Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Couch Begone!
I finally got a bed. It took a lot longer than I hoped but I didn't have much choice. My car and my THREE different flat tires plus the clutch bit into my savings pretty hard so I had to delay. Anyway, I drove my mattress home only to have yet another flat tire. My FOURTH different one. So, now I sleep in a bed where I can roll over with reckless abandonment. Once I finally pay off my car and my insurance, I can save up the money I need to get back to Seattle.
Anyway the couch I was sleeping on, which was comfortable is gone. It served its purpose for over twenty years. It was in my parents living room in Flanders, Manchester. I took it to my place in Spring Lake Heights, to make the place less pathetically empty. My roommate didn't appreciate it at all, hated the way it looked. The couch wasn't top of the line but certainly wasn't a tacky Lazy Boy monstrosity you see in most peoples living rooms.
When my roommate left she took the bed she bought so the couch was my bed for the next year. It was comfortable but it's hard to impress women with your ability to tough it out on a couch. Now that the economy is tough, Ikea may impress people now, or maybe not.
Anyway the couch I was sleeping on, which was comfortable is gone. It served its purpose for over twenty years. It was in my parents living room in Flanders, Manchester. I took it to my place in Spring Lake Heights, to make the place less pathetically empty. My roommate didn't appreciate it at all, hated the way it looked. The couch wasn't top of the line but certainly wasn't a tacky Lazy Boy monstrosity you see in most peoples living rooms.
When my roommate left she took the bed she bought so the couch was my bed for the next year. It was comfortable but it's hard to impress women with your ability to tough it out on a couch. Now that the economy is tough, Ikea may impress people now, or maybe not.
Karaoke Theme: One Named Music Acts
It was an okay night at Jack's. I went in not knowing what songs I would sing. I realized since Karaoke Steve updated his list I had not done any Donovan songs he added. I really like two of his songs, "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and "Season Of The Witch". I figured Season of the Witch would be more dramatic, so I chose that. I killed. I love singing a song for the first time and doing it well. Anyway the video I grabbed is pretty bad. It's vintage but very obscure. It was this or some modern one recorded on a cell phone.
The second song I sang was Prince's "Pop Life" I didn't have the guts to do "Dark Lady" by Cher. It's my favorite Prince song. I've done it many times but this time I did it so nasally it wasn't good. Anyway I had a dickens of a time trying to find a video of the song performed by Prince. First, Prince never made a video back in the day. Second, Prince has sued YouTube and any video is muted. However, On Yahoo, I found this clip from a show done in Vegas. It rocks.
The third song I did was Santana. That's cheating, I know. I could've done Van Halen under these rules but Santana it was. "Evil Ways" was the song I chose. Appropriate song for those people I've known who really need to change their evil ways. What was interesting (That is, Interesting for those who are karaoke nuts) was that the song features two vocalists simultaneously. Usually, the karaoke disk has vocals to harmonise with you, this one didn't but it made for interpretive vocals by the singer. So I kicked. Then I went home. The video is vintage Santana.
The second song I sang was Prince's "Pop Life" I didn't have the guts to do "Dark Lady" by Cher. It's my favorite Prince song. I've done it many times but this time I did it so nasally it wasn't good. Anyway I had a dickens of a time trying to find a video of the song performed by Prince. First, Prince never made a video back in the day. Second, Prince has sued YouTube and any video is muted. However, On Yahoo, I found this clip from a show done in Vegas. It rocks.
The third song I did was Santana. That's cheating, I know. I could've done Van Halen under these rules but Santana it was. "Evil Ways" was the song I chose. Appropriate song for those people I've known who really need to change their evil ways. What was interesting (That is, Interesting for those who are karaoke nuts) was that the song features two vocalists simultaneously. Usually, the karaoke disk has vocals to harmonise with you, this one didn't but it made for interpretive vocals by the singer. So I kicked. Then I went home. The video is vintage Santana.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Dark Knight and Watchmen
So, I saw the Dark Knight featuring my man Pro the other night.
It was a really good movie but went on too long. The hype on Heath Ledger is well earned. You can't take your eyes off him. He's the reason to see the movie. I understand the morbid curiosity in watching him, but even if he had not died, he would still get praise, after all the Joker is a great character and Jack Nicholson got similar praise when the first Batman movie came out.
The movie went on too long though. The subplot with Harvey Dent made for a nice set up for the third Batman movie. It's no spoiler that Harvey Dent was to become the villain Two-Face. It happened very late in the movie but still was significant enough to be a distraction from the rest of the movie.
Geek Alert!!!!
Anyway, along the way I came across the trailer for the upcoming movie based on the great comic book series of the 80's, The Watchmen. I have to say the period of 1985-88 was the zenith for comic book enthusiasts. The Dark Knight series, Maus, Love and Rockets, and The Watchmen created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons were published then. Comic Books were taken seriously as art, and no wonder. I read the first issue of Watchmen when I dropped off my buddy Inkboy at his house at the end of my freshman year of SVA. It was such a dense comic book series full of references that took multiple readings to catch up with. Each issue was a greatly anticipated event. Luckily there was a comic book store across the street from our dorms.
So, now the movie is coming out in March 2009. Like V For Vendetta, Alan Moore has disavowed any involvement with the film adaptation.
Yeah, The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen was THAT bad of a movie. I don't care, I loved the comic and am really looking forward to the movie. The cast is relatively unknown (a plus) directed by the guy who somehow made the movie 300 a hit, Zack Snyder. The two best known actors, Billy Crudup and James Earle Haley are either computer generated or hidden beneath a mask. From what I've seen the movie seems true to its source.
Now, I've seen The Spirit previews too. It's directed by Frank Miller, the famed comic book artist. I'm not sure it quite captures the right mood. It seems too Sin City, and I don't like The Spirit's mask. Still, it does have Scarlett Johannson.
Oh well...Geek Time over.
It was a really good movie but went on too long. The hype on Heath Ledger is well earned. You can't take your eyes off him. He's the reason to see the movie. I understand the morbid curiosity in watching him, but even if he had not died, he would still get praise, after all the Joker is a great character and Jack Nicholson got similar praise when the first Batman movie came out.
The movie went on too long though. The subplot with Harvey Dent made for a nice set up for the third Batman movie. It's no spoiler that Harvey Dent was to become the villain Two-Face. It happened very late in the movie but still was significant enough to be a distraction from the rest of the movie.
Geek Alert!!!!
Anyway, along the way I came across the trailer for the upcoming movie based on the great comic book series of the 80's, The Watchmen. I have to say the period of 1985-88 was the zenith for comic book enthusiasts. The Dark Knight series, Maus, Love and Rockets, and The Watchmen created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons were published then. Comic Books were taken seriously as art, and no wonder. I read the first issue of Watchmen when I dropped off my buddy Inkboy at his house at the end of my freshman year of SVA. It was such a dense comic book series full of references that took multiple readings to catch up with. Each issue was a greatly anticipated event. Luckily there was a comic book store across the street from our dorms.
So, now the movie is coming out in March 2009. Like V For Vendetta, Alan Moore has disavowed any involvement with the film adaptation.
Yeah, The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen was THAT bad of a movie. I don't care, I loved the comic and am really looking forward to the movie. The cast is relatively unknown (a plus) directed by the guy who somehow made the movie 300 a hit, Zack Snyder. The two best known actors, Billy Crudup and James Earle Haley are either computer generated or hidden beneath a mask. From what I've seen the movie seems true to its source.
Now, I've seen The Spirit previews too. It's directed by Frank Miller, the famed comic book artist. I'm not sure it quite captures the right mood. It seems too Sin City, and I don't like The Spirit's mask. Still, it does have Scarlett Johannson.
Oh well...Geek Time over.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday's Theme: Uhhhhh
I love doing karaoke. Well, duh. I listen to music on the way to work and occasionally hear a song that I like but have never done. Peter Gabriel's "Games Without Frontiers" came up and I recalled how much I loved the song from when I was a teenager. So, I had to come up with a theme related to Peter Gabriel that can applied to other musicians. The only one I can think of off the bat was that he was the main singer of the band Genesis before embarking on a solo career. I had my theme.
So I sang "Games Without Frontiers" in the snarky tone representative of the song. The video is classic early 80's art. Nicely done on a limited budget. It's appropriately creepy for an artist that was critical of Thatcher's Britain.
Solo artists that were once in a famous group before hand? It's Paul McCartney time! Karaoke Steve had the song "1985" from his Band On The Run album. I had never done the song before. It's an odd song sung in a nasal tone that seems like a 1920's singer. It's a tricky song with odd interludes. I didn't care bout pleasing anyone because the only cute girl left already. The sound on the CD was good but the highlighted words were off time so I tripped over the words, something I have been doing a lot recently, especially on new songs. The video clip is vintage Paul doing it solo and halfway through he is singing it without having an instrument on hand, like Mick Jagger and Robert Plant. This is rare and interesting, he could have given both of them a run for their money with his stage presence.
The third song I sang was the first solo hit by Eagles singer Don Henley. "Dirty Laundry" is my favorite Don Henley song. It's a brutal attack on the news media circa 1982 that rings more true in the 21st century. Don Henley is a tenor which is just out of my key but I can do this song when my voice is clear. The last verse changes key into a higher range than I can do sometimes including tonight. Oh well. Anyway, Don Henley didn't make a video in 1982 so the clip is from 1993, during the Clinton inauguration. It's interesting seeing Dennis Miller hosting the show back in the days when he was funny. These days he's a right winger who hates Clinton and thinks Bush is great. Do I need to mention that he's not funny these days?
I went off the theme on my fourth song, although the song was covered by a female solo artist Joan Jett who was in a band called the Runaways. Gary Glitter, famed pedophile wrote the song "Do You Want To Touch..." back in the 70's. It's a fun song from the hey day of British Glam Rock. Glitter was a clown performer who seemed liked he was 40 plus years old at the time. Still it's a hoot. I did better on this version than the Joan Jett version I did a month ago.
So I sang "Games Without Frontiers" in the snarky tone representative of the song. The video is classic early 80's art. Nicely done on a limited budget. It's appropriately creepy for an artist that was critical of Thatcher's Britain.
Solo artists that were once in a famous group before hand? It's Paul McCartney time! Karaoke Steve had the song "1985" from his Band On The Run album. I had never done the song before. It's an odd song sung in a nasal tone that seems like a 1920's singer. It's a tricky song with odd interludes. I didn't care bout pleasing anyone because the only cute girl left already. The sound on the CD was good but the highlighted words were off time so I tripped over the words, something I have been doing a lot recently, especially on new songs. The video clip is vintage Paul doing it solo and halfway through he is singing it without having an instrument on hand, like Mick Jagger and Robert Plant. This is rare and interesting, he could have given both of them a run for their money with his stage presence.
The third song I sang was the first solo hit by Eagles singer Don Henley. "Dirty Laundry" is my favorite Don Henley song. It's a brutal attack on the news media circa 1982 that rings more true in the 21st century. Don Henley is a tenor which is just out of my key but I can do this song when my voice is clear. The last verse changes key into a higher range than I can do sometimes including tonight. Oh well. Anyway, Don Henley didn't make a video in 1982 so the clip is from 1993, during the Clinton inauguration. It's interesting seeing Dennis Miller hosting the show back in the days when he was funny. These days he's a right winger who hates Clinton and thinks Bush is great. Do I need to mention that he's not funny these days?
I went off the theme on my fourth song, although the song was covered by a female solo artist Joan Jett who was in a band called the Runaways. Gary Glitter, famed pedophile wrote the song "Do You Want To Touch..." back in the 70's. It's a fun song from the hey day of British Glam Rock. Glitter was a clown performer who seemed liked he was 40 plus years old at the time. Still it's a hoot. I did better on this version than the Joan Jett version I did a month ago.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
RIP Estelle Getty
Although it was inevitable, it's sad to hear that Golden Girl Estelle Getty died today. She was a brilliant comic actress. I used to watch Golden Girls when I went home to my parents on weekends from SVA. Golden Girls was a funny show with television legends Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan. It was Estelle, though that that had the breakout role as Bea Arthur's mom Sophia. Her comic timing was perfect. The role was a much deserved reward after most of her career on stage.
She will be missed.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A Plug For A Friend
I just wanted to do a "Shout Out" to my friend Martin's website. I have had it on my list of links but haven't given the site its proper due. It features Martin's pen and ink drawings that I find so good I'm extremely jealous.
Check it out, some of the work may be for sale.
Recession Diets
I've noticed that some people have lost weight recently. Many of the heavier people on my job who've lost weight have said it was because they now walk to stores close to them because the cost of gas has gone up so much. They have cut down on food spending at the airport bringing food from home. They are cutting down on pub food and fast food. Net result: weight loss. This has encouraged them to keep it up. Bicycles are being brought out for small errands which gives them exercise, saves them money and gives us cleaner air, Good for them.
On the other hand the bad economy can have a reverse effect on people. There are those who used to get the more expensive food like at natural markets like Whole Food Markets. Vegetable prices have increased so much, that they go back to cheaper processed food and non organic ingredients. The economy has made it difficult for people to justify paying for monthly health club fees. So now you have health devotees walking down the soda aisle of cheaper supermarkets looking sluggish and miserable.
They just need to do "Automatic Exercise". Walk to places that are within two miles. Don't drive to a place to jog or bike. Bike to places within five miles. Walk from store to store when you're at a strip mall. Walk when you're hungry, it suppresses appetite. Commute to work by bike if possible. You don't need that health club. Especially if you're paying but not using it because the gas prices make you think twice about going.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Theme Night:Shea
So Tuesday was time for karaoke. I did this after watching what I thought was most of the All Star Game. The All Star Game that was played in Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is getting all the love in its last year of existence. I had no problem with everyone celebrating Yankee Stadium, but I hate the fact that they are getting rid of Yankee Stadium. It's a good thing the new stadium is in the Bronx, right near the old Yankee stadium. However, it's a shame that they couldn't just make major renovations to the old Yankee Stadium using the same footprint. It would require the Yankees to play somewhere else for a few year while doing this. Somewhere like...
...Shea Stadium.
You see, the Yankees played for two years at Shea Stadium in the 70's when they made major renovations. They could have done it again. It would have been better because they would be the only tenants. You see the Mets would play in their new ballpark, Citifield. This gives the Yankees an opportunity to play in a bigger ballpark. This also will allow the Yankees to set a new record for attendance at Shea Stadium. A possibility for 5 million fans. That'll rub it in the Mets face. Meanwhile Yankee Stadium will still feature the same ground that Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played on, instead the Yankees are going to play where they parked their car.
Anyway, Fox does such an annoying job doing tributes, their graphics look like they are done by an intern with "vision" and spoken by people who still believe in Santa Claus. It made me glad that Shea Stadium is being ignored. I can have my own memories of a ballpark that has featured many memorable events of their own. Their have been many rock concerts played here. When it was built, it was state of the art. A multi-purpose stadium that featured two upstart sports teams, the Mets and the football Jets. So, whenever a music act got too big to merely play in theaters, it was stadium time. So, that became my karaoke theme.
Rock acts who played Shea Stadium.
Since the All Star Game was playing at Jack's, there was a good crowd there. The game went on and on and on. So karaoke started late. When it did it was Billy Joel night at Jack's. I was no exception. You see, Billy Joel is playing a few dates at Shea soon. He is a legend especially in the New York area. He has filled up Yankee Stadium in the past but I think he's a Mets fan.One of my favorite Billy Joel songs is "Don't Ask Me Why". It's a familiar song but one that doesn't seem to be performed in the karaoke clubs. It's mid tempo, s song I felt safe doing. I didn't know the crowd but the song went over well. I was hoping to find an old clip of Joel singing the song. Unfortunately the best I could get is cell phone footage. It's not that bad though.
The second song I sang was "I'm Your Captain" or "Getting Closer To Home", I'm not sure what title is in parentheses. It's by Grand Funk Railroad, a band that was huge in the early 80's. The fans loved them but the critics hated them. They played Shea Stadium in 1971. They actually sold out their concert faster than the Beatles. I have only sang this song once before when I fist got back to Jersey. I didn't do good enough to make it a regular song. However, in looking for other Shea information I came across this great footage of the band at Shea. I love the enthusiasm of the crowd, Concert crowds were cooler than. The band was at the top of their game, which makes this exciting. A great song.
Of course the Holy Grail of concerts at Shea Stadium is the appearance of the Beatles in 1965. No rock music act had ever attempted to play at a venue as big as Shea. The Beatles of course were huge at the time. One of the highlights of the concert was the song "I'm Down". It's an average song in the Beatles catalogue but when it's done live it can be very exciting. Look at John Lennon going nuts on the keyboards. The sound wasn't that great for two reasons. They had not come up with the equipment to record concerts but no matter, the girls screams were too loud for anyone to care. Anyway, I like doing this song when my voice is strong and thankfully it was tonight. Here's a look.
Anyway, The AL won again, I root for the NL. Billy Wagner blew a save again. Situation Normal All Fucked Up.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
RIP Bobby Murcer
I'm not a Yankee fan but I always thought highly of Bobby Murcer. He had been fighting cancer for the last few years and it looked liked he beat it. So, it's sad to hear that he died today. He was a class act.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Theme Night Starts
I went to a new venue of Wednesday to do Karoake. It's called Bilow's. It's one of them bar slash liquor stores that I find creepy but I needs to do my karaoke. Anyway, I decided to make it a theme night after doing "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" by the Hollies. A woman, kinda cute but annoying asked me to join her for "Baby Got Back" by Seattle's own Sir-Mix-A-Lot. Since it's a song celebrating girls with a little meat on their bones, I decided to do the rest of my songs with this theme this night.
You see, I had seen this really gross picture in the paper of a female track runner in the Star Ledger. She looked like a junkie and looked exhausted after winning a race. I know she's a champion athlete but I get douche chills over the build of a female marathon runner, I don't understand why any woman would want to destroy their body like that for the sake of athletic achievement.
But I digress. In keeping with my theme, I did yet another rap song "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground with the line "Hey Fat Girl, Yeah I Called You Fat..." I hadn't done the song before but thought it was a hoot.
Then I did Queen's "Fat Bottom Girls" a classic the crowd at Bilow's seemed to appreciate. I had not done the song before. Too many other people did it back in Seattle. It went well and I might do it again. Freddy Mercury was an incredible singer and to even come close fills me with pride.
Finally I did an obscure song I LOVE doing called "Bertha Butt Boogie" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch. It's very weird and I think I take chances in getting my ass kicked if anyone of African descent is in the audience. It gets on some people's nerves and this night was not an exception. Still, I love the song and Karaoke Steve was blown away that he had the song. There is no real viseo of the song but it's on YouTube as a series of photos.
You see, I had seen this really gross picture in the paper of a female track runner in the Star Ledger. She looked like a junkie and looked exhausted after winning a race. I know she's a champion athlete but I get douche chills over the build of a female marathon runner, I don't understand why any woman would want to destroy their body like that for the sake of athletic achievement.
But I digress. In keeping with my theme, I did yet another rap song "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground with the line "Hey Fat Girl, Yeah I Called You Fat..." I hadn't done the song before but thought it was a hoot.
Then I did Queen's "Fat Bottom Girls" a classic the crowd at Bilow's seemed to appreciate. I had not done the song before. Too many other people did it back in Seattle. It went well and I might do it again. Freddy Mercury was an incredible singer and to even come close fills me with pride.
Finally I did an obscure song I LOVE doing called "Bertha Butt Boogie" by the Jimmy Castor Bunch. It's very weird and I think I take chances in getting my ass kicked if anyone of African descent is in the audience. It gets on some people's nerves and this night was not an exception. Still, I love the song and Karaoke Steve was blown away that he had the song. There is no real viseo of the song but it's on YouTube as a series of photos.
Atlantic Highlands vs. Highlands
So I decided to stay another year in my teeny tiny apartment in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. It was made necessary when I had to get a new clutch for my car. Lots of money getting a new clutch. It nearly wiped out the money I saved for moving. It's just as well, because in looking for a place closer to Newark Airport, I was unable to find a satisfying place within my price range.
Besides, I'm planning on moving back to Seattle sometime next year and thought maybe it'll be less stressful not moving yet again before I do that. I have already lived in four different places in a three year period. Besides I can save more money and not have too much stuff to move next year.
Anyway, a lot of people get confused at what town I live in. It's understandable. I live in a rather isolated shore town on the south shores of Raritan Bay. The town of Atlantic Highlands is located next to another town called Highlands. Confusing, I know. My family gets confused at which is which. Heck, even someone I knew who lived their whole life at the shore gets confused. So here's a primer:
Atlantic Highlands:
*Has a downtown movie theater with 5 screens
*Has a Foodtown across highway 36.
*Has a frufru ice cream shoppe.
*Has Victorian mansions dotting its hills of various conditions
*Has a bike trail that goes west to Keyport
*Has no karaoke bars. sigh.
*Has cool stone bridge featured in Clerks II
*Other locations featured in Clerks.
*People are dull but not tacky
*Has Fireman's Fair
*Has casino on its waterfront
*Has teeny tiny disappointing library
Highlands:
*Has the Twin Lighhouses overlooking its downtown
*Has tacky nightclubs like the Sugar Shack.
*Has even tackier karaoke bars
*Most houses are tiny bungalows
*Any big house is a ridiculous McMansion on a tiny lot
*People are xenophobic about the very people who keep their economy afloat
*Sandy Hook is right next to it.
*Has no chain restaurant or grocery stores
*Has plenty of price gouging sea food establishments
*People are not dull but very tacky
*Has St. Patrick's Day parade
*Has cool drawbridge that is being torn down
Both:
*Have stops for ferries going to Manhattan
*Border Middletown
*Have Quik Check and Mt. Mitchell at its border
*Have fishing piers
Besides, I'm planning on moving back to Seattle sometime next year and thought maybe it'll be less stressful not moving yet again before I do that. I have already lived in four different places in a three year period. Besides I can save more money and not have too much stuff to move next year.
Anyway, a lot of people get confused at what town I live in. It's understandable. I live in a rather isolated shore town on the south shores of Raritan Bay. The town of Atlantic Highlands is located next to another town called Highlands. Confusing, I know. My family gets confused at which is which. Heck, even someone I knew who lived their whole life at the shore gets confused. So here's a primer:
Atlantic Highlands:
*Has a downtown movie theater with 5 screens
*Has a Foodtown across highway 36.
*Has a frufru ice cream shoppe.
*Has Victorian mansions dotting its hills of various conditions
*Has a bike trail that goes west to Keyport
*Has no karaoke bars. sigh.
*Has cool stone bridge featured in Clerks II
*Other locations featured in Clerks.
*People are dull but not tacky
*Has Fireman's Fair
*Has casino on its waterfront
*Has teeny tiny disappointing library
Highlands:
*Has the Twin Lighhouses overlooking its downtown
*Has tacky nightclubs like the Sugar Shack.
*Has even tackier karaoke bars
*Most houses are tiny bungalows
*Any big house is a ridiculous McMansion on a tiny lot
*People are xenophobic about the very people who keep their economy afloat
*Sandy Hook is right next to it.
*Has no chain restaurant or grocery stores
*Has plenty of price gouging sea food establishments
*People are not dull but very tacky
*Has St. Patrick's Day parade
*Has cool drawbridge that is being torn down
Both:
*Have stops for ferries going to Manhattan
*Border Middletown
*Have Quik Check and Mt. Mitchell at its border
*Have fishing piers
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Half Time...
I haven't written any blogs recently about baseball. That was because the Mets have been frustratingly mediocre and the Mariners have sucked beyond belief. Anyway my most recent baseball blogs were two sets of predictions. One was the real one and the second was one which involved "surprise" teams that I thought had a good chance of doing well.
Since the season is about half over, I thought it would be fun to see how good I'm doing with my predictions.
AL East: I predicted that the Red Sox would win the division and that the Yankees would be the wild card. My surprise team was the Tampa Bay Rays.
So far: Well it looks like Tampa Bay exorcism (Be Gone You Devil!) is working wonders. They are in first place with the best record in baseball. The Red Sox are close behind in second place. The Yankees are not so far back in third place not to make a run, so my predictions in this division is solid.
AL Central: I predicted that the Detroit Tigers would win the division and that the Kansas City Royals would be the surprise team.
So far: The White Sox are the surprise team competing with the Minnesota Twins for first place. The Tigers are a good run away from first place 7 games out. The Royals are 13 games out, not looking like they want it bad enough.
AL West: I predicted the Mariners would win and that the Texas Rangers would be the surprise team.
So far: The Texas Rangers are surprisingly doing well. They are 7.5 games back but have improved a lot from last year. The Angels have really jump out the gate to solidly be in first place. The Mariners are on their way to losing 100 games and breaking up their team by the end of this month.
NL East: I predicted the Mets would win the division and that the Phillies would win the Wild Card. My surprise team was the Nationals.
So far: The Mets and Phillies are one and two but whoever comes in second will not get the wild card. This has become a weak division. The Nationals are in last place.
NL Central: I predicted the Cubs would win the division and that the Pirates would be the surprise team.
So far: The Cubs are in first place as predicted. The Pirates are not horrible and they may even get a winning record. The Brewers look like they may be the real surprise team.
NL West: I predicted the Diamondbacks would win the division and that the Giants would be the surprise team.
So far: The D-Backs are in first place with a .500 record. The Giants are 6 games back but man does this division look crappy.
Anyway, I'll make a new prediction for the World Series with the new information.
The Cubs will win the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Since the season is about half over, I thought it would be fun to see how good I'm doing with my predictions.
AL East: I predicted that the Red Sox would win the division and that the Yankees would be the wild card. My surprise team was the Tampa Bay Rays.
So far: Well it looks like Tampa Bay exorcism (Be Gone You Devil!) is working wonders. They are in first place with the best record in baseball. The Red Sox are close behind in second place. The Yankees are not so far back in third place not to make a run, so my predictions in this division is solid.
AL Central: I predicted that the Detroit Tigers would win the division and that the Kansas City Royals would be the surprise team.
So far: The White Sox are the surprise team competing with the Minnesota Twins for first place. The Tigers are a good run away from first place 7 games out. The Royals are 13 games out, not looking like they want it bad enough.
AL West: I predicted the Mariners would win and that the Texas Rangers would be the surprise team.
So far: The Texas Rangers are surprisingly doing well. They are 7.5 games back but have improved a lot from last year. The Angels have really jump out the gate to solidly be in first place. The Mariners are on their way to losing 100 games and breaking up their team by the end of this month.
NL East: I predicted the Mets would win the division and that the Phillies would win the Wild Card. My surprise team was the Nationals.
So far: The Mets and Phillies are one and two but whoever comes in second will not get the wild card. This has become a weak division. The Nationals are in last place.
NL Central: I predicted the Cubs would win the division and that the Pirates would be the surprise team.
So far: The Cubs are in first place as predicted. The Pirates are not horrible and they may even get a winning record. The Brewers look like they may be the real surprise team.
NL West: I predicted the Diamondbacks would win the division and that the Giants would be the surprise team.
So far: The D-Backs are in first place with a .500 record. The Giants are 6 games back but man does this division look crappy.
Anyway, I'll make a new prediction for the World Series with the new information.
The Cubs will win the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
A Family Affair
I'm being a bit self indulgent. On the 4th of the July, When I visited my brother to celebrate my nephew Sean's birthday, My Aunt Eileen gave me a few photos of me when I was a baby. She was noting how much I looked like Sean when I was a baby. I agree there is a resemblance in pictures taken when we were the same age. It was another picture she gave me that fascinated me more.
It is a picture from my baptism. The attractive woman holding me is my godmother, Aunt Eileen. This was back in the days she worked at an ad agency. She was in her late 20's. The epitome of a successful working woman in the late 60's. I'm amazed and anyone who has met my aunt would be even more amazed.
The handsome man is my Uncle Neil, my dad's brother, with his oldest son, Rob. The woman with the black glasses is my mom of course. It's hard to believe it was less than a month after giving birth to her first child. The house is the duplex I lived in the first three years of my life. Do they even make those type of iron railings anymore?
It is a picture from my baptism. The attractive woman holding me is my godmother, Aunt Eileen. This was back in the days she worked at an ad agency. She was in her late 20's. The epitome of a successful working woman in the late 60's. I'm amazed and anyone who has met my aunt would be even more amazed.
The handsome man is my Uncle Neil, my dad's brother, with his oldest son, Rob. The woman with the black glasses is my mom of course. It's hard to believe it was less than a month after giving birth to her first child. The house is the duplex I lived in the first three years of my life. Do they even make those type of iron railings anymore?
Karaoke Blog Entry
Last Night after a very long and busy work week, I had a chance to have some relaxing fun at Jack's singing the songs other people wrote. I was a bit tired but had yet another chance to sing many songs. Five again. This allows for some experimenting of new songs. So how is it that I had sung songs I have done before?
So, the first song I sang was Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" to try to get other people in the mood to sing. It went okay but it didn't get the people going. The video I found of the song looks like a promo piece from 1973.
The second song I sang was Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently". It's an old hit form 1974. Good solid pop that would be more obscure if it weren't for a commercial with a singing squirrel, birds and a fox that wails out the tune. I do this song a lot especially when my voice isn't in tip top form. The film clip is from European television. Standard fun from a dull performer with great hair. I respect great hair.
The third song took a rare trip out of the 70's into the mid 90's. Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" a great song from their only good album. It's a long song to fill in the time not being filled by other singers. I've never seen the video from the song, I had no cable at the time. I was surprised at how dull the video is. See what I'm talking about.
It's a slow night, opportunities abound for long songs that aren't "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" The Rolling Stones "Sympathy For The Devil" fits the bill. Recently when it comes to my turn to sing, people who I want to impress leave and my performance falls flat. I can do this song well, but feel embarrassed to put some flair into the performance, and that's what this song calls for. Case in point the Stones themselves performance on "Rock and Roll Circus". It was a show recorded in 1968 and not released until the 90's. The STones didn't think their performance was up to snuff. I couldn't disagree more, look at this and remember, this is 1968!
So, I had the opportunity to do new songs and only did one. It was the end of the night and found a song I had not done. I'm a fan of Paul McCartney's post Beatles career up to the early 80's. Probably his last great song was "Take It Away" from his Tug Of War album. It's the first album McCartney released after the murder of John Lennon. I note this because McCartney has not had a great song since, despite being John Lennon's equal in songwriting skills. So I wonder how many great songs John Lennon had in him when he died. Anyway, I sang it with little enthusiasm, just trying to figure it out. The video is interesting, features Ringo Starr and a young John Hurt.
I love the song for its mellow smooth groove. Some artists in their 30's were doing this realizing they were getting older and at the time felt they couldn't rock it anymore.
So, the first song I sang was Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" to try to get other people in the mood to sing. It went okay but it didn't get the people going. The video I found of the song looks like a promo piece from 1973.
The second song I sang was Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently". It's an old hit form 1974. Good solid pop that would be more obscure if it weren't for a commercial with a singing squirrel, birds and a fox that wails out the tune. I do this song a lot especially when my voice isn't in tip top form. The film clip is from European television. Standard fun from a dull performer with great hair. I respect great hair.
The third song took a rare trip out of the 70's into the mid 90's. Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" a great song from their only good album. It's a long song to fill in the time not being filled by other singers. I've never seen the video from the song, I had no cable at the time. I was surprised at how dull the video is. See what I'm talking about.
It's a slow night, opportunities abound for long songs that aren't "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" The Rolling Stones "Sympathy For The Devil" fits the bill. Recently when it comes to my turn to sing, people who I want to impress leave and my performance falls flat. I can do this song well, but feel embarrassed to put some flair into the performance, and that's what this song calls for. Case in point the Stones themselves performance on "Rock and Roll Circus". It was a show recorded in 1968 and not released until the 90's. The STones didn't think their performance was up to snuff. I couldn't disagree more, look at this and remember, this is 1968!
So, I had the opportunity to do new songs and only did one. It was the end of the night and found a song I had not done. I'm a fan of Paul McCartney's post Beatles career up to the early 80's. Probably his last great song was "Take It Away" from his Tug Of War album. It's the first album McCartney released after the murder of John Lennon. I note this because McCartney has not had a great song since, despite being John Lennon's equal in songwriting skills. So I wonder how many great songs John Lennon had in him when he died. Anyway, I sang it with little enthusiasm, just trying to figure it out. The video is interesting, features Ringo Starr and a young John Hurt.
I love the song for its mellow smooth groove. Some artists in their 30's were doing this realizing they were getting older and at the time felt they couldn't rock it anymore.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
FIVE Times?!!!!! I'm Annoyed!!
If it's Tuesday it must be karaoke, unfortunately it is becoming a bore!
My Tuesdays are still my favorite time of the week. I sleep in, 'til almost 8 o'clock in the morning! I listen to one of my favorite radio shows, Stephanie Miller but she's on vacation! I went to my new favorite beach, Gunnison Beach at Sandy Hook. I got some sun but didn't go too far. I wanted to get back to my apartment in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey so I can see a movie at my movie theater in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. It's a decent theater a mere 8 blocks from my apartment. But it doesn't have good popcorn. That's okay, because I can eat my own popcorn at my place before the movie. It's just as well because I can finish a large bucket before the opening credits are finished.
The movie I chose to see was WALL-E. It's a Pixar film. I've seen every one in the theater, this was actually the first one I saw alone. I've always seen Pixar films on a date. I really didn't have much interest in seeing the movie when I saw the initial previews. It seemed too cutesy. A lovable machine? I felt I got burned at "Cars". Anyway, WALL-E may be the best movie Pixar has done. It starts off like it's trying to be like 2001. No dialogue until about 30 minutes into the movie. Just noise and pantomime. wow. I love the fact that Pixar has the independence to do a film like WALL-E. The scenery as usual is exquisite. The plot solid and the cuteness is appropriate. See this damn movie!
Anyway, I went about going to Jack's in Long Branch to sing. I sang 5 ti,es but man it was a drag. We're full on to summer and much of the school crowd is gone and anyone left over doesn't want to sing. Now, I like to sing a lot but man I hate it when I'm nearly the only one singing. When I was in Seattle and hung out at Ozzie's I loved it! Ozzie's was MY place so I felt comfortable. Jack's is NOT my place. It's the bar I go to on Tuesdays.
Anyway, I was searching for songs I had not done before. I went to the Beatles and asked about the company that did the song "I Got A Feeling" from Let It Be. I love the song but it's a duet. Some duet songs are easy to sing on your own especially if they are duets involving two people of the same gender. This song starts with Paul singing "I Got A Feeling, A Feeling Deep Inside Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah..."
So far so good. It has two verses and a bridge. Then John kicks in with "Everybody Had A Hard Year, Everybody Had A Good Time..." Now if the karaoke CD was correct in its interpretation of the song, it still would have been "so far, so good" but they fucked it up! It's the same karaoke company that has given me fits the last two weeks. Still even if they didn't fuck it u, there is still the part of the song where Paul sings his part at the same time John sings his part. No harmonising just the beautiful practice of singing two "songs" at the same time and making it work. The problem is that I haven't lined up a male partner to duet with, a fair amount of women have asked me to be their partner but men? Karaoke Steve didn't know it either. Oh well. The video I found is a clip from the movie "Let It Be" which still has yet to be released on DVD. I hope the clip makes sense of my gibberish.
So, in looking for more Beatles songs I had not done I came across the George Harrison gem "Old Brown Shoe". I got to know the song from my worn out cassette copy of the blue 1967-1970 compilation. I did pretty well on the song, George was the third best singer of the Beatles closely behind John. Therefore it was easy. There is no real Beatles clip of the song. I couldn't find a decent George Harrison solo version either. So, the clip is homemade but it's pretty good.
I had not wanted to do two songs in a row by the same band but my second song I wanted to do was unavailable at the time. It came up later. The third song I sang was "Sour Girl" by Stone Temple Pilots. The song suits me to a T. Not only is it in my key but the lyrics fit my life. It's about how a man dates someone who is unhappy and he knows it's his fault. I sang this a lot when my six year relationship was over but it still works on my more recent failures at having a long lasting relationship. The video is interesting, it features Sarah Michele Gellar, a woman I have no interest in. A paradox to be sure.
The fourth song I sang is yet another duet song I've wanted to do. It's not as extreme as "I Got A Feeling " but the cd made it extreme. It's Temple Of The Dog's "Hunger Strike" Basically Temple Of The Dog is Pearl Jam with Soundgarden's lead singer and drummer. Funny enough that drummer, Matt Cameron is now Pearl Jam's drummer.
Temple Of The Dog was a tribute band dedicated to Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone. He died in 1990. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden was good friends with Andy Wood and got together with two members of Mother Love Bone, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. They invited a surf bum from San Diego named Eddie Vedder to the sessions. They were interested in Eddie being the lead singer in a new band. They released the album early in 1991, where it faded quickly into obscurity. A year later after Soundgarden, and especially Pearl Jam achieved mainstream success, the album was re-released with a video.
I crapped out on the song because I needed a partner. Since the crowd was indifferent it didn't matter. The video of the song is great. It was filmed in Seattle right about the time I moved there. It was filmed in Magnolia, close to where I worked and totally brings back that era for me. I miss those days.
So the night was a bust but still I wanted more. I was trying to get this girls' attention but she was kinda being "pestered" by someone else. Anyway by the time I got to sing again she was gone so I sang Jon Paul Young's "Love Is In The Air" by myself. Oh well.
I love this song. It played on the AM radio when I was a kid and was a highlight form the movie "Strictly Ballroom" a movie that was a first date for two ex girlfriends. Anyway, in the right setting the song is great but when most of the women is gone, what's the point? That's a problem with karaoke. You put in a song trying to read the mood of the crowd but when the time comes to sing, the mood changes and the song flops. Tonight was a flop despite the fact I sang pretty well.
Anyway, the video is standard late 70's performance clip.
My Tuesdays are still my favorite time of the week. I sleep in, 'til almost 8 o'clock in the morning! I listen to one of my favorite radio shows, Stephanie Miller but she's on vacation! I went to my new favorite beach, Gunnison Beach at Sandy Hook. I got some sun but didn't go too far. I wanted to get back to my apartment in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey so I can see a movie at my movie theater in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. It's a decent theater a mere 8 blocks from my apartment. But it doesn't have good popcorn. That's okay, because I can eat my own popcorn at my place before the movie. It's just as well because I can finish a large bucket before the opening credits are finished.
The movie I chose to see was WALL-E. It's a Pixar film. I've seen every one in the theater, this was actually the first one I saw alone. I've always seen Pixar films on a date. I really didn't have much interest in seeing the movie when I saw the initial previews. It seemed too cutesy. A lovable machine? I felt I got burned at "Cars". Anyway, WALL-E may be the best movie Pixar has done. It starts off like it's trying to be like 2001. No dialogue until about 30 minutes into the movie. Just noise and pantomime. wow. I love the fact that Pixar has the independence to do a film like WALL-E. The scenery as usual is exquisite. The plot solid and the cuteness is appropriate. See this damn movie!
Anyway, I went about going to Jack's in Long Branch to sing. I sang 5 ti,es but man it was a drag. We're full on to summer and much of the school crowd is gone and anyone left over doesn't want to sing. Now, I like to sing a lot but man I hate it when I'm nearly the only one singing. When I was in Seattle and hung out at Ozzie's I loved it! Ozzie's was MY place so I felt comfortable. Jack's is NOT my place. It's the bar I go to on Tuesdays.
Anyway, I was searching for songs I had not done before. I went to the Beatles and asked about the company that did the song "I Got A Feeling" from Let It Be. I love the song but it's a duet. Some duet songs are easy to sing on your own especially if they are duets involving two people of the same gender. This song starts with Paul singing "I Got A Feeling, A Feeling Deep Inside Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah..."
So far so good. It has two verses and a bridge. Then John kicks in with "Everybody Had A Hard Year, Everybody Had A Good Time..." Now if the karaoke CD was correct in its interpretation of the song, it still would have been "so far, so good" but they fucked it up! It's the same karaoke company that has given me fits the last two weeks. Still even if they didn't fuck it u, there is still the part of the song where Paul sings his part at the same time John sings his part. No harmonising just the beautiful practice of singing two "songs" at the same time and making it work. The problem is that I haven't lined up a male partner to duet with, a fair amount of women have asked me to be their partner but men? Karaoke Steve didn't know it either. Oh well. The video I found is a clip from the movie "Let It Be" which still has yet to be released on DVD. I hope the clip makes sense of my gibberish.
So, in looking for more Beatles songs I had not done I came across the George Harrison gem "Old Brown Shoe". I got to know the song from my worn out cassette copy of the blue 1967-1970 compilation. I did pretty well on the song, George was the third best singer of the Beatles closely behind John. Therefore it was easy. There is no real Beatles clip of the song. I couldn't find a decent George Harrison solo version either. So, the clip is homemade but it's pretty good.
I had not wanted to do two songs in a row by the same band but my second song I wanted to do was unavailable at the time. It came up later. The third song I sang was "Sour Girl" by Stone Temple Pilots. The song suits me to a T. Not only is it in my key but the lyrics fit my life. It's about how a man dates someone who is unhappy and he knows it's his fault. I sang this a lot when my six year relationship was over but it still works on my more recent failures at having a long lasting relationship. The video is interesting, it features Sarah Michele Gellar, a woman I have no interest in. A paradox to be sure.
The fourth song I sang is yet another duet song I've wanted to do. It's not as extreme as "I Got A Feeling " but the cd made it extreme. It's Temple Of The Dog's "Hunger Strike" Basically Temple Of The Dog is Pearl Jam with Soundgarden's lead singer and drummer. Funny enough that drummer, Matt Cameron is now Pearl Jam's drummer.
Temple Of The Dog was a tribute band dedicated to Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone. He died in 1990. Chris Cornell of Soundgarden was good friends with Andy Wood and got together with two members of Mother Love Bone, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament. They invited a surf bum from San Diego named Eddie Vedder to the sessions. They were interested in Eddie being the lead singer in a new band. They released the album early in 1991, where it faded quickly into obscurity. A year later after Soundgarden, and especially Pearl Jam achieved mainstream success, the album was re-released with a video.
I crapped out on the song because I needed a partner. Since the crowd was indifferent it didn't matter. The video of the song is great. It was filmed in Seattle right about the time I moved there. It was filmed in Magnolia, close to where I worked and totally brings back that era for me. I miss those days.
So the night was a bust but still I wanted more. I was trying to get this girls' attention but she was kinda being "pestered" by someone else. Anyway by the time I got to sing again she was gone so I sang Jon Paul Young's "Love Is In The Air" by myself. Oh well.
I love this song. It played on the AM radio when I was a kid and was a highlight form the movie "Strictly Ballroom" a movie that was a first date for two ex girlfriends. Anyway, in the right setting the song is great but when most of the women is gone, what's the point? That's a problem with karaoke. You put in a song trying to read the mood of the crowd but when the time comes to sing, the mood changes and the song flops. Tonight was a flop despite the fact I sang pretty well.
Anyway, the video is standard late 70's performance clip.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Mark Levin's An Asshole (And A Little Bit Dumb)
There are many right wing talk show hosts out there. I listen to them occasionally to see if any of the messages they are spreading is sticking.
Well, two Republican talking points that have taken hold recently is there so called "solution" to the oil price crisis. Which is to say, we need to drill, drill, drill off shore in Florida and California. The oil companies say it's safe so of course we should do it. Never mind the fact that no one talks about going to the beaches of Texas because of all the off shore oil wells. We must drill, drill drill. It's safe it won't ruin the scenery.
The second talking point all the right wing minions are spreading is the need to go nookwular. After all, nuclear energy is non polluting, never mind all the storage space needed to store nuclear waste. It's cheap, if you ignore the amount of clean water needed to cool the uranium rods and the amount of money it takes to mine the uranium in the first place. It's safe, if you ignore 3-mile island, birth defects and increased targets for potential terrorist attacks. I'm skeptical of their point of view. After all, the right wingers don't want Iran and North Korea to mess around with nuclear power.
So, what does Mark Levin have to do with this? Well, he's one of the more nasty right wingers out there. Only Mike Weiner Savage is more repulsive sounding and sicker with his views. His voice is awful! How he got a job on radio with that voice, a voice good enough for silent movies. His rhetoric is that of a Joe McCarthyite. So anyway, He hates Barack Obama (natch) and thinks John McCain is too liberal. He loves Ronald Reagan because Reagan won the euphemistic Cold War by demanding the Berlin Wall be torn down. (Of course Levin supports the US BUILDING a wall between us and Mexico.)
Sooo, one night I'm flipping through the radio stations and I hear his show. Mark Levin's approach is to rant like a madman with inane histrionics. This night's rant went along the line of "Do we want to have an energy policy like the Communist Soviets or do we want to have an innovative strategy for dealing with our current crisis?" I flipped the station back to the Met game laughing at how absurd that rant was. I don't recall the Soviet Union being big on windmill power and solar panels. I seem to recall they WERE into nuclear and have a huge oil reserve they make use. Both of which has caused them endless environmental problems. That's because; like the right wing in THIS country, they favored an unregulated approach to their energy policies. If we want to be like the Soviets it's drill, drill, drill and split, split, split...the atom.
When I think of the Soviet Union I think of obnoxious corruption. They loved their vast military spending, their unquestioned devotion to their nation and their suppression of the press. Kinda like right wingers like Mark Levin.
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