Into the Heart

Back in the day, some readers may recall a feature they used to do on the Point (KPNT) called, aptly enough, 'What's the Point?'. I think that was the title. Anyways, someone would send in a list of seemingly random songs, but upon closer inspection, sharp listeners could detect a way all the songs were related. I was never too good at it, but I did start in on a list of my own:

1.) Pretty Noose--Soundgarden
2.) Revolver--Rage Against the Machine
3.) Monkey Wrench--Foo Fighters

10 points to anyone who can get the theme and another 10 points to someone who can add another asong or two.

A few things I've always liked about Soundgarden:

1.) Matt Cameron--drummer extraordinaire
2.) Kim Thayill--good guitarist, creepy looking dude
3.) Spoonman--come on! a spoon solo, for crying out loud
4.) Chris Cornell--specifically, his vocal chords

Cowboy Mouth was Sunday. A good time was had my all, including our first-timers who were apparently going as nuts as any veteran of nearly 15 shows. Not that I know anyone like that...I'm too lazy for a show recap, but I can say this: the new material is as good as anything they've done in a loooong time. It's nice to see that the band as a whole seems to be contributing new material. Fred introduced 'Disconnected' with a little "uno, dos, tres, catorce." Fred rocks. As do Paul, Griff, and Sonia.

I can't decide if Tom Morrello's weird approach to guitar soloing is really cool or God-awful annoying. It varies on my mood, I guess.

One annoying thing about the guitar is how I can go from thinking I sound great to not being able to play a single note I like. I think I tend to hit ruts, and everything I play sounds (to me) pretty crappy. Or at least too similar to what I always play. The trick is to learn enough new songs to keep the idea well from going dry. I'm the first to admit I don't do that enough, so I think I'm going to take some time to learn a few new songs. I worked on some Collective Soul songs to much success last night, so we'll see what the week brings. Lessons were good for that, so I'm actually going to have to do it on my own this time. Jeez...

Does anyone know anything about the Futureheads? I heard a song of theirs yesterday and thought it was pretty good stuff.

'Half-Blood Prince' has been reserved. Should be good times ahead. Personally, I think it's Snape...



Oh, I don't know. Make something up.
Dave

Collision Course

Hold on to your butts.

Well, at least we got a nice Scott Joplin tune out of the whole ordeal. What's scary, though, is that I'd probably be more than willing to pony up a few bucks for something like this, minus the injuries, of course.

What's also amazing is that 40,000 people showed up for the first one. In 1896! That's like...well, it'd be a heck of a lot more today.



Buckle up for safety,
Dave

25 years of service, and what do I get? A clock?!?!

I don't give much of a hoot about 'American Idol.' Less than a hoot, really. Maybe an "ot," but even that is pushing it. I can't really use just one letter, as it wouldn't make much sense. So "ot" it is. But I have happened across one bit of news concerning said show that is so...perfect, I must report it to you, my readers. I get periodic e-mails from my friends at Ticketmaster ("A Lifetime of 'Convenience' Charges or Your Soul: Your Choice") telling me about shows I shouldn't miss. Usually (always) nonsense, because I either don't care about the bands, or I've already got tickets. I'm pretty sure the e-mail about U2 came out a few days after tickets went on sale, which, in that case, meant almost all were gone. But I digress. Last week, I got an e-mail about the upcoming 'American Idol' tour, with all the poor souls who didn't make it to the end. I don't pretend to know who they are, save for Ozzie Smith's son. Anywho, said "tour" is sponsored by....



PopTarts.


Moving on.


I was trying to remember when I first saw 'Star Wars.' I couldn't remember, but I do know that the original three (the first will always be 'Star Wars' to me. Not Episode IV, not 'A New Hope.') are quite enjoyable. I saw Episode I when it came out, and haven't seen it since. I don't recall being too enthralled by it, although I do have a Darth Maul action figure in my room. He was cool. I never bothered with Episode II until Sunday, when it was on TV and I caught the last half or so of it. I think I was just as well skipping it. I didn't catch much of the much bally-hooed awful dialogue, but the effects were oddly not all that hot, considering ILM is supposed to be so high-end. Considering how well the effects were in, say, Fellowship of the Ring, it's sorta weird. Plus, I never really cared about what was happening to anyone on screen. When Jango Fett got his head lopped off (what is it with Lucas and dismemberment?), right in front of his son, the scene got no more emotional impact then when some big alien critters got killed. Consdering Boba Fett is a reasonably big player later on, wouldn't it make more sense to give the scene, which presumably fuels his drive later on, more screen time?

So now I have to figure out if I want to see Episode III. I might, eventually, but I'm in no hurry. I've got my fill of it from the God-awful commercials lately. That Burger King spot with Darth vader staring down that hideous statue of a king is funny once, then sort of creepy every time after. All these dumb commercials seem to cut down on the movie's integrity. For me, at least. I will admit to almost buying a Darth Vader action figure, though.

I really want to talk about the Cardinals a bit, but I can't think of enough to say, other than "I really like the Cardinals," or "the Cardinals are doing really well this year." And, since I said that, I guess I don't have to go any further. Maybe after I've been to a game I can say more.

I've come up with the greatetst song name EVER. I can't tell you yet, because I haven't written it, and I don't want someone else to beat me to it. So give me some time and I'll let you know.


Not for the feint of butt
Dave

On the road again, again.

As much as I often will complain about radio around here, specifically KSHE, I will admit that every so often, they do something really cool. Last month, not too long aftet Easter, maybe, KSHE did one of its very cool no-repeat weeks. Two wonderful bonuses from this: 1.) it cuts down on the amout of crap like Nickelback and Creed I have to here, and 2.) I might actually get to listen to some cool new song I might only get to hear at obscure times or special programming on when I'm at work or asleep (i.e. the Sunday morning Classics show). Such was the case on the way home from bowling one evening when I heard a song with a nice funky/'70s rock feel to it. The riff was not unlike "Play that Funky Music White Boy." And, of course, because I really wanted to know who wrote it, they didn't tell me who it was by. Natch. So I had made myself remember a lyrical bit just in case that happened. Otherwise, I would have had to call in and ask what song they played at X:00, just after "Plush" and hope they knew.

My effort to remember paid off, and I was able to track down the song, "Remember the Good Times," and the band, Paice Ashton Lord (PAL), a side-project for Ian Paice and John Lord of Deep Purple fame, and...someone Ashton (Tony, maybe), of some other fame. I was also lucky to nab a copy of the CD last weekend at a used CD place. A very good album, although it was the only album they released. So, 10 points to KSHE for that.

But how did Janice and Steve know the song from somewhere or other when I'd never heard it before? Some classic rock fan I turned out to be. Sheesh.

The Point also has a nice feature every Wednesday when they play some early/mid-nineties stuff for a few hours in the evening. A lot of "I remember that song kinda stuff. Not without its share of clunkers, though. This week I had the misfortune of hearing "You Make Me Feel Like a Whore" by Everclear. Mmm. Wonderful title, that. And even if the lyrics weren't lame, the song features what may be one of the worst solo-type things I've heard in a rock song (and I'm counting my songs). It seemed out of sync with the rest of the song and even a little out of key. Bleah. One thing about Everclear I don't like is that all their songs more or less sound the same. They just sound like and Everclear song, and to me, 'tis not a good thing.

On the music horizon:

-Cowboy Mouth concert
-Eric Johnson concert
-new Foo Fighters
-new Audioslave
-new Nickel Creek
-only 7 months til U2

Things are lookin' up.



This is your most ambitious album to date!
Dave

Malice in Wonderland

Why can I only seem to get any posting done when I'm at work? Makes no sense, really. I honsetly can't remember the last post I made at home. I almost did last week, since I was falling behind, but I opted not to and probably wound up playing Diablo II for an hour or so.

Oh yes. Diablo II. Point-and-click-till-your-fingers-are-numb game of the century, but oh so addictive. You can keep your crck, thank you very much. Just give me a mouse and a room full of demons and I'll be fine.

See? It's even taking over this post. Although, that's just as well, since I hadn't settled on a topic yet anyways. Still haven't.

Dooty-doot-doot, whistle whistle.

I probably watch more QVC/infomercials than anyone really ought to. One of the current trends is the cordless sweeper sort of thing that may or may not be a replacement for big vaccuums. I'm sure they work fine, but I still want a vaccuum if I realyl want to get my house clean. Anywho, yesterday morning, whilst watching the usual Sunday morning infomercial fare, I happened across Singer's (the sewing machine people) take on the cordless sweeper called, and I swear I am not making this up, the Singer Lazer Sweepa.

Yes, it's the ghetto version or something. And it was absolutely hilarious listening to the voive-over guy saying "sweepa" over and over. What's scary is that this was being played dead-serious. Do you think anyone who buys it actually goes around saying they got a new Lazer Sweepa? I couldn't bring myself to say that. Maybe I could go overboard and call it my new "Laa-zaah Sweepah!!!" Maybe.

Chicken battle is OV-AAHH!!!

I bought Weezer's new album last week. Good stuff, I must say. One thing I like about the band is that they're, well, kinda nerdy, which is right up my alley. They still maage to rock pretty hard, though, so it's all good.

Okay. Pointless update is OV-AAHH!!! Better post to come when I can find something to talk about besides my nerdy computer game addictions.


You have quite a treasure there in that Horadric Cube
Dave

A man among men

Finally getting to the third point I meant to get to at some point last week.

I imagine most of you have seen some of the silly new Hardees commercials with the poor schmucks who seem to have trouble doing the simplest of tasks to prepare breakfast.

Por ejemplo:

--Guy A destroys a piece of toast whilst trying to butter it.

--Guy B spend somewhere near 3 weeks trying to utwist the twisty tie on a loaf of bread.

Follow this up with some line about "without us, some guys would starve," or some nonsense like that, then show off some God-awful, artery clogging mess for breakfast, containing no less than 3 lbs of eggs, 1/2 lb of bacon, and about a 1/2 lb each of cheese and sausage.

The thinking being, I guess, that most guys are too stupid to fend for themselves, meaning they have to eat out. Plus, guys must enjoy eating artery clogging dishes such as the one described above.

This is all pure bollocks. If Guy A had simply set his butter out to soften for a minute or two, and maybe got dressed while waiting, he'd have no trouble buttering his toast. Plus, if the toast was warm enough, it should have been melting the butter anyways.

I will admit that twisty ties can be annoying at times. But Guy B spends waaaay too long fiddling with it. Almost any other person with half a brain stem would have stopped and looked to see which way they needed to turn it, or gotten fed up with the damn thing and reached for some scissors, stale bread be damned.

And why are guys only eating toast for breakfast? Is the idea that these men are so stupid they can only muster the effort to work the toaster and manage to fail at that?

As a card-carrying member of the male species, I must take a little offense at the portrayal of my gender. I will admit to having done some dumb things before. Just last night, I burned my hand on an iron when I wasn't even ironing. But these commercials are a bit much. I mean, come on. Are we that mindless? Do we just sit around all the time drinking beer, eating high calory foods, and looking at girls' butts?

If so, I'm obviously doing something wrong here. Thank God Hardees* is here to show me the error of my ways.



Maybe I'm generalizing a bit, but you get the idea. I'd say I'm boycotting Hardees, but I never ate there anyways, so it's really not all that different. But I can still complain, right?


You wouldn't get much for that thing anyways. It's not even a real cow.
Dave









*Actually, as I thought about it, a lot of sit-coms portray us guys along those lines, too. I'm sorry, did we do something wrong?

Point and Shoot

So I have to shoot two weddings this summer. Not something I can say I've done before. I'm not worried, per se, but I do want to be sure I don't mess things up. It's not like I can go and reshoot if need be. Well, maybe I could, but there would be an enormous hassle for all parties involved.

To that end, I've been looking at books on wedding photography for ideas on what I think looks good and what I think looks exceptionally lame. Or tacky. Or both. Really, it's just for the after-ceremony posed shots with the bride, groom, parents, cousins, ushers, and the little old lady who plays the organ so nicely. She really did do a nice job, didn't she? The choices were well-thought out, and added a nice element to the proceed...

Wait.

Um. Posed pictures. Yes. I hate...well, strongly dislike posing people. A nice portrait is fine, but I'm no good at the set-up, hence the books. The rest should be fine, since it's essentially one big event, and events are what I do all the time.

In the course of finding books, I'm aamazed at the number of "How To" books in the photo section at the library. How to Shoot Your Kids*, How to Shoot Babies, How to Photograph Your Pets, Photographing Landscapes/Cityscapes, How to Photogrpah Nature, Photographing That Stain on the Wall that May or May Not Resemble Aunt Ruth, and so on. Quite silly, I think. A nice book on the Photo Fundamentals is all fine and dandy. I say the best way to find out what works and what doesn't (once you know what you're doing) is just to get out there and start shooting. "Film is cheap" was the mantra at Webster**. Digital makes it even easier to get out and practice, but I say start with film and then move up. But then still shoot film. Or even better, slides. Really. Go try. Digital may be quick, but there's a certain something film brings to the table digital doesn't match for me. Especially in low-lit areas. Underexpose with film, and you might see some grain, which can sometimes look nice. Underexpose with digital and you wind up with digital noise, which, to me, is just plain ugly.

This is merely my take on things, of course. Oh: and if any of you have shot a wedding or three and have any ideas, advice, etc, please let me know.



Smile!
Dave




*Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking.

**This is only because all other camera gear is so damn expensive. Good film can be a bit pricey, although it's worth every penny.

Benny and the (Red) Jets

First, some bad news.

It seems the Catholic Church is in trouble now.

With the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope, we're now being led by a German Shepherd.


Thank you! I'll be here all day!

One more?

Okay: the official Breakfast of the Vatican?

Eggs Benedict!

Thank you, thank you. You're too kind. No, really, please. Sit down, sit down.


Um, anyways. I was going to go one direction with this, then decided to start with something else, then wound up going with option 3, the jokes. So now I don't know where to go. I think I'll go with option 2. Right before I started typing, I noticed the empty Mountain Dew can on my desk, telling me to visit their website. I had to ask myself what I could possibly find there that would be of any use to someone like myself. So.....let's find out!

We have...

+MDTV
+Gaming
+Sports
+Promos
+Brands
+Downloads
+Join Dew


Let's try the last one, eh?

"You're on the path to be one of the few – the proud – the green."--Sounds like a good deal to me. I just hope it's not green with food poisoning. Hmm...asking for my birthday, fine, although having the option to enter my birth year as 1900 seems odd. How many 105 year olds are going to be bothering with this?


"Approximately how many 8oz. servings of carbonated soft drinks do you consume each week?" I doubt "too much" is an option, so I'll have to guess. My favorite drink? Caffeine-free, diet Coke. Yummy.

Okay, so I joined. The only perk appears to be the ability to enter contests. That's it? No coupons, free sodas, extra...stuff? What a waste! Let's try one more section of the site before my break is over.

MDTV? Eh, just 30-second TV spots. Gaming? Eh, no better. I don't see anything worth my time. And...now I've lost interest in the site, so I'm going to stop wasting my time. I don't plan on buying any 'Dew Gear,' so it's time to move on.

The lesson to be learned from all this? Soda brands have no business running websites. Well, not when they're annoyingly laid out and utterly dull. So, now my break is over and I've gotta start working again. I guess this was a mostly wasted post, so I'm sorry to have made you sit through it. At least you got some fresh jokes.



That's--that's me: Boyfriend Dan.
Dave

Looks like we're gonna have to jump!

I know this is one of those things that probably gets bandied about quite often, but that's as may be. I'm gonna talk about it anyway.

So there.

I am, by society's (and genetic's) definition: a Guy. This automatically makes me unable to understand a lot of stuff. For example: what's the big deal about going to the bathroom in large groups? Is there something in Women's rooms that I'm missing? Cable? High-speed internet? Pizza rolls? I mean, as a guy, I go in, take care of business, and get out, all on my own. But to see girls go hit the can solo is quite rare.*

But!

That's beside my point. I'm here to talk about the "romantic comedy," or "rom-com" to those "in the know," by which I mean the guy across the street. For example, we'll be using the J-Lo vehicle The Wedding Planner. I watched a portion of it on Sunday, although not by my choosing. Maybe it was a step up from HSN, but still. Is watching the Braves and Phillies that bad?

Anyways.

After watching an hour or so of said film, I cannot, for the life of me, get the appeal of such films. I mean, the entire movie hinges on the fact that Ms. Lo gets her shoe caught in a manhole cover and won't bend down and take the shoe off, even though a dumpster is careening right towards her. God forbid she put her cell phone down for a second and take her shoe off. Nonono. If she did that, she wouldn't get rescued by a hunky guy and we wouldn't have a movie. I won't even discuss the silliness of the rest, because the pivotal point of the film is so preposterous to begin with.

So what's the appeal? Things like that don't happen in real life, and if they do, I pray most people exercise a bit more common sense. It's just a shoe!

That said, there are two of the "rom-coms" I do like: Amelié and Love, Actually. Both are quite amusing, and while featuring situations that probably would never actually happen, they do it well enough to where I don't mind. One os British, which helps a lot, and the other is French, which may not make the film any better, but I thought I'd mention it.

I'm not condemning anyone who does enjoy such films, mind you, I'm just trying to figure out why they do so well when they're almost all the same, and really leave little drama as to what will happen at the end (Will they get together???). Maybe it's just a bit of escapism or something. I'm sure most of my beefs could be reworded and thrown back at me about Godzilla movies, except the first one, of course.

And, well, I think that's about it. Imagine that: a long post on one topic only. Weirdness.


Let's... trace! Let's trace some drawings!
Dave



*Of course, the bathroom in my house is out, since I can only accomodate one person. I bet if I had two stalls, or what-not, I'd have extra persons in there.

I caught you this delicious bass.

This is probably the coolest thing I've seen in awhile. I especially enjoy the last "whereas" clause.

Lucky!
Dave

Good enough for me

Well, it's certainly not as bad as I had originally thought. Readthis for one furry, googly-eyed monster's tale of triumph and cookies.




Really, I think a little moderation is a good thing.

My favorite part: "plus the occasional object." That makes me happy.


C is for cookie,
Dave

The quill! The page! Lyric, rampage! Word up?

So.

Soooooooo.

You might recall my ire last year about all the hoo-ha over Ms. Shandi Finnessy, soon-to-be-former Miss America, and more-or-less resident of Florissant, MO. It was, and still is, silly, although it may have been topped by two new additions to our roadsides. One is a rather large, gaudy, tacky, and pretty unnecessary...thing at the New Florissant/ I-270 exit. It looks more like a memorial plaque than anything I can bring to mind, but I'm pretty sure she's not dead (I think I'll go for a walk!). The other is a little addition to the 'Welcome to Missouri Sign' driving in from Illinois that reads "Home of Shandi Finnessy, Miss USA (America?) 200X." I don't recollect the year, nor do I care to investigate.

Now, unsightly as it is, I can understand a sign in Florissant, although I wish it was a wee bit smaller and moved somewhere other than where I get off the highway everyday. But the addition to the highway sign is just way out there. I mean, why does she get her name on a sign before other famous people we have? You know, someone like that President we had, or that author who wrote some book about the Mississippi? In 10-20 years, will people still be talking about Ms. Shandi Finnessy? Hmm?

Grr.

Anyways.

With the help of one Janice "I may or may not be related to Juggling Jeff" Koziatek. the computer room was most masterfully painted. Ceiling and all done in just over two hours. Looks quite nice, I think. Thus ends my upstairs painting endeavors, save for redoing the ceiling in the living room. Next up: the basement. Ooooooo, aaaahhhhhh.

Tax day is Friday. Have you turned yours in yet?

I have to wonder: who in the realm of One Hour Photo World decided that cutting negs into strips of four was a good idea? There is not a single neg sleeve on the market that I know of that holds any less than 5 frames across. It doesn't matter much on 24-exposure rolls, but for 36-exposre rolls, what should fit on one sleeve now takes two. Ideally, negs should be cut into strips of six, I think, so even the longest rolls fit onto a 6-frame sleeve. Plus, no one pays attention to how they cut the negs. Instead of starting at the first frame and cutting, the cut starts at the front of the roll, meaning the first strip is 3 blank frames and one good frame, and the last strip is invariably some odd-ball number.

Grr.

S'pose I should get the negs uncut and do it myself, eh?

I wish I was better with words so I could describe last night's Eric Sardinas/Steve Vai extravaganza. Eric wore a cowboy hat of the Griff-style, but had it low enough to hide all but his mouth. Long, black, curly hair. Tight pants, tatoos, velvet-esque shirt. Tatoos. He played slide with a bottle of beer and lit his guitar on fire at the end. When he joined Steve for the encore, he was wearing tight, floral print pants.

Where to start with Vai....he played with his tongue at the end.

What else can I say?

That said, it was an excellent show. Depsite their weirdness, both guys seemed like very nice gentlemen, and were obviously very grateful to the audience for coming out and looked to be having a lot of fun on stage. I wore earplugs, and it was the greatest thing ever. Not only could I hear the notes during the show better, but I could hear AFTER the show too, which is an incredible sensation. Fun times, yo.


But what about rules of verse? Iambic pentameter is where it's at!
Dave

I'm ready for the balls and the...bat.

The Cardinals, while not panicking, understand the position they find themselves in today: not in first. The stunning development---the first time since last May 30 that the Cardinals found themselves below first place---has the team speculating on what they need to do to get back on top:

"We need to play a game," said skipper Tony LaRussa. "That would be a start."

Still, with just 162 games left to go in the regular season, some fans wonder whether the team has enough in the tank to catch the Cubs, the Reds and the surprising Brewers, all of whom sit atop the N.L. Central. "It's disappointing, so far," said George Andrews, a Cardinal rooter from Painesville, OH, who arrived this afternoon in St. Louis after driving eight hours to see Opening Day. "I haven't seen much from any of the new guys, but, hopefully, they'll start to perform before it's too late." When told that tonight's Cardinal opener is being played in Houston---not St. Louis---Edwards said, "That seems really stupid. Opening Day should be at home."

Got this over at The Birdwatch. Pretty amusing, I think. It's yet to sink in that today is the Cardinal's opening day, albeit in Houston. Home opener is Friday night against Philly, I believe.

According to mum, who never lies; ever, all baptized males are eligible to be elected Pope. They've just been choosing Cardinals for the past million years or so. I tell you what, if the Yankees hadn't swooped in and grabbed my man Womack, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat. He'd be the best...no, wait a minute. Wrong kind of Cardinal. Um, yeah. Going back to the beginning: she suggested I could be Pope. I had to say no, if only because I had no good way of telling Janice I was breaking up with her to go lead the Catholic Church. A valid reason, yes, but how do you break that to someone? Although, as mom poined out, the Vatican would be great for family reunions. A tough call, yes, but I think I'll leave the Papacy to those in the know. Plus, I don't know Latin. Dominus Pizza delivery or something, I don't know.

All joking aside, I'm sorry the JP died, although he's probably more comfortable now than he'd been in a long while. Plus, the idea of a new Pope is a bit exciting. Learning all the ins and outs of the process makes the religion a bit more interesting too, mostly because I've never had to think about it. There's just always been a Pope. So this oughta be fun.

Requiescat in pace, Carol Wojtyla, a great friend to the world's poor. And a great wearer of Fly shades.

Dave

You Don't Know God From Godzilla!

According to an AP story, someone trying to sneak into a hospital and give Terry Schiavo a glass of water said that as he was being taken away by the police. I can totally see how a giant Japanese monster relates to the situation.

It's the same way I tell people they don't know the difference between firm tofu and cream cheese.

Okay, that was silly. But I think the whols Schiavo situation is getting pretty silly. her parents claim she tried to talk when they removed her tube. Jeb Bush tries to have her removed from the hospital and placed under special care. Shoot, at this point, I almost wouldn't be surprised if Godzilla (or God Himself, for that matter) did show up to end the silliness. I think I just want everyone to let her go. Of course, she is being pretty much starved. Of course, I don't know how much alive she would be if they kept the tube in. A thorny issue to be sure. I can see both sides, and they both have a good case.

Anyways.

So there was some Irish band that kicked off a world tour on Monday. There was some other guy who decided it'd be a good idea to sit near his computer all night and watch the setlist as it was updated one song at a time. Is it dedication or fanaticism? Maybe a bit of both, but it was kinda fun. So the countdown to December is in full swing. I figured out the days at one point, but I don't remember. 260 or something like that, I think.

I actually think I've got less going this week, even though I work everyday. Compare to last week, when I was off 2 1/2 days, and was barely home. No fruit was involved, but I did spend a lot of time at SMDP in the dark. I mean, if I hadn't known any better, I'd have thought they forgot to pay the electric bill. I will say that a mass by candlelight is way cool. Oh, if only I could truly capture in print the wackiness of the dude singing the litany of saints during the Easter Vigil mass. Let this serve as a mere reminder so I can laugh about it later. That Vigil mass was a Power Mass, to boot. Two hours and ten minutes, I think, and it only had 4 of the usual 8 readings. I've been to rock shows shorter than that. If we'd had everything read, the mass would have given a Flecktones show a run for its money. Congress might want to see if anyone from BALCO was around. You get the idea. But it was far from dull.

I butted eggs this weekend. It was...interesting. I shan't go into details, but I'll tell you this: an egg with small stress fractures seems to do a better job absorbing impact than a solid egg. I didn't get to test the theory 100%, but it held up over a few small tests I ran. And do make sure your eggs are hard-boiled.

I actually had a post typed out yesterday, but there was an error while I was loading it. It's just as well, since it was pretty lame, I think. This one? Well, it's not great, but it's got more going for it than anything else I could come up with.




Well, that's simply not true. I have long pants, I wear long pants.
Dave*




*Isn't it cool how I got through the whole post without a footnote?**


**Well crap.




p.s. For Janice: Whoopty-shit.

Monday morning, eighteen years of dawning, I say how long?

See, it's funny because this is clearly Tuesday. I just needed a U2 quote, and it was the last song I listened to.

Implied by the above, I was quite successful in acquiring tickets to the U2 show in December. It was about as tense as I've been in awhile, and I was just staring at a screen for 10 minutes watching a counter fluctuate. Two minutes! Score! Seven minutes?!? No!!! And so on and so forth. It all worked out, as these things tend to do. Would it have been the end of the world if no tickets were bought? No, not really, but it would have been a bit of a bummer. I suspect I would have got over it. But I am happy to be going, even if it is nine freaking months away. If we can get Cowboy Mouth here over the summer that may help, along with Steve Vai, Béla Fleck, Green Day, and...maybe the Moody Blues. I hope Riverport* has a good line-up this summer. So far all I've heard are Sammy Hagar and Motley Crüe (not together, mind you). Not too inspiring, even though I kinda like the Red Rocker. But I've seen him before, and while I had fun, it wasn't enough to make me want to go again. Where's Rush when I need them?

Went to mum's over the weekend. Always a good time, even if she and Mike opted for The Incredibles over Napoleon Dynamite. Not to say that The Incredibles is a bad movie. Far from it, actually. I just don't think they realized what they were missing. We went to the Wurst Fest in Hermann. Lots of sausage. Good sausage, at that. It's true what they say, you know: "sausages can be very seductive." No Knockwurst Knightmare Platter, though. Otherwise, all yumminess and general...all around German-ness. I approve. That night Janice and I stopped by a Chinese establishment for Chinese food. Like ice cream, donuts, and tater tots. Janice, of course, grabbed a few specifically so i could ask her to "Gimme some of your tots," which she did, bless her soul.

There was, of course, actual Chinese food. And we ate it. Some of us (Cindy) ate somewhere around 14 kilos of the stuff, but hey, to each their own. Buffets will do that to people, I guess.

Excited to see that another scramble is set for sometime in August.

Because I'm jealous of all school-types who get spring breaks this week, I took half of tomorrow, and then Thursday and Friday off. Lots planned: dinners with mom and dad, mass Thursday and Saturday, playing guitar for SMDP's Stations tomorrow, bowling, shopping, a trip to the gym, fun at the DMV, home repair, aaaaaand.....fruit.

Oh my, it must be lunch time.


dot dot dot
Dave





*I refuse to use the name "UMB Bank Pavillion." Not only is it redundant, it sounds really stupid. So there.