- I'm already up to issue #3 in my Vehement Flame music podcast. It's been fun and I hope you've tried it out. Here's #3:
- I watched Moon the other night when it showed up on Netflix Instant. Really enjoyed it and hope to have a full review up soon.
- Finally finally finally finished Wolf Hall. It was tough going towards the end. I almost gave up a couple of times - there just isn't much going on. I suppose if Henry the VII or the English monarchy of the 16th century is your thing, you might really like it. I found it dull and the writing style tiresome. I'll try to have full review up soon.
- No new music CDs recently but tons of new music downloaded from Amie St., Amazon MP3 and Napster. Listening to a lot of Citay lately. Here's First Fantasy from their Little Kingdom CD:
- Gone pretty wild on the computer game front. It's so silly really, as I never finish the games. Hell, I often don't even start them! But I bought Spellforce Platinum for a paltry $5 on GOG.com and the Deus Ex Collection for another paltry $5, even though I already have the first one on CD and didn't really care for the second one! Turned a friend onto Deus Ex and you watch, he'll finish soon, leaving me in the dust. I should just concentrate on the first one and see if I can play it through. I got about a third the way through my first time playing it, many years ago.
April 2010 Archives
Absolutely epic:
I haven't been doing my weekly random 5 because I've been hard at work on my new music podcast, Vehement Flame. I'm trying to make it a weekly, one hour show that comes out Sunday or Monday evening, although with the beautiful weather, coaching both daughters on different soccer teams, and a long list of "honey do's", it can be hard to find time during the weekend to work on it. But I did finally come out with Vehement Flame #2. This podcast will showcase the music I like, which includes alternative, 80s New Wave and some classic rockers.
You can listen to it here:
You can follow updates to the Vehement Flame blog by following VehementFlame1. Vehement Flame's discography can be found here, with players & links to both episodes so far. Let me know what you think!
Can you tell I just got the new Gainsbourg CD? And she reminds me of Danielle Dax. Tough on Tobacco is an excellent free download.
- Just for giggles, and because I don't have enough things I should be doing, I have started a podcast called Vehement Flame and can be found here : http://www.vehementflame.com.
- I enjoyed playing with Audacity while working on my podcast. I ran into an odd problem where trying to record using my USB headset would hang Audacity, but the workaround was to plug in the headphones after I booted the machine. *shrug* I also wish there was an easy way to select all the tracks and tell Audacity to just append them one after another. But it is pretty cool nonetheless.
- My leading contender so far for CD of the year is the Broken Bells eponymous debut release. Damn solid from front to back.
- Finally got around to waching Slumdog Millionaire. Good flick. Not an 8 Oscar flick though. And I kept thinking of the Cheers where Cliff Clavin went on Jeopardy and got all the categories he knew about, as Slumdog as a similar story arc, albeit without the mob kingpin. Next up is this year's Best Picture, The Hurt Locker.
- Still working on Wolf Hall. Christopher Hitchens has an excellent (and very positive) review of it in The Atlantic.
Must be the time of year for Catholic jokes...
One day, a priest decides to take a walk to the pier near his church. He looks around and finally stops to watch a fisherman load his boat. The fisherman notices, and asks the priest if he would like to join him for a couple of hours. The priest agrees. The fisherman asks if the priest has ever fished before; the priest says no. He baits the hook for him and says, "Give it a shot, father."
After a few minutes, the priest hooks a big fish and struggles to get it in the boat. The fisherman says, "Whoa, what a big sonofabitch!"
The priest says, "Ah, please sir, can you mind your language?"
The fisherman responds (thinking quickly), "I'm sorry father, but that's what this fish is called---a sonofabitch!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," says the priest. "I didn't know."
After the trip, the priest brings the fish to the church and spots the bishop. "Eminence, look at this big sonofabitch!"
"Please father," says the bishop. "Mind your language, this is a house of God."
"No, you don't understand," says the priest. "That's what this fish is called, and I caught it. I caught this sonofabitch!"
"Hmmm," says the bishop. "You know, I could clean this sonofabitch and we could have it for dinner."
So the bishop takes the fish and cleans it, and brings it to Mother Superior at the convent. "Mother Superior, could you cook this sonofabitch for our dinner tonight with the Pope?"
"My lord, what language!" says the mother.
"No, sister," says the bishop. "That's what the fish is called---a sonofabitch! Father caught it, I cleaned it, and we'd like you to cook it"
"Hmmm," replies Mother Superior. "Yes, I'll cook that sonofabitch tonight."
While the Pope is over for dinner that evening he remarks that the fish is superb. He asks where they got it.
"I caught the sonofabitch!" says the priest.
"And I cleaned the sonofabitch!" says the bishop.
"And I cooked the sonofabitch!" says Mother Superior.
The Pope stares at them for a minute with a steely gaze, then takes off his hat, puts his feet up on the table, and says, "You know, you fuckers are all right.".
Campaigning
While walking down the street one day a "Member of Parliament" is tragically hit by a truck and dies.
His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.'
'No problem, just let me in,' says the man.
'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.'
'Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,' says the MP.
'I'm sorry, but we have our rules.'
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly & nice guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.
Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises....
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.
'Now it's time to visit heaven.'
So, 24 hours pass with the MP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.'
The MP reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.'
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.
Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.
The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. 'I don't understand,' stammers the MP. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.
What happened?'
The devil looks at him, smiles and says, 'Yesterday we were campaigning...
Today you voted.'
His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.'
'No problem, just let me in,' says the man.
'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.'
'Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,' says the MP.
'I'm sorry, but we have our rules.'
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly & nice guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.
Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises....
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.
'Now it's time to visit heaven.'
So, 24 hours pass with the MP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.'
The MP reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.'
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.
Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.
The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. 'I don't understand,' stammers the MP. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.
What happened?'
The devil looks at him, smiles and says, 'Yesterday we were campaigning...
Today you voted.'
