Traffic School

You may recall a few weeks ago I was up against a deadline on traffic school, and decided to go to a concert instead. Lucky for me, the court took pity and gave me an extension. Not wanting to get myself in the same predicament, I buckled down and spent the better part of the afternoon and evening doing online traffic school. The price I paid for speeding is that I've wasted a perfectly nice Sunday evening, and that I am utterly exhausted. Traffic school is boring as hell but with online traffic school you actually have to pay attention because the quizzes can be pretty tough! I'm a fast reader, and it's taken me approximately four hours to complete six sections. I still have four sections to go. Ugh. It has been entertaining though. I started to really like online traffic school in section three where it got very zen-like, saying things like:

Focus on where your power is. Your power lies in your ability to control what you do, not what others do. So, instead, concentrate on being removed from the outside world and move into the inside world of peace and tranquility. Stay in the "eye of the storm." When the hurricane is blowing at its fiercest, the inside center of the storm is calm and serene. Don't go outside, where you have no control. Stay inside in the "eye of the storm," where you have control. Stay in your "center."


It even amused me at times with things like:

Drivers who focus only on the bumper in front of them join the "Stupid Club." The Stupid Club gathers members who do dumb things and have crashes.

And of course there were many 'helpful' suggestions like:

If you tend to be oblivious when driving, one good suggestion is to place an easily seen note on your visor that says, "Am I paying attention?"

Alas, it is still boring and I'm only 60% of the way through. I'm too tired to continue tonight, and the thought of more traffic school tomorrow has me so excited I can hardly wait to go to bed. The lesson in this? Don't break the law. As I learned tonight, the average person breaks 400 traffic laws before they get caught. I suppose after 14 years of driving my number was up.

to do #307: attend online traffic school

UPDATE: I passed my final exam with a 100% score! What can I say, I'm a perfectionist, even in traffic school.

My Music History: The Early Years

Thanks for sticking with me through my blogging drought; I just haven't felt like writing much lately, hence the lazy personality test posts and the extended absence this week. However, in the absence of posting I have been spending a lot of time thinking. It all started with trying to compile a list of the top five shows I'd been to. I like making these sort of mental lists: my top five albums of all time, top five songs of all time, favorite albums of the current year, etc. So as I thought of my top five shows, I began to take a trip down memory lane. I have a pretty good ticket collection from the shows I've been to, so I pulled them out to help me reminisce. All this led me to thinking about how it'd all begun--my earliest music memories. I was surprised at how well I remembered these mundane moments of my past, their common thread being music. So I thought I'd share a few of them with you...

Some of my earliest music memories are of riding in the car on Sunday mornings listening to Casey Kasem's Weekly Top 40 on the way to and from church. I believe this began around the tender age of seven, on through about ten or eleven (about the time we stopped going to church!). I don't think I've listened to the show since then, but I can still remember that intro: The weeeeekly top fortyyyyyyy. I also knew at that early age the long distance dedications were cheesy as hell- just play the music!! We'd catch the top of the countdown on the way to church and we'd be out just in time for the good stuff on the way home. I'd usually catch the end of the countdown in my bedroom on my shiny silver boombox, and can remember dashing around the house to find a blank tape in order to record one of my favorite songs of the time- Van Halen's Jump when it hit number one. I recall sitting there wondering, will it be number one, please oh please I hope so!! (A little googling just revealed it was a top 40 #1 in 1984, which would've put me at 8!) I also remember that after I successfully recorded Jump, I listened to it over and over again. To make the rewinding easier, I put a little ink mark on my tape on the exact spot the recording started. (OH MY GOSH, you won't believe it: I pulled out my tape collection in order to take the picture for this post, and what's on top but the aforementioned Jump tape. I kid you not. Check it out here. I can't believe I kept that tape all these years...)

My giant silver boombox...I believe I got this one year for Christmas (around the same time as Casey Kasem's Top 40) and I thought I was the absolute shit with it. I was awesome. I rocked out. No one could touch me. I remember making my younger brother and sister and some of our friends choose songs from amongst my tape collection (Michael Jackson Thriller, Lionel Richie Can't Slow Down, Huey Lewis & the News Sports, Cyndi Lauper She's So Unusual, Prince Purple Rain, Madonna Madonna are among some of the ones I can remember) that they (or I) liked, and then memorizing them, while I choreographed a dance performance for them to go along with the song. I'd extend the antennae from the boombox to use as a microphone, and we'd perform the songs. I have some spotty memories of being very bossy when it came to these performances, but I'm sure it was all in the name of accuracy!

Around the same time I was also obsessed with all things Michael Jackson. I had Thriller and remember how thrilled I was to see the video on MTV for the first time. I vaguely recall being a little scared of the zombies, but also just being so enraptured with the story set to a song I loved. I, of course, also had a pair of black parachute pants I got for Christmas one year, and a white t-shirt with black short sleeves and red glitter on it that somehow went with the parachute pants and completed the Michael Jackson ensem. I was smokin' hot, let me assure you, and there are pictures to prove it (and if I have anything to do with it, none of you will ever EVER see these pictures!!).

It was also around this time that McDonald's (yes the fast food chain) came out with a series of oldie's tapes. I begged and begged my parent's to buy them, and once they did we'd listen to them in the car on roadtrips. As I recall, they were great 50's and 60's tunes; two songs I distinctly remember are Dell Shannon's Runaway and the Chordettes Lollipop. What kid wouldn't love to sing along to those songs?!?

It wasn't till 1986 that I was first exposed to 'cool' music, that I'd still consider fairly cool today- The Beastie Boys. I was fourth grade, and remember the boy that sat next me, Chris Martin (no, not that one), singing Brass Monkey.
Brass monkey, that funky monkey,
brass monkey junkie, that funky monkey
I can only figure he had a cooler older brother because I don't think any fourth grader would have come across the Beastie's on their own, but I thought it was cool (probably because I thought Chris Martin was cool!). He made me a copy of the tape, I listened to it all the time, and then we'd sing the songs during class. Luckily I was an ace student, so I never got in trouble for these little singing sessions.

Well this pretty much takes you through my elementary years, and is probably enough for one night. I have lots more to share, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I'd love to hear some of your earliest music memories, no matter how embarrassing. I think I've shared enough embarrassing music information for years and years of comic fodder.

to do#183: take a stroll down music memory lane

FYI, Windex Doesn't Kill Scorpions

But, the bottom of a shoe works very well-- this is the unfortunate lesson I learned tonight. Since I had an earlier bug *ahem, arthropod* post, I thought I'd share this information with you all, lest you be home alone late on a Monday night with a scorpion on your balcony and a bottle of Windex in one hand and a shoe in the other. I've just saved you the trouble of cleaning up a half-bottle puddle of Windex, and from dashing around your home like a mad-woman (or man) looking for a more lethal weapon.

I must at this time also give mad props to my scorpion-hunting canine pal for spotting the danger in the dark from the opposite side of the closed screen door, and then whining incessantly until I let her out onto the balcony, only to run directly back into the house sneezing and shaking her head from side to side. It only took me two or three times of this before I got the message and went out to investigate. What can I say, I'm a bit slow. But, you readers will surely not make the same mistake now that you've been armed with my advice. And, you are more than welcome to the services of my scorpion-hunter; she's also quite good at hunting crumbs, clean laundry and used kleenex.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, those white-ish spots you see on the bottom of my shoe are in fact the remnants of the said, and now pulverized, scorpion.

to do #217: how not to kill a scorpion

I am also...

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I figured while I was at it, I may as well see which famous leader I am too. As you can imagine, I was both shocked and honored to be Mother Teresa. I mean, I'm a nice person and all, but Mother Teresa?!

And last night, Mother Teresa was lucky enough to host two Bill Clintons and Saddam Hussein at her house for dinner. Yep, that's right, Saddam Hussein. I can tell you, it's all fun and games until someone is Saddam Hussein! Who knew Mother Teresa and Saddam Hussein could be such great friends? Now I'm dying to find out who my other famous friends are. Don't be shy, take the test and leave a comment. Hey, how can you say no to Mother Teresa?

to do #374: find out which famous leader I am

I am...

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I don't usually do tests like these, but I came across this one on another blog, and being a movie fan, I had to find out which classic movie I am. So, Easy Rider? Cool. Which classic movie are you?

to do #373: find out which classic movie I am

Pro: Skies

As I contemplate my impending move away from Arizona, I have been keeping a little running tally of pros and cons, to make sure I'm making the right decision. So far there haven't been many ticks in the pro column for Arizona, but I do have to admit to one I've noticed outside my sliding glass door the past three days as I've sat at my desk working: the skies. Arizona seems to have some of the most beautiful skies. Is that enough to keep me here? No. But it's something to appreciate whilst I bide my time.

to do #49: find a pro for living in Arizona

Traffic School or Iron & Wine?

This is the conundrum I was presented with when I contemplated how to spend my Sunday evening. If you recall, a few weeks ago on the way back from Vegas to see Oasis I was issued a traffic ticket for speeding. Said traffic ticket needs to be taken care of with online traffic school before October 19th. As is my typical fashion, I planned on doing it all weekend but put it off till Sunday night. That is, until a friend called to say he had a couple tickets to the Iron & Wine show he wasn't going to be able to use, and would I be interested? It took me all of a few moments to contemplate: Traffic School or Iron & Wine? Those of you that know me know that traffic school had no chance. And so it came to pass I went to see Calexico and Iron & Wine tonight, and put off traffic school another day.

Earlier in the week I had contemplated getting tickets for the Iron & Wine show because I was going through a bit of live-music withdrawal. It had been ten (*gasp*) days since the BRMC show, and I was dying for another music fix. But the pragmatic side of me won out, and I decided to skip the show. Afterall, I'm not a massive fan, nor very familiar with his music, though I was sure it would be a good show. Never one to happily capitalize on the misfortunes of others, I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy I didn't buy a ticket and that my friends who did were now unable to go. As they say, one man's misfortune is another man's fortune. Do they actually say that? No, I don't think that they do. Anyhow...

Oh, and before I give you a show review, let me just tell you something I realized tonight- I have no concept of what music is popular in Phoenix/America right now. I didn't think Iron & Wine was very well-known, and thus assumed the show would be pretty empty, especially on a Sunday night- wrong. The place was packed, probably around 700 people! This isn't the first time I've grossly under/over-estimated the turnout for a show. Kings of Leon come to mind: a friend and I gave our two extra (free!) tickets to the ticket-taker at the door because we couldn't find anyone to give them to, and there ended up only being around 100 people at the show. And Wilco, I waited until a week before the show to buy my ticket because I was certain there wouldn't be many people there, and the show had already sold out. Clearly my finger is nowhere near the pulse of the music listeners here. I know what I like, and I figure everyone else should like them too.

So, tonight at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Calexico was the opener for Iron & Wine. I was somewhat familiar with the band, but had never seen them, nor do I own any of their music. They're a semi-local band, from Tucson, and have a couple core members and lots of guest musicians. They were incredible, and I wouldn't hesitate to see them again. Their music straddles so many genres, going from an indie rock sound to a highly Mexican influenced sound complete with trumpets to an alt-country sound with lap steel guitar. Their collective of musicians were amazing and the resulting sound was so unexpected and beautiful. Which is probably why Iron & Wine recruited them to be his opener and his backing band. They played the initial set of 8 or 9 songs from 8:45 until around 9:30. Iron & Wine then came out around 9:45 and played the first couple songs on acoustic guitar with a female back-up singer. For the rest of the set, the guys from Calexico were the backing band, with as many as 12 people on the stage at once. The resulting sound was deep and layered and gorgeous. There were two or three percussionists, a harmonica, a lap steel guitar, a bass, two or three guitarists, two trumpets, a xylophone, and those are just the instruments I can remember.

My main issue with Iron & Wine, and the reason I never really gave the cd's I have much play time, is that the songs tend to all sound the same after a while. An acoustic guitar and him singing. You can only take so much before you want a little variety. Because of this sparseness, I wasn't sure what to expect tonight. But performing alongside the members of Calexico was such a wonderful surprise. The result of their collaboration is an indie jam band. With so many musicians and such a variety of instruments, the songs often extended into long instrumental jams punctuated every now and then with singing from Iron & Wine. Jams aren't usually my style because I find them to be self-gratifying and boring, but I was never bored tonight. It may have been the lap steel or the trumpets or the harmonica but I was always captivated and excited about the music. The hour and a half passed quickly, and I was sorry when it was over, as I always am. Luckily for you, Iron & Wine and Calexico have recorded an EP together that was just released, so you can hear their collaboration too. Enjoy!

to do #237: see Calexico and Iron & Wine

Emissions

Today I did the equivalent of rolling down my car window and tossing into the wind a twenty, a fiver, two ones, and 3 quarters. Yep, I gave the state of Arizona $27.75 to tell me my 2000 Honda Passport passed its emissions test. Now I'm not so insulated I don't realize many states require vehicles to be inspected and pass emissions every year, but the thing that annoys me is that this was totally random. Arizona doesn't require vehicles, especially newer ones, to pass emissions each year, and in the nine and a half years I've lived here, I've only taken one car to be inspected once. The car was an old dilapidated piece of shit, so I can perfectly understand why it would need to prove itself worthy to be driven on the streets of this fair city. But a five year old car? In the grand scheme of things, $27.75 isn't a lot of money, but considering the price you pay for the privilege of registering your vehicle, why should you need to pay extra for an emissions test? It should just be factored in!

Ranting aside, the actual test was quick and painless and mildly entertaining. The state has gathered together an odd band of characters to work at the location I visited today. As I pulled in I was met with four possible docks to pull my car into. I chose the one with the most people standing near it, and as I got closer a lady began directing me into the dock. I was concentrating very intently on her hand motions because I hate pulling into these sorts of places where you have to align your wheels correctly and stop them at a certain point, lest I'm unable to follow their vague and lazy hand gestures or unable to correctly eyeball the positioning and then I look like a completely inept vehicle operator. I'm not sure if I've actually failed to do this correctly once and it's scarred me for life, but every time I pull into a car wash or an oil change or a car garage, the same can-I-align-the-wheels-correctly-and-stop-in-the- correct-spot paranoia hits me.

So while I'm concentrating on this woman, a portly fellow rests his arms on my car window ledge and greets me, which scares the hell out of me. Don't know how I didn't see him coming, but I didn't. He informs me I have the option of sitting in the passenger seat or in a booth for the duration of the inspection. I chose the booth because it seems weird and cool. I get into the booth, after some confusion on how exactly to get into the booth, and another fellow comes by to point to a sign in the booth and whispers to me that it will cost $27.75 in either cash or check. The whispering really threw me for a loop- it wasn't loud, so why whisper?? I retrieved my checkbook from my bag, and I must have looked at the sign a second too long, because the hand gesture woman came by to explain the payment options again. (It's suddenly becoming clear why I had to pay the $27.75--there are too many people working at this location and they all need to be paid!) No sooner did I have the check written, than they motioned for me to come back out.

I got into my car and was told to pull it forward to the next computer. There I was met by a middle-aged middle-eastern man. I handed him my check and he asked for my driver's license. 'My what?' I asked, because he was mumbling. 'Your drivers license.' 'Oh, okay', I said, and fished it out of my wallet. He fussed around in his computer and then came back to my window, unlocked and opened my door, looked around, shut the door, and then asked for my drivers license again. 'I gave it to you', I said. 'No, I need your driver's license', he said. 'That is my driver's license', I said, puzzled. 'Oh, I know', he said chuckling, 'I was just kidding'. Haha, I fake-laughed. What sort of a joke is that?! He fussed around on the computer again and then came back with a piece of paper. 'Well', he said, 'I'm sorry to say...' (pause for dramatic effect, okay that would have been kinda funny)...(pregnant pause, which is not so funny anymore)...(he's been pausing so long that now I'm actually getting annoyed and ignoring him)...'Your car passed inspection' he said and chuckled again. This guy has got the worst sense of humor, I thought, and peeled the hell out of there. Certainly not the worst experience in the world, but definitely a waste of $27.75.

to do #246: have my car emissions tested

Invites

The highly sought after and much coveted invitations for my pre-Thanksgiving bash went out today. In a few short days you will discover if you've made 'the list'. If you haven't, well, there's always next year. Hope to see you there!

to do#307: send out Thanksgiving invites

Consulting the Oracle

Today I sat down with a very wise and omniscient source for answers to all of life's burning questions. I was a bit nervous to receive the truth, but my iPod was gentle and kind and put me right at ease. Yep, my iPod. I read about the idea over at SwissToni's Place and was instantly intrigued. As you might expect, the answers were part insightful and part hilarious.

For your own answers, put your iPod on shuffle and ask away, but be prepared for the gems you'll receive. For those of you without an iPod (*gasp*, you say you're cool enough to be my friend?!), I'm thinking of opening a storefront and charging 5 bucks a pop for this valuable insight, so stay tuned...


1. What do you think of me?

Hallelujah- Ryan Adams

If I could have a simple love
How would it feel
And what would it mean
I'd only trade you away
For Mary Magdalene

Aw, you're so sweet iPod! I wouldn't trade you away for anyone less than Jesus himself.

2. Will I have a happy life?

Rock and Roll- Spiritualized

Rock and Roll
Keep playing for me
It's easy to see
That I love you
Love you

Yes, it's true, I do love my rock 'n roll. So if I stick with it I'll have a happy life? Okay by me.

3. What do my friends really think of me?

The Electric Version- New Pornographers

The sound of God is the screech of tires
Lights and magnets
Bolts and wires
Strayed from the road
This very one

Hmm, it sounds like my friends think that I'm a bit crazy. Or that I'm an electrician. But I'm not. They don't know me at all!

4. What does my significant other think of me?

Strung Out Again- Elliott Smith

Standing, smiling from fantasy island
Moving with my lost reflection of me
The tide's coming in
And I'm strung out again
Strung out again

This confirms a suspicion I've had for a while, my dog clearly misunderstands me. I'm not on drugs, this is my personality! Maybe we need counseling...

5. Do people secretly lust after me?

Wild & Lethal- Paul Westerberg

Just like a common thief
I'll get you everything you ever need
But by the evening, you're gonna want some relief
Cause I'm wild & lethal

I think that's a resounding YES. Wild & lethal, what more could you ask for?


6. How can I make myself happy?

Me and the Major- Belle & Sebastian

I think the Major's going quite insane, he goes
Along the pavement and comes back again, oh yeah
I think the Major's going quite insane, he goes
Along the pavement and comes back again
Like he is on parade, and he is on parade
At least he thinks so

Okay, I'm sensing I wouldn't be happy if I joined the Army. You're getting a bit cryptic, iPod.

7. What should I do with my life?

What Did I Ever Give You?- Kaiser Chiefs

Disgraced, back to my place
I'm a complete waste of your time
I'm asleep before the first sheep
Until the last bleep of all time

Hmm, I'd say my future isn't looking too promising. Maybe joining the Army isn't such a bad idea afterall.

8. Why must life be so full of pain?

Lullaby- Pedro the Lion

Rest in me, little David and dry all your tears
You can lay down your armor and have no fear
Cause I'm always here when you're tired of running
And I'm all the strength that you need

Well the iPod just got all religious on me. Interesting that it turned to religion to answer this question, just like so many people do when they go through pain. Maybe there's something to religion afterall- if the iPod says so, it must be true.

9. What advice can you give me?

In the Backseat- Arcade Fire

I like the peace
In the backseat
I don't have to drive
I don't have to speak
I can watch the countryside
And I can fall asleep

So you're saying I should let others drive and sit in the backseat? That's invaluable. Thanks!

10. What do you think true happiness is?

Monkey Heart and the Horses' Leg- Preston School of Industry

Every change is good here
Change is good for us
Well that's the way it goes, I guess
Well that's the way it goes , I guess
Was it the monkey heart, fueled by the monkey brain
or the horses' leg
that left you so insane
I'm not satisfied
No, I'm not satisfied

True happiness is change? Or monkey hearts? Or monkey brains? Or horses' legs? Oh iPod, I'm so confused. I'm not satisfied with your answer. No, I'm not satisfied.

11. Will I die happy?

Within You Without You- The Beatles

We were talking about the space between us all
And the people who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth then it's far too late when they pass away

We were talking about the love we all could share
When we find it to try our best to hold it there
With our love
With our love we could save the world
If they only knew

Try to realize it's all within yourself no one else can make you change
And to see you're only really very small and life flows on within you and without you

We were talking about the love that's gone so cold
And the people who gain the world and lose their soul
They don't know, they can't see, are you one of them?

When you've seen beyond yourself then you may find peace of mind is waiting there
And the time will come when you see we're all one
And life flows on within you and without you

For all the goofy answers you've given me, iPod, this one was worth the wait. I couldn't agree with you more, following Eastern philosophy is probably a pretty good way to ensure you'll die happy. Thanks George Harrison, and thanks iPod!!

to do #119: have my fortune told (by an iPod).

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Tonight I went to a great show at The Clubhouse in Tempe: Mark Gardener opening for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. I'd never heard of Mark Gardener before, but apparently he was the frontman for a band called Ride, which I'd also never heard of. I googled Mark Gardener earlier in the day to see what I might expect, and started reading up on him and his history. It appears that in the early 90's I must have been living under a rock to not be familiar with Ride and their shoegazing style. Actually, I should give myself a little credit, I wasn't living under a rock in the early 90's, I was just beginning to come into my own as far as music goes. I was catching up on the old stuff via my dad's record collection with bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Peter Paul & Mary. And I was also sorting out what current music I liked by dabbling in R.E.M., The Cure, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Violent Femmes, Nirvana, The Dead Milkmen, and many more. Nevertheless, it seems like by now I should have heard of Ride, or at least shoegazing, although, now that I have, it makes a lot of sense why BRMC would choose Gardener as their opener- their sound, especially their early sound, was heavily influenced by shoegazing (Shoegazing is characterized by the use of distortion and the fuzzbox, droning riffs and a Phil Spector-esque wall of sound from the noisy guitars. Vocals are typically subdued in volume and tone, but underneath the layers of guitars was often a strong sense of melody.). I don't think you could more perfectly describe the backbone of BRMC than with that sentence. Anyhow, I'm off on a tangent...

Mark Gardener was decent enough. He reminded me of an older Robbie Williams in looks, which kept cracking me up, I'm not sure why. His band consisted of him on guitar & vocals, a keyboardist/back up vocalist and another guitarist/back up vocalist. They played about seven or eight songs, all of which were acoustic and all of which all three of them sang on. They were good songs, but nothing really stood out. Actually, there was one thing that stood out, which is that I think the sound mix was screwed up. The vocals were entirely too loud, especially the keyboardist, and especially since all three of them were singing at the same time. Otherwise, it was a good set. I'm not sure that I'll run out and buy the new album, but I may check it out when I have a chance.

BRMC took the stage around 9:30 to a crowd of maybe two hundred people. The set started with just Peter on the stage with guitar and harmonica. He played three of the more acoustic songs from the new album and the band joined him at the end of the third. This was my second time seeing BRMC, the first time being back in 2002 when they opened for Spiritualized. At that time I was a fan of their music but didn't know anything about the band. I left the show absolutely blown away by their sound, and by the fact that three guys created it. Their songs were so intense and were literally a wall of sound. It was amazing. After hearing the latest album, Howl, I wasn't sure what to expect when seeing them live because their sound had changed so much. Again I left in amazement, this time for two reasons: 1, at how much they've evolved and 2, at how much each song is a cooperative effort between Peter and Robert. They both sing, they both play guitar and they both play bass, and often all on the same song. It's amazing to watch these sounds recreated live because you really have no idea what goes into each of them.

I had a great spot up near the stage in front of Peter, so it was cool to see what an amazing guitarist he is (not that I know much about playing guitar!). He switched guitars on almost every song and was doing all sorts of stuff with the various pedals and the sound board at his feet. He also played harmonica on several songs, bass on As Sure as the Sun, keyboards on a few songs, trombone on Promise and a strange accordian/organ instrument on Open Invitation. Most of the time Robert played bass, but he played guitar on several of the songs as well as piano. He's such a cool bass player because he plays the bass almost like a guitar. His fingers are all over the place and he picks the bass instead of thumping it, like a lot of bassist do. Their songs can be so bass-heavy, so it's really cool to watch him play. Their drummer, Nigel, is pretty average as far as drummers go, but he works really well with them.

I was impressed with the new sound and how well it translated live. I was also pleased with how well the old songs blended with the new. Whereas old BRMC was a loud, brash, in-your- face sound, the new BRMC was more diversified. There were still plenty of loud guitars and heavy basslines, but there was also an element of soul in the acoustic guitars and harmonica and vocal melodies. The most noticeable album divergences were an acoustic rendition of US Government and an electrified Sympathetic Noose. Overall this was a great show with a really good setlist...

The Setlist:
1- Complicated Situation
2- Fault Line
3- Devil's Waitin'
4- Shuffle Your Feet
5- Ain't No Easy Way
6- Weight of the World
7- Love Burns
8- White Palms
9- Punk Song
10- As Sure as the Sun
11- Rise or Fall
12- Howl
13- Still Suspicion Holds You Tight
14- US Government
15- Sympathetic Noose
16- Promise
-Encore-
17- Spread Your Love
18- Stop
19- Gospel Song
20- The Line
21- Open Invitation

to do #314: See Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

UPDATE: I love interconnectedness in life. I was just reminded by a friend that I have, in fact, heard of Ride because Andy Bell (the bass player for Oasis) was a member of Ride. Duh! That explains why Mark Gardener, when he saw a guy in an Oasis shirt, dedicated a song to Andy Bell. This feels vaguely like Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, except with Oasis. All music can be related to Oasis within six degrees. Try it! I dare ya.

House

I love the show House, which is broadcast Tuesday nights on Fox. For a person that doesn't log much time in front of the television, I try not to miss an episode (though strangely I've missed the last few weeks for one reason or another). I happened to catch it once last year mid-season, and have been hooked ever since. I've also recommended the show to family and friends who've all found themselves instantly hooked as well.

The best way I've found to describe this show is that it's a medical mystery: part CSI and part ER. Each new episode focuses on some odd malady that other doctors, thus far, have been unable to explain. The lead character, Gregory House, is a brilliant doctor with a keen ability to suss out the root cause of the illness over the course of an episode. He uses mostly unconventional, and sometimes borderline unethical, methods, making him simultaneously well-respected and loathed among his patients and peers. On his team are three fairly young doctors who bring their own specialties, personalities and opinions of House. The characters on the show are interesting and well-developed, and the actors do an excellent job, especially Hugh Laurie who plays House.

So, this is all great information if I were doing a pitch commercial for the show, but where I am going with this, you may be asking yourself. Here's the thing: invariably whilst or shortly after watching House, the self-diagnosing wheels in my brain start turning and suddenly I begin wondering if I too may have the mystery malady featured on the latest episode. This is crazy, I know, and I'm not a hypochondriac, really, but the illnesses on the show and their various symptoms are just vague enough to make you want to connect some imaginary dots. An odd ache or pain, a weird headache, a moment of dizziness or fatigue or nausea or upset stomach all suddenly become possible symptoms and cause for concern. And actually, I have no idea if the conditions on the show are even based in fact--maybe my MD friend can help with this? Oh, who am I kidding; she's too busy saving real lives to be watching this silly show or reading this silly blog!

Since I've never lost (much) sleep or plan on discontinuing watching the show, I've just come to accept this ridiculous temporary hypochondria as the side-effect of a great TV show. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) tonight the baseball finals disrupted the scheduled episode of House, so I narrowly escaped crossing #317 off my list: diagnose myself with disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (I found this on the House site! hehe), or some equally bizarre illness.

Firefox

Tonight I decided to switch my internet browser from Safari to Firefox. I'd been wanting to try out Firefox for a while but, as you recall, I had been staying away from downloading anything while I was in my hard-drive-space-crunch. Now that I've got all the space in the world, I've been fixing up my little iBook G4 like crazy. Okay, maybe not like crazy, but I have done a few things.

I was perfectly happy with Safari and think that it's a great browser. My motivation for switching to Firefox is mostly for you people-- you see, Blogger is more fully supported on Firefox than it is on Safari. Which, leads us to this post: it's really just a test post to see how much my functionality has improved, and improved it has! I can now use bold and italics at will, I can do bold italics if I choose. I can create links with the touch of a button. I can even change the color of my text. Oh yes, the days of trying to remember html code in order to do these things are long behind me. I am a happy girl. Now if only I could get my bookmarks to import, I'd really be a happy girl...

Okay, apologies for this boring and pointless post, like I said, I just wanted to try things out. More to come soon, but I'm still crossing off #275: switch to Firefox.

Hard to Beat

You know how when someone has an annoying song stuck in their head they feel like it's their mission in life to get it stuck in everyone else's head too? Even just a mention of the song title instantly lodges the tune into your psyche, and it takes something of a miracle to extricate it. Along the way, though, you also feel compelled to pass along the now-stuck song to as many people as you can. The bad news is that I am about to do this to you, dear readers. The good news is that the song isn't annoying. Quite the opposite, actually.

Now before you get your hopes up, let me assure you this is not the next Stairway to Heaven or Hey Jude or Sympathy for the Devil. It is, however, a perfectly crafted and infectious-as-hell pop song. The band may ride the top of the charts (in England of course, not in the US) with this catchy tune and never be heard from again. It's okay though, because in the meantime we have this addictive tune that sinks its beat infested hooks into your brain and doesn't let go. It compels you to dance and sing along and put it on infinite repeat until you've committed every word and every beat and every note to memory and you're able replay them in your sleep.

Without further ado, here's Hard-Fi's Hard to Beat. Proceed with caution, and don't say I didn't warn you. My mission is complete; I can cross #219 off my list: infect as many people as I can with a ridiculously catchy tune.

NOTE: The link above will expire in seven days, so don't delay. If you do, you will regret it for the rest of your life. Or at least until you ask me to e-mail it to you instead.