Tough Guys Don't Dance

this isn't the film or the book, but a new playlist - everyone, I would like to introduce you to high contrast, the timbaland of the drum n bass world (coined by myself... because that's how I feel). This is the music that I can study, cook, dance, groove, read, sleep, exercise, live by. Give yourself a hard, quick paced drum beat, layer on some dark submissive bass, and throw on either 1) a random old school refrain 2) a spastic trancelike melody 3) leave it all as is. 

Hit play and enjoy a genre you don't see evurriday

like a cholo

Revolutionary Road

At one of my favorite new meets old meets indie meets serving alcohol theaters (the Kendall Square Theater) I took in a free screening of Revolutionary Road, (thank you Boston IFF!) starring those kids from Titanic and directed by Sam Mendes (think Road to Perdition, American Beauty). It is just about January now, better known as 'hurry, get all the quality movies in before the Oscar deadline' season, otherwise known as winter, and this movie definitely falls into that category (along with my free pass to it). 

Without spoiling it too much, the premise of the film takes a sinister look at the great compromises of life (ie, the suburban lifestyle of circa mid century America... so American Beauty with less ha-ha funny and no expository voiceover in technicolor!) and how people struggle when life (or fear of living) gets in their way. I took its theme to heart (my own dreams withstanding), that living where nothing goes wrong isn't much of a life at all. Of course, in order to reach that conclusion, I'm agreeing that I'm 1) a little off my rocker and 2) I better enjoy being off my rocker, because it certainly looks like no fun being on my rocker. 

As far as the regular movie items - music suited; Jack was great; Rose was effing fantastic; lighting felt lukewarm, but that could be intentional; the story felt firm, but not tight; the dialogue felt like popcorn (it pops and punches, and jerks you around, sometimes spelling things out for you a bit too much, but the acting lets you know there are other messages... and that's nothing like popcorn at all) I found myself laughing when I shouldn't, and not laughing when other people were... the denoumout shatters you, like slamming a glass jug of milk against the refrigerator, but then the ending kind of feels like the milk dripping down into a puddle (I wasn't invested in the secondary characters enough for it to make a difference... agree... disagree... tomato.. tomahto).

Sorry if that seems overly critical, but it was a fantastic show and definitely worth recommending to whoever stumbles across this blog.

Unless you like Michael Bay movies in the 21st Century.

a santa update

i'll chop your suey

new video posted from youtube (look to just watch on the left hand column here - click play to watch, click on the video itself to make it larger).

a little bit of background, seeing as this is the first video update:

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and (in my own words) is a conference held somewhere in california every year or so where really smart, passionate people have 5 to 20 minutes to talk about what they've been doing their entire lives. It serves as a way for people to get to know how awesome it is to be geeky and how geeky it is to be awesome. This used to be a closed pow-wow, but some smart, passionate person decided that they were going to release the TED talks to the general (youtube) public. The average presenter will get about 4,000 to 20,000 views, while some superstars (Tony Robbins, Al Gore, Stephen Hawking) have some viable cross-over appeal the subscriber base (TEDtalks total number of subscribers sits at about 31,000... which if you're counting, means that most subscribers won't watch TED at all... ouch).

In any case, this is an awesome, awesome ethnographic (maybe?) presentation on 1) the prevalence of chinese food in american culinary history 2) the fact that american chinese food is not really chinese food at all (i don't mean cats) and 3) the success of chinese food as a common option in american food choice is the result of a decentralized, linux-like, user-based model. 

A real joy to watch (especially at 1:40 when she asks chinese citizens for their take on a fortune cookie)

The 

memories in motion; SANTA IS ON AIM!

So tonight is christmas eve! Only a few short hours to instant message 'SantaClaus' and tell him what you want for christmas (and if he doesn't respond to you, you can bet your bottom dollar that you're on his naughty list... you know who I'm talking to). 

I spent my evening sitting with ma grandmere et grandpere for christmas eve mass, furthering my good grandson credentials and brushing up on my nicene creed memorization. 

Father Bob2 was wrapping up the christmas pageant that the kids put on which lasts the ideal amount of time - somewhere between allowing each kid to stand in the spotlight and forget a few lines (to be unbearably  boastful, I did play joseph back in my day), and moving the pageant along to appease the rest of us so we can start celebrating with our favorite christmas spirits (just a pinot night). 

In any case, I just wanted to comment on one thing (besides commenting on all that I've already commented on - gotcha!) and that was when all the children walked, ran, and stumbled up to the middle of the church to sing 'Hark! The Herald Angel Sing' and Nana asked me with a big grin, 'Do you remember when you used to do that?' and my smiling, somewhat snarky response was something like, 'No, but I do remember the day when I didn't have to sing that god forsaken anymore =D' (ok, it was nothing like that, because I'm nowhere near that bamf-y in person)

my point failing me, it was just one of those moments when you knew that you had made it - like getting a place at the adult table, or being able to ride the rollercoaster, or staying up to watch are you afraid of the dark(or being allowed to). Like going to your first junior high dance, or buying your first cd, or going from eating glue to sniffing it... yeah.

In any case, it was just one of those nice moments where you enjoy your memories movement of life more than the memories of it. You're never going to be able to recreate the static past (your life would look the same forever), but you can always recreate growth, and build memories for the future. Happy effing Christmas.

christmas playlist is up

switched the imeem music player to a collection of christmas songs you'll likely to hear at my house before any extended family members show up and we've gotta put on the frank sinatra cd.

enjoy!

what was I thinking?

So you know what sucks? I get all of these ideas to blog about and rant about and be non-amateur about, but it's all thoughts from during the week, or in the middle of my workday, or between bites of lunch, or on the treadmill. And now that I can blog, I'm just... sitting here. Listening to the Ting Tings, and realizing how much of pop culture I haven't been paying attention for oh, say the past 10 months of my life (at least). 

Take for instance Rolling Stone's top 100 singles of 2008.  go on, take a peak. Now, I'm going through the list, and I'm thinking to myself: Beyonce - ok; Santogold - i get it; MGMT - I KNOW THEM!!!!. So all is going well as I'm perusing through the first few songs, feeling quite proud of myself for living a town over from where MGMT began, (and where my dad 'discovered' them... more on that, and how I have an eternal internal struggle knowing that my dad will probably be cooler than me forever) and then it hits - Blitzen Trapper? The B.P.A? Beck has a new song out? People like Lykke Li ? (I love her pictured here, but other people do too?)

Oh dear god, have I turned into one of those kids who only knows the refrains to the top 10 songs? Those same songs that play every hour on clearchannel owned radio stations? The songs that would appear on the NOW 58 cds? DO THEY EVEN MAKE CDs ANYMORE! GAAAHHH!

Aside from feeling like i was back in grammar school again, listening to recorded tapes of the radio, writing down lyrics and reciting them over and over again so i could sing along at the roller skating birthday parties ("badabadabadebeen most our lives livin in a gangstaaa's paradissssse") It made me realize that I've gone a little too far down the long tail. (see chart to the left)

Like if the popularity of music was set up like the Alphabet (A's are Michael Jackson and the Beatles... Z's are me, hungover, singing in the shower), I used to know A through F...and that doesn't meaning anything to anyone, so let's say an F would be hearing Eminem on a rock station, or Pearl Jam doing a cover song (both ubiquitous events in middle school). Now I only friggin know my ABC's (because they're goddamn unavoidable - UPGRADE!) and a random smattering of odd, small hits (people really like Lykke Li?). 

Minus 10 on the cool scale. Minus another 2 for this post going absolutely nowhere.

On a positive note, UConn is 10-0, last minute christmas shopping can help fund charities, and you can buy mints that taste like bacon.

another reason to do things... and people

who throws a shoe?

the likelihood (awesome spelling, btw. one of those words that really works with the 2nd grade 'just sound it out' strategy) of me ever posting twice in one day is slim to none, but I couldn't help myself given the shoe throwing incident. So for those that haven't seen it (and given my subscriptions now, there's a greater likelihood that you will not have seen my post vs not seen this video footage), President Bush was at a press conference with Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki. As the two talking heads were about to start spew talking points and mumble incoherently, a journalist promptly threw his shoe at him, shouted 'This if from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq, '(i think) and threw his other shoe. See it to believe it:

and it got me thinking about our lame duck's amazing footwork and agility. Which only means one thing - he's been working out, and working out hard. (not too busy being president) 

But working out for what? Everyone knows it's really hard to shed a few pounds and stay motivated to keep working out, especially with both the winter onset and holiday season. What makes the man tick? Does he know that one day, he may encounter a situation where he must dodge a flying flip flop (ouch). No, this is not an administration that "plans things out." So here are my top three secret identities that Resident Bush maintains:

1) Donkey Kong Mario

explains: time wasted, lack of eloquence, good guy vs bad guy mentality

2) British Secret Agent

explains: gross misuse of american language, inability to dance, squinty eyes

3) Professional Dodgeball Player

explains: ducking under hard questions, frequent altitude training at crawford ranch, fashion sense

I leave you to be the judge. Won't post again for another week or so, heading back down to New Orleans for another work week. See y'all on thursday!

we're live! and holiday book list

we're live with part 1! this'll suffice until i figure out how to do flash animation (pay for adobe.. 600 bones! really!?)

gotta put a big up to Blogger Templates and the designer of this stunning layout, Ophelia Nicholson - without which, this site would look like crap.

a few logistical changes, you'll now find an Imeem player on this site (I died a little when i didn't put the sixtyone on), but as far as versatility goes, Imeem's a bit better at delivering the pop culture references that I cannot live without.

the link for "back to life" is still a work in progress, bear with, and don't worry about it for now.

I've got picassa and youtube embedded as well, and we can start rolling out content once i get my hands on a camera. specifically this camera.
I've just put together my christmas nonfiction wish list, and y'all will get a better idea about how much of an uneven tool I am - although, it could be worse. 

In any case, here we go! 

The Future Control of Food: An Essential Guide to International Negotiations and Rules on Intellectual Property, Biodiversity and Food Security 

(Geoff Tansey, Tamsin Rajotte) 

International negotiations! Intellectual property! Food security! oh my, I think i just....

Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet

(Jeffrey D Sachs)

Growing population, increased poverty (relative and absolute) and a declining amount of resources. We're adding 'Sharing' back to your report card.

Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization

(Lester R Brown)

So, we're all kind of aware of the dangers of sticking gum underneath a restaurant table and not eating all your veggies, but we pull the 1) I don't know what to do to stop this 2) I'm only one person 3) everyone else doesn't seem to care. Well fuck off, lazy bastard. Read this book. Then do something. Stop leaving the goddamn light on in the bathroom, or take away your kid's nightlight. Sorry, got a bit of the terrets there... anyways...

The Post American World

Fareed Zakaria

The New York Times says I should read it. 

The Numerati

Stephen Baker

The reshaping of the way we view the truth and facts and how it is becoming more and more reliant on technology, algorithms, and data-driven models. It's a good gut check. I mean, we see how crazy religious fanaticism can get, so if I am truly going to believe that the world was created billions and billions of years ago from carbon dating, I don't want to swallow it down willingly. Because then I'm no better than these folk. 

The Wealth of Nations

Adam Smith

for all of my years spouting about charts and lines and graphs and the reasons behind them, I think it may be time to take that dreaded economic pilgrimage and come to my own conclusions about the founding father of the "good son" of the social sciences. (note: Adam Smith (and this book in particular) is considered the founder of modern day economics (supply and demand; why when I pillage gold from native cultures, I call it the age of exploration, and when you do it, I call it savagery; etc). In other words, this book is hella old and i'm going to need a translator (re:sparknotes) to figure some of this stuff out.)

Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty

Muhammad Yunus

So, I've heard two things about micro-lending - what people say about it, and what it is: 

1) what people say about it - It's really good for the poor and super empowering, and the way we're going to lift people out of poverty

2) what it is - handing out small ($50-$500) loans at 20-40% interest so someone in the third world can buy a tea kettle and start making and selling tea.

I have a hunch that both are wrong, but it is definitely something worth pursuing over the winter season.

and that's that - not a complete list, but in these economic times (1), i'll leave it where it stands. 

Snow in South and Cosmic Irony

had a bit of a... whoa whoa, tone it down now.

better. I don't like writing like I'm in kindergarten or need glasses or am getting old. whoever needs to raise the font size, go ahead and raise it - NO ONE'S THE BOSS OF YOU!!!

any case, it's been about a week or so (another week down in NOLA) where it has snowed again for the first time in four years. Four years ago when? Why christmas of 2004. Now, being a New Englander for the past twentythree odd years, this blows my mind. 50% of the snow in new orleans has been on christmas day. effing hell. we've gotta put up with all this sleet, and freezing rain, and snow tires, and shoveling, and flu-like symptoms, and they get to go waltzing around in a wintry wonderland... granted there's the whole katrina thing - aaaaand i'll shut up about that now.

the site is starting to really come along, i've got this blog properly embedded, and the radio is up. I've just gotta get a camera and post some video stuff because i don't want to seem too geeky and put up TEDtalks or too weird and put up a random rant... besides, that's what this blog is for. However, the real fatigue (not silly-awkward-funny fatigue) is setting in, and i'll leave before this drags o

test test go go

So, while this is also just a test to see how this blogger blogspot glob blog appears on my newly minted, poorly constructed website, it's also to kick of my random smattering of ideas and realize that maybe i should set up a twitter. but just for me - just to remind myself of the thoughts i'm having so that i can glob about them later at a time when i have time, or i'm not eating or on an airplane or working out or in the middle of my procrastination, because i need to do all of those things in the next seven hours and i'm not sure how. efffff

but anyways, seeing as how i don't have a twitter at the moment, and this is reading (unfortunately) like a long winded dear diary (i'll need to work on this, these things would make better videos... for some reason watching someone rambling is funny while reading someone rambling is boring.

gah! back on subject. and that is, the 50 million dollar question....

Why are we here?

more specifically, what is this blog and (soon to be) this website doing here?

well to answer in nonbusinessspeak, it's because i'm coming to a very real time in my life where i'm growing up and older and deciding how i want to do it. I've been through my post college, avenue Q horror moments, and now i'm starting to intelligently design my life.

and now for the nonbullschtick answer - I plan on doing some awesome things in the next 5 years and i want proof that 1) i am indeed an awesome, insightful, interesting human being or, more likely, 2) that i'm a lousy procrastinating, self centric, lazy waste of space. 

In any case, this "logging everything i do", will validate me or motivate me to do what ever it is i want to do in the future todays of tomorrow and at the very least, provide the adorable public (i'm looking at you, government wiretapping, google, and my mom) with a little more information than they bargained for.

First Post

First post! not like it's 2008 or anything, and I'm both behind the times in my internetting and real lifing. Hopefully, this'll be a decent place to gather my thoughts for myself and share them to the world - or at least, a more consistent content driven, less sappy version of my previous attempts (oh xanga)

As for now, we're just doing the basic business-speak tasks: requirements gathering, specifications, configuration surveying, youtube breaking. Hoping that this all comes together properly. It's beautiful in my mind's eye, but I'm pretty self conscious about it - even on the web, where it feels like just me, but it's really any and everyone else as well. anyways, I'll see you all when we're embedded!