What's Goin' On

In lieu of posting here, I've been doing the following:

* Landscaping (for the most part done, the place is starting to look nice!)

• * Golfing (been shaving strokes off at a rapid pace... the difference between my best and worst rounds of the year is a whopping 16 strokes!)
• * Work
• * Watching the Twins continue to be an incredibly frustrating team to root for (really? no middle relief to be had out there for cheap?). Of course, since the AL Central is just an AWFUL division, we're only 2.5 games out.
• * Listening to all kinds of different new music (Dinosaur Jr.'s "Farm" is very good, and I've finally purchased "Silver" by Starflyer 59, which is extremely solid, as well).

 

All that and more. Sorry about the gap; but really, if you've read this blog for any length of time, you really should've seen it coming.

To summarize, I'm back... again.

I Really Need a Day Planner or Something

My weeklong vacation was to have started this next Monday. It's been an exciting thought, since I haven't taken a full week off since my honeymoon.

About a month ago I agreed to go on a site visit to another hospital to take a look at some of the things they're doing in the IT field. This trip would be hugely beneficial, and since I'm the one working on some of the projects that will be highlighted on the visit, I'm the natural choice to go. The extremely unfortunate circumstance behind this visit is that it will need to take place on Monday.

The date is immovable, since there will be several other people going. I have to be the person to go, since there are scheduling conflicts for everyone else.

It's my own fault that I didn't plan this out a little better, but it still kind of sucks.

That's a Good Plan, Let's Go With It

I've already got this figured out. In ten years, when I'm 35, I will grow a killer mustache/goatee combo. People will, of course, attribute this to a mid-life crisis and a vain attempt to recapture the vitality of youth.

What they won't realize is that I just wasn't awesome enough to properly rock the kickass mustache/goatee combo until this point. It's not a mid-life crisis - it's a mid-life awesome.

While I think I'll be able to grow a sufficiently bushy scrub, it will take a long time, and it will look truly hideous in the meantime. Because of this, if you hear that I've disappeared for about 3 months around the time I turn 35, this will be why.

Snipers on the Auction Seas (A Tragedy in 3 Acts)

Act I (In Which Our Hero Spies the Item of His Desires)

The Protagonist is perusing eBay. He spies a copy of Quarashi's self-titled debut CD.

The Protagonist: I need to buy this!

Chorus: When last you saw this item, it sold for $90. Your coffers are far too bare for such an undertaking.

The Protagonist: Nonsense! I'd never forgive myself if I didn't at least make an attempt.

Chorus: Then make your attempt, though it be in vain.

The Protagonist: Fifty dollars ought to at least give me a chance.

Chorus: Fifty dollars is a foolish number. It is neither so small as to be sensible, nor so large as to assure victory. Your efforts are both wasted and unwise.

The Protagonist: Not at all! See there? The bid is only at thirteen dollars right now.

Chorus: Four days yet remain. Temper your unchecked optimism.

---

Act II (In Which Ominous Signs Gather)

The Protagonist: I suppose I must tell my wife about my impending purchase.

Chrous: This ought to be good.

The Protagonist: I'm buying a CD.

The Wife: Why are you telling me this?

The Protagonist: It's sort of an expensive CD.

The Wife: What do you mean? How expensive?

The Protagonist: My high bid is fifty dollars?

The Wife: ...

The Protagonist: The current bid is only fifty dollars....wait....never mind it's at fifty dollars.

The Wife: ...

The Protagonist: Don't worry, it's a collectors item - any serious Quarashi fan would pay this much and more.

The Chorus: You talk about "serious Quarashi fans" as if they are tangible things that exist in this world.

The Wife: Are you out of your mind?

The Chorus: Our thoughts are akin.

---

Act III (In Which Hope Is Dashed Upon the Rocks)

The Protagonist: With one minute on the clock, I'm still in the lead.

Chorus: Sixty seconds is an eternity in this place.

{Forty Seconds Pass}

Masked eBay Sniper the first: I strike! Sixty dollars!

Masked eBay Sniper the second: HA! I strike! Seventy dollars!

The Protagonist: Wait! NO!

Chorus: Fifty dollars was already a fortune. Seventy would be too foolish even for you. Will you relent?

The Protagonist: Yes.

The Protagonist: This is ridiculous! The eBay system is built along the concept of a maximum bid being the highest you will pay for a given item. What point is there in this pointless sniping? If the user had placed seventy dollars as his maximum bid in the beginning, they still would probably have won the CD, and I wouldn't have had to go through all this nonsense. I'm sure it saved them a dollar or two, but so what? Stupid. I hate snipers.

Chorus: You are merely angry because it's a legitimate strategy and you're neither wealthy nor savvy enough to take advantage of it.

{PAUSE}

Chorus: Well?

The Protagonist: And what if I am?

Our hero resumes his searches, knowing them to be in vain.

Worth Noting.

Thirty degrees below zero is COLD. Even if that were "just" the wind chill, it would be brutal, but when it's the air temperature, it's murder. We hit thirty below yesterday for the first time in five years.

...and it's supposed to be colder tomorrow.

As Noel Gallagher said while bantering with the crowd at the Oasis show I saw recently, "you guys do know there's a place called 'California', right?"

Boo!

Went over to the In-Laws' to carve pumpkins tonight. I carved 'Boo' from the Super Mario Brothers series. I'm pretty pleased with the way he turned out - you be the judge (click to enlarge).

I think it turned out nicely. Before anyone asks, yes, it's based off a stencil - but one that I modded a bit. I like the way the tongue turned out.

As a special bonus, Linds made a spider... Linds obviously knows the full meaning of the word 'irony', as she HATES spiders.

This 'N That: Keyboards, Staying Positive, and More

• My keyboard is currently giving me fits. Occasionally, I'll type a letter, and it simply won't show up. I'm trying to triple-check the spelling on all of this, but I'm sure things will occasionally slip through, and if they do, I can't say I'm altogether concerned about it.

• In Pete news, I was out at Linds' family's cabin for the weekend of the 4th. I got in all the requisite lakeside activities in, such as fishing, cleaning fish, smelling like fish, and getting sunburned. I believe cards were played as well. Fun was had by all.

• While I was at the cabin, I got to hear the Twins play some very exciting baseball, as the Twins swept Cleveland. I really don't want to get ahead of myself, and there's way too much baseball left to be saying this, but I'd like to think that this series (in addition to the series Cleveland played against the White Sox) really crushed their chances of making the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Twins have been playing above their heads for about a month straight now, and as a realistic Twins fan, I realize that shoes will probably be dropping on our heads at some point, but this has been a LOT of fun to watch.

• The Hold Steady's new CD 'Stay Positive' comes out July 14th. Just as a quick spoiler, it's quite good, so I'd encourage anyone who liked their previous stuff to check it out. I would also obviously encourage anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about to check out 'Boys and Girls in America', their 2006 release. It's just really good, no frills attached, straight-up rock. Besides, Craig Finn is a Twins fan, and really... Twins fans who rock should be given the benefit of the doubt, even if they really never need for it.

• Sigur Rós' new CD, annoyingly titled 'Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust' (roughly translated, it means 'With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly') has been out for a bit now. I haven't really had a chance to listen to it enough to come up with a final judgement on it, but for now, I'll say that I really enjoy the first half of the CD, when they're all experimenting with their signature sound (they have some real interesting songs that sound like Animal Collective and Funeral-era Arcade Fire), and only kind of enjoy the second half of the CD. The second half feels like the same stuff we've heard from them for a good many years now, only not quite as memorable. The stuff on the first half is just so interesting and engaging, it sort of makes the second half a letdown. Ah well... I'll keep listening.

• You'll remember that I voiced my displeasure at Universal Records' censorship of Be Your Own Pet's 'Get Awkward' CD. Importing the UK release is still the only option if you want the full package put together as the band intended, with the 3 songs in their original slots (and that has a way of being... expensive). Luckily enough, however, if you desire the 3 culled song in physical format and still desire to have money left over to fuel your car, the band has released the songs on an EP. Get Damaged contains the 3 songs in question, and nothing else; it's also inexpensive enough to actually almost merit picking up.
  
  Universal Records still sucks, though...

So, This Cell Phone and Pair of Sweat Pants Walk Into a Washing Machine...

Seeing as how I hadn't spent nearly enough fixing my aforementioned vehicle issues (no link... look exactly one post below this one), I decided to wash my cell phone. Once it had gone through the spin cycle, I decided to compound the issue by tossing it into the dryer.

After giving it overnight to dry, it sort of works. I can get decent signal, and can actually hold conversation - as long as it's plugged in and charging. The battery holds no charge now, and there's all manner of condensation in the outer display.

Then again, I did send my cell phone through the washing machine. I guess I'm sort of lucky I still have a cell phone at all.

(not sure there's ever been a more apt use for the 'i suck' tag)

Vehicle Issues

So, my car started making a clicking sound a week or two ago. Eh, whatever... I thought something was a little odd about that, so I got an appointment to have it looked at.

I get a call back yesterday, bearing the fantastic news that my clutch is blown and I'll need a new one.... $800. Fantastic.

I get a call back today, bearing the even better news that my transmission is also dead, and I'll need a new one.... $1600. Even more fantastic.

I think the next couple of months could be a lot of fun.

SIC (lol)

Remember the Days When Getting Mail Was Fun?

Yeah, so do I... I seem to recall them being days where I didn't get exclusively credit card applications and bills for weeks on end.

---

"Selling Out is Not Possible"

I always shudder when someone uses the word 'sellout' to describe an musician. The idea strikes me as ridiculous, since the people who say it are (almost) always achieving some method of gainful employment themselves. Would you really go to your job for free/next to nothing if you had the choice of making more money? I can't imagine anyone responding to that question in the affirmative, yet people seem to expect their favorite band to do just that.

Ranting aside, however, Of Montreal's lead singer, Kevin Barnes, has put his opinions on the matter over here at Stereogum. Those few paragraphs sum it up better than I ever could (and in a more informed way, since I don't recall anyone clamouring for my music to be in commercials).