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Things you need to know:
  • Some posts, or the links they contain, are NSFW. This is your only warning.
  • This blog serves the cause of my freedom of speech, not yours. I wield censorship like a 10 year-old boy who just found his father's handgun.
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Saturday, May 31, 2003

"TOO MANY VOICES IN MY HEAD"
or, "Continued from Last Night..."

ITEM FIVE
Earlier this week, I got to page through a copy of the Bulletproof Monk graphic novel. Man, the reviews were right -- it wasn't all that great. The flick was actually better.

I also got to leaf through a copy of some Lupin the 3rd manga. I've heard of fanservice, but damn. Monkey Punch must've had some serious childhood repression when he wrote this stuff.

ITEM SIX
Ten days until Macy Gray's new CD is released.

ITEM SEVEN
Apart from Adult Swim, my secondary addiction is the BET On Jazz channel. It makes me LONG for the days when I used to play. It also made me remember how STUPID I was trying to play under the influence of alcoholic beverages that probably could be properly classified as chemical weaponry.
ITEM SEVEN-A
I'm really confused about something. Every once in awhile, they do a rundown of Billboard's top jazz albums. Someone answer me this question: How in the blue hell did Norah Jones get a contract with Blue Note-freakin'-Records?

I'm not down on her music or anything. Musically, it really is decent stuff. But, I don't like it. Frankly, I tried listening to her CD and all I could think of was, "Half these songs will probably end up on the next Dawson's Creek soundtrack." But -- and Lord, forgive me for saying this -- Kenny G is more "jazz" than Norah Jones!

I've definitely matured past the Wynton Marsalis 'tude of "If it don't swing, it ain't jazz." I do idolize Cassandra Wilson, after all. But still, exactly what makes Norah's music "jazz"?

ITEM SEVEN-B
This is an appeal to anyone out there who might know. I ask this question out of sheer lack of knowledge and the sincere desire for an answer: Do I really need to know who Peter Cincotti is? I have neither the time nor the inclination to hear another Sinatra knock-off. I already have enough Harry Connick, Jr. music (good as it might be) as it is; I don't need to clutter up my CD collection with his clone.

ITEM EIGHT
I may have mentioned before about my sickening realization that "smooth jazz" is starting to grow on me. Lord help me, I might actually break and buy some soon.

Here's my justification. It looks like sometime in the near future, I'm going to be tapped to play lead/solo for the worship team in my church. In other words, me on trumpet in front of a rhythm section. Trouble is, most people aren't used to hearing trumpet; at my church, the lead horn player is a sax guy. Plus, I'm a jazzer. I (attempt to) play with a jazzer's tone and phrasing. On top of that, the style of music is 99% "contemporary Christian" which basically means pop and rock with a bit of smooth, contemporary jazz thrown in.

I tried using Miles Davis's You're Under Arrest album from 1985 as my guide, but his style of jazz fusion (not the smooth crap) is a bit too hardcore. So, maybe I need to get a couple of (shudder) Chris Botti CDs? Rick Braun, maybe?

I think I'm going to be ill.

ITEM NINE
A new Battlestar Galactica? A remake with a female Starbuck? Who, though the writers deny it, will probably end up in the sack with Apollo if the show lasts long enough?

I am going to be ill.

ITEM TEN
I forgot to mention something eerie about last week. Last week, I saw something on VH-1 having to do with New York, Tribeca, Robert DeNiro, something. There were some live shows and I saw The Roots with Cody ChestnuTT playing The Seed (2.0). The Roots kick @$$! Anyway, the eerie part is that I hit the remote button accidentally and flipped it to MTV where [insert Twilight Zone music here] The Seed (2.0) video was playing at the same time.

Spooky.
TODAY IN MY BRAIN...

ITEM ONE
Believe it or not, I've spent way more time actually filling this blog thingy in than I originally envisioned. I'm now wondering if I should actually, somehow, someway start trolling for some sort of audience beyond the two to three people who actually read this. That, or just shut it down. Decisions, decisions.

ITEM TWO
I wonder if I should cop Adult Swim's new format.
Do you think Williams Street would actually mind?
Could I actually go white print over a black background?
Maybe I should try something original.

But, as Fran Lebowitz once said,
Original thought is like original sin. Both happened a long time ago to people you could not possibly have met.

Or, maybe I could go all Space: 1999 with the Century Gothic font?

Nah.

ITEM THREE
A few entries back, I posted a snippet of the song My Thanksgiving by Don Henley. I finally ripped it from a friend's CD. I've grown attached to this lyric:
And I don't mind saying that I still love it all
I wallowed in the springtime
Now I'm welcoming the fall
For every moment of joy
Every hour of fear
For every winding road that brought me here
For every breath, for every day of living
This is my Thanksgiving

Really, this has become one of those songs where you can directly relate to at least 90% of the lyrics. In order that I avoid breaking copyright laws any further, I'll provide a link to the lyrics of the song in its entirety -- let Henley's lawyers go knocking on their door.

ITEM FOUR
Incidentally, that song has made it onto my .mp3 playlist of songs whose lyrics I can relate to. They're mostly songs about self-examination and the process of searching. They reflect my search for the hows, whys and wherefores of where my life's been, where it's going, and where I want it to go.

I have no idea why I think this might be of interest to anybody, but I'll list them anyway. If nothing else, it's all good music. The list isn't complete and the order constantly changes. But as of today, these songs are...
How Great Is Your Love - Promise Keepers Live/PK2002
Man In Me - Peter Cetera
Sleeping in the Middle of the Bed Again - Robert Lamm
Same Old Song - Bill Champlin
Desperado - The Eagles
Overkill - Men At Work
The Heart of the Matter - Don Henley
They're Only Words - Beckley-Lamm-Wilson
Watching the Time - Robert Lamm
A Moment To Myself - Macy Gray
Skinny Boy - Chicago
The Love You Call Your Own - Robert Lamm
Life in Motion - Beckley-Lamm-Wilson
Today - Beckley-Lamm-Wilson
Plaid - Chicago
My Thanksgiving - Don Henley
Peace of Mind - Boston
Right Here, Right Now - Cassandra Wilson
Cry For The Lost - Chicago
When Will The World Be Like Lovers - Chicago
In the Stone - Earth, Wind & Fire

I may add...
Sacrifice - The Roots
Almost There - Mercy Me

Buy the CDs, download the .mp3s -- find the lyrics and pore over them with a yellow highlighter like the Zapruder film, or just enjoy the tunes.

Friday, May 30, 2003

MUSING OVER MUSIC

Current Mood: None of your business :)
Current Music: My .mp3 playlist of all-time favorite tunes, one of which contains the following lyric:
I remember when you learned about love
In the back of a Chevrolet
No good for an old memory
To mean so much today

When You Close Your Eyes
words/music by Blades/Fitzgerald/Gillis
perf. by Night Ranger

Incidentally, my current mood is probably "sleepy." Not only does "Adult Swim" have cool shows and that interesting new format, but they've had these short "Not For Air" segments. They're carefully chosen clips from the old Challenge of the Superfriends cartoons with dialogue carefully bleeped out to make it seem like swearing. I always dreamed of hearing Robin say "Holy [bleep], Batman!" The best one is Batman saying, "Grodd did a masterful job of f[bleep]ing us."

I haven't heard such masterful editing since the dearly departed good vs. evil TV show.

Wednesday, May 28, 2003

ALL KIDS OUT OF THE POOL

Even if you don't like any of the cartoons currently showing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, I sort of dig their new look. They used to have these parodies of those Worst Case Scenario books between their shows. I thought that was cool. Now, they just have these white letters on a black screen set to ambient/techno stuff. Saves a ton on editing and effects, I'm sure.

At first, I thought it was kind of arrogant. I thought to myself, "I bet some geek college kid thought this thing up, thinking "Oooh, let's go all minimal and put in a bunch of smarmy, smart alec quotes and stuff to show off how hip we are." It's the kind of thing my friends and I would've thought up back then. But, some of the stuff they write is funny. Example...


2 trains leave from Atlanta.
Who rides trains?
Are there still word problems like that?

[Forgive the poor HTML facsimile I've created here.]
Just random little bits of silliness and sarcasm. And, I'm all about sarcasm, as you know.

Tuesday, May 27, 2003

NEXT ON THE MOVIE AGENDA

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. No, I've never read the comic -- excuse me, "graphic novel." I hear the movie will differ from the comic, anyway. I am hesitant about this one, though. If any movie has potential to suck big time, I think it's this one. I also forsee the possibility that it'll end up as one of those weekend tv shows you see wedged in between Adventure, Inc. and reruns of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda.

I'm also looking forward to The Hulk. It'll be worth seeing for no other reason than the fact that it was directed by Ang Lee. At first, I didn't know if I liked what I saw of the Hulk rendered a la Scooby Doo. But, I'll live.

Friday, May 23, 2003

MR. ANDERSON...

Hey, as eye candy, I thought Matrix Reloaded was as good as the first, not better. Why? Well, remember the broomstick scenes in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? They had a few shots of an obviously computer-generated Harry flopping around in the sky. That's exactly Neo and others looked in some of those fight scenes. It occurred to me why Neo's outfit had no real detail. I don't believe it was for that "Superman's cape" effect or an homage to Wong Fei-Hung's Once Upon a Time in China costumes. Being a black mass of cloth with a head on it just makes the FX people's jobs easier.

Fight choreography: Kick @$$, but from Yuen Wo Ping, anything less would've caused me to demand my money back. The close quarter fight sequences (in a car and later in a hallway) were especially good! Neo even got in some Filipino double-stick fighting moves.

Best of all, for me anyway, this story actually had a PLOT TWIST! That's right, something that actually gives me another reason to see Matrix Revolutions beyond the fighting.

Speaking of which, in my opinion, I probably could've lived without sitting through 10-12 minutes of credits just to see the 30 second trailer for the new film.
HOT-HANDED SUPER TEST

I'm officially a quiz whore, but I don't care. This test is too damn cool!

The Killer
You are Jeffrey, the iconoclastic hitman from
The Killer. You have a very particular
personal code which governs your actions, and
will not deviate from it. Your enemies admire
your integrity, and your friends rely on your
loyalty. You're occasionally given over to
sentimental musings and give corny nicknames to
friends.


Which Chow Yun Fat Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thursday, May 22, 2003

THE MOST ACCURATE TEST...

...because I like the results the most.

Avon: less human than the aliens (he thinks)
AVON: "I relied on other people." -- You
perfected the snarky, amoral geek act when
Seamus Harper was still a zygote. You've
always got an eye out for number one, and you
don't even try to hide your contempt when your
coworkers can't keep up. Yet, somehow, you
keep on coming through for them in the end.


Which Season One Blakes 7 Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
PERSONALITY TEST BATTERY

Here are the results of a recent battery of tests.

[This was somewhat surprising, yet not.]

rk6y
You are PATRICK TROUGHTON!


what doctor who are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

[Couldn't I have at least been a Dalek?]

sontarran
Sontaran. People laugh at you when you walk down
the street in your purple boiler suit, but
they'll be laughing on the other side of their
faces when you finely conquer Gallifrey. Fat?
Rubbish, the Sontarran figure is "at the
height of fashion."


Which Doctor Who monster are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

[I find nothing wrong with being a season from the Pertwee era]

A Sea Thing. With a String Vest.
You are The Years of Pertwee. Sorry about that,
would you like to try the quiz again?


Which Doctor Who Season Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

[Muahahahahaha!]

master
You are the Master! You like black. And phallic
shaped destruction rays. When you're not
trying to prevent the signing of the Magna
Carta, you're just being yo' badass evil genius
self. We salute you o' villian of the strange
facial hair.


Which Time Lord are you? (a mildly novel Doctor Who quiz)
brought to you by Quizilla
NOW I KNOW THESE TESTS ARE WHACKED

You are Neo
You are Neo, from "The Matrix." You
display a perfect fusion of heroism and
compassion.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Don't I wish?

Wednesday, May 21, 2003

REALITY IN SCI-FI

I got this from the Happy Fun Pundit via wilwheaton.net -- from the Top Ten Things I Hate About Star Trek:

5. Rule by committee.
Here's the difference between Star Trek and the best SF show on TV last year:

Star Trek:

Picard: "Arm photon torpedoes!"
Riker: "Captain! Are you sure that's wise?"
Troi: "Captain! I'm picking up conflicting feelings about this! And, it appears that you're a 'fraidy cat."
Wesley: "Captain, I'm just an annoying punk, but I thought I should say something."
Worf: "Captain, can I push the button? This is giving me a big Klingon warrior chubby."
Giordi: "Captain, I think we should reverse the polarity on them first."
Picard: "I'm so confused. I'm going to go to my stateroom and look
pensive."


Firefly:

Captain: "Let's shoot them."
Crewman: "Are you sure that's wise?"
Captain: "Do you know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I'll BEAT YOU WITH until you realize who's in command."
Crewman: "Aye Aye, sir!"
This is only a test of the emergency blog-moving system. Had this been an actual blog entry, you would've seen a title and some musings only slightly less banal than this one.

Tuesday, May 20, 2003

GOOD OL' COLLEGE TRY

I will try to forego my nightly dose of Adult Swim and go to bed early. Well, maybe after Lupin the 3rd...
RETRACTION

Flipping through channels just now, I see that Trigun has been moved to 1 AM, even though the commercials I've seen tonight still state that it's on at midnight.
MISH MASH

ITEM ONE
Saw X2: X-Men United this afternoon. I'm dying to rave about it, but I don't want to spoil it. Suffice it to say, it was almost like Chris Claremont wrote the script -- old school Claremont, that is, not that stuff he put out in Extreme X-Men.

ITEM TWO
Good news: Lupin the 3rd is back on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Bad news: I don't see Trigun there anymore.

I'd research it, but I was too lazy, as you can see by this entry's utter lack of links.

Monday, May 19, 2003

SHATTERED INNOCENCE

I remember when Huey Lewis & The News was one of the biggest bands on the planet. I remember not being able to walk into a record store without seeing that poster of Huey in the red suit/black t-shirt outfit looking over his sunglasses. I have all of their albums, even their latest one.

Today, I listened to the album Fore!. I've listened to that album a million times since it first came out in 1986. In 17 years, I never thought twice about a line from this one song, and never realized what it meant until earlier today.
I'm tired of these girlie magazines
I want to get back to the real thing.
Late last night I read the letter you sent
Woke up this morning under a tent
Uh huh, we've got a whole lotta lovin' to do

Whole Lotta Lovin'
words/music by Johnny Colla & Huey Lewis

Woke up this morning where?? And to think, I used to sing this out loud during recess in 7th grade.

Saturday, May 17, 2003

DISAPPOINTMENT

Macy Gray's new album did not come out on 5/15 like I had read. It won't be out until 6/10.

Friday, May 16, 2003

DEVELOPING THEME

Here's yet another quiz I took. Remember when I first took the Trigun character quiz and tried too hard not the end up as you-know-who? Well, I took this one and didn't even know this was a possible answer. Yet, the result speaks for itself...



What's Your Anime Weapon?

No one would ever see it coming. In the series, Vash's robotic (yet not noticably robotic) arm would turn into a gun when he would lose his pistol. This weapon is great because it is easy to conceal and very difficult to knock away from it's user.

I'm starting to see a pattern here. My hair's already kinda spikey. Some hair dye and a red trench coat would be all I need.

Tuesday, May 13, 2003

IT'S A POST, POST, POST, POST-MODERN WORLD

Hey, I'm a big fan of literary deconstruction, too. But it is possible to take things too far. Case in point: Matrix Essays.

Oliver Stone didn't go this far with the Zapruder film, for pete's sake.

Sunday, May 11, 2003

AM I REALLY THIS BAD??

Why do I keep coming out as the bad guy?


Which Cowboy Bebop Character are You like?
Take other quizzes at Newsies Meets Anime...Anime Meets Newsies...
CONFIRMATION

I tried to retake this test, being as honest as possible. Guess it must be true...


Which Trigun Character are You like?
Take other quizzes at Newsies Meets Anime...Anime Meets Newsies...
A BIT OF RESOLUTION

I didn't really notice until recently the slow increase of Don Henley music I've been listening to lately. I always dug his music, I have a few CDs, and The Heart of the Matter is on my .mp3 mix of my favorite songs of all time. But, I'm finding a lot of songs resonate. Didn't I put a few lyrics on here a few entries back?

Here's something that hit me regarding the recent issues I've been slowly trying to resolve. I just heard it earlier tonight.
Have you noticed that an angry man
Can only get so far
Until he reconciles the way he thinks things ought to be
With the way things are

Here in this fragmented world, I still believe
In learning how to give love, and how to receive it
And I would not be among those who abuse this privilege
Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge

My Thanksgiving
Don Henley/Stan Lynch/Jai Winding


That last line is my favorite.

Friday, May 09, 2003

CINEMATIC AGENDA

X2: X-Men United
Ok, it's gotten pretty low to average reviews. Of course it won't stop the comic book ner... I mean, "afficianados" like me from seeing it. Sequels are generally bad enough to begin with; it's almost expected in comic-book movies. It's sort of sad, actually. Everyone automatically says, "God, I hope it doesn't turn into another Batman." (That's an entirely separate blog entry right there.) But, I'll give it a chance.

What I'm really worried about is the Spider Man sequel. Doc Ock and the Lizard? Sounds like having The Riddler and Two-Face. God, I hope it doesn't turn...

The Matrix: Reloaded
I must've been the only one in existence who didn't go ga-ga over The Matrix when it first came out. I don't think I saw it until a few months after it came out on video. When I finally got to see it, I sort of liked it, but still failed to see why people went nuts over it. Props to the effects people, and all that, but still.

I remember the suspense (not) as I asked myself, "Gee, could Neo be the One?" Apparently the Brothers Wachowski didn't want to take the risk that you couldn't see that one coming a mile away. They had to advertise it. I haven't seen ugly, blatant foreshadowing like that since Heathers. Still, the main reason I saw it and the main reason I'll see "M2" is Yuen Wo-Ping's fight choreography. And, even then, most of the moves in the original Matrix I automatically recognized from the Once Upon a Time in China series.

I know it seems I'm really down on the film, but I'm really not. It's probably jealousy that my 5'6" @$$ will never look good in those long black trenches.

Thursday, May 08, 2003

FURTHER DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE

Or, Music: Lots of stuff by lots of people

I always wondered why that seems to be such a standard on blogs. There were many random things on my CD player today. Trouble is, music tends to ellicit all kinds of reactions in me. I can rarely listen to anything just to tap my foot to it. I either criticize the technical or overpersonalize the lyrics. Cases in point, these represent facets of my... issues.
Knowing that you would have wanted it this way
I do believe I'm feelin' stronger every day

Feelin' Stronger Every Day
words/music by Peter Cetera & James Pankow
perf. by Chicago

That's me, most days. Other days...
Every time I see her face
On the street in the hollow on the hill
Another time and another place
I feel her in my heart still
Every time I see her face
On the street in the hollow in the bend
I see her in my mind and then
I go down the road not taken...again

The Road Not Taken
Bruce Hornsby


I'm learning to opt for the middle ground, assuming whatever attitude is necessary to get me over it:
yeah you, you tell me that you love me but boo
if this is love
it's a good thing you don't hate me

boo
Macy Gray


Her new album comes out next week, by the way.

Wednesday, May 07, 2003

PLUMBING THE DEPTHS OF MY SOUL...

...with the intellectual equivalent of Liquid Drano. Hey, aren't blogs all about self-examination anyway?

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Second Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
LevelScore
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)Extreme
Level 3 (Gluttonous)High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)Very High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)Extreme
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)Extreme

Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test

Tuesday, May 06, 2003

THIS BLOG'S LOSS OF DIGNITY IS COMPLETE

This time, I tried to take the test as honestly and accurately as possible, no matter how the answers might have turned out.


Take the Which Lupin III character are you? quiz.
Created by Bicky Flannigan and Edward Tivrusky


Ed. note: At least with Lupin's pic, the quiz people missed putting a subdirectory in their generated link. I had to fiddle before I got it up. You're smart; you'll figure it out what you have to do.

Friday, May 02, 2003

I HAVE BEEN ASSIMILATED

I finally succumbed. I so wanted this blog to have at least a semblance of dignity, at least at first glance. But, I said to myself, "Self... what the heck?"


Which Trigun Character are You like?
Take other quizzes at Newsies Meets Anime...Anime Meets Newsies...

I'm not sure I like the answer. Maybe I was trying too hard to avoid those answers that I thought would make the answer come out to me being Vash the Stampede himself.
FINALLY...

I saw Bulletproof Monk this afternoon! As it turns out, the idiot who posted spoiler-type information that I ranted about a few entries back actually didn't spoil the whole movie. Ok, so the plot had a few holes and the fight choreography was hardly Yuen Wo-Ping stuff, but still. Chow Yun-Fat kicking butt is all I need. I swear his english has gotten a bit better, too.

Thursday, May 01, 2003

BORING DAY

How boring is my life? So boring that I take time to document how boring it actually is. Today's big task: Getting a new antenna for my cell phone.

Tomorrow's big task: See a matinee showing of Bulletproof Monk. The reviews I read haven't been all that great, but hey -- Chow Yun-Fat holding two guns in both hands, playing another bad ass. What more could you ask for?