Sunday’s KFC SuperBowl
Posted on | February 3, 2008 at 11:16 am | 3 Comments
Load up! My prediction for the SuperBowl: Pats 35, Giants 28. Which would also mean I won the pool. Don’t you just hate “5″s? 5’s are the bane of football pools. 8s aren’t too good either. Where’s my 7 and 0?
One additional observation about the Philips earhook headphones I wrote about yesterday: I ran with them again this morning and one thing I really noticed was how I didn’t really notice them. They seem weightless. I can really tell when I’m wearing the Sony headphones, they’re so there. But with the in-the-ear ones, I’m not sure I’m wearing them at all, which has the effect of making the music appear to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. I like that. Surrounded by magical musical notes. Maybe I’ll wear them every time I run.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 33°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Some Kinda Wonderful” (Buzzcocks)
- “All I Want Is Out” (The Caulfields)
- “How Can I Compare” (Pernice Brothers)
- “You Ain’t Me” (Frank Black)
- “Like Eating Glass” (Bloc Party)
- “Bring on the Change” (Midnight Oil)
- “Say It First” (The Maggies)
Pet Peeve of the Day:When you ask for the brown gravy in your KFC bowl and they give you the white gravy.
Latre.
Saturday’s Blasting In My Ear
Posted on | February 2, 2008 at 12:46 pm | 1 Comment
As long time readers of this blog know, I have weird ears. I long to be able to use some compact earbud type headphones, but my ears 1) have no little “shelf” to hold them in, and 2) my ear canals are way too small. I’ve tried a number of different “in the ear” type headphones over the years, with and without hooks, but even the ones with interchangeable rubber inserts don’t have inserts that are small enough for my ear canals. That’s especially true of my left ear; my right ear canal is a little larger and can sometimes accommodate small buds without immediately popping out.
When I’m running, I use a pair of Sony MDR-G72 over-the-ear “street style” (i.e. the connecting arm goes to the back of the head) headphones with my iPod. They sound decent, and they have the added advantage of keeping my ears warm in the winter because the drivers cover the whole outer ear. However, even with the hooks, they don’t press that close to the ear, so the sound quality isn’t the greatest and they don’t block much outside noise. Plus, I can’t really put a cap over them for those really frigid mornings. They stick out too far from the side of my head.
When I’m at work, I use the cheapo over-the-top-of-the-head headphones that came with an Aiwa discman portable CD player I bought many years ago. Again, not too great on the sound quality, but easy to take on and off, which I have to do frequently for interruptions.
But I really wanted some inexpensive compact phones that I could keep with me to use in other situations, like when waiting somewhere, or on the bus. Or for when I’m at work and really don’t want to be interrupted. But I just couldn’t find any that would stay in my ear and provide decent sound quality. Until now.
After reading the Amazon reviews, I decided to take a chance on the Philips SHS8000 Premium Sound Earhook Headphones, which usually run around $30. Miracle of miracles, these earphones outfitted with the smallest insert actually fit within my both ear canals and create a good enough seal for me to get decent sound quality. And the earhooks provide an extra level of security, holding the phones in so that they don’t pop out when running or moving around.
I got them last night and ran with them this morning (with my cap on over my ears!). The sound quality is pretty good. The dynamic range is supposedly 6 – 23,500 Hz, but I’m not sure that matters when you’re connected to an iPod, which probably doesn’t have that much of a range. It did seem to amplify the MP3 compression artifacts a bit more than I’d like, but that’s one reason I’m now ripping everything at 256 kps, which does diminish those artifacts. The other problem with using them while running is that … I don’t know quite how to explain this… they seem to amplify my body noises. Probably has something to do with the seal that’s created in the ear. That wouldn’t be a problem if I wasn’t moving around so much.
So I don’t know if I’ll keep using them for running, but at least now I have a compact pair to carry around with the iPod. I’ll probably use them at work sometimes too. I just can’t believe I’ve finally found something that works. My junk electronics drawer at home is littered with headphones I’ve never used. Of course, I’ve only had them for a day, and I need to do some more experimenting with them. There’s one potential problem that I don’t want to talk about until I’m sure it’s related to the phones. And who knows if they’re comfortable to wear for extended periods. I’ll get back to you on that.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ °F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “This Is Montreal” (Matt Pond PA)
- “We Love You, Carol And Alison” (Game Theory)
- “Melody/Not Malaise” (The Aislers Set)
- “White Collar Boy” (Belle & Sebastian)
- “Another Scheme Down The Drain” (Pidgin)
- “Get On The Floor” (The Promise Ring)
- “Confessions of a Teenage Pervert” (Baby Chaos)
- “Bright Side” (Koufax)
Latre.
Friday Has Its Moments
Posted on | February 1, 2008 at 11:41 pm | 9 Comments
First of all, I want to mention that it was freakin’ thundering and lightning-ing during a minor snowstorm tonight. I don’t remember that ever happening before. What hath Al Gore wrought?
Haven’t done one of these in awhile:
Artist: The Church
Disc: El Momento Siguiente
Released: 2007
Number of Tracks: 14
Total Disc Time: 66:44
The Church is one of my all-time favorite bands. This album has been out for a year, and I didn’t even know about it until it showed up on someone’s year-end Best of 2007. That’s partly because it hasn’t been released in America, not even on eMusic like the band’s other recent albums. It’s only available over here as a pricey import. I got my copy from CD-Wow, which was the cheapest I could find (though I didn’t look very hard – I’ve dealt with CD-Wow for imports before, and despite their user-unfriendly website, they’ve never let me down).
This album (which translates into “The Following Moment”) is a sequel to their 2005 album El Momento Descuidado (”The Unguarded Moment”, the title of their first hit). Like the earlier album, it’s an “acoustic” reworking of some classic songs from the back catalog, along with some new pieces, including a cover of The Triffids’ “Wide Open Road”. When I say “acoustic”, I mean that the instrumental arrangements use mostly acoustic instruments, no electric guitars or synths. But that doesn’t mean that the songs are stripped bare – many have full arrangements with drum, bass, piano, multiple acoustic guitars, violins, vocals, background vocals, etc. They’re just somewhat subdued reinterpretations of the original songs.
This kind of thing usually worries me, because it’s an indication that the band has run out of new ideas and is just rehashing their past. But at least they did include some new songs on both albums, and there was a normal album (Uninvited Like The Clouds) released between the two. So, the band does still probably have a little life left in it. And some of these songs do beg for a reimangining, which breathes new life into them and maybe makes you appreciate the song better hearing it in a different context.
Just because it’s “acoustic” doesn’t mean it’s watered-down. For example, the song “Grind” somehow sounds more menacing in this new version. “It’s No Reason”, which was a lovely song to begin with, sounds even more pretty and natural. It’s pretty cool hearing the signature guitar riff from “Reptile” being played, slowed down, on a piano. The new version sounds like some sort of ersatz jazz/lounge take. “Comeuppance”, a new song, is a very nice closing instrumental. Some songs, like “Two Places At Once”, don’t sound all that different from what I remember their original versions sounding like.
Generally, I was pretty pleased with the album. The new versions don’t necessarily improve on the originals, for the most part, but they don’t detract from them either, and can stand on their own. However, I had one huge problem with it. My all-time favorite Church song is “Tantalized”, and it’s redone on this album. I was really looking forward to what they would do with it, and it’s the primary reason I shoveled out the import bucks. But I was sorely disappointed. This version is a drugged-out middle-eastern drone that musically has nothing really in common with the original. If it wasn’t for the lyrics, you wouldn’t even know it’s the same song. Part of me can’t help thinking that maybe it’s a big “fuck you” to the fans. Steve Kilbey (the Church’s main man) has made no bones of the fact that the album “Tantalized” came from, Heyday, is his least favorite Church album (it’s my favorite, as well as being one of my all-time top 5 albums). I believe I read one interview where he said that Heyday is the furthest thing from what The Church is “supposed” to be doing, because it was too to “rock”. Nevertheless, he does seem to have a fondness for the Heyday songs “Myrrh” and “Tristesse” (which was covered on the previous acoustic album). Anyway, thanks for forever ruining one of my all-time favorite songs, guys. Ah well, I’ll always have the original.
Speaking of Kilbey, one of the customer reviews of this album on Amazon speaks way too glowingly of Steve and the band, and says “Steve KIlbey is not only a supreme singer, he is also a poet, an artist, a spiritual sage, a painter and a diehard philosophical vegetarian”. God knows we need more philosophical vegetarians! Janet… Sue… doug… step up there.
Worth the CD buy? Probably not at import prices, unless you’re a diehard fan like me (or a diehard philosophical vegetarian). Although… I don’t know… these new versions might turn some people into new fans. If it were on eMusic or iTunes or somewhere, I’d say it’s worth a download. If there were a cheap American version, it would be a no-brainer.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 33°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “In Her Disco” (Possum Dixon)
- “Autumn Stars” (Bill Nelson)
- “Floating” (Moody Blues)
- “Bass” (Robyn Hitchcock)
- “Tomorrowland (The Threshold Of 1947)” (Bill Nelson)
- “Betty and Me” (Jonathan Coulton)
- “Sleeping in the Lion’s Mouth” (Thunderbirds Are Now!)
- “Sleeping Through Heaven” (Game Theory)
Pet Peeve of the Day:I had one, but I forgot what it was.
Latre.
It’s Thursday And There’s A Wall
Posted on | January 31, 2008 at 11:19 pm | 1 Comment
Okay, I admit it. I’m starting to hit the wall here with this blogging-every day thing. After what… 94 days? Hey, I should at least be able to make 100. I don’t think it’s so much an idea problem, since I can always think of something if I try hard enough. I think it’s more of a time issue. There’s so much I want to do other than blog right now. Like catching up on my TV watching. Also still trying to get some books read. I think I’m reading like 3 books simultaneously now. And there’s always lots to do on the CD-ripping front. Lately I’ve been doing the blog entry right before bed, and that’s not my most creative period of the day. I just want to get it over with and jump into bed.
Spoiler warning. Saw the season premiere of Lost tonight – it rocked! Poor Hurley. You’d think that once they got off the island, the mysteries would end, but no… it just brings up more questions. I was initially put off by the whole flash-forward thing, thinking they were painting themselves into a corner, ending the tension and jumping the shark, but now I see how it could work.
Speaking of Lost, I bought myself the Blu-Ray 3rd season set the other day. It was on sale at Amazon for $40! Couldn’t pass that up, even though I don’t have something to play it on. I also recently bought a PlayStation 3 game (Heavenly Sword), because it was on sale too. And I don’t have a PS3 yet. I’m always doing crap like that. Then I can rationalize to myself that I have to buy the thing because I’ve already got the media for it. I did buy the equivalent of a PS3 this month, but it was really called “$500 insurance deductible for crashing the car into a bus”.
I’ve been trying to eat more healthily lately. Fruit instead of chips or chocolate, for example. I’ve forgotten how good granny smith apples are! And oranges, even. And those weird little Clementine things. I just wish cheap good grapes were in season.
I finally saw The Notorious Bettie Page last night. It was curiously flat. Like the critics said, it really didn’t get into her psyche much, so you didn’t know what made her tick. She seemed pretty shallow. When she had her religious conversion at the end, it was certainly foreshadowed a lot, but still didn’t really seem to fit. And someone needs to tell me why most of the film is in black and white, except for the Miami scenes, which were in color. At least there was plenty of boobage. And bangs.
Pet Peeve of the Day: The commute, again. It took me an hour to drive into work today. The city got a few inches of snow overnight and the streets were an icy mess in the morning. I’m not sure the plows and sanders were doing their job. The weird thing is that it didn’t actually snow at my house – I even went running because the streets were dry. When I left the house, the sun was out and it was warming up. If I hadn’t been watching the news reports, I would’ve had no idea that the city got snow or how bad the commute was going to be. As it was, knowing didn’t help much, since all roads into town were like a parking lot. I was so scared of injuring my newly-rebuilt Prius that I was extra slow and careful.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 20°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Not So Much The Time” (The Records)
- “Wing and a Prayer” (Mission UK)
- “Funniest Thing” (Supergrass)
- “Rotary Ten” (R.E.M.)
- “Married to a Lazy Lover” (The Auteurs)
- “Texas Song” (Glory Fountain)
- “I’m Not Your Mother” (Blake Babies)
- “Want You Now” (Letters Lost)
Latre.
It’s Wednesday And All Is Well
Posted on | January 30, 2008 at 11:04 pm | 2 Comments
Got my Prius back! Got my Prius back! Good Lord Almighty, I gots my Prius back! It’s been over a month since the accident, and it’s been in the shop nearly that long, but now it’s back safe and sound in my garage, and looking all new-like and everything. All systems seem to work, including the DICE iPod integration unit that I left in it when I took it to the body shop. They even gave me a new key (recoded) after having lost the other one. The Cobalt and it’s two identical keys on one key ring went back to the rental company. So hopefully that will be the end of my car key-related problems. Now if I can just avoid running into any more buses. Or anything else. I’m going to treat you right, baby. Heck, I may even splurge on the midgrade gas once in awhile. It sure is a pleasure driving the Prius instead of the Cobalt, and not just because of the gas savings. Everything is just so much smoooother with the Prius.
In celebration of getting my car back, I’m not going to write anything potentially interesting. I’m just going to go to bed. Please join in with me in celebrating this momentous occasion and go to bed early instead of surfing the Internet further. Thank you.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 29°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Chasing After Deer” (Midlake)
- “Initiate” (Calla)
- “Swimming Trunks” (Baby Chaos)
- “Occupation: Unknown” (Alternate Learning)
- “Ultra Vivid Color” (Dressy Bessy)
- “Kill Haole Day” (Dambuilders)
- “Embassy Row” (Pavement)
- “A Space Boy Dream” (Belle & Sebastian)
- “[Untitled Track 8]” (Mind Reels)
Pet Peeve of the Day:
Latre.
Scenes From The Big Chair
Posted on | January 29, 2008 at 11:04 pm | 3 Comments
What would you do if you had a man living in your kitchen, sitting up high in a big chair observing everything you were doing and forbidden to interact with you?
Well, that’s the plot of a movie that my girlfriend watched a few months ago called Kitchen Stories. After she watched it, she said that it was kind of out there but interesting and that I should watch it. When she described the above plot to me, I wasn’t sure if I should believe her. It came around again at the library, and she checked it out so I could watch it*, which I did tonight. She was right. It was not a very normal movie.
First of all, it’s Norwegian. It takes place in the 1950s. Scientific researchers from Sweden are tasked to study single Norwegian men in the kitchen, in order to understand how they use the kitchen. This is so that kitchens can be designed to be more efficient. There was an earlier study involving housewives that resulted in better utilization of the kitchen space, and then it was time to do the same thing for single males, who obviously utilize kitchens in a different way (at least in 50s’ Scandinavia). Volunteers got a little wooden horse and had to put up with a guy sitting in their kitchen day after day, watching them and taking notes from a vantage point on high. That was the weirdest thing about this movie – seeing the observer sitting in that high chair, looking down upon his subject. The observer is forbidden from interacting with the “host”, because that could change the results.
But, y’know, it’s really boring sitting up there in that chair day after day after day, unable to speak or interact. Our observer hero Folke is assigned to a cranky old farmer host named Isak, who didn’t really want to be cooperative in the first place. He thought he was getting a real horse to replace his sick one, instead of a toy horse. I couldn’t figure out just what it was that Isak farmed, except maybe snow. There was a lot of snow. In the beginning, Isak does everything he can to stymie Folke, including not even letting him in the house for the first several days. (Observers stay in a trailer next to the host’s house at night when they’re not observing.)
Inevitably, the system breaks down and Folke starts interacting with Isak, and the two bond. They are forced to hide their friendship from Folke’s stick-up-the-butt boss, who has already come down on a fellow observer who was caught drinking with his host. The two men form an unlikely friendship. Isak helps Folke when he’s sick by wrapping him in cat fur and making him sleep on top of the horse. Folke puts together a little birthday celebration for old Isak, stuffing him with cake and bourbon. Isak’s neighbor Grant gets jealous of Folke and kinda tries to kill him. Folke watches Isak take his monthly bath. It reminded me a lot of Brokeback Mountain without the gay parts and with even more snow and fewer women. There were no men under the age of 50 or women in this movie.
This is a sloooow movie, though luckily not very long. One of the cover blurbs for the movie declared it “hilarious!”. I’m not sure I’d go that far. I didn’t LOL once, although parts were kind of amusing in that “look at what the crazy frozen foreigners are doing” kind of way. And I think I laughed at the occasional jabs that the Norwegians made at the Swedish, which had something of an American/Canadian dynamic. But I have to admit it was somewhat touching and even charming, and by the end I did really care about what was going to happen to Folke and Isak and their friendship.
My take on the movie was that it was an indictment of reality TV. Do they have Big Brother in Norway?
They should remake this in Hollywood with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Wait, I think they already did.
Sue, you should watch this movie with the subtitles off and tell me if it makes sense. Assuming you haven’t already seen it.
Latre.
* – Please note that I myself obey the RIAA and do not patronize libraries.