there's one thing I'm sick to death of it's having to make my way to work every day through streets clogged with rival factions of motherhood locked in mortal combat while waging their interminable "milk wars."
Enough, already!
A Brief Note
I've been thinking about the final scene from There Will Be Blood. It's probably a safe bet that I'm not the only one to have wondered about that scene. I'm slowly convincing myself that it may be the most brutally honest, most damning, and ultimately the greatest scene in any movie ever.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
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