Italian Folk Music

Italian Folk Music's last waltz

2007-10-09T00:11:00.000-04:00

Excuse the mixed imagery in the title.

I have my new blog up. I'm still working out the kinks. I'll be posting there from now on, and it'll be a little bit different. Maybe a bit more formal. The address is:

truerthantruth.wordpress.com

Bookmark it. Read it.

My new 'blog home

2007-09-19T21:28:00.000-04:00

Now that the year o' 'blog (and subsequent silence after said year o') is over, I realized that--hey--I want to write reviews again.

AS I SEE FIT, that is. There won't be any time or length constraints, though I won't ramble on and on as I did back in the Xanga days. I plan on making a review-only Wordpress site. I won't post 'personal' rants at all. Just reviews, maybe some film/music/lit/theater news.

I'm looking for a good name, since I'm going out of my way to erase the whole wordsampersand moniker (I think Jeff Tweedy might sue anyway).

Keep posted.

Day 365-- fin

2007-09-05T23:51:00.000-04:00

My pal Andy Whitman, one of my favorite writers, posted something great on his 'blog. Why not close out the Year O' 'Blog with it?

He's responding to the argument that while high-church traditions have produced great art (and artists, especially writers), evangelicals have nothing. Keep in mind this is a position that I used to hold. Says Whitman:

Look, I love Flannery O'Connor as much as anyone. Kate will attest that I lobbied long and hard to name our first-born daughter Flannery in honor of Ms. O’Connor. She and the other High Church literary cherubim and seraphim – Graham Greene, Walker Percy, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien – have enriched my life tremendously. But Percy, the most contemporary of those writers, has been dead for fifteen years, and O'Connor, Greene, Lewis and Tolkien were writing fifty or more years ago. And you know what? In the intervening half century, evangelicals have actually produced some worthwhile work. Two of the most celebrated Christian novelists working today, Marilynne Robinson and Leif Enger, are writing from a decidedly evangelical perspective. Enger's Peace Like a River was named the 2002 Book of the Year in the L.A. Times, and was lauded in almost every review. Robinson's latest novel Gilead won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005. This does not suck. And when you add in contemporaries such as Frederick Buechner, Annie Dillard, John Updike, and Anne Lamott, who really don't fit into either the High Church or the Evangelical categories, it seems fairly clear to me that non-liturgical, non-High Church Christians have as much of an impact on literature as their High Church contemporaries, and maybe more. And the odds are even more lopsided in the popular music world, where it is evangelicals like U2 and Sufjan Stevens who have arguably released some of the best and most popular albums created from a Christian worldview. In other words, the argument in Touchstone was valid thirty years ago. It doesn’t apply now, and it hasn't been true for a long time.

And he's right. The article he is responding also mentions that evangelicals--when they do try to make art--tend to use it solely as a propaganda tool. And this isn't exactly true either; while there are certainly evangelicals that do this, there are many that don't (and many High Church/Emerging Church/etc. that make bad bad art).

What is comes down to is this: regardless of traditions, Christians need to strive to glorify God in all they do. Art, yes--but also doing taxes, making coffee, interacting with neighbors, running. Even 'blogging.

Day 364-- three things

2007-09-04T23:47:00.000-04:00

1) Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band have a new album--Magic--coming out the beginning of October. Despite missteps over the years, Bruce has always been one of my favorite songwriters. The first single from the album ("Radio Nowhere") is fairly solid too...repetitive, but in a good way.

2) This website keeps track of how many miles you run, walk and bike each day and then simulates you traveling across the nation on a real trail. So far I've only cracked four miles on the TransAmerica route. I'm racing a few friends (virtually), and the loser ends up buying beers/meals for the winners. I have a feeling I'll be buying some beers/meals.

3) Tomorrow is the last day of my Year O' 'Blog. Weird.

Day 363-- Auralia's Colors out Tuesday!

2007-09-03T23:12:00.000-04:00

Jeffrey Overstreet's debut novel will be released tomorrow (well, today now I guess).

Jeff is a film critic for Christianity Today. He's also written for Books & Culture, Paste magazine and some other great publications (he has some fantastic music reviews up on Phantom Tollbooth). Jeff also posts frequently on the Arts and Faith forum, and he's also a great guy (culture.ish. is running the first part of an interview I had with him next issue).

But this isn't why you should check it out--check it out because it's pretty dang good. He's been getting great pre-release press from some reliable sources. Check out the book's hub, where you can read the first chapter, check out the 'blog Jeffrey kept during the writing/publish process, or order it.

Day 362

2007-09-03T00:15:00.001-04:00

Here's a simple question: how much does a book's cover or overall design factor into you purchasing it? Explain.

Day 361-- two good articles

2007-09-02T00:30:00.000-04:00

The death of the book review.

The value of fiction, by John Piper (with Flannery O'Connor quotes).

Day 360-- Nickelback

2007-09-01T01:08:00.000-04:00

Every time I hear a Nickelback song, I think, "These guys are funny. They keep on making music that no one could possibly like!"

But as I look around, I realize that people DO like them. And then I get sad, maybe a little angry. If I found out a friend liked Nickelback, I'd probably experience confusion or befuddlement before feeling sorry for them. Maybe I'd get mad at my friend, and then maybe they wouldn't be my friend anymore. Which would be OK; that would mean less Nickelback around me.

Day 359-- the Black Dahlia (2006)

2007-08-30T23:09:00.000-04:00

James Ellroy's novel the Black Dahlia is a macabre masterpiece, two-thirds dark crime procedural and a third near-gothic horror. It's a harsh book, but incredibly well-written and--frankly--incredibly captivating.

I had been following it's path to the silver screen with equal parts anticipation and dread; I loved the idea of seeing a film adaptation, but realized two stumbling blocks: the novel is overly intricate (maybe complex is the better word) and almost too graphic.

That said, I guess the resulting movie actually does an admirable job--subplots are streamlined, and director Brian De Palma is tasteful in some regards (almost ironic if you're familiar with De Palma pictures). But while much is right, the movie still sinks, especially in the tangled third act.

An adaptation of Ellroy's fictional take on the the murder of wannabe starlet Elizabeth Short, the movie follows two detectives in post-WWII L.A.: Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert (Josh Harnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). Their introduction is set up very well: both are boxers on the side, and the LAPD uses them to drum up public support for a pension/budget increase plan. They end up becoming partners and best friends, sharing their time with Lee's sorta-girlfriend Kay Lake (Scarlett Johanson).

They eventually get caught up in Betty Short's murder, shattering friendships and lives as the movie progresses. Bucky eventually gets involved with a Short-lookalike and suspect (Hilary Swank), and things go wacky in that patented James Ellroy way.

But wait, it goes maybe too wacky--screenwriter Josh Friedman tweaked the novel's plot to get it to work on the screen, but a few changes make the last half of the film almost unbearable. The film gets bogged down in excess of every type (including hilarious over-acting), turning the novel's razor-sharp ending into a gooey farce. Look, I know film and page are different forms of art, but the movie sinks during the last half hour no matter what I think of the novel.

That said, Hartnett does a fair job as the lead--he was criticized as being cold, but he plays the Bucky of the novel well (aloof, reserved, almost too quiet). The rest of the cast is passable, but Eckhart is misused, and police brass Russ Millard (Mike Starr) and D.A. Ellis Loew (Pat Fischer) are sorely altered. Their characters were important in the novel, and could've easily been important in the film...but they ended up as mere window dressing, there to deliver plot points before being whisked away.

It's also worth noting that the real star of the movie is Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography. The movie LOOKS amazing; it's crisp and eerily sun-painted, just like an Ellroy novel. Zsigmond deserved the Oscar nod, that's for sure.

In the end, the Black Dahlia runs like this: it starts perfectly, and quickly sags to a cheap phoned-in neo-noir before the two hours are up. I might just go watch L.A. Confidential again (a good Ellroy adaptaion) and wait for White Jazz to come out next year.

Day 358

2007-08-30T00:35:00.000-04:00

Summer is starting to pack up, take the tents down and consider the '08 tour. I wanted to go to Kennywood (check!) and Cedar Point (no check!) before the summer ended. Fat chance on the latter.

But one thing I have yet to do--lay out at night and watch the stars. There's still time.

Day 357-- culture.ish, volume two

2007-08-28T23:25:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the first issue? It's out now.

Nothing like shameless self-promotion, but hey--we love what we're doing, and we'd love if you joined in on the fun.

Day 356-- it's Blade Runner all over the place

2007-08-28T00:12:00.000-04:00

I watched Batman Begins tonight. I'd never seen the movie before, and I liked it considerably. Throughout the film, though, I noticed many stylistic flourishes that reminded me of the incredible, incredible Blade Runner.

Well, turns out that Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan took lots of inspiration from Blade Runner. Doing so served Nolan well.

Then, I recalled that means minutes before watching Batman Begins, my friends and I saw a commercial that left me stammering, "that...looks like Blade Runner." I can't even remember what the commercial was for, but it featured panning shots of oppressive skyscrapers weighed down by giant, Asian woman-adorned TV screens.

Despite the fact that Blade Runner bombed when it came to theaters in the early '80s, it's left a considerable cultural impression (not to mention a huge cult following, including countless filmmakers and authors). It's left enough impact that this sort of thing can be released and actually have people clamoring to be it. (I am one of those people.)

Day 355-- fantasy football

2007-08-26T23:25:00.000-04:00

I just participated in a live draft for fantasy football. I've never done it before (fantasy football, I mean), and since most know I'm an ignoramus regarding most sports, here were my criteria for selecting players:

-Cool names (because cool names = cool players). Eastern European names got bonus cool points, as did people with mildly suggestive names.

-Players who ranked last got picked first by me. Someone has to love them.

-Location was a plus: "I like New England," I thought, "as well as Colorado. Let's pick people with cool names from there."

So here's hoping that my team--the New Originals--will win. Hooray!

Day 354-- War (2007)

2007-08-26T01:34:00.000-04:00

I read an article on actor Jason Statham in the August 31 issue of Entertainment Weekly. The author mentions Statham's near opponent-less running for the new red-meat action hero of the 21st century. Statham is magnetic in War, but that doesn't make it a good movie.

Statham plays Jack Crawford, a San Fransisco police officer in the Asian crime division. After his partner is murdered by a legendary assassin known as Rogue (Jet Li), Crawford swears revenge. The two eventually square off when Rogue initiates a war between the Triads (Hong Kong-based organized crime) and the yakuza (Japanese organized crime), playing both sides against the other.

Most of the cast sleepwalks through their roles, especially Li. For an actor renown for his martial art prowess, he does very little hand-to-hand fighting, instead relying on his gimmicky special-guns-that-use-special-bullets-that-let-cops-know-he-was-there-because-of-special-silver-shell-casings.
And the supporting cast is wasted--the always-great Luis Guzman is tossed off what is essentially an extended cameo, and then there's the rest of Crawford's unit: the token African-America, the token woman, the token new guy (who also doubles as the token Asian).

There were elements of the movie that actually gave me hope throughout that it would end up being better than it was--some of the action scenes were inspired, the almost worked in spots, and there was an occasion or two where I thought, "Huh, this does a good job at showing how hollow and terrible revenge is." But then the movie went back into 'it could've been better' mode.

I'll blame the director, Phillip Atwell. The dude has just done music videos before this, and you can expect as much just from the overblown visuals and unnecessary mugging. And a cheap, shameful twist near the end was a slap in the face, especially when you realize which direction the film takes it. Shame on you, lazy screenwriter(s).

The few good bits do not make War a good movie. In fact, it's something that ultimately left me uneasy--I think I enjoyed the adrenaline high afterward, but when I started thinking more about the movie I realized how lame it ultimately was.

Day 353

2007-08-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

I've been working on a list of words I want to avoid in general, but especially in writing.

Incendiary-- Unless I'm describing something that's literally incendiary (as in, relating to setting stuff on fire), I want to really steer away from saying stuff like, "Angus Young can play some incendiary guitar solos."
Quirky-- Quirky has become an easy descriptor for lazy reviewers. "That [fill in the black with independent movie] was a quirky delight." "They Might Be Giants play quirky pop music." TMBG, in an interview, showed their disgust at being labeled as such in nearly early review of their albums that they see. They're right--it's lame.
Hot-- I'll still use this to describe temperature. Huge offender: "That 'High School Musical 2' track is hot!"
Unique-- Think about it; why are you calling My Chemical Romance unique again?
"[so and so] is the next [so and so]"-- As in "James Patterson is the next Anton Chekhov!" Usually the former is no where near as good as the latter, and the latter--if alive--does not want to be compared to the former. LAZY. Maybe so and so is just themselves? Can be used sparingly to good use.

This is just a sampling.

Day 352-- some practical things I've learned while playing Doom 3

2007-08-24T00:18:00.000-04:00

I got the video game Doom 3 earlier this week for bargain. I've learned a few things since then:

If you ever get offered a job at a research facility on Mars, decline.
Tip to contractors that may design Mars research stations sometime down the road: please install good working lights in every part of the facility. Thanks.
Make sure to stock all Mars research facilities with night-vision gear or--just in case someone does have a flashlight--a roll of duct tape to tape it to something so you don't have to put your gun down to use a flashlight. Just a thought.
If you're designing some sort of fusion core or nuclear reactor, make sure that you can repair it without having to hurdle over rotating catwalks.
Please--when planning your Mars research station--stock more ammunition for your weapons. Just in case creatures from Hell attack.

Day 351-- The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought, by Marilynne Robinson (1998)

2007-08-22T20:38:00.000-04:00

Marilynne Robinson just may be my favorite living author. But Marilynne Robinson just may be too smart for the likes of me.

The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought is a collection with a common theme. Robinson issues a rallying cry against the willful ignorance that western society has relied on regarding texts. Your average American will say they know that John Calvin was a stoic, humorless Scot from the 1800s that hated women and blacks and sex and fun because a friend read a book about another book about another book that said Calvin was cruel. If they even know who Calvin is at all. Robinson urges, on the other hand, to go to the source--to read about something, learn about it, understand how cultural standards play a role, and then go from there.

I didn't use the Calvin example on a whim--Robinson is Calvinist, and spends several essays defending he and his followers in America. She also takes critical looks at Darwinists (which is different from evolutionists, she points out) and writes much on abolitionists, schoolbooks from the 1800s and community.

And honestly, what I understood was amazing. Robinson is such a gifted writer and thinker that I can't help but be in awe (and be in agreement) with what she writes. But man, I did not 'get' about half of the essays. Robinson has a knack for going off on intellectual tangents that are so far over my head that it's funny. I re-read countless paragraphs and--after going some a third time--just gave up.

In short, I love Robinson's work, and some of her essays are great. But her fiction has more of a lasting impact on me than her essays do. (I just found out she's taking a sabbatical from her teaching duties this fall to work on her third novel!)

Day 350

2007-08-21T21:10:00.000-04:00

One of my duties in Geneva's PR department is to keep an eye on print media for any mention of the college. I use Google Alerts to help me with this--I get an e-mail daily that has links to any online publication (which includes most American newspapers and, interestingly, 'blogs) that mentions "Geneva College." It's thorough--I bet I'll see my own 'blog in an e-mail in a day or two.

But the other day I saw a 'blog that mentioned GC, and--though I'm only supposed to keep tabs on newspapers/TV news sites and the like--I dived in to read it. For fun.

Turns out it's about my adviser from my college days, a man I admired as a professor and friend. The 'blog writer is a woman who had him as a professor when he taught at a college in the Midwest. It's a lovely, well-written post about his writing, kindness and family. It's easy to become accustom to the thoughts and feelings of your community; sometimes seeing the thoughts of someone from the outside--across the country, even--can remind you that you're not the only one who has interaction with the folks in your community.

Day 349-- breaking news

2007-08-20T23:59:00.000-04:00

This just in--Byron Borger and his traveling circus hit Geneva's campus tomorrow. Byron is giving a talk for my college's faculty retreat; and the linked post on his blog has some good stuff to say about this. I'm glad he's here--I'm excited to hear the faculty's response, especially from those that don't know of him.

Day 348-- the simple joys of Teenage Fanclub

2007-08-19T23:29:00.000-04:00

Before I went to my church's evening worship service, I listened to a few Teenage Fanclub songs as I dressed. The Fannies (as they're lovingly called in their native Scotland) have always been one of my favorite bands since I discovered them around 1999.

They've always been a strong band--the three guitarists all write and sing lead on their own songs, and the rest of the band harmonizes like crazy. But as they grew from a loud, chaotic power pop band into a more earthy, soft-edged power pop outfit, they've grown lyrically in a way that I really appreciate.

That's not to say they were poor back in the early '90s--some of their songs are still incredible (the heartbreaking "Alcoholiday" comes to mind). But the middle-aged Fannies have gained a nuanced, simple poetic delivery that celebrates the simple joys in life: growing old with a spouse, walking through fields in the warm sun, enjoying life ("so much under the sun I should play for," as they put it). It's great when a group of guys can still write great, hook-filled power pop tracks that celebrate stuff like monogamy and nice chats and long strolls without falling symptom to the Eagles curse (aka become boring).

Day 347

2007-08-18T22:55:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the autumn movie preview issue of Entertainment Weekly, I now have a lost of movies I want to see before the end of the year:

-3:10 to Yuma (Sept. 7)
-Eastern Promises (Sept. 14)
-The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Sept. 21)
-Into the Wild (Sept. 21)
-The Kingdom (Sept. 28)
-Lust, Caution (Sept. 28)

-Sleuth (Oct. 12)
-The Darjeeling Limited (Oct. ?)

-American Gangster (Nov. 2)
-The Kite Runner (Nov. 2)
-No Country for Old Men (Nov. 9)

-Atonement (Dec. 7)
-Leatherheads (Dec. 7)
-I Am Legend (Dec. 14)
-There Will Be Blood (Dec. 26)

How many of these will I see in theaters? Probably less than five. But hey, it's good to be ambitious!

Day 346-- back to school

2007-08-17T23:58:00.000-04:00

One of the weirdest aspects about working at my alma mater is the disconnect that happens when the students come back. This is the first time I've encountered this--it may change in time, I guess--but for now, it's like I'm stuck in a 1950s hard sci-fi time warp.

This is most clear when I eat in the school's cafeteria. I swipe my card (it reads 'faculty/staff' instead of 'student,' though), get in line, decide on what to eat. Students--kids a few years younger than me, at most--say hi, as do professors. But it's when the faculty that I've called by their title for years call me Jason and expect to hear their first name in return...that's when it hits. And then I realize I'm wearing a collared shirt and a tie and pressed pants.

I recognized fewer students than ever before, but that's OK. I don't expect to know many students well 10 years from now, but the distance between college freshmen and me isn't THAT far as of now. Maybe the weirdness will fade as time passes, but I still remember sitting at certain tables a few years back with friends, laughing and talking.

Here's to laughing and talking as a staff member.

Day 345-- the Naked City (1948)

2007-08-16T22:47:00.000-04:00

"There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them."

The Naked City was a groundbreaking film. Not only was it one of the first films shot entirely on location, but it also was a fairly realistic and frank homicide procedural. Jules Dassin's direction is--as usual--peerless, but while the film is good overall, it doesn't stack up to other great crime or noir films of the era, and it certainly doesn't stack up to Dassin's other great films.

A young socialite is found dead in her apartment. New York City homicide detectives, led by Lt. Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) and 'new guy' Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor), quickly realize it's murder. (Remember that only new guys have names like Jimmy or Johnny.) One thing leads to another, and they start chasing clues and scratching off dead ends.

There's a lucid frankness about much of the plot, a realism that is rare in 1940s Hollywood cinema. The characters behave like real people, not catalysts to further the plot. There's a scene that involves the victim's parents that is just shockingly sad, and the main suspect is an unnervingly amoral grifter. The casting is great as well--it's good to see Fitzgerald--an aged, slurring Irishman--play something other than a town drunk or leprechaun.

But one thing that stuck out was Dassin's usual attention to detail. Though it was filmed nearly 60 years ago, the Naked City underscores NYC's majesty better than any film I've seen. The camera lingers over alleys and fire escapes as much as it does the skyline. It deserved the Best Cinematography and Film Editing Oscars it won.

The movie is plagued by some crippling problems, though. Producer Mark Hellinger--who died shortly after the film was made--provides a bizarre voiceover that pops up every possible unwelcome moment. A sizeable fraction of the film also veers into quasi-documentary territory, which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for Hellinger's drab voice describing mundane facts about New York, the camera panning over textiles and women mopping bank floors.

I liked it, though. I can see how the excellent TV show Homicide: Life on the Streets may have been inspired by the movie fifty years later, and you can see every NYC-set film trying to ape some of the majesty of these outside shots.

Day 344-- shame

2007-08-16T00:40:00.000-04:00

I know the entire song by heart.

Day 343

2007-08-14T23:33:00.000-04:00

I'm shocked (maybe I shouldn't be shocked at all?), shocked at how many great authors tend to avoid notice in certain areas. What causes this? Why do people in, say, Grand Rapids know Fredrick Buechner when no one in western PA does? And before the whole Pulitzer/Oprah deal, Cormac McCarthy was a rare find (save for the tattered movie edition of "All the Pretty Horses" collecting dust on the shelf of a used book vendor).

It has nothing to do with 'bad taste'--folks in this area are often well read and open to new authors. What is it, though? I feel like I'm missing something.

Day 342-- Thieves' Highway (1949)

2007-08-13T23:00:00.000-04:00

Before his blacklisting during the McCarthy era and subsequent move to Europe, Jules Dassin made a string of solid American films. He was at his U.S. peak with Thieves' Highway, a tart piece of film noir pie that is incredibly filling.

Nick Garcos (Richard Conte) is a second-generation Greek immigrant that returns from the his WWII stint as a merchant marine. He learns that his father--a produce trucker--was maimed and robbed in an accident precipitated by crooked produce retailer Mike Figlia (Lee J. Cobb).

Nick teams up with Ed (Millard Mitchell), an ornery and untrusting fruit hauler, and the two work a scheme to travel to San Fransisco and get back at Figlia.

The plot (adapted from an A.I. Bezzerides novel by the author) is tightly woven, and the depiction of the danger and folly in high-risk fruit shipping is gripping. Truck drivers jockey to beat one another for better selling prices, sometimes driving 40+ hours without sleep. Sometimes they make it. Sometimes they wreck and die. The movie got a lot of praise for the accuracy of the produce black market in the '40s.

But as a thriller, the movie also works well. Conte plays Nick well, his Army emblem-adorned truck a symbol for the youthful white knight he strives to be in the beginning of the film before the tarnish and wretchedness of the world he's jumped in take a toll on him. His face has this chiseled, Mediterranean glow that shifts well between soft-hearted nice guy and sleep-starved vigilante. There is a great see-saw act between icy blond Polly (Barb Lawrence), Nick's fiance, and Rica (Valentina Cortese), the streetwalk who fits into the plot--both play as opposite sides of the same coin. And if anyone steals the show, it's Lee Cobb--easily one of the greatest character actors in film history. He's perfect as a wannabe Honest John merchant who is nothing but crooked...and seems to hate and cherish that fact simultaneously.

But the real star is Dassin's film work. The black-white contrast is gorgeous, and the camera is always where it needs to be without being showy. There's a scene--shot over a truck that has just flipped over a cliff--where thousands of apples cascade toward the camera. It's amazing.

Thieves' Highway is an overall great movie, only marred by the few inclusions that uber-producer Darryl Zanuck added to the film without Dassin's consent (the out-of-place police message at the end, the goofy theatrics Polly provides at one point). This is yet more proof that the Golden era of American film provided some incredible genre film.

Day 341

2007-08-12T23:37:00.000-04:00

I want to write a short story, but I have a problem.

I can't think of a plot.

This hasn't been a problem for me in the past, since I tend to throw things at the computer screen until something sticks. This isn't working; maybe it's from brain-drain from work, or because I'm trying to work with a genre I've not tried much in (sci fi or fantasy).

The problem with the second point is that many sci-fi/fantasy short stories spend a chunk of time setting up the environment, making known the nuances that differentiate THIS fantasy world from that of Tolkien's or Roddenberry's. I thought about foregoing that and just diving in, not explaining (or just not getting into) differences in the fictional world. Almost like something David Mamet would do (could you imagine Edmund in Space or Glengary Glen Ross-shire?).

The various sci-fi/fantasy subgenres that lend easily to short narratives--cyberpunk, space opera, our-world-but-magical--have fallen into a state of near self-mockery, so it might be best to avoid. My hold-out option is to do something steampunk; but regardless, I could use some suggestions.

Day 340-- the Rolling Stones' real purpose

2007-08-11T23:51:00.000-04:00

Is--to roughly paraphrase a friend--to write songs so better artists can perform them. I make no bones about not liking the Stones, including 99% of their 'classic' material.

The Sundays' version of "Wild Horses" is a great example; not only does it sound better than the original, the song makes you daydream and imagine other tracks as re-done by some other band. Take that, Jagger.

Day 339

2007-08-11T00:40:00.000-04:00

Some people like toys. Some people wait in anticipation for video games to come in the mail. Some people get giddy before they drive to a dealership to sign papers for a new car. Some people follow UPS tracking for gadgets coming to them in mail.

I like spices. Here's what I got in the mail from Penzeys (which I followed the past few days via online tracking).

-Whole China ginger (4 oz bag)
-ground galangal (1.6 oz jar)
-hot chili powder (1.1 oz jar)
-lemon grass (.5 oz jar)
-powered China ginger (1.9 oz jar)
-whole cumin seed (.9 oz jar)
-brown mustard seed (1.3 oz jar)
-tellicherry peppercorns (2.2 oz jar)
-white Montok peppercorns (1.2 oz jar)
-ground fenugreek (2.9 oz jar)
-whole fennel seed (.9 oz jar)
-1/2 sharp Hungarian paprika (1 oz jar)

Day 338

2007-08-09T23:36:00.000-04:00

I'll keep this brief: I went to Sheetz tonight. I wanted a small bag of potato chips, and had almost exact change for it. I gave the cashier the change and smiled, since I would be getting a single penny back.

The cashier, however, didn't hand me a penny. She said, "Have a good day next" (in a rush of punctuation-less words). I stood there for a second before she said--quizzically--"do you want your penny?" As if I answered in an affirmative I would be an outcast, a pariah.

It wasn't the penny; I have many pennies. It was just that she assumed that I didn't want my change. Having worked in retail, I realize that there are tons of folks my age that just throw change away, quite literally in some cases. I'm not a fan of massive monetary systems, but really--why make that assumption. That's really colored my opinion of the place.

Day 337-- humor

2007-08-08T22:44:00.000-04:00

Have you ever tried to pin down what makes you laugh? Or maybe take it a step further and figure out what your sense of humor is like?

I have recently; maybe it's like trying to put artificial boundaries up around something fluid, but it's a fun activity on an overly-humid summer eve.

Aside from the occasional dip into lowbrow humor, I am drawn to these traits:

-deadpan delivery, or dry humor in general
-gallows humor
-irony
-heavy language aspect--example: the whole 'dessert' running gag in Hot Fuzz, or the jokes surrounding all of the villagers' surnames in the same film (they're all descriptions of what they do)
-awkward pauses (but only if used sparingly)
-droll statements (which sort of ties into the deadpan thing)

Of course, I realize that there are things I didn't list that make me laugh, and aspects I listed that don't work in some situations.

People that make me laugh: Flight of the Conchords, Jim Gaffigan, Eddie Izzard, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin.

What about you? What are some things that make you laugh?

Day 336-- 20 days left

2007-08-08T00:26:00.000-04:00

Seriously.

Has a year gone by that swiftly? I've decided that once the 'Blog-a-day is finished, I'll go back to a leisurely posting schedule (say that last bit with an English accent...'shhed-ule'). I'm sort of looking forward to that. I hope that it will make what I say more meaningful, at the very least.

Day 335

2007-08-07T00:43:00.000-04:00

My new job has been going well. It's fun, consistently challenging and I feel like I'm making a difference in lots of ways.

I ran into two snags this past Friday, though--my first two real "oops" moments on the job. The first came when a reporter from the local newspaper called and--through some weird circumstances--ended up interviewing me for the paper. Turns out, any time any member of the press calls, there's a certain protocol that I'm supposed to follow. I didn't. I actually didn't know I was supposed to do anything specific, so it was OK in the end. It was especially OK that the article came out well. (Come to think of it, you can read the article here.)

Second "oops:" I wrote a piece for a local business magazine about some of the adult/continued education at Geneva. It was a good article, but it would be a lot better with some quotes from folks that have been through the program. The adult learning department got me the contact info for two people that have been through their programs and would be OK with an interview. So I called. And called. And called. Neither returned any of the calls; I had left about four or five messages to each.

I was running out of time. The article was due Monday (as in this past Monday, which ended less than an hour ago). By the end of the workday yesterday, I was frantic. The people never called back. So I tried one more time.

And I got one of the students, talked to her, and got a great quote for the article less than an hour before I needed to send it in. Talking to her was a good experience, too--I found out the woman had come to know Christ through the program, which is excellent.

These sorts of things--last minute reprieves, in a way--always shake me up in such a way that I can't help but be awed. Thanks God for last minute reprieves.

Day 334-- internet hoaxes

2007-08-05T23:36:00.000-04:00

Internet hoaxes--like their real-life counterparts--are occasionally amusing. Especially when you consider the content and the fact that people fall for them. Or maybe that's just sad? Maybe both?

Two of my favorites were the World Jump Day and all of the historical background for the 'boilerplate' robot. The latter is especially funny; this is the sort of thing high school students might dig up and assume is real while scrambling to finish a paper (look here for the great website--my personal favorite is the picture of Boilerplate with Pancho Villa's gang).

Day 333

2007-08-04T23:59:00.000-04:00

I'm up for a challenge. My good friend Luke is wrapping up some of the work on the debut issue of his literary magazine. Submissions are due on August 6. That's Monday.

Guess who forgot to start his short story? (And while you're at it, guess who's coming to dinner?)

I originally had a plot idea, but I tossed it out. I'm starting from scratch. I can do it.

I really can.

Day 332-- Half-Life 2: Episode One (2006)

2007-08-03T20:32:00.000-04:00

The Half-Life game series continues to amaze me. As entertainment, they work exceptionally well. But they work almost just as well in a story-telling sense; as technologically ground-breaking as the game is, the interaction between the characters and the on-going story (and the questions raised over the course of the series) are what really draw me in.

Half-Life (1998) introduced Gordan Freeman, the player-controlled protagonist throughout most of the series. A skilled theoretical physicist, Freeman is caught in a devastating accident that ends up ripping a portal open to another world. Freeman survives the chaos as aliens and military units collide, the latter sent to 'clean up' the mess (i.e., kill all witnesses). Half-Life 2 (2004) is set two decades later in an alien-controlled Earth. Freeman ends up a mythical figure leading the human resistance, and eventually cripples the aliens and their human puppets (the Combine). This is where the game ends.

And that sets the stage for this game. It's easy to play if you don't have any history with the other Half-Life games, but for people that have been following the series since the late '90s it's quite rewarding. Episode One (2006) is the first of three 'episodic' games released (the second should be out in the next few months). They're shorter in length than any of the other games (about 4-6 hours of game play), but they're also inexpensive.

Playing again as Freeman, you wake up outside of the burning husk of the Citadel, the hub of operations for the Combine. With the help of Alyx Vance--daughter of an old co-worker and reoccurring character--Freeman manages to preventing the Citadel's nuclear core from melting down. From this point, Freeman and Alyx try to escape the city, getting as many civilians as they can to escape. Episode One ends on a cliffhanger, and let me tell you--it's intense. Better than many movies I've seen, ever.

What makes this game (and the other Half-Life installments) shine over other first-person type games are the brains and heart behind it. Instead of just shooting everything in sight, you have to be creative to overcome obstacles. A Combine soldier hurls a grenade at you and Alyx--you could run, of course, but you could also use your gravity-manipulating device to hurl the grenade at a stack of barrels that will collapse on the soldier and crush him. You also learn to care for the characters, especially Alyx. She's not just a computer-controlled character that acts as a second gun in a fight; she's a friend. In an abandoned hospital that's infested with zombies (humans that have succumbed to a parasitic alien), she makes scary noises in the dark to lighten the mood. She makes small-talk to avoid focusing on the atrocities the aliens are responsible for. She encourages you as you try to take down a tank with a rocket launcher.

Episode One is very exciting, and it just looks great. Without Episode Two coming out soon, I'm anxious to see what happens to Gordan and the gang.

Day 331-- Thums Up

2007-08-03T01:35:00.000-04:00

I found an Indian food shop yesterday. I popped in and found a bunch of ingredients I need for my increasingly-fanatical curry cooking. However, I also found a bottled soda called "Thums Up" [sic].

It's...interesting. It's made by the Coca-Cola company, and has a hint of betel nut in it. The bottle is in a tell-tale condition; dust covered the cap, scuffs on the side. It tastes unlike anything I've ever had, especially for sodas. Weeeeeird.

Day 330-- eight easy facts

2007-08-01T23:57:00.000-04:00

(Title partially stolen from this album.)

Bryan tagged me to list eight 'random' and interesting facts about myself, then share the love.

1) People are used to always seeing me with a book tucked under my arm; this leads to the assumption that I'm a fast reader. I'm not. If I'm on a roll, I can get through (maybe) three books a month, short books too.

2) My goal is to have my beer card finished at the Backdoor Tavern by the end of the year, but if I try hard I might be able to finish it before the autumn. I have 48 done, 40 to go. If you don't know what I'm talking about, maybe we should leave it that way.

3) I have six or seven unread books that I (honestly) have no desire to read. I'm not sure why I got them; maybe it was because they were all well-regarded and over 700 pages (thus making me look smart when I finish). I'll probably read them anyway.

4) When the street sweeper drives by my window at night, I want to run out and commandeer it.

5) I own a stack of four very well-written books in a serious called "Howdunit?" They're written by experts in the fields of poison, private investigation, etc., and they're geared toward fiction writers that don't know much about that sort of stuff but want to be believable.

6) If they bottled alternative rock circa 1994, I'd buy a bunch.

7) I think video games have great potential as a way to tell stories.

8) I'm finally beating the sleep problem I developed five (or so) years ago. (I was never able to fall asleep until after 1 a.m.-ish.) The solution seems to be that if I just physically exhaust myself all of the time, I'll be tired enough by the time I should be in bed. It's working so far.

Since almost everyone I wanted to tag has been tagged already, I'll just tag Russ eight times. Or, if Gideon reads this, I tag him as well.

Day 329-- music for the summer

2007-08-01T01:17:00.000-04:00

I've always been a big fan of great, catchy pop rock songs that you can listen to loudly while driving (with the windows rolled down, preferably).

Like this:

Day 328-- stock companies

2007-07-30T22:01:00.000-04:00

I've always been interested in acting stock companies; the idea of a bunch of actors that regularly work together just intrigues me.

The basis for this interest lies with the John Ford's stock company (it's quite an impressive list). The famous American director constantly used the same actors for his movies; more often than not, his entire supporting cast was made up of his 'regulars.'

And the thing is, they were talented. I'd put a dream team of Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen, John Qualen, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr. and Woody Strode against any gaggle of actors, living or dead.

Day 327-- Sergeant Rutledge (1960)

2007-07-29T23:31:00.000-04:00

With all of the acclaim John Ford (justly) receives for his other films (namely the Searchers,
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, the Quiet Man), I'm surprised that Sergeant Rutledge somehow got lost in the mix.

Set in 1880s American west, the film is set during the court martial trial of Sergeant Braxton Rutledge (Woody Strode), a black cavalryman accused of rape and murder. Set to defend him is Lt. Tom Cantrell ('60s heart throb Jeffrey Hunter), who insists on Rutledge's innocence. The story unfolds through flashbacks as the various witnesses take the stand.

The movie was controversial upon its release; the nature of the crimes in the movie--though handled delicately--aren't glossed over. And despite the fact that Hunter got top billing, Strode gets the bulk of the screentime in the movie--every time he's on the screen he's mesmerizing. Considering that this was made before the dawn of much of the civil rights action, that's saying something.

But the movie is quite good; the court room setting works quite well, and the acting is outstanding. (I was surprised at how few of Ford's 'stock company' were present, aside from Strode.) Ford's straight-faced sense of humor really worked this time too, and provided some genuine chuckles while not making light of the subject.

I've always said how Ford is easily one of my favorite filmmakers--his unadorned direction called attention to the story and the characters, and the little nuances he demanded from his actors paid off in the end. Rutledge is a prime example of all of the good things in a Ford film. In fact, I'd say it's almost Ford concentrate.

Day 326-- the Nietzsche Family Circus

2007-07-28T23:26:00.000-04:00

Brilliant.

Day 325

2007-07-28T00:51:00.000-04:00

Too tired to post. Blah--maybe more tomorrow?

Day 324-- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling

2007-07-26T22:03:00.000-04:00

Before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released, I remember telling a friend that no matter how good the book--the final in the series--was, it would not live up to the high expectations of its fanbase.

I was wrong. At least for me, the Deathly Hallows ended up as the best in the series, a wonderful conclusion to a captivating series.

(I'm going to keep this as spoiler-free as possible; if you haven't read any of the books in the series but want to, I'd avoid reading any further.)

I won't attempt a step-by-step review, but I'll say this: the book is great on many levels. Rowling wraps up every loose end in the series without making it feel forced. It's the most exciting out of the books, but also the most weighty; the stakes are so high this time that--by page 30--some shocking things happen. And they keep happening.

The usual themes of friendship, love and coping with death are present, but the ones that really rang clear this time were those of forgiveness, the importance of community and redemption. There were three key instances where I just wept and wept because of how clear these were. I'm wondering how much of the evangelical community--many of whom have chastised the series in the past--will react now that Rowling's intentions with the series have become more clear (that link is pretty spoiler-filled, FYI). I for one always suspected this, and I think that the way Rowling handles it is incredibly moving.

The Deathly Hallows is a great conclusion; the characters are lovingly handled, and I really felt like Rowling did a better job than I could have possibly imagined. Here's to you, J.K.

Day 323

2007-07-25T23:47:00.000-04:00

Answer these three questions for me, dear reader:

1) What was the last movie you saw, and what did you think of it?

2) What was the last song you heard, and what did you think of it?

3) What was the last book you read (or are currently reading), and what did(do) you think of it?

Day 322-- a few thoughts about Interpol in concert

2007-07-25T01:31:00.001-04:00

1) Playing at the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh was a good venue choice. Having seats at a concert is pretty cool, especially when they're seats in a multi-leveled theater.

2) Wearing chic suits and being polite and gracious to your audience is cool.

3) Starting on time and ending at a reasonable time is also good.

4) Short, classy encores are good.

5) Stunning, complex visual art intertwined with the music is a cool thing.

6) Having your sound eventually drown out by reverb is BAD. By the end of the concert I couldn't distinguish guitars from vocals from keyboards.

Day 321-- for Sheldon

2007-07-23T23:20:00.000-04:00

My ranking of the Coen brothers' films, from greatest to worst (NOTE: I'm thinking about overall film value here, not which I enjoy more than the others)--

Fargo
Barton Fink
Miller's Crossing
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
the Big Lebowski
Blood Simple
the Man Who Wasn't There
Hudsucker Proxy
Raising Arizona
the Ladykillers
Intolerable Cruelty

I won't budge on the fact that I think Fargo is their best film. I also won't budge on the fact that I think the Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty are their worst (in their defense, those are the only two movies that they didn't write the screenplay from scratch). The rest of their movies are on a narrow sliding scale--while I put Raising Arizona much lower than Barton Fink, they're still both 4.5 to 5 star (out of five) movies.

Feel free to argue with me about why I ranked things a certain way. And where will No Country For Old Men rank on this list, especially considering that it's an adaptation (a first for the brothers)? If it's anything like what I've heard from advance reviewers, probably in the top four.

The brothers should be well-regarded, though, by fans of cinema. They've had few missteps in their 10+ film career, and their hits are almost always out of the ballpark. Can you say that for any other contemporary filmmaker(s)?

Day 320-- the Inimitable Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse

2007-07-22T22:39:00.001-04:00

I've been told all P.G. Wodehouse novels have similar plot structures. A central character--often the narrator--is engaged to be married against their will/stuck trying to help a good friend woo someone/accidentally stolen a policeman's hat, and another
central character helps them out.

And you know what? If this is the case, bring it on; Wodehouse is such an amazing, witty writer that the plot is almost secondary to the language and conversation of the characters.

Set in 1920s England, the Inimitable Jeeves revolves around narrator Bertie Wooster--a wealthy do-nothing--and his valet Jeeves. Wooster is no dummy, but he tends to get himself in scrap after scrap. Jeeves, who possesses a seemingly infinite amount of intelligence, always bails him out.

The almost feels like a bunch of short stories tied together through small plot devices. One of the main connecting points is Bertie's friend Bingo, a scrappy young man who falls in love with every woman he meets. He always wrangles Bertie into helping him some way, and as a result Jeeves gets involved.

The book is consistently hilarious. Wodehouse is a master with the English language, and though this is the only book of his I've read, popular consensus among book-snob types is that he's ALWAYS a master in his hundreds of novels. That's comforting in a way. This was a quick read, and definitely something that fits both into the "serious literature" and "wonderfully fun" categories.

Day 319-- whatcha doin' next Satuday?

2007-07-22T00:33:00.001-04:00

Whatever it is, go to this instead.

Day 318-- @ midnight

2007-07-20T15:37:00.000-04:00

I will be at Borders Express tonight, volunteering for the big release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It comes out at midnight; this particular Borders (my now-former employer, sniff) is a small store and there are around 900 copies reserved. I'll be running the reservation table, so when people start lining up at 10 p.m. I'll be the first person they see. I did this for the release of the Half-Blood Prince, and it was fun. The people were very friendly, the crowd a good mix of excited children and even-more-excited adults.

I'm excited. I'm very excited. And the best bookseller on the planet has some great things to say about the book and its release. Trust me, Byron, I would've reserved it at H&M if I were just a tad closer to you.

Day 317

2007-07-19T23:21:00.000-04:00

In high school, I would've balked at the idea of going to bed before midnight. Now, with a new office job paired with a fairly humid summer, bed before midnight is looking mighty inviting.

I stopped at Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea after work today. I'm really enjoying me job at Geneva, but it involves lots of mental gymnastics. I'm not used to that--wait, that sounded bad--I'm not used to that for extended periods of time, and in this context. So, I'm worn out.

So I'm at the coffee shop. I'm talking to my friend Megan and--just to get off of my feet before I walk home--I sit down on the couch. And then I wake up 40 minutes later, my shirt speckled with sweat, my hair swooping away from my scalp.

I'm necessarily getting up early. It's just that I think I need more sleep. My body is used to being on my feet all day doing semi-physical work, not sitting down and multi-tasking 10 things. Both are enjoyable and challenging, it's just the doing the latter is fairly new to me.

It's almost 11:40 p.m. My bed is calling, shouting into a bullhorn. Unlike the Jason in high school, I won't ignore it this time.

Day 316-- z

2007-07-19T00:42:00.000-04:00

People really, really need to stop making words plural by adding a 'z' at the end.

Day 315-- a window by the road

2007-07-17T23:39:00.000-04:00

I have two glass-block windows in my little basement room, both having a portion that can be opened to the outside. This is pretty neat, except--

I hear--quite loudly--every car, truck, tractor trailer, motorcycle, ambulance, police car, rickshaw, go cart, bicycle, wheelbarrow and Power Wheel that goes by.
Amplify this a million times when the streets are wet.
I hear the skater gangs go by. They would make a sailor blush.
SIRENS OH THE SIRENS.
You can conceivably look through the slit and see Jason sleeping. This isn't creepy, not one bit.

Day 314-- movie trailers and news galore

2007-07-17T00:37:00.000-04:00

Well, maybe the news really isn't that great. In fact, I think it's pretty lame. But if you care about Indiana Jones at all, it's worth reading. (In short--the new Indy movie might turn into something that resembles the Star Wars prequels.)

But this is a summer of great trailers, folks (and some not-so-great ones):

First you have the trailer everyone is talking about: the untitled project from J.J. Abrams (one of the names it's being labeled is Cloverfield, which sounds cool). Familiar, tired premise done in a very different way. This could be good (or, if you read my post yesterday, a lot of hot air).
Martial arts + western = I'm interested.
Alan Tudyk (Serenity) is a great actor, but...an English accent? What?
Here's what looks to be a good remake of a very good movie. Could this be the western to get the genre back on track? Look at the names attached, too--pretty impressive.
Another quirky, coming-of-age story that gets praises from hip sources? Yippee. (I guess this depends on whether you consider Peter Travers hip or not.)
Jason Flinn and I will go see this together--I can just feel it.
Film version of a very, very good non-fiction book. A few parts of the trailer might prove to be chilling to anyone that's read it, mind you.
And the movie I really cannot wait for: what could be a near perfect adaptation of a stunning novel by two of the best filmmakers working today. I'm pumped.

Day 313--viral marketing is scary

2007-07-16T00:24:00.000-04:00

Linkity link.

Day 312-- '80s cover update

2007-07-15T00:11:00.000-04:00

So the Beaver County Times ran a story about next Saturday's amazing show. This alarmed me for two reasons:

1) The Times gave the wrong date. They said it was tonight--oops. About 10 people showed up at the shop tonight over the course of an hour; they thought they had missed it when they didn't see a crowd. I told them the correct time.

2) This was publicity, which means people will be there. I should actually learn these songs.

Here's what I'm doing (this list is different from the one I tossed around earlier in the week):
-"Caribbean Queen" (Billy Ocean)-- I just nailed down a mournful version of this in C# minor. It's going to be amazing.
-"Dancing in the Dark" (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band)-- I have this one down too. I'm going to just play it with a slightly fuzzed electric guitar, ala Billy Bragg. I love the song, but have never memorized--or even TRIED to memorize--all of the lyrics. Hope I can this time!
-"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (Cyndi Lauper)-- Haven't tried yet, but this shouldn't be too bad.
-"Theme from Ghostbusters" (Ray Parker Jr.)--The wildcard. If I can't figure this out, I'll learn...
-..."Drive" (the Cars)-- Easy and coffee-shop ready.

Day 311-- Walden Media ruins (another) book series!

2007-07-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

And to think I was going make cheap jokes about a certain Midwest funk/rock band.

Walden Media did a mediocre job with the film version The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And now they're upping the terribleness ante with Susan Cooper's great Dark is Rising series.

The books were set (if I remember correctly) in 1970s England. Will Stanton was not an American kid that needed cool magic to help his popularity. In fact, the swords-and-spellcasting fantasy schtick was pretty low in the book series; Cooper opted instead for a more subtle, atmospheric approach. The movie trailer gets so many things wrong that it's painful. See for yourself.

Day 310-- oops

2007-07-13T07:02:00.001-04:00

So, did anyone notice that I didn't post yesterday? Yeah, I completely forgot; I just crawled into bed with a zombie-like persistence. I'll post something for real later today, though.

Day 309

2007-07-12T01:31:00.000-04:00

This post is probably aiming at an incredibly narrow niche audience: I'm going to write about what music I'm playing at a performance that very few readers--if any--are attending.

I'm play a few songs next Saturday night. My friends Mike and James are doing a stand-alone episode of their great comedy adventure serial at Beaver Falls Coffee & Tea Co., and they asked me to play a bit between segments. It'll be me and two guitars (to switch it up a bit).

I brainstormed a bit, trying to think of a good setlist. I originally wanted to doing a bunch of covers from ONE BAND, but nixed the idea. Then I thought of doing a smattering of eclectic covers. Nixed that, since I do it almost every time I play music.

Then I pulled the '80s card--covers of pop tunes from the 1980s. This stuck. I want to do a folk rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." I just have to figure it out. I want to do a mellow, different-key version of Ray Parker Jr.'s great theme from the Ghostbuster movies. I have to figure this out. I want to do either a straight cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Brilliant Disguise" or "the River." I will figure out whichever is easier for me to sing and play simultaneously. Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen" or "Get Outta My Dreams (Get Into My Car)" are both possibilities, as is the Church's "Under the Milky Way."

These choices! So hard. Any suggestions? Oh, and if you're not doing anything on Saturday, July 21st, be at BFC&TCo. at 7:30. The radio show will be a blast (and the music might be OK too).

Day 308-- Seraphim Falls (2006)

2007-07-10T22:01:00.000-04:00

As a tautly-drawn and beautifully-filmed western thriller, Seraphim Falls works well. As a commentary piece on a variety of "big" topics, well--Seraphim Falls doesn't work as well.

Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson play two former American Civil War officers; Gideon (Brosnan) is a former Union captain that, after committing an atrocity, wants only to be left alone. Carver (Neeson) is a former Confederate colonel that wants to see justice done, and has vowed to hunt Gideon down.

The film begins as a tense chase between Gideon and Carver and his posse, and doesn't let up for the first hour. With very little dialogue it stretches from the foothills of the Rockies to the highlands of the midwest, the scenery acting as strong as a character as the two men. What makes it interesting (aside from the fact that two Scotsmen are playing Americans--and do a good job!) is that both Gideon and Carver are good men. Gideon may be guilty of the great wrong he committed, but wants only to be forgiven for it--still, that doesn't stop him from killing anyone that tries to hunt him. Carver, on the other hand, is essentially an honorable man that's letting his desire for justice morph into twisted revenge.

And all of this is good. But then something happens. Once the chase starts breaking into smaller vignettes--run-ins with wanted criminals, a wandering band of missionaries, a meandering confrontation at a railroad construction camp--the movie just flounders. It tries to make some points, and I'm honestly not sure about what. Gideon starts spouting bits of Scripture, Angelica Huston appears out of nowhere as a Satan figure, people start hiding inside of dead horses (well, that's actually a really shocking, impressive scene)...what? There are some interesting thoughts (even theological thoughts) that seem to be forming behind the scenes, but then plop onto the screen with little formation or finesse. The ending strives to show the power of forgiveness, and it does a fair job. But it's a muddled path getting there.

I liked the cinematography a LOT, and as a first-time director, David Von Ancken (who has worked with TV shows "Oz" and "the Shield") does an admirable job. But Von Ancken's script is pretty unbalanced, and having to watch a very American Xander Berkley play a foul-mouthed Irishman--especially juxtaposed with the Neeson/Brosnan thing--makes me forget the scenery in a bad way.

In the end, it mostly worked, but not enough for me to really enjoy it. It's worth watching, but maybe that's it.

Trailer here.

Day 307

2007-07-09T23:35:00.000-04:00

SOME THINGS I WOULD CHANGE IF I COULD IN FACT CHANGE SAID THINGS:

--Barber shops/salons/hairstylists that have shops with numerals in them. The simple fact that your hair cuttin' place is called Cutters 3 makes me never want to visit number one or two, to be honest. The same goes for nail or jewelery outlets (pay attention, Nails II and Piercing Pagoda 2--the fact that you're a sequel is just bad).

--Sign-makers would not use quotes unnecessarily. This seems to be common in Beaver County. You know what I mean.

--If you're going to break the sound barrier to pass me so that you get onto an off ramp before me, don't you realize that you're now just a few feet in front of me and going the same speed as me because the guy in front of both of us is going 10 MPH? That's why I'm laughing at you.

--"Coffee shop performance" will some day not conjure images of sad 20-something acoustic guitarists that only know Ani DiFranco/Dave Matthews covers. STOP IT AND LEARN SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

Day 306--tomorrow

2007-07-08T23:10:00.001-04:00

I start a new job--and this job is a very, very big step in my life--in less than nine hours.

I hope I can sleep tonight.

Day 305--endless stories

2007-07-07T18:35:00.000-04:00

The feeling I get deep in my stomach when I realize there are but a few pages left in a good book...I hate that feeling. There's a small taste of victory as I'm able to put one more book on my "read" shelf, but it's eclipsed by the slight sadness that a great story--with great characters or beautiful prose--closes its final chapter.

Stephen King has an essay at the end of the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly; it's geared mostly toward the remorse he feels about the final chapter of the Harry Potter series that will be released in two weeks, but it's also about the remorse he feels when a great story is complete.

I think he's right when he says that for some fictional worlds, an ending--no matter how well-crafted it may be--is never good enough. I also think he's right when he says that the best stories don't have an ending. Taking that statement and putting it into a more theological framework, I wonder if he realizes how right he is.

Day 304-- my new book-reading gameplan

2007-07-07T01:59:00.000-04:00

Looking at my book collection today, I was amazed at how many book I own and haven't read (the total it close to 160 or so at the moment). And no matter how hard I try to stop myself, I tend to gain books faster than I read them. So I have a solution.

In two easy steps:

Step one-- read the next few books that I've mentally set aside to read: finish A Severe Mercy (Sheldon Vanauken) and What Saint Paul Really Said (N.T. Wright), then plow through the Death of Adam (Marilynne Robinson), the Inimitable Mr. Jeeves (P.G. Wodehouse) and end with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling) when it's released in a few weeks.

Step two-- READ AS MANY SHORT BOOKS AS I CAN. Not that this will help in the long run, but it'll at least heavily reduce the number of unread books I have. I do want to tackle Atonement (Ian McEwan), Little Women (Louise Alcott) and Ulysseus (James Joyce) before the end of the year, but that's not hard.

I think most of the shorter books I haven't read in my collection are novels, so I guess I'll be reading a lot of fiction over the next few months.

Day 303-- 1001 books to read before you die

2007-07-05T22:50:00.000-04:00

List here--it's also in a book form, and can find it at various stores for a bargain price (I think my soon-to-be-former employer has it for $5.99)

It's an eclectic list, with many wonderful books. For the record, I've read 47 of the listed books, and own--but have not yet read--37 more. That's pretty stunning! The list does seem to favor stuff written in the past 40 years, and I guess I get some points for recognizing at least 60% of the stuff on the list.

Day 302-- interesting thing about the Smashing Pumpkins

2007-07-05T01:18:00.000-04:00

The band broke up a few years ago. Singer/lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan wrote a plea in a Chicago newspaper for the band to reform, for the members to put the strains of the past behind them and band together once more. Drummer Jimmy Chamberlain jumped on board immediately, but no word from the other two original members (guitarist James Iha and bassist D'Arcy Wretzky).

The band recorded an album late last year. While the reformed Pumpkins kept their line-up a secret, they started booking dates across the world. And after much speculation, false news reports and guessing games, the band released a single and now the full new album--Zeitgeist--is being entirely streamed here.

It's not bad, at all. But that's not why I'm writing this. After playing their first show a few weeks ago, audiences realized that James Iha and D'Arcy weren't in the new rehash of the band. Instead, there's a second half-Asian guitarist (much like Iha) and a female bassist (much like D'Arcy). Plus, both of the new band members are or were part of various CCM-geared bands.

Very, very interesting.

Day 301-- the Egyptologist, by Arthur Phillips

2007-07-03T22:33:00.000-04:00

Fiction with an unreliable narrator: no big deal. Fiction with two unreliable narrators: something different.

Arthur Phillips's second novel, the Egyptologist, is a well-done--if not spectacular--exercise in narrative. Told through letters and journal entries from the 1920s and 1950s, the novel centers on Ralph Trilipush, an archaeologist searching for the tomb of the Egyptian ruler Atum-hadu. Trilipush is obsessed with the lost king, having translated what is rumored to be the king's collection of lewd poetry.

Trilipush falls in love with a young Bostonian socialite, and with the financial backing of her wealthy father, travels to an area outside of Cairo to find Atum-hadu's final resting place. The bulk of the novel are the journal entries, book notes and private letters of Trilipush, as well as those of his fiance.

Most of the other letters are dated 30 years later, from the mid-'50s. Written by dying private investigator Harry Ferrell, they focus on his search for a missing Australian autodidact and several murders tied to the man's disappearance. Ferrell's investigation ties directly into Trilipush's adventures.

The two narrators are in interesting positions: both want immortality, and both cloud the truth to get it without realizing they're doing so. The detective is more interested in his name living on in adventure novels based around his exploits that he misses that he's wildly off base with most of his thoughts. And the egyptologist is so obsessed with living forever--in more ways than one--that he's grasp on reality and truth slackens over the course of the novel.

The Egyptologist is brilliant in this area; the nuances used in the two narrators' language is precise and incredibly multi-layered. There are a few twists in the narrative that are foreshadowed by the Trilipush's language choice--and the way Phillips delivers it skillfully.

But much of the novel floats along too lazily, too carelessly. I didn't really get hooked into the story until the last third of the novel. And, in some ways, the two narrators aren't very likeable; while that's not a requirement for a good book, wishing ill upon the characters of a novel isn't a good sign.

And the book ends on a bizarre, surreal note; it's memorable, that's for sure, but I think I can say that I've never read a novel like the Egyptologist before, and I doubt I'll ever encounter one like it again.

Day 300-- the Proposition (2005)

2007-07-02T22:16:00.000-04:00

"Australia. What fresh hell is this?"

The Proposition is a very hard film to pigeonhole. It's an Australian-set western, but not in any traditional sense.

Set in the 1880s, the movie focuses on Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce, bleeding silent charisma onto the screen), a wanted criminal. Captured during a brutal gunfight in the beginning of the film, Charlie is offered a proposition by Captain Morris Stanley (Ray Winstone): Charlie is to find and kill his older brother Arthur by Christmas or his younger brother Mikey will be executed.

Charlie cares deeply for his slow-witted younger brother, so accepts Stanley's proposition. The film then pits the notion of justice versus the strength of family ties. Charlie is no innocent; the brothers are infamous for a very brutal reason, as the film slowly reveals. But he left Arthur (Danny Huston in an unforgettable role) for a reason, and you can tell there's quite a bit of conflict happening in Charlie's head throughout the movie.

As Charlie searches for Arthur and his gang, Stanley faces problems in the town he watches over. Stanley and his wife Martha (Emily Watson)--both English displaced to the 'colony'--reek of civility and proper-ness, both traits fading fast in the dusty Australian sun. Though noble in most of his reasons, Stanley crumples under the strain and brutality of the country.

The screenplay--written by Australian songwriter Nick Cave--is wound tighter than a bedspring. All of the major characters are driven by desires that turn out to be lies: Arthur believes that love rules all (while remaining a chilling murderer), Stanley wants to civilize Australia (and ends up letting chaos rule in the town), and so on. The ending is poetic, in a warped way, hinging on the phrase "no more" and showing that one character might, in fact, seek redemption.

John Hillcoat's direction is extraordinary, and the cinematography is so richly bleak that it's beautiful, in a stark way. Sunsets loom over everything, painting the few dying trees on the horizon with sickly orange hues. Flies are omnipresent, buzzing around townspeople and the numerous corpses that pile up over the film's duration.

With that in mind, the film is absolutely brutal. The violence is often unexpected and graphic. In fact, much of this movie makes a grisly western like Unforgiven seem tame in comparison. There are a few scenes that I would be fine with never watching again.

Cave, who has claimed a faith in Christ (a deeply troubled Christian, but I'm not doubting him), might've made an interesting point with the film. Stanley mentions the outback as Godforsaken, and a crazed bounty hunter (played wonderfully by John Hurt) mentions how God abandoned him in this land. Even the constant drone of flies in the background hints at a land without God, a land of violence and pain and hurt. Hell, in other words.

It's hard for me to openly recommend this to anyone--while the acting is incredible, and the soundtrack (by Cave...it's good enough to purchase on its own) and visuals are haunting, it's a harsh, harsh film. That I may have found it worthwhile in some ways, I realize most won't. The Proposition--in some ways--shows hell, and having seen it I can appreciate the good around me even more.

Trailer for the Proposition.

Day 299

2007-07-01T18:15:00.000-04:00

What a useful site!: Common errors in English.

Day 298-- favorite songs, the list

2007-06-30T10:35:00.000-04:00

Now, this--this is hard. A friend and I challenged each other last night to make mix CDs for each other with our five favorite songs. I expanded my end to fill up the mix with as many songs fit.

This is hard for me. I tried the same thing three years ago and--I realize in hindsight--that it turned into a timeline of my musical growth more than anything else. (That mix had lots of favorites, sure, but it was...off...in some ways.)

Now I get to try again. I need to seriously consider what it takes to be a favorite. Here's my list of criteria:

-I have to love it a lot.

Not a bad list. I think my favorite songs are all songs that just thinking about them makes me want to walk, run, drive to my CDs and find it and listen to it.

Let's see if I can build a list so far.

In no order:

-Matthew Sweet, "Sick of Myself"
-Matthew Sweet, "Girlfriend"
-Archers of Loaf, "Harnessed in Slums"
-Crooked Fingers, "Call to Love"
-Teenage Fanclub, "Alcoholiday"
-Hum, "Stars"
-Built to Spill, "Car"
-Pixies, "Letter to Memphis"
-Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, "Born to Run"
-Neil Young, "Like a Hurricane"
-the Bad Plus, "Lost of Love"
-John Coltrane, "My Favorite Things"
-the Beatles, "And Your Bird Can Sing"
-Big Star, "September Gurls"

There are a few '60s pop tunes that I know I must put on here, but I have to think long and hard about which ones. One of the biggest difficulties is confusing current favorites with songs that will last a long long time.

Day 297-- Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

2007-06-29T10:15:00.000-04:00

Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4.0 in Europe) is the second-best Die Hard movie. Though it may sound like a back-handed compliment, it isn't; I consider the original Die Hard the Action Movie By Which All Others Are Judged. The second movie in the franchise was a frustrating failure, and the third was a confused spectacle that teetered between entertaining and wretched.

Based off of an article from Wired magazine called "A Farewell to Arms," Live Free or Die Hard follows detective an older John McClane (Bruce Willis) as he gets stuck trying to foil a terrorist plot disrupt all telecommunication and power in the United States. He's called to pick up a 20-something techno-wiz Matt Farrell (Justin Long, who was amazing in the TV show "Ed" and this) for questioning. After saving the young man's life during a tense apartment shoot-out with some of the terrorist's henchmen, McClane ends up being 'that guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

The film is a rollercoaster from this point on, stringing white-knuckle sequences together with brief scenes that expand the plot. And you know what? It's wildly entertaining. There are a few overboard set pieces (the tractor trailer vs. Harriet jet bit was just ridiculous), but like in the original Die Hard, McClane is just an everyman who succeeds only because of his wit (and the fact that he's willing to get hurt to get the job done). The main theme is directed at McClane as an insult by the main villain: "you're a Timex in a digital world." McClane notices all of the high-tech gobbly-gok around him, but always opts for the old fashion route. And it works.

Aside from some of the forced dialogue and the previously-mentioned over-the-top action bits, I was disappointed by the rating: it's a PG-13 movie. This is sketchy--it's an R movie if I've ever seen one, and I think the MPAA pulled a fast one the studio muffled a few vulgarities. The rating doesn't bother me, necessarily; I'm just frustrated with the film studio's choice to try to tweak the rating like that to reach an audience they shouldn't be reaching.

But the movie is a great summer blockbuster, something more fresh than any superhero movie or CGI spectacle. McClane has snappy one-liners and banters well with Farrell, the bad guys are menacing (especially the few that employ parkour), and there's quite a lot of tension and excitement. This movie can wear its "second best" badge with pride.

Day 296-- low-brow vs. high art

2007-06-28T19:37:00.000-04:00

I read an article posted online the other day, a look back at the first Die Hard film and why it matters in film history (and why the second and third ones in the franchise don't). The article's author brought up an interesting point: among other things, the film could be seen as America's wave of pop culture (John McClane, awash in vulgarized western lingo) vs. European high art (sleazy Hans Gruber, eurotrash sophisticate).

As much as I've studied culture and the arts, I still am not sure how to approach the "high vs. low" argument. I think I dismiss both of those terms; art is art, I say, be it classical music or graffiti. But I can't help but wonder if the terms may have a place. Maybe I don't want to think more on it because it would force me to re-think certain stances I hold that've taken, well, years to arrive at.

What say you?

Day 295-- closing tracks

2007-06-27T10:44:00.000-04:00

Music aficionados are pretty much agreed on the importance of the opening track on an album, but it seems closing tracks often go unnoticed. I think closing tracks can make an album, and--in a year of strong albums--2007 has been graced with an abundance of great closing tracks.

Off the top of my head:
-Wilco, "On and On and On" (Sky Blue Sky)
-Arcade Fire, "My Body is a Cage" (Neon Bible)
-the National, "Gospel" (Boxer)
-Dolorean, "My Still Life" (You Can't Win)
-Andrew Bird, "Yawny at the Apocalypse" (Armchair Apocrypha)

And these are just just the closing tracks I've HEARD this year that I think are great; there are still some that are pretty darn good (Ted Leo's "C.I.A."). And 2007 is barely half over.

I think three of those above (the first three) would end up on my all-time favorite closer list (it's still unfinished, but Weezer's "Only in Dreams," Vigilantes of Love's "Solar System," Built to Spill's "Stab" and the Jayhawks' "Ten Little Kids" all have a home on it).

To wrap up this rambling post, here's a request: help me make a list of great closing tracks. And for that matter, what counts in a closing track? What makes the final song on an album special?

Day 294-- I change

2007-06-26T23:22:00.000-04:00

--I used to love winter and hate summer. I really like summer now.

--I was a beer snob. (I am still a beer snob.) But as of tonight, I sort of dig eating cold pizza, drinking lite beer and watching westerns.

--I said I'd never shave my beard off. I shaved my beard off.

--I used to say country music was terrible. I listen to country music now.

--I was always scared to travel outside of Beaver County (though I wanted to move away from it). Now I want to travel everywhere but live in Beaver County.

--I used to hate dogs. I love dogs now.

--I used to want to talk all of the time. No longer.

Day 293

2007-06-25T09:31:00.000-04:00

In all of my music archiving, I've often been drawn to the songs sung by musicians who normally aren't lead vocalists. Best example: when Ringo sang for the Beatles.

So I started digging through my music collection and recalling everything I've ever heard to find a collection of songs--good songs--that have a usually-not-singing-ever band member singing. The results are definitely good so far. Here are a few I want to highlight:

-"Bottomless Cup," by the Jayhawks (drummer Tim O'Reagan--a solo artist in his spare time--does a fantastic job...it's a pretty, subdued tune with a funky backbeat.)

-"Promises Broken," by Soul Asylum (lead guitarist Dan Murphy sings occasionally, but I think the few songs he's contributed to the band's huge song catalog are among the best. In fact, I'd say "Promises Broken" is the best song the band has ever done, a shuffling country pop rock song that's a nice departure from the scronky pseudo-Replacements mush that frontman Dave Pirner sometimes gets into.)

-"Saint Behind the Glass," by Los Lobos (though drummer/songwriter-turned-guitarist/songwriter Louie Perez has co-written most of the band's songs, he rarely sings. Still, "Saint Behind the Glass" is one of the band's best songs, somehow fragile and playful at the same time. Perez has a nasally voice, but it still works in the context.)

I'm still trying to think of some other ones. Have any input, readers?

Day 292-- Greetings from Bruceville

2007-06-24T20:16:00.000-04:00

This is simply amazing.

Day 291

2007-06-24T01:04:00.001-04:00

Hey, I have a sister now. That's pretty amazing.

Day 290-- the many faces of Wilco

2007-06-22T16:31:00.000-04:00

In the decade plus since they formed, Wilco has only had two consistent members: Jeff Tweedy (vocals/guitar) and John Stirratt (bass/vocals). I found videos featuring each of the many line-ups.

Wilco Mk I (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Jay Bennett, Ken Coomer, Max Johnston)

Wilco Mk II (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Jay Bennett, Ken Coomer; minus Max Johnston)

Wilco Mk III (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Jay Bennett, Ken Coomer; plus Leroy Bach)

Wilco Mk III (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Leroy Bach, Jay Bennett; minus Ken Coomer, plus Glen Kotche)

Wilco Mk IV (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Leroy Bach, Glenn Kotche; minus Jay Bennett)

Wilco Mk V (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Leroy Bach, Glenn Kotche; plus Mikael Jorgenson)

Wilco Mk VI (Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche, Mikael Jorgenson; minus Leroy Bach, plus Nels Cline, plus Pat Sansone)

Day 289-- on the drive home

2007-06-21T22:39:00.000-04:00

On the way home from my brother's wedding rehearsal dinner, I saw something beautiful. I edged around the slow bend of PA-60 N that precedes the Brighton exit, a few hundred feet from cresting the lazy hill; the sky just exploded in color, the twilight shading the clouds with faint gray etchings. The cloud formation trembled, turned; it was like the horizon was the center of a pinwheel and I was driving along the thin pole at the center. And the faint light hit it just so, illuminating the highway in the process, wisps of fog reaching from the valley to tickle chins of the clouds before they went to bed. It was beautiful.

Day 288-- Hot Fuzz (2007)

2007-06-20T23:05:00.000-04:00

Shaun of the Dead was a weird little film; while a parody of many of the zombie films of the '70s and '80s, it also was a great zombie film on its own. It was scary, well-acted, and insanely funny. And a romantic comedy.

And as an English filmed saturated with English humor, it did surprisingly well with box office returns in the United States.

Hot Fuzz does for buddy-cop movies what Shaun did for zombie flicks, and--surprise!--both were by the same creative team. It rests in the odd little nook between mockery and homage, and ends up being more entertaining and better-made than the action films that inspired it.

Nicholas Angel (played by Simon Pegg, who also co-wrote Shaun in addition to this film) is a veteran London sergeant that is so good at what he does that his superiors ship him to the quaint English village of Sandford--there he won't make anyone 'look bad.' There's not violent crime here, and the most pressing emergency is kicking under-aged drinkers out of the pub.

He and his cohorts--including the bumbling son of the police captain (Nick Frost, another Shaun alum)--start investigating a string of accidents that, well, might not be accidents. Or they may actually be accidents, and Nicholas is just too much of a busybody to turn his over-analytical mind off.

As a comedy, Hot Fuzz pulls off a difficult task: it has a great number of 'immediate' jokes (all I have to say is "brain freeze"), but the movie is soaked in complex and intelligent jokes that take take a while to unravel. Some of little visual cues, others running gags (there are many little subtle jokes revolving around the phrase "just desserts" for about a quarter of the movie). And Wright goes bonkers with the Jerry Bruckheimer-ish over-editing, adding unnecessary fast cuts and sound effects to scenes where people are doing paperwork or waiting for trains. In some ways it's very postmodern, begging for deconstruction and multiple viewings, but it's a lot of fun any way you examine it.

The final third of the movie is over-the-top action, but it both fits into the plot and doesn't (which is sort of the point). And--like Shaun of the Dead--there are a few instances of seriousness that are almost out of place, but end up making the movie that much better.

Hot Fuzz is great. I want to see it again, and I'd love to buy it so I can watch it over and over and pick up things I missed before. I love company for these sorts of things.

Trailers for the movie.

Day 287-- water-only Tuesdays

2007-06-19T21:44:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my friend Megan told me how she had started "water-only Mondays;" she and a friend would not eat the entire day, nor would they drink anything but water. "It's a way to detox," she said. Purge the system.

So I thought I would give water-only Tuesdays a try.

It went surprisingly well. While the hunger pangs passed around 2 p.m., I had a small piece of watermelon ("water"--get it? tee hee) and a pastry later in the evening. This was to ward off the dizziness that had set in. It wasn't too bad of a start, though, and I did drink the eight cups of water that I'm told you're supposed to drink daily.

I might try to make a habit of this, but at the very least I want to drink more water more often. I feel refreshed and clean.

Day 286-- why eMusic is cooler than iTunes

2007-06-18T21:50:00.000-04:00

1) While iTunes has a great selection, eMusic has a better selection. And eMusic has exclusive concerts from bands, out-of-print material and a huge roster of mainstream and independent artists. iTunes sometimes has exclusives, but eMusic still wins with their selection.

2) eMusic doesn't have creepy copy-protected file issues. If you buy an MP3 off of iTunes, you can initially only listen to it on an iPod. ONLY. You can rip the song from iTunes to a CD and then rip it again as an MP3...but that's a lot of work. If I download songs from eMusic, I can listen to it any way I like.

3) eMusic is inexpensive. While you pay per song with iTunes ($0.99 per track), eMusic has a flat fee. I signed on initially to do a free trial offer: it was free for a month and I got 30 downloads. I downloaded the songs and then canceled the service. They made another offer--sign up for a paid program and get 50 more songs free. So I signed up for the basic program--30 songs a month for $9.95--and got 50 more tunes. That's 110 songs for $9.95. For a few cents more you can get one album on iTunes. Do the math.

Day 285-- my own medicine

2007-06-17T22:42:00.000-04:00

One of my flaws is that I mistake brevity for irritation or avoidance. Say someone is not as chatty as they could be--I read this as, "Oh, well, I'm just being a pain, I guess." Rest assured, I'm aware that I do this and I've been getting better at not doing it. And someday soon I won't do it at all (Lord willing)!

But in the meantime, I will be as brief as I can. I have a number of reasons for this, most of them not related to whatever neurotic tic I have. It will still help me, I believe; the less that comes from my mouth means I can listen and think more, and hopefully show me that not talking doesn't necessarily mean anything other than less words are being used.

So if you want to see me as something other than a motormouth, here's your opportunity.

Day 284-- three things

2007-06-16T19:49:00.000-04:00

1).

2). Literally.

3). Trailer for the new P.T. Anderson (Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love) movie There Will Be Blood! It's based off of the Upton Sinclair novel Oil! Gosh, all of these trailers are being released at once.

Day 283-- No Country for Old Men trailer released

2007-06-15T18:05:00.000-04:00

The Coen brothers. Cormac McCarthy. A list of great actors. After waiting for several years, the official trailer for No Country for Old Men has been released.

It looks like the film will stick close to the book. Good; the novel is great exploration of how people deal with evil. And it's both chilling and exciting.

Day 282-- covers that are better than the original

2007-06-14T15:22:00.000-04:00

As some charming, suave guy I know (I think his name is Keith?) once said, some musical artists I know seem to exist solely so better bands can cover their material. (The main example we agreed on was the Rolling Stones, but I digress.)

But occasionally, a great artists will have their great song redone by someone else and it's even better. You may think I'm nuts, but Dolorean's version of the late Elliott Smith's "the Biggest Lie" is amazing.

While the hushed paranoia and lo-fi jittering of the original was captivating, the fact that Dolorean turns this into a whispery, almost bouncy late-night jaunt blows my mind. And I can't deny it--I love the band, and I love Al James' voice (especially since both and and I have very similar singing styles).

Day 281

2007-06-13T22:58:00.000-04:00

Do you ever associate one sense with another? Example: "Golly, Sue--this popsicle tastes like an old library book smells." While that's a fairly weird--maybe extreme--example, I'd also include associating, say, a photograph with a very different sound (thinking of lapping waves when you see a black-and-white photo of an old train car).

I do this often; maybe not as often as when I was a child, but still often enough. Is this normal?

PS--I realize that asking a question might get people to respond. I remember when people read my 'blog, back in the day.

Day 280-- VGA

2007-06-12T23:47:00.000-04:00

My parents kept me far from video games when I was a child. This was a wise move. My friends all had Nintendo Entertainment Systems, and the times I had played them while visiting resulted in adults physically pulling me away from a sweat-smeared controller.

Their error was in purchasing a computer. The first one we had was a Texas Instrument Somethingoranothermodel in the mid-'80s, and when I was a wee child I would spend hours playing Hangman or typing games. This seems innocent, maybe, but I think I was in it for the digital adrenaline rush and not-so-much the educational aspect. My folks eventually got new computers when I was in middle school. These computers sometimes came with video games. My mom also got shareware magazines, and mom and dad eventually caved and let me get a few. Mistake.

Wolfenstein 3D started it; I spent hours playing that game, days thinking about it. Then came Doom, which rightly worried my folks (they then un-installed it and forbid me to play it). Then other video games, some fairly innocent in their content. The moral of the story is that I had become a full-fledged Video Game Player. I was a Gamer.

This isn't a tirade against violent video games, or anything; rather, it's more of a weird reflection from a former addict. My floor in college--basement Pearce--was known as the "video game floor" during my time at Geneva. My group of friends played games ALL DAY, ALL YEAR LONG. We talked about it at dinner and lunch and in the bathroom; friends dumped girlfriends over them (exaggeration, but not by much).

While I still own a few games, I haven't put serious effort into a video game in over four months. And I have a feeling that this trend will continue for a while. Sure, there are a few games that I think would be fun to re-install and play. Fallout is one, Thief another, maybe Deus Ex or Half-Life 2...or System Shock 2, my pick for 'best video game ever.' But--interestingly--the most attractive aspect about all of these games are their deep, rewarding well-written STORIES. And regarding that, I'd be fine with just thinking about how interesting the storyline was for those games without every playing them again.

I feel like I've pushed away the game fanaticism, buried it in the back yard and lost track of where the fresh dirt was. It's a great feeling, like I've kicked a costly habit and can now engage it with a casualness of which I would've never dreamt.

Day 279

2007-06-11T21:30:00.000-04:00

Flight of the Conchords, a New Zealand comedy-folk duo (they label themselves as digi-folk) got signed on to HBO for their own half-hour comedy show. They have the first episode online here. Watch it for free. While not to crass, the humor is probably R-rated (or hard PG-13).

Still, I laughed a lot. Maybe you will too.

Day 278

2007-06-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

A lesson-learned this weekend: sun is kind of cool. Never one to "soak up the rays," I've avoided lots of sunlight--intentionally or not--by swinging around excuses about how I burn easily.

But the life-long farmer's tan needs to go. I managed to get the white to recede a half inch or so on my biceps last year; time to go all of the way! The problem is that, though I want to get rid of it, wearing sleeveless shirts is A) a criminal fashion statement, and B) counterproductive--I'd want to hide in the house all day because of the shocking pale white of my upper arms.

Possible solution: make sure to dry my laundry more than needed. That way, when the sleeves shrink on my t-shirts, I'll be able to cut through the ivory skin with thick swathes of Sol.

Wait. Bad idea.

Day 277

2007-06-10T22:31:00.000-04:00

But I like New York. A lot.

Day 276-- Garden State

2007-06-08T22:39:00.000-04:00

I hate New Jersey.

Day 275-- I'm in middle school again

2007-06-07T23:01:00.000-04:00

The Lemonheads are back together, recorded an album not too long ago.

Buffalo Tom are back from their decade-long hiatus, are recording a new album and are touring.

Smashing Pumpkins are back together, are releasing a new album and are touring.

Pixies are back together, are recording a new album and have toured a bunch.

Dinosaur Jr. are back together, have recorded a new album and are touring.

I feel like I am 12 again.

Day 274

2007-06-06T23:38:00.000-04:00

Cormac McCarthy--the now-Pulitzer winner that I spent too much time 'blogging about--gave his first television interview this past Tuesday. To Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey picked McCarthy's most recent novel the Road as a recent Oprah's Book Club selection. Which is good, since now tons of people are buying it. It's a book people should buy, and love and cherish.

I didn't catch McCarthy's interview, but reading the blurbs in the article linked above...I'm not surprised. The man is infamously reclusive, though, so it's good he came out of his shell. (He's 73 and--if my memory serves me well--he's only give two print interviews ever too in his 40-some year writing career.)

Day 273

2007-06-06T00:08:00.000-04:00

How much can you change yourself? What can you change and what can you not change? What should you change and what should you understand is vital brickwork to your personality?

Why do these questions haunt me? Mold me so that I may glorify you, LORD.

Day 272-- Internet Down!

2007-06-05T14:21:00.000-04:00

Posting this on borrowed time...I guess when things like this happen (rain messing with 'net access) I realize how dependant I am on it. I wish I weren't.

Day 271-- two things I want to do this summer

2007-06-03T17:06:00.001-04:00

Go to Kennywood.

Go to Cedar Point.

Day 270-- it's been close to a year and a half...

2007-06-03T01:50:00.001-04:00

...but I finally tied the last loose ends of a short story idea off. It came from a song title; the basic premise wrote itself, in a way, as did the characters, climax, resolution and so on. But there were several plot points that I never resolved, and they were ones that were vital to the plot.

The story didn't really get anywhere because of this, so I tucked it away in the back of my mind. Every time I thought about submitting a story for a publication or something of the ilk, I'd pull the story idea out for a moment, remember why I tucked it in that neglected bookshelf in my skull, and put it back.

But no longer. I think I'm going to submit it to Luke's wonderful project. The working title--still unchanged since Sept. '05--is "Aria Largo."

Day 269-- how I came up with an idea to write an essay

2007-06-01T18:59:00.000-04:00

All of the following thoughts are connected, I promise.

In my quest to get some free stuff, I signed up for a month-long trial of Blockbuster's online rental service. And I thought, "Hey, I have this for a month. I should use it."

So I started browsing through the DVDs listed on the site; like the more well-known NetFlix, you can have your rentals sent to your door in a matter of days, with little turn-around time 'til the next one comes. I'm canceling soon, I thought. Might as well make the most of it.

I ended up looking at John Ford films. Noticing a few that I've not seen (Sergeant Rutledge and Cheyenne Autumn, to be precise), it occurred to me that Ford's films--while incredibly entertaining--have a heavy streak of social justice and compassion to them. Even some of his more well-known and well-regarded movies, like She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, the Searchers, the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and the adaptation of Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath all have elements that question the status quo, seek redemption and forgiveness. And when I was little I just thought Ford did cool westerns.

That said, I might take advantage of this DVD-renting for a month and write an essay on the Ford/social justice thing. Maybe Comment will take it? Who knows--it'll be fun regardless.

Day 268-- to musical friends, both new and long-lost

2007-05-31T22:57:00.000-04:00

The last time I had listened to Weezer's self-titled debut album was when I was still in college. Not too long ago, but not exactly recent. The album has an incredible amount of emotional baggage tethered to it, so as much as I've enjoyed it over the years, I've drifted away from it.

It was like dusting off a photo album; some of the photos were enjoyable when they were taken, but looking at them years later is painful in some ways. The bad haircut you had, pimples, friends that've drifted away. But the photograph is still wonderful. You can see how things have changed, and hopefully value the trials and joys that've come since.

So though the guitar tone on the album may now sound too much like AC/DC for my taste, and though I now realize how sketchy Rivers Cuomo's voice is, I still sing along to every track. I know all of the vocal cracks, all of the guitar solos, all of the unhinged harmonies. And "Only In Dreams" is still a beautiful, beautiful song.

And on this same day, I got a copy of the newest album by the National, called Boxer. I really know nothing about the band, but gave it a spin on a friend's recommendation. It's great--as trite as it might sound, it's mellow and intense simultaneously. The vocalist has a lazy baritone that drifts over the rest of the music--lush, crackling guitars and light piano accents more often than not--before settling down.

I don't even know what to compare them to. That's good, right? Names that jump to my head: Leonard Cohen, the Church, Joy Division, Nick Drake, U2 and the sorely under-appreciated Spain. It's a warm album, layering like a blanket that's soft to the touch. The softer songs crackle with a vibrancy, the fast 'loud' songs more hushed and subdued.

Hopefully I hear an another album closer as good as "Gospel," too; wow. (here are their songs "Fake Empires" and "Mistaken for Strangers")

Maybe when I dust Boxer off in 2010, I'll notice the spots and flubs. But by then, we'll be close enough friends that it shouldn't matter at all.