Shuffle of the Day 5 - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Keane & Faultline

On the whole, I don't care for Elton John. Yet, if I hear an Elton John song performed by someone else, I like the damn thing, like the version of "Your Song" from Moulin Rouge or Me First & the Gimme Gimmes cover of "Rocket Man". The same can be said about Keane & Faultine's pretty much note-for-note cover of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". I don't particularly care for Keane and Faultline had one real good song ("Where Is My Boy" with Chris Martin of Coldplay), but they capture the melancholy nature of this song of loss. Maybe I like this song so much these days because thats kind of how I feel these days I as grope around for a direction for the future. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" seems to convey that loss of direction that I've been feeling. Not that I really lack direction, on the contrary, I know exactly where I'm going physically, but it doesn't seem to temper the feeling that part of me is still seeking an anchor or at least a compass of some sort. Of course, being 29, maybe I'm asking too much to have both my professional and personal life in order like so many ducks in a row, but hey, one can dream, right?


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So, Friday I meant to skip work and have fun. Instead I skipped work and got, well, sick. So no entry on Friday. Luckily, I seem to have mostly recovered from my malady. I spent a lovely weekend watching episodes of Newsradio, the most underappreciated show ever, along with two great movies: Ghost World and Night of the Hunter. If Robert Mitchum isn't the creepiest preacher ever, I don't know who is (and in rewatching Nigth of the the Hunter, I realized where a lot of the the inspiration for the Caleb character on BtVS was derived.)

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Here is last week's iPod top 10
10 Blue Light (Engineers' Anti-Gravity Mix) - Bloc Party
9 Emily Kane - Art Brut
8 Ballad of the Sin Eater - Ted Leo/Pharmacists
7 Jogging Gorgeous Summer - the Islands
6 The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living - the Streets
5 Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me - the Pipettes
4 Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby - the Islands
3 Like U Crazy - Mates of State
2 Can't Con an Honest John - the Streets
1 Y.M.M.W.D.S.B. - Mon Frere

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Here is a new double review on TIG: Built to Spill - You in Reverse/Quasi - When the Going Gets Dark

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Shuffle of the Day 4 - "This is Not a Love Song" by Public Image Ltd.

This is one of those songs that either you like it (I fall here) or you hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. Let's see, it's (a) highly repetitive; (b) features Johnny Lydon's nasal, whiny vocals; (c) kind of disco-punk from the early 1980's. Not exactly middle America's cup of tea. "This is Not a Love Song" almost appears as a performance art piece disguised as music, making a statement about writing a song that isn't a love song, and making sure we know its not a love song. It might sound a little date these days, however, when I listen to "This is Not a Love Song" today, you begin to realize that lots of today's current dance rock bands owe a large debt to Public Image Ltd. Heck, they practically invented the genre after the demise of the Sex Pistols allowed Johnny to combine punk & dance into a gooey mess. Listen to pretty much anything by the Rapture and what do you get? Whiny vocals, guitars and dance beats, repetitive vocals. For that, Johnny Lydon can know that no matter how much his talk shows fail or his unpleasant Sex Pistols reunion tours might offend, PiL will live in on all these bands.

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I had the good fortune to see Casey Dienel and Tiger Saw again last night, this time in a sparsely filled club in Seattle (the Sunset Tavern). And just like the first time, Casey wowed me yet again, she seems to be able to easily get the crowd to just eat out of her hand whether she knows it or not. She comes across as so demure, but then just belts those songs out. Those of you who haven't checked out her album, Wind-Up Canary should do so. Now.
Tiger Saw was in Readers Digest form - instead of the 8 man entourage that I saw in Boston, they were down to 3: Dylan, Casey and the new drummer angel. The songs were on a diet too, shorter than I remember, but still captivating, especially at the end when they "let loose" (i.e., Dylan looked slightly more animated) on one of my favorites, "Postcards & Letters". Both Casey & Tiger Saw are playing in Portland this weekend and then they head to California. Go see them. Do it!
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I was recently asked if I really am choosing the song that is the first to come up or am I cherry picking. Never! First song, no matter what. You're all just going to have to trust me. Really.
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Shuffle of the Day 3 - "Do Re Me So Far So Good" by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine

1992 feels like a long time ago. I suppose it is 14 years ago now, but back in the day, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (Carter USM for short) was selling out shows left and right in the UK. They were huge. Why they never made it in the US with a name like that, especially considering that it was spawned from former president Jimmy Carter, their lack of fame always baffled me. Then again, when I listen to "Do Re Me So Far So Good", only an ok song from 1992: the Love Album I realize maybe it was because, heck, Carter USM weren't that good a lot of the time. I mean, I really do quite like "The Only Living Boy in New Cross", but "Do Re Me..." is just kind of flat. Yes, synths. Yes, guitars. Yes, sort of witty lyrics. Satisfying, not really. I think it falls into the category of songs on my iPod of "Maybe they're still good, we'll see". I do remember liking the song when I was younger, when I could be the only boy at Oakmont Regional that was listening to Carter USM (yes, I was that cool, if by cool you mean totally uncool). These days, I just think that Carter USM was a poor man's Pop Will Eat Itself or a less polished Jesus Jones. And that, in itself, is an odd statement and a testament to the oddness of the late 80's/early 90's British music scene.

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Red Sox 14, Yankees 3. Need I say more? No, I needn't.

Anybody wanna find me a place to live in Davis?

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Shuffle of the Day 2 - "Chemicals" by Notwist

Apparently, to match my mood this morning, my iPod has decided to deliver me a rather bittersweet, melacholy song. Unlike most though, this is a sad song if sad songs were written by and for robots. Everything about this song has an odd metallic sheen to it: the synth is static-y, the drums are artificial, the vocals are stilted (ok, the lead singer is not a native English speaker, but the effect is the same). The instruments creep in one by one building the song like some sort of sad bastard Voltron. However, beneath all of the technological skin beats the heart of a human. "Chemicals" has an undeniable tenderness that says both pain and forgiveness for whatever wrongs have been done. You are no good/you are no good he sings in the chorus, but the tone is undeniable not one of anger but instead of sadness and redemption. I honestly could not name another Notwist song to save my life, and that might be the way I like it. "Chemicals" is as close to being a perfect song (for the band) that hearing another might ruin my perception. I hope the robot gets his wish, that's all.

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New TIG review: Starlight Mints - Drowaton

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Shuffle of the Day 1 - "Movin' On Up" by Primal Scream

5/8/2006 - "Movin' On Up" by Primal Scream
So, in the inaugural SOTD, I get a song that I never would have guessed would come up (how would I expect to guess what would come up? No idea). Primal Scream's "Movin' On Up" was a favorite in high school for me, heck I had the cassingle for the song and listened to it repeated on my old, grey, creaking cassette Walkman on the bus. Nothing like riding the bus in high school, especially when you're an awkward, nerdy youth who is listening to obscure British bands. Ah yes. Funny thing, after haven't not really heard this song in years, I wished that I still thought it was good. I must have at the time, but now, it just seems to derivative. Screamadelic, the album that "Movin' On Up" is culled, has some real classics like "Come Together", but this song sounds like a bad 70's rock knockoff right down to the overly austentatious gospel choir. What it does have going for it is a great intro - I still got excited at the roughly strummed guitar that leads the song - but the rest seems to fall flat. Oh well, some much for youthful memories.

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I think I'm in love with this band. You should be too.

Big Changes to the blog

Hello all --

When I started this blog, I had no idea what I was doing. I ranted about things - baseball, music, love, life - but really, it was merely of interest to people who know me. That's all well and good, but I would like to become universal. Ok, not universal, but more universal. I had attempted to do this my attempting to write my Island of Lost Albums column, but that failed pretty miserably. Instead, I needed to simply. I needed to attempt something that can be done is less than 1 hours per day. So, I was struck by a new idea: the Shuffle of the Day. Starting tomorrow, each day I will have a paragraph or two about the first song to come up on my iPod (set on shuffle) in the morning. I'll keep a little journal on what I think about when I hear the song. Maybe my attempt at a Songbook. That's why the blog got a new name: Ionic Radiio (no, it's not a typo). I'd like to get any comments once I get rolling. Don't worry, the other stuff will stick around too, but I'd like to have a little rhyme or reason to the whole thing. Hope you enjoy it!

Erik

Busy day

Ok, well, first things first. The proposal I wrote with the faculty I will be working with in Davis didn't get funded, yet again, by the National Science Foundation. This time, it was fundable, they just ran out of money before they got to it. It makes me wonder, what exactly does it take to get funded these days? Everyone I know gets turned down, but someone has to be getting that money. Who? And where? I mean, what kind of profession requires that your workers need to go out and find their own money to do the work you want them to be doing anyway (i.e., research at a university). The system is ridiculous. Add in the fact that everyone wants you to have postdoc experience, yet no one wants to pay you to be a postdoc (I've lucked out), you begin to wonder if they might as well cut to the chase and say that all recent Ph.D. need to do a year of indentured servitude before they can apply for real positions. My friends, I love geology and teaching, but if you want a stable life that doesn't drive you mad and isn't stacked against you most of the way, don't do academics.

Well, thats my rant for the day. I guess I don't handle rejection well, and I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired and I won't take it anymore. Blah.

Anyway, I seem to have taken over TIG lately, so here is a new review Islands - Return to the Sea.

And the weekly iPod top 10!
10 I Will See You in Far Off Places - Morrissey
9 Blue Light (Engineers Anti-Gravity Mix) - Bloc Party
8 Emily Kane - Art Brut
7 The Ballad of the Sin Eater - Ted Leo/Pharmacists
6 The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living - the Streets
5 Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby - Islands
4 Can't Con an Honest John - the Streets
3 Like U Crazy - Mates of State
2 Y.M.M.W.D.S.B. - Mon Frere
1 Walk Through the Fire - Cast from Buffy the Vampire Slayer*

* = this may be the last week for Buffy before she's retired. Right now she doubles the playcount of #2. Ah well.

Thursday, yet again, again

Today seems to have ground to a halt and possibly starting moving in reverse. In fact, today I caught myself telling someone that I would take care of something yesterday. Yes, I can't even keep my temporal frame of mind working in the right direction. Ah well. Not much to do this evening except go to the gym and watch more episodes of Angel on DVD. I have to admit, I might not have given the show a fair shake when it was first on as I am quite enjoying it so far in Season 1. Ah well.

Anything else? No.

Anybody out there reading from Davis, just out of curiousity? I got me some more questions.

More reviews!

I've been busy lately!

Mates of State - Bring It Back

Two New Reviews

For your entertainment:

Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
Mon Frere - Blood, Sweat & Swords

Enjoy!

The Return of Dumpy Doug

We couldn't go too long on ICYI without mentioning the return of Dumpy Doug Mirabelli to the Red Sox (for Josh Bard, Cla Meredith & $). I, for one, like anything that makes Tim Wakefield pitch better. Doug will even be in tonight's lineup vs. the Yankers (after arriving at Fenway an hour before).

Back from California

Well, It's final. I will be moving to Davis for that postdoc sometime in the early summer. Let the fun begin. I guess that means I have to move again. And I love moving. Did I mention that?

My flight to Davis was 1 1/2 hours late because the 737-700 was leaking from the tail rudder. Yeah, that much fun. They apparently decided it would be A-OK except "we might fishtail a little". Now, call me crazy, but I prefer my large aircraft to not fishtail. Well, the flight was fine.

Davis seems like a cool place. Sunny & warm when I was there, full of bikes & women. Yeah. The Geology department is full of friendly, relatively young faculty. I was duly impressed with the set up (although they are a little cramped for space).

I'll be posting some pics from the flights to and from Sacramento here sometime soon. Guess what? They're mostly pics of volcanoes. Surprising eh?

California

I'll be down in Davis, Ca for the next few days checking out the UC-Davis campus and the area. Why? you ask. Well, looks like I will be moving to Davis by the summer to start an exciting new life as a postdoc. Woo! Woo indeed.

And seeing I won't be around to post my iPod Top 10, I thought I'd do it now.
Enjoy!

10 When You Wasn't Famous - the Streets
9 Once, A Glimpse - Maximo Park
8 Me Too - the Clipse
7 I Will See You in Far Off Places - Morrissey
6 The Ballad of the Sin Eater - Ted Leo/Pharmacists
5 Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby - Islands
4 Emily Kane - Art Brut
3 Like U Crazy - Mates of State
2 Y.M.M.W.D.S.B. - Mon Frere
1 Walk Through the Fire - The Cast from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

If I haven't mentioned it, the new Islands album Return to the Sea is the bomb. Kaplow!

Designing a nervous breakdown

It's been one of those weeks.

Leave for Davis on Thursday AM to decide the next phase of my life. Woo.

Here is a new review! The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea. Enjoy!

The Devil & Daniel Johnston

I saw The Devil & Daniel Johnston last night. It was quite good, kind of depressing and full of lots of familiar songs. One of my all-time favorite songs has always been "Speeding Motorcycle" done by Yo La Tengo with Daniel calling in to do the vocals. Something about his vocals are so captivating, like he's talking directly to us. I also realized that one of my favorite early Built to Spill songs, "Some Things Last a Long Time", is also penned by Johnston. If the movie plays near you, you should go enjoy it with people you like, like I did.

PDX, Corvallis and the top 10

I'm off to Oregon to visit with folks. First to Portland (a poor man's Seattle. Or, apparently these days, an indie rock haven with the likes of Stephen Malkmus, Janet Weiss, Decemberists, etc all hanging out and about) and then to Corvallis (why do I keep going back there? It's got to be the Corvallis vortex I tell you.) Busy weekend.

For those of you keeping track, here is my current iPod top 10. Buffy holds the top spot, but lots of new entries.

10 Thieves (Live) - Ministry
9 Once, A Glimpse - Maximo Park
8 Me Too - the Clipse
7 Theme from Doctor Who (Belgian Jazz Version) - Bill Bailey
6 Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby - the Islands
5 The Ballad of the Sin Eater - Ted Leo/Pharmacists
4 Emily Kane - Art Brut
3 Y.M.M.W.D.S.B. - Mon Frere
2 Like U Crazy - Mates of State
1 Walk Through the Fire - Cast from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Yes, Thursday

Again ...

Myspace, Friendster and the Vortex of Evil.

So, you might have heard of myspace.com and friendster. Social networking for people on the web. Seems like a good idea right? People these days mostly have no idea how to meet people in real life, especially us nerds. However. However. However, I'd like to argue they are all EVIL. They are time burglars. They make people in stalkers whether they know it or not. So, I've decided to exile myself from these places until the summer. Thats my goal. Actions are being taken to make sure this is fulfilled. It will happen. Just you wait. At some point, they will be useful to me and to other. Until then, adios to the vortex of evil.

Major League Turnover

Just for kicks, I checked how many players are left on the World Series winning teams since 2000. Here's the list!
Number of total players refers to all players who appeared for the team that year.
* indicates player left team and then returned

2000 New York Yankees: 8.7% - 4 out of 46 (M. Rivera, D. Jeter, J. Posada, B. Williams)
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks: 6.3% - 3 out of 48 (M. Batista*, C. Counsell*, L. Gonzalez)
2002 Anaheim Angels: 24.3% - 10 out of 41 (B. Donnelly, J. Lackey, F. Rodriguez, S. Shields, J. Molina, C. Figgins, A. Kennedy, G. Anderson, D. Erstad, T. Salmon)
2003 Florida Marlins - 5% - 2 out of 40 (D. Willis, M. Cabrera)
2004 Boston Red Sox - 24% - 12 out of 50 (A. Alvarez, L. DiNardo, K. Foulke, C. Schilling, M. Timlin, T. Wakefield, J. Varitek, K. Youkilis, G. Kapler*, T. Nixon, M. Ramirez, D. Ortiz)

Lots of music to deal with these days.

Good weekend.

I've gotten a bevy of new CDs to deal with for the website. Look forward to reviews of the following:

Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
Quasi - When the Going Gets Darks
Mon Frere - Blood, Sweat & Swords
Mates of State - Bring It Back
Rainer Maria- Catastrophe Brings Us Together
Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
Pretty Girls Make Graves - Elan Vital

Anybody want to get Manny Ramirez hitting again? Jeez, its 2 weeks into the season and he still doesn't have an extra base hit. Damn you, Manny! But thank god for Chris Shelton picking up the slack for the King County Felons.

Return of the iPod Top 10

It's been a weird, mostly good week here in ICYI world. I'll elaborate in the future.

In the meantime ...

I just got the new Built to Spill album, and dang, its good.
New TIG review for you to peruse: The Middle Wages - The Middle Wages.

And, my current iPod top 10. It's odd.

10 Blue Light (Engineer's Anti-Gravity Mix) - Bloc Party
9 Doctor Who (Belgian Jazz Version) - Bill Bailey
8 A Minor Incident - Badly Drawn Boy
7 Emily Kane - Art Brut
6 Shoehorn with Teeth - They Might Be Giants
5 Goin' Against Your Mind - Built to Spill
4 Dry Drunk Emporer - TV on the Radio
3 Postcards & Letters - Tiger Saw
2 Thieves (Live) - Ministry
1 Walk Through the Fire - Cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Indeed!

New Review

I'll keep updating my review list while I re-energize to continue this thing.

Here it is...enjoy (even if Jessica won't read any)
Vitalic - OK Cowboy

Break time

Ions are taking a break for a while while I figure out, you know, life.

Yes, it's true

Your humble writer has been handed his walking papers by TGIF. If you couldn't guess, it came as a bit of a surprise to me. I personally thought things were going quite well between us, and really they were. However, this is where the "relationship is two people" thing kicks in and she decided that she couldn't fully commit the "way I needed her to". So, more or less, she liked me, but not enough to want to become "girlfriend". Apparently, in her mind, I wasn't long-term material for whatever reason. Yes, we have our differences - I tend to like to plan things out, she likes to be more spontaneous; when I like someone, I want to be with them a lot, she is used to being wholly independent. In my mind, not huge differences, but she thinks otherwise.

So, here I am. I have half a mind to give up on this whole relationship business. As I see all my friends pair off in marriages or longterm relationships, yet I continue to get the "I like you, but not enough speech" (4 girls in a row now!) I begin to wonder if its something I'm doing wrong. My friend Ashley seems to think that maybe I'm too nice and girls want the challenge of taming a wild man. I think thats bollocks because all the girls I talk to complain that they can't "meet a nice guy". Hello? Right here, ladies.

Seattle may have run its course with me. Might be time to move on. However, part of me doesn't want to do that because I feel like I'm just wandering from place to place every time something like this happens. Sometimes I think I made some fundamental mistakes that I wish I could take back with certain people, but hey, unless I do anything about it, I guess I'll never know. (Ok, that was odd and vague, eh?)

TGIF just dumped me.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Here we are in April...and I am a mere 2 DVDs away from having watching all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 1 through 7, in order. Started in November. Really, other than season 5 (the one with Glory as the Big Bad), the show is still darn good. I'm especially surprised about how much I've liked season 7 as when I saw it when it was firstrun, I remember thinking that I felt like a trainwreck. Hmmm. I forgot how much I enjoyed Principal Wood, too. I'm just dreading the series finale as that I definitely remember being disappointed by. Not as much as I was disappointed by the X-Files series finale, but still ...

New Review

Here's something a little different - My review of four new singles by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Morrissey, Built to Spill & the Streets. Enjoy!

Opening Day

So Opening Day in upon is upon us. Well, its upon us on Sunday. Woo! It couldn't come soon enough. Thats all I have to say.

March definitely needs to move out and be replaced by April. This last week wasn't too much fun ... ah well.

I'd post my iPod top 10, but it really hasn't changed that much. I think I need to reset my playcount and see what happens. Of course, I'd be convinced that such a move would bring me back luck. Sometimes I feel trapped by my weird OCD habits that convince me that what song I listen to in the morning, what cereal I eat, whether my dishes are washed, what my desktop is, what bus I take, etc etc have a direct effect on my life. Like somehow TGIF will change her mind based on whether I eat my lunch in the right order. Its probably a bad thing, and this weekend I need to make it my goal to stop doing it. Except then I start getting really nervous and anxious. Yes, my friends, I might be going mad. Next thing you know I'll be talking to invisible people and thinking I'm a tree. That's that.

And on that note, I think I'm going to eat some food.

It must be Thursday because my brain is empty

My picks for '06

Ok, some of you have seen this, but here is an abbreviated look at my MLB picks for 2006

AL
East - New York
Central - Cleveland
West - Oakland
Wild Card - Boston
Most Improved Team - Seattle (2nd in West)
Most Disappointing Team - Texas (Last in West)

NL
East - Philadelphia
Central - Chicago
West - Los Angeles
Wild Card - St. Louis
Most Improved Team - Colorado (2nd in West)
Most Disappointing Team - Houston (5th in Central)

Playoffs
Oakland over Boston
Cleveland over New York
Chicago over Los Angeles
Philadelphia over St. Louis

Cleveland over Oakland
Philadelphia over Chicago

Cleveland over Philadelphia

AL MVP - Victor Martinez (CLE - C)
NL MVP - Albert Pujols (STL - 1B)
AL Cy Young - Josh Beckett (BOS)
NL Cy Young - Carlos Zambrano (CHC)

Quiet

It's been a quiet Tuesday here in the ol' MC lab. Last night I stayed out too late with TGIF as we watched people breakdance at the War Room. Apparently Seattle is a hotbed of excellent breakdancing according to TGIF. Go figure.

New review for your entertainment: Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit.

Snow showerings and rampant spending

This weekend seems especially short to me. Ah well. Saturday I spent too much money on CD, purchasing the Mclusky retrospective Mcluskyism, the first volume of Magnetic Fields 69 Love Songs (to finish off the collection), the new Editors disc The Back Room and for $2.99, Out Hud's Let Us Never Speak of It Again. I also picked up a copy of the Coup's Party Music for TGIF. That's what I get for going to a record store after drinking at a beer tasting event. Ah well.

Sunday was spent hiking after taking the wrong road the first time. TGIF and I trekked up to Lake 22 east of Granite Falls. It was a good time although it was raining when we left the car and snow at the top of the trail.

Here is the trailhead:


Here is the top:


(Yes, that is TGIF)

So there you have it. And now its less than a week until MLB opening day. Yeah!

Old New Review

I've totally forgotten to link to this review that came out about a week ago:

Maximo Park - Missing Songs.

Enjoy!

The Island of Lost Albums

Yes, really, one of these days I will start The Island of Lost Albums. Sorry.

Current iPod Top 10

10 Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
9 Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
8 Heartbeats - the Knife
7 Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
6 This Modern Love - Bloc Party
5 Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
4 Steady, As She Goes - the Raconteurs
3 Goin' Against Your Mind - Built to Spill
2 My Friend Dario - Vitalic
1 When You Wasn't Famous - the Streets

Slacker Thursday

Well, I took the morning off to get the VW it's 5,000 miles servicing. Woo!
TGIF and I wandered around strip malls in Edmonds for the hour it was being examined by the dealership. We went to a pawn shop, an Arby's and a sporting goods store. Yes, indeed. I am excited to have a copy of "The Hunt for Red October" on DVD now thanks to the pawn shop. And a cool Seattle Mariners' Trident cap. Now thats fun.

And that's it for my Thursday. Week is almost done. And I'm sleepy.

Note to self: Stop being dumb

No, my friends, its not what you think.

I spent the last 2 days in Corvallis. For those of you who have been there or lived there, you know the feeling of "I never want to go back there again. Ever." Thats the feeling I have. At least I got a big paper submitted for a fancy volume on the origin of granites. Woo! Corvallis seemed especially small this time and especially uninteresting.

Also, a note on the whole "no self serve gas in Oregon". I hate that. I hate it so much I drove on fumes into Washington (Vancouver, specifically) only to run out of gas as I crossed the border. Yes, I am so stubborn about the gas pumping thing I let myself run out of fuel on I-205. Luckily, my 2005 VW Golf came with free roadside assistance, so I just had to wait 1 hour at Exit 27 waiting for a one-armed man to come and put 1 gallon of fuel into my car. So, a usual 4 hour drive took a mere 5:45. Oh well.

Congrats to Japan for winning the WBC. And congrats to Peter Gammons of ESPN who was the only writer on the venerable sports network to pick Japan to win the WBC back when the tournament started. On the whole, I think the WBC was a success. It was a lot of fun to watch and see the so-called powerhouses like the DR and USA get wiped out by the likes of Korea and Cuba.

Less than two weeks until opening day. Now that's exciting!

US: Stick a fork in them

Well, the US bowed out of the WBC last night. I watched the last few innings and man, the US just didn't look too good.
However, one sequence I have to point out. In the top of the ninth, with the US down 2-1 to Mexico, the following happened:
The inning opened with Jorge De La Rosa facing Ken Griffey. de la Rosa struck out Griffey (impressive considering that de la Rosa is a borderline pitcher for the Brewers) and then walked Chipper Jones. Mexico then pulled de la Rosa in favor of the (much better) Washington RP Luis Ayala to face A-Rod ... who he proceeded to walk. So, the US has 2 on with only 1 out. Mexico then pulls Ayala in favor of David Cortes (an OK RP for the Rockies). They pan to the ondeck circle and Vernon Wells is up next. Yeach. At that point, you wonder "who else can they send up there?" So, new pitcher that have never faced Wells, and what does Wells do? FIRST PITCH SWING, that's what. Groundout - double play - game over. Done & done. Why oh why do you swing at the first pitch (that was down & in anyway)? Geesh.

TGIF & I went and saw Walk the Line (for me, it was the second time) and I liked it more this time around. Just an all-around great movie.

OK, here is my weekly iPod top 10

10 Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
9 Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
8 Heartbeats - The Knife
7 Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
6 This Modern Love - Bloc Party
5 Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
4 Steady, As She Goes - the Raconteurs
4 Goin' Against Your Mind - Built to Spill
2 My Friend Dario - Vitalic
1 When You Wasn't Famous - the Streets

WBC so far

Ok, so my WBC prediction just ain't gonna pan out with Venezuela and Japan gone. Oh well.
So I am officially on the Korea bandwagon. 100% officially. Go Korea!

edit 3/17/06 - Oops, I thought Japan was eliminated, but I was wrong -- it was the USA that was canned. Ah ha ha!

Last night, TGIF & I watched the original Wes Craven version of The Hills Have Eyes, which wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. I'm sure at the time it was a shocking, amoral film, but today it seems pretty tame. It is amusing, however, that the smartest member of the family in peril was clearly the dog. I imagine the remake will be very gory and probably very bad too. (And not a mention of nuclear fallout in the original either). Hopefully we'll get to my other current Netflix film True Romance. Ah yes.

Drafts, Events and All

So, the Magma League draft went swimmingly. Except that I hate all my players. No, just kidding. But again, I pick the young/unproven players over old/proven players. Damn me and my obsession with upside. A few picks I'm excited about are: Ryan Howard (1B - PHI), Mike Jacobs (1B - FLA), Ryan Zimmerman (3B - WAS), Noah Lowry (SP - SF), Curtis Granderson (OF - DET). Picks I'm afraid I'll regret: J.J. Hardy (SS - MIL), Aaron Harang (SP - CIN), Craig Hansen (RP - BOS). We'll see.

I'm going to try to start a new column soon called "Albums That Time Forgot" as I've always wanted to that sort of column. The first album will be The Afghan Whigs' Gentlemen. Look for that in the relatively near future. Maybe.

Nice Job, MLB

So, in watching the WBC I've decided I wanted a Korea baseball cap. Why? Well, they're oddly retro-cool with the solid, white, block-letter "K".

Then why oh why does it not appear as an option on the WBC Merchandise Site unlike every other team?

Damn you MLB!

WBC

Well, give it to MLB, they got me hooked on the damn World Baseball Classic. Of course, getting someone like me hooked on baseball is probably about as easy as getting a Phish fan hooked on weed, but hey, whatever. I watched parts of three games yesterday. The US-Japan game was good except for the botched call and the fact that I found myself rooting for Japan. Does that make me an "American Hater" as Big Lou might put it? I clapped when A-Rod struck out in the second. Ah well. The Puerto Rico-Dominican Republic game was a bit of a surprise, and who would think that the DR could be eliminated as early as today when they play Cuba? Finally, the Mexico-Korea game was a great pitching duel. Did anyone notice that after 4 games, the Korean pitching staff has a cumulative ERA of 1.00?! Yes, 1.00. And they have a third basemen named "Bum Ho". I'm jumping on the Korea bandwagon today against the US.

A new review for your enjoyment: Rachael Cantu - Run All Night.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to crawl under a rock and get rid of this cold.

(On edge) Edit - Less edge now

March puts me on edge. Maybe its all those Ides. I shouldn't be on edge - I have nothing to be worried about anyway. Huh. Maybe I need to stop drinking coffee or something.

Anyway, I listened to too much Boston sports talk radio on WEEI this morning waiting for the "spill delay" Sox spring training game to begin (the Phillies bus was delayed by a spill on the highway). I really don't like sports talk radio - its almost as bad as conservative talk radio, just a lot of yelling and circular arguments by men who like to hear themselves talk. At least the game is back on.

Magma League draft is coming up. I'm excited.

And if you want to kill some time thinking about baseball, check out Baseball Reference. It has info on almost every player, team and year of baseball. Excellent stuff. Almost as excellent as the Baseball Card Blog.

This week's iPod Top 10

10 Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
9 Heartbeats - The Knife
8 Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
7 My Friend Dario - Vitalic
6 Steady, As She Goes - the Raconteurs
5 Goin' Against Your Mind - Built to Spill
4 This Modern Love - Bloc Party
3 Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
2 Rock & Roll Queen - the Subways
1 When You Wasn't Famous - the Streets

Oh yes, and a new TIG review: Jose Gonzalez - Veneer.

BP 2006

I've been slowly digesting some of the BP2006 PECOTA predictions for the upcoming seasons. For those of you unfamiliar with PECOTA, check out the Baseball Prospectus website for more info.

A few issues I have with the PECOTA method:
- It doesn't deal well with players with injuries in the last three years. For example, using the PECOTA, Curt Schilling is predicted to have these stats for 2006: 6-7, 6 SVs, 35G/13GS, 99.7 IP, 17.5 VORP. To my knowledge, Schill is not going back to the bullpen EVER, so it seems unlikely that he'll only start 13 games and rack up 6 saves. Similar things occur with other previously injured players like Kerry Wood or Nomar.
- It favors minor leaguers with good track records. Best example here is that Dustin Pedroia, the Red Sox 2B/SS prospect has a projected VORP of 33.6. As a comparision, Brian Roberts is projected at 35.6. Now, as much as I love Pedroia, I'd be surprised to see him in the majors until late/injury, so it seems like an unrealistic VORP at that.

Beyond that, its kind of fun to look at the predictions.

So interesting notes so far:
- Ryan Zimmerman (3B - WAS) will outperform Scott Rolen (3B - STL)
- Ryan Howard (1B -PHI) will be almost as valuable as Derrek Lee (1B - CHC) - 46.6 vs 51 VORP
- Jason Bay (OF - PIT) will be as valuable as Manny Ramirez (OF - BOS) - 48.6 vs 49.7 VORP

Some World Baseball Classic notes:
- Canada beating the US was great ... and right now the Red Sox are winning the WBC with big numbers from Big Papi (2 HR), Varitek (GS) and Adam Stern (HR, 4 RBI). The US will make it out of the first round, but just barely.
- In retrospect, the Dominican looks reeeal good, especially their bullpen. Oh well, so much for predicting stuff.
- My over/under for defections by the Cuban team is 2. We'll see.

And tomorrow is Friday. Woo!

E6, 13 Coins, 24Mg and BP2006

Just posted on Three Imaginary Girls is my review for Electric Six's Senor Smoke, which isn't too good of an album, but is one of my favorite reviews I've written.

Last night TGIF had her big birthday bash at the 13 Coins in Seatac. Yes, we celebrated her 28th across from Seatac Airport in a lounge mostly populated by people over 45 years old. With a lounge singer. Who played the trumpet. It was brilliant. And man, he could do a spot-on Willie Nelson for "Always on My Mind" and nailed TGIF's favorite Paul Simon song. Now, why is it that there aren't more lounges like this anymore? You can hear yourself think in there, the drinks are relatively cheap, the mood is great and its not full of crazed drunken youth. Wait? Does this mean we're old. As one of TGIF's friend's pointed out "she's celebrated her 80th birthday here - look, we're in a lounge and she's drinking scotch on the rocks". Ah yes. Got to love it.

Magnesium works again on the machine! Huzzah!

I got my copy of Baseball Prospectus 2006. Huzzah!

Not much today

TGIF b-day today. Last night we had crazy Moroccan food that involved no utensils. Good stuff. If you're in Seattle, be sure to try out Marrakesh on 2nd and Bell.

Right now I'm listening to the terrible MLB announcers for the WBC - Dom. Rep. vs. Venezuela. DR is up 2-0 and how was the first run scored? Big Papi HR. Ah yes.

Thats it. Enjoy your Tuesday.

Pile of little things

Ok, here goes

- Thanks to Bloodfist for providing a copy of the new Built to Spill song "Going Against Your Mind". I'd have to say, I like it lots. A little more aggressive than previous Built to Spill stuff, maybe a little more like songs from There's Nothing Wrong with Love. And what can you say for a band that has a 8:47-long song for the first single? Well, its not like they haven't done it before. Overall: 4/5.

- TGIF and I watched the Oscars last night. I thought John Stewart did an great job - especially when it was obviously his material and not the terrible Oscar writers - but do you expect to see him there again? At least I can now say that I've met an Oscar host, eh? Otherwise, pretty long and uninteresting with bad lighting and camera work. However, I was glad that "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" won Best Song. It was all worth it to see Ludacris in a suit, eh? And did anyone notice that Terrence Howard has become Cuba Gooding Jr.?

- New album purchased this weekend: Disenchanted Hearts Unite by Tullycraft. Good, fun stuff. Think indie rock Beach Boys. Sort of. And based in Seattle!

- Baseball is back on internet radio! Excited! Excited!

- My World Baseball Classic Prediction:
Pool A winners: Korea & Japan (already finished - not a prediction)
Pool B winners: United States & Canada
Pool C winners: Cuba & Panama
Pool D winners: Dominican Rep. & Venezuela

Round 2, Pool 1: Korea, Japan, US & Canada - Winners: Japan & US
Round 3, Pool 2: Cuba, Panama, Dom. Rep., Venezuela - Winners: Venezuela & Cuba

Semi: US vs Japan - Japan
Semi: Venezuela vs. Cuba - Venezuela

Finals: Venezuela 4 - Japan 2

*edit 3/8/06* - in retrospect, watching Big Papi crank 2 HR vs Venezuela makes me think that maybe the Dominican will do better than I predict. Ah well

Enjoy!

Southern Fried Everything

So last night TGIF and I made ourselves a pile of mashed potatoes, kale (which, unfortunately, was not to TGIF's liking), butter rolls and southern fried chicken. Now, having recently returned from a trip to vegetarianism, I forgot how tasty it is even after watching it bath in a pool of hot oil. What's my point here? I need to fry more things. Or at least try it. Ok, well, maybe not.

However, it still doesn't want to make me move to the south I'm afraid.

As usual, here is my iPod Top 10 for the week:

10 Johnny Mathis' Feet - American Music Club
9 Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
8 Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Bittersweet Symphony - Jay Z vs. the Verve
7 Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
6 Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
5 Steady, As She Goes - the Raconteurs
4 Heartbeats - The Knife
3 This Modern Love - Bloc Party
2 Rock & Roll Queen - the Subways
1 When You Wasn't Famous - the Streets

Three teams so fast

Ok, well, I've drafted three teams so far for my non-main league (i.e., my "casual" yahoo! leagues). And, for the people who care, I thought I'd post my three post draft rosters. Fun stuff. Not sure why, but it is.

Pos. Monorail on Fire Seattle Metros Washington Bigfoot
C K. Johjima (SEA) J. Estrada (AZ) A. Pierzynski (CHW)
1B D. Ortiz (BOS) A. Pujols (STL) R. Sexson (SEA)
2B J. Cantu (TB) R. Weeks (MIL) C. Figgins (LAA)
3B E. Chavez (OAK) E. Chavez (OAK) C. Jones (ATL)
SS N. Garciaparra (LA) J. Lugo (TB) E. Renteria (ATL)
OF G. Sizemore (CLE) G. Sizemore (CLE) V. Guerrero (LAA)
OF B. Wilkerson (TEX) A. Jones (ATL) C. Floyd (NYM)
OF C. Crisp (BOS) C. Tracy (AZ) C. Crisp (BOS)
DH G. Jenkins (MIL) R. Sexson (SEA) M. Sweeney (KC)
BCH P. Fielder (MIL) G. Atkins (COL) P. Fielder (MIL)
BCH J. Gibbons (BAL) C. Shelton (DET) W. Taveras (HOU)
BCH K. Greene (SD) J. Gibbons (BAL) C. Monroe (DET)

SP J. Beckett (BOS) J. Beckett (BOS) J. Peavy (SD)
SP R. Oswalt (HOU) T. Hudson (ATL) D. Willis (FLA)
SP N. Lowry (SF) Z. Duke (PIT) D. Davis (MIL)
SP G. Chacin (TOR) M. Cain (SF) A. Burnett (TOR)
RP F. Rodriguez (LAA) F. Rodriguez (LAA) B. Ryan (TOR)
RP D. Turnbow (MIL) M. Gonzalez (PIT) C. Reitsma (ATL)
P C. Reitsma (ATL) A. Heilman (NYM) M. Gonzalez (PIT)
P M. Cain (SF)
BCH D. Cabrera (BAL) D. Cabrera (BAL) E. Santana (LAA)
BCH Ol. Perez (PIT) B. Arroyo (BOS) S. Shields (LAA)
(sorry for the formatting - I'll fix it if I have time)

Monorail on Fire are in a 10-team, 5x5 head to head league and was picked in a live draft.
Seattle Metros are in a 12-team 5x5 head to head winners league and was picked in an pre-ranked (by me) autodraft
Washington Bigfoot are in a 12-team 5x5 roto league and was picked autodraft using the yahoo! rankings

Comments? Feelings?

I'll wait to post my thoughts ...

Open the floodgates

As of late, I've been uneasy. I've been trying to pinpoint why, and I think I've decided that I think too much. This should come as no shock to people who know me. So, for the time being, I'm going to try to revert back to my mantra of not thinking more than a week in advance. I did it for awhile, and it seemed to work. It's just a challenge for me because I tend to be Mr. Planny McPlan. So, thats my goal. Enjoy the moment and damn the torpedoes. No more planning, no more theories.

That is, of course, other than planning for baseball drafts.

(Wow, I almost typed "It's Friday!" It is, rather, Thursday, but seeing TGIF makes me think I've reached the weekend.)

Now, I just need to look up how to make southern fried chicken. Ah yes.

Revised

For those of you who are interested, I've been trying to revise my homepage. However, in doing so I've begun to wonder: what purpose does a home page serve anymore? Does anyone look at personal homepages? Has the blog overtaken the homepage in terms of an easily updated nexus of information for the world to see? Ah well. What it does allow is for me to make a little home for links to all my TIG reviews, including the new one for Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan.

In the baseball front, Manny Ramirez reported to the Red Sox spring training complex in Ft. Myers, Florida today, just as he said he would. Now, I hope that all the talking heads in Boston would shut up about what a distraction Manny is and remember his monster numbers he puts up, year in, year out. However, did anyone else notice that Manny might be going all Ricky Williams on us?

Long week. Almost made it. Tonight will be a good, quiet evening full of Evil Willow. I've now made it through Seasons 1-6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since November and I've notice a few things. (1) I didn't appreciate Riley and Tara enough the first time through; (2) I still hate Dawn; (3) Season 5 just ain't that good, mostly because the actress who plays Glory just is terrible. Ah well.

Rain

I had a minor freakout this morning for no good reason. Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was unsettled dreams, but I had a panic attack. Luckily, my sense returned and I realized that I am an idiot and need to stop worrying so much. Done and done. Well, sort of. Just need to make it to Thursday ...

Oh yes, and I've now taken on a project where I will be measuring the Mg isotopic composition of a suite of volcanic rocks. I think Big Lou would be proud.

Thats all for today.

Draft Season has begun

So the fantasy baseball draft season has begun and I've had one live draft so far. Pretty happy with the results ... But I think I'll list my picks for sleepers for the 2006 fantasy baseball season, just for kicks

ALL SLEEPER TEAM
C - Javier Valentin (CIN) - Anybody notice his .882 OPS, 14 HR and 50 RBI last season in ~221 AB? Not bad for a part timer catcher
1B - Kevin Youkilis (BOS) - I guess this year proves if he's worth it or not.
2B - Placido Palanco (DET) - He has a starting job and last year posted an .829 OPS in 501 AB. Good solid performer in a shallow position.
3B - Garrett Atkins (COL) - Tough call but he put up 13/89 in 519 AB. Nothing like a young hitter in Denver
OF - Jason Michaels (CLE) - .399 OPS in 221 AB in Philly and now has a starting job in Cleveland ... a little old though.
OF - Matt Murton (CHC) - If Dusty sticks with him. He put up 7/14 in 140 AB with a .907 OPS last year.
OF - John Rodriguez (STL) - He's in the starting mix, definitely if someone gets hurt. .817 OPS in 149 AB with 5 HR to boot.
SP - Jae Seo (LAD) - In a good pitchers park against weak NL West lineups (although he has to pitch in Denver more). Post a 1.18 WHIP and 59/16 K/BB in 91 IP.
SP - Daniel Cabrera (BAL) - Lots of K's and now Leo Mazzone as pitching coach. All signs point to good.
RP - Aaron Heilman (NYM) - He could pitch anywhere in the staff, but was primarily an RP last year where he posted a 1.15 WHIP to go with 106 K and 37 BB.

Top 10

Well, I meant to post this yesterday but didn't go to work and forgot.

So, to keep up the schedule, my current iPod top 10:

10 Albacore - Palomar
9 Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
8 Heartbeats - The Knife
7 Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
6 Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Bittersweet Symphony - Jay Z vs. the Verve
5 Steady, As She Goes - The Raconteurs
4 Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
3 Rock & Roll Queen - the Subways
2 When You Wasn't Famous - the Streets
1 This Modern Love - Bloc Party

Enjoy!

Thursdays ...

Man, I woke up in a odd mood this morning. I don't know rightly why, but I just did. Maybe its because its cold & grey. Maybe because its Thursday. Maybe its because the machine is down. Maybe it was from watching "The Godfather" with TGIF last night and now I'm worried I'm going to end up like Sonny or Luca. Ok, well, thats not really likely, but you never know.

I wish I had more interesting things to say right now. Baseball season is at its most boring/painful part, when all the news is "So and so reported to camp" or "Mr. Monkey is late for camp". Woo. I just want games to begin and stats to compile. Ah well. Maybe I should place my order on Amazon for the Baseball Prospectus 2006 that comes out next week. Yes, yes I will.

Anyway, back to sitting and wondering what to do about a carbonized "bulkhead insulator".

Simulations and new singles

So, I've run my 100 simulations of the 2006 baseball season on Baseball Season. I'll run it again when we get closer to the regular season. If you want to see the results, I posted a pdf. I'll have more comments in the future, but it looks like New York (both teams) have the best shot at the World Series. Oakland may get more competition from Texas than Los Angeles. Cleveland seems to be underappreciated in the sims, as they are predicted to be merely .500. And the Red Sox don't look to be winning a World Series in 2006. Hmmm.

A few quick reviews:
When You Wasn't Famous - The Streets: Brilliant. Mike Skinner has somehow made highlands hip-hop that is so catchy it kind of makes me ill. 9/10
Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Sometimes I worry that the YYYs are the 00's equivalent to No Doubt. I think they have a little more musical credibility, but would you be that surprised to see Karen O pull a Gwen Stefani? Anyway, "Gold Lion" is really polished and put together and bound to be a hit, yet somehow lacks a spark. Hmmm. 7.9/10
*edit* - I figured it out! This song sounds like a lost Love & Rockets song!
You Have Killed Me - Morrissey: He surely does like melodramatic titles, eh? Its actually pretty similar, musically, to his work on You are the Quarry, but I'm a sucker for Moz, so I like it anyway...but what the heck language is Moz trying to sing? 7.5/10

Two new TIG reviews:
Field Notes - Color of Sunshine
The Elected - Sun, Sun, Sun
(weird, both "sun" albums)

Also, some good new albums include: Invisible Eyes - Laugh in the Dark (thanks to TGIF), Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (she covers the Travelling Wilburys for chrissakes), Aceyalone with RJD2 - Magnificent City (TGIF will report back on this one)

Theater, Hip-Hop and the Pod

Tonight TGIF and I are hitting the theater. How very cultural. Nothing like David Mamet and a period piece.

Last night, we ended up seeing an sort of spokenword/unplugged performance featuring Geologic from Blue Scholars and Boots Riley of the the Coup. Good stuff, good political message that I've been arguing for a while - namely that all these activist groups you hear about are trying to tackle issues that are too big for the average worker to care about. Yes, the war in Iraq is wrong and needs to stop, but can you expect that a person making minimum wage is going to skip a day of work to march against the war or to march for a cost-of-living allowance in their city? Or for better housing laws in their neighborhood? Or more money for their local school? I think we know the answer to that. If you want to develop new activists and new left-leaning voters, you need to appeal to their situation and not some high-faluting scholarly topic. (Off soapbox now).

Anyway, its a good, cold three-day weekend here in Seattle.
And with that, here is my iPod top 10 of the week.

10 Albacore - Palomar
9 Knockout - Palomar
8 I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone - Sleater-Kinney
7 Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
6 Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Bittersweet Symphony - Jay Z vs. the Verve
5 Heartbeats - The Knife
4 Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
3 Rock & Roll Queen - the Subways
2 Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
1 This Modern Love - Bloc Party

Some early simulations of 2006

Ok folks, I know you've all been waiting for this, so here it is!
I've been simming the 2006 MLB season using Baseball Mogul 2006. The rosters are updated to last week (so no Jeff Weaver to LAA or Jose Lima to NYM yet). I simmed this roster alignment 52 times and got interesting results. (Note: I didn't realize that the computer controlled teams enough to sign Free Agents. The next version of this will not have this option. Otherwise, its the same roster all season with appropriate subs for injuries - which I can't turn off).

World Series Winners
- I hope you don't like New York. Between the Yankers and the Mets, they won 38 of the 52 WS.
- Next best? Boston and the Cubs won 4 each. They were the only other multiple WS winners.
- Other teams to win once: Oakland, Seattle, Atlanta, Washington, Houston & Arizona (Sorry AL Central).

Division Winners
- AL EAST: The Yankers won the AL East 50 out of 52 runs. Boston and Toronto won one each. Ouch.
- AL CENTRAL: Chicago won 30, Cleveland won 16 and Detroit won 6.
- AL WEST: Oakland won 31, Texas won 15 and Los Angeles/Seattle won 1 each.
- NL EAST: Mets dominate, winning 37. Philadelphia won 8 and Atlanta won 7.
- NL CENTRAL: In a bit of a surprise to me, Chicago won 32, Houston won 16 and Milwaukee/St. Louis won 2 each.
- NL WEST: Los Angeles won 29, San Francisco won 16 and Arizona won 7.

Wild Card
- AL: Red Sox continue to dominate the WC, winning 22. Texas (7), Oakland (5), Toronto (5), Cleveland (4), Detroit (3), New York (2) all won more than once. Kansas City, Minnesota, Baltimore and Seattle won 1 each.
- NL: Its less clearcut, with Philly winning 13, Atlanta 9 and Houston 8. Other multiple winners are New York (6), Chicago (4), Milwaukee (3), Los Angeles (2) and San Francisco (2). Pittsburgh and St. Louis each won 1.

Thats all I'll say for now as these runs were a bit of a test. Stay tuned for better runs in the near future!

So sleepy

Yes, sleepy. I think this is cold is trying to get the better of me. Damn it.
Will have more to say when I win the battle. In the meantime ...

Spring Training starts today!

Coming Soon:
Results of simming 2006 over 75 times. Interesting stuff I tell ya.

Not much to say today

Quiet today. Its "that" day...which is hopefully good this year (dinner with TGIF).

I watched "Once More With Feeling" for the first time in quite awhile yesterday. I liked it much better this time than the first time. Weird. Ah Joss. The panel discussion with some of the cast and crew made me realize a few things:
1 - Joss Whedon is Xander.
2 - James Marsters seems like he could be a tool in real life.
3 - Nicholas Brendon seems like he could be a jerk in real life.
Thats all. Enough Buffy talk!

Sore and Sick

Nice view of Mt. Rainier from Snoqualmie Pass.

Went snowshoeing with TGIF and a bunch of others yesterday and I'm darn sore. And I got a cold. Yay! It makes for a great Monday.

Anyway, I wish I had more to say today, but I'm sleepy and sick and sore. So there!

Hugo, Stephin and the iPod

It's sunny and nice here in Seattle today. How strange.

Couple short comments:
- The TIG "69 Love Songs" show was great, especially the rockin' version of "Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side" performed by For Better or For Awesome. Quite good interpretation of the song. Packed house at the Croc too.

- Hugo Chavez looks to be trying to reignite the Falklands War. Now, there's a war that needs more attention, dammit.

- My current iPod top 10
*Note: I've decided to retire "Marching Bands of Manhattan" by Death Cab from the Top 10 for reasons I may reveal in the future. It has an unfair advantage.

10 Knockout - Palomar
9 I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone - Sleater-Kinney
8 Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
7 Only You - Portishead
6 Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Bittersweet Symphony - Jay Z vs. the Verve
5 Heartbeats - The Knife
4 Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
3 Rock & Roll Queen - Subways
2 This Modern Love - Bloc Party
1 Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie

Enjoy!

Global warming

For those of you concerned with Global Warming, check out this forecast from the National Weather Service:


yes, the high is 1.26x10^19F and the low is -30000F.

Yowzah! (I'm even sure what to call a number thats 10 to the power of 19).

That's all for today. Remember: TIG 69 Love Songs Pre-Vday Bash, tonight at the Croc.

I've got a theory.

Ever just wake up in a funk but you have no good explanation for it? I'm convinced it has something to do with the previous nights dreams, even if you don't remember them. They somehow leak into your conscious mood. Today is one of those days for me. Kind of down, for no reason I can fully understand. Ah well. Maybe I had dreams involving Evil Bunnies.

Today I'm mostly horrified by George Deutsch, the latest in Dubya's long line of woefully underqualified politic appointees. On what planet does a 24-year-old journalism major who DIDN'T GRADUATE become the public relations director for NASA? Well, luckily, one where he resigns in scandal and shame. How many more years of Deutsches and Mike Browns do we have to survive? I'm scared.

Ok, thats as political as I'm going to get on this blog.

Come on, why isn't it baseball season yet? At least spring training? I'd take an intrasquad game at this point.

Tuesdays

Tuesday are rapidly becoming my least favorite day of the week.

I imagine its going to be a slow day today as (1) not much going on in the lab; (2) not much going on in baseball world; (3) I'm kind of sleepy. Ah well, maybe I should drag my arse to the gym tonight. Yes, I should.

And while I'm there, I have plenty of new music to listen to, as TGIF and I went to Sonic Boom last night and I spent too much cash. What did I get, you ask?
Jose Gonzalez - Veneer - TGIF and I are in agreement: this album is real good.
Palomar - Palomar III Revenge of Palomar - Only listened to a couple songs in the car, but it seems good so far.
Edan - Beauty and the Beat - Are these guys from Boston? I should find out. Seems like another winner.
Hard-Fi - Cash Machine EP - Purchased for all of 99 cents, mostly because they cover "Seven Nation Army", which is unfortunately only OK. I think TGIF said it best when saying "why cover this song when the original does it so well and so simply."

BTTF, Part IV?

Oh my word.

Enjoy!

The Magic of the iPod

So, for quite a few years now, I've had this, well, dream, let's say. I would listen to my iPod/mp3 player on the bus, or in my car or at night and set it on shuffle. Then, I would pretend that someone I fancy would be playing random songs and seeing if I can guess what song it is and we would talk about the song and music and everything. The sort of thing a music nerd like me would love. I knew full well that this sort of delusional fantasy would never come true and that I was just torturing myself with a search for just such an experience.
However
Last night I was driving around Seattle with TGIF and I had my iPod plugged into my stereo. She was in charge of the music and what does she do but RE-ENACT THAT ENTIRE FANTASY. Yes, my friends, TGIF started playing the "I'll-pick-a-song, you-name-it" game with my iPod. I practically swerved off the road. TGIF has made the leap from not only being super cool and fun to be with to "are you for real you're so great" status. It was brilliant. Heck, we sat in my car for like 30 minutes after getting to my apartment playing the game.

Ok.

Anyway, a few other comments:
- Apparently the Super Bowl would have been great if the Seahawks showed up. Well, congrats to the Steelers. Any time you use your 3rd string RB to throw a TD, you deserved to win.
- Now that the Super Bowl is done, SPRING TRAINING IS ONLY 10 DAYS AWAY! Now, thats good news.
- For those Seattle-ites who look at this, Thursday is the 69 Love Songs Pre-Valentine's Day Bash at the Crocodile. Be there. There's a good chance that TGIF and I will be there. Heck, if you enter the contest before tomorrow (2/7) you might even win tickets.

Soup or Bowl

I've recently come to discover that more people than I thought actually read my blog. Not that I find this disconcerting or disturbing, but I was just a little surprised. I mean, its like assuming that only 1 or 2 people look through your windows at night only to discover that its more like a dozen. Wait, no. Thats not it at all. Imagine a lemon, but with small holes in the side that emit light. Now, take that lemon and put it on a cart. Maybe a small child's rollerskate. Then, strap a large Pratt & Whitney jet engine to it. That's what I'm talking about. Really.

A few observations for today, Friday 2/3:
1 - I'm cold. I should have brought a sweater.
2 - I'm sleepy. But not complaining that TGIF has been keeping me up late (get your mind out of there, thank you very much).
3 - I just ate cold chicken soup because I can't find a microwave in the new building.
4 - I'm seeing a high school production of "Arsenic & Old Lace" tonight.
5 - At this production, I will be meeting TGIF's best friend.
6 - I woke up this morning I had a Unicorn's song stuck in my head, then proceeded to torment TGIF with the entire Unicorn's album.

Superbowl weekend! I'm not as excited as I should be, considering I live in Seattle and the Seahawks are, in fact, in the Superbowl. If they were to win, the world will stop spinning and that will be that. I just hope this city learns to have a sports riot. I'll likely watch at least a little of the game, but we'll see. Might be fun to run around the city when its abandoned. However, my prediction: Seattle 27 Pittsburgh 24.

Current iPod Top 10

Here it is, because I'm sleepy today.

10. Your Cover's Blown - Belle & Sebastian
9. Wonderwall - Ryan Adams
8. Ruby Blue - Roisin Murphy
7. Kids Don't Mind - Papas Fritas
6. A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill - Jens Lekman
5. She's the One - Beta Band
4. Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Bittersweet Symphony - Jay Z vs the Verve
3. Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
2. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
1. Marching Bands of Manhattan - Death Cab for Cutie

It's like high school, except without all the many things that sucked

I am sleepy today, mostly because TGIF and I were on the phone last night for 3 hours. Why? you ask. Does she live far away? Well, if by far away you mean ~7 minutes by car away, then yes, she lives far away. So, no, she doesn't live far away. We just kind of get on a roll and BAM its 1 AM.

Anybody tell me whats the deal with Johnny Damon? Is he trashing the Sox and talking about Manny and Papi being great Yankers because he feels like the jilted ex-boyfriend? "Boy, I'm so much better off without you here! See! Look how happy I am! Look at all my friends like A-Rod and Jeter. Yeah, its pretty good now". Poor Johnny. And the Sox have moved onto the younger and more, eh, "fun" Coco Crisp.

Alex Gonzalez as Sox SS

Ok, well, the what-became-inevitable happened, and the Red Sox signed Alex Gonzalez (formerly of the Marlins) to a 1 year deal to play SS. Many folks I talk to do not like this one bit. In fact, one went as far to point out that Alex has the 5th largest negative difference in OBP vs. the league average of any player in the last 50 years (with at least 3500 PA). Yowzah!

So, the projected Red Sox lineup for 2006:

# Name - Pos. - 2005 OBP
1 Coco Crisp - CF - .345
2 Mark Loretta - 2B - .360
3 Manny Ramirez - LF - .388
4 David Ortiz - DH - .397
5 Jason Varitek - C - .366
6 Trot Nixon - RF - .357
7 Mike Lowell - 3B - .298 (.365 in '04)
8 Kevin Youkilis/J.T. Snow - 1B - .400 (.367 in '04 with 200 AB)
9 Alex Gonzalez - SS - .319
Team Average: .359

Lets look at the changes

1B Kevin Millar/John Olerud becomes Kevin Youkilis/J.T. Snow - Youkilis can easily match/beat Millar's 2005 production, with hopefully less attitude. JT and Olerud are interchangable, although Olerud was likely a slightly better hitter. Overall: Slight upgrade

2B Mark Bellhorn/Tony Graffanino becomes Mark Loretta - Player A: 7/38/.309/.366 in 379 AB. Player B: 3/38/.280/.360 in 404 AB. Who is who? Well, player A is a health Graffanino in 2 hitters parks. Player B is Loretta off an injury in a big pitchers park. I think Loretta will work out fine and give Dustin Pedroia another season to be ready. Overall: Slight upgrade

3B Bill Mueller/Kevin Youkilis becomes Mike Lowell - In 2005, Mike Lowell hit 8/58/.236/.298. He also won a Gold Glove. Moneyball has everyone convinced that OBP is it and that any variation from that plan is giving up on the Beane Mantra. However, really, Moneyball implies that what teams look for is undervalued talent. Right now, its infield defense. Not only does infield defense help pitchers by preventing runs and runners, but good defense also means fewer pitches per game for the staff as most outs will happen with fewer balls in play. So, maybe Lowell isn't a steal, but he fits into the idea that excellent fielding infielders are a premium. Overall: Offensive downgrade, defensive upgrade.

SS Edgar Renteria becomes Alex Gonzalez - I was and am still a staunch Renteria supporter. I think that he would have been much better for the Sox in 2006. However, with given the option to get Andy Marte from Atlanta, the front office jettisoned Renteria. Gonzalez averages about 16 errors a year with a FPC of ~.970, with is good, but he's still no Omar Vizquel. Will he hit better than Alex Cora? Likely. He has some pop as he hit 24 HR as recently as 2004 (ok, with a .230 BA), but for 1 year/$3M, he'll be fine in a hitters park like Fenway. Overall: Slight downgrade

C Jason Varitek/Doug Mirabelli becomes Varitek/A cast of thousands - Sorry, I just miss Dumpy Doug. Overall: Downgrade

CF Johnny Damn becomes Coco Crisp - Let's see: Damon walks for $12M more than the Sox offer, and the Sox more-or-less trade Renteria + prospects for Coco Crisp and David Riske. And Coco will likely cost the same as the difference in the Damon offers. And Damon will likely be retired with Coco is his age today. Whats not to like? Overall: Upgrade.

Rotation - Schilling/Wells/Clement/Wakefield/Arroyo becomes Schilling/Beckett/Wells/Clement/? - Suddenly the Sox have an abundance of pitchers. Who is the #5 starter? Arroyo? Wakefield? Papelbon? Does Wells get traded? Does Clement? However, any way you look at it, adding Beckett into the rotation makes it better. Overall: Upgrade

Bullpen - Foulke/TImlin/Embree/Myers/Papelbon/cast of thousands becomes Foulke/Timlin/Taverez/Seanez/Riske/Delcarmen - Any way you slice it, this bullpen is much, much better. Overall: Big Upgrade.

Crispy Damon & Eggs

So, to put the comparision to rest. Or, I guess to make it clear as day, here is Damon vs. Crisp:

Johnny Damon, OF, NYY
Age BA/OBP/SLG HR/RBI/SB Team
25 277/339/439 18/66/26 KC
26 307/379/477 14/77/36 KC
27 327/382/495 16/88/46 KC

Coco Crisp, OF, BOS
Age BA/OBP/SLG HR/RBI/SB Team
25 297/344/446 15/71/20 CLE
26 300/345/465 16/69/15 CLE
27 ?

So, they look pretty similar. Good for us.
My favorite trade rumor, I believe from Sons of Sam Horn: David Wells, SP to San Diego for ... wait for it ... Doug Mirabelli, C!. Now thats a trade I'd like to see. Well, maybe if Boston got a PTBNL.

New Review

Great weekend topped off with seeing Back to the Future on the big screen with TGIF. Brilliant I tell you, brilliant.

New review on TIG:
Patrick Phelan - Cost.

That's all for now.

The move is over!

Finally, after 1 year+ of talk, the move in the renovated Johnson Hall is over! The engineer from Nu Instruments is headed back to Wales. I can reconstruct my lab finally and get my office in order. Remind me to post an image of what the view from my office is. Its great, I'll tell you that much.

Part of today will be spent getting my head back in order. I'm making dinner for TGIF this evening (tonight's theme, picked by her, is "cheese"). Then its off to country music at the Lil Red Hen. I'm excited, as usual.

If you want to listen to something while you work, you should head over to NPR. No, not for news & information, but for the great streams of concerts they have posted including the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Bloc Party, Interpol, the White Stripes, Bright Eyes & coming soon, Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists). Good stuff to work with.

And I think I need a new keyboard.

Thursdays...

I thought today was Friday. I thought, "boy, I could have sworn I put an entry in the blog yesterday." It's one of those weeks.

I feel I need to visit a record store soon.

On Theo, trades and rain

Theo and the Coco trade: Ok, so you quit your job, leave in a gorilla suit, tour South America with the Pearl Jam and where do you end up? Back in your same job 3 months later, but with a better title and everyone scratching their heads. That's the Red Sox for you. Now Theo just have to find a CF, SS and maybe trade Wells. Looks like the Coco deal might be dead in the water thanks to Mota and his lack of a shoulder, and I sure hope they don't trade Delcarmen away instead. So who knows whats going on with the Sox, but I think all the naysayers you think the Sox are toast might be a little presumptuous. Maybe instead the Sox can trade Clement for Kearns straight up. Now that I like (unless Kearns gets injured, like usual).

Rain: Never attempt to make plans in Seattle between October and April by uttering the phrase "if the weather stays nice." It ain't gonna happen. The rain God can hear you and it will instantly cloud over and start to, well, rain.

Thats it for now, unless you really want to hear about U and Th on a multicollector ICP-MS. Eh? Eh?! Any takers?

Sunny in Seattle

Yesterday was quite a good birthday as birthday's go. Lots of cupcakes and brownies, and then TGIF took me to a great little Italian place where we ate and split a bottle of wine. She also got me a jade plant, a mystery gift that hasn't arrived yet thanks to UPS and pie! I have to admit, every time I go out with TGIF, I find myself getting amazed each time. Hard to describe, and yes, horribly cheesy. So I just have to pace myself and let her take her time to reach conclusions and such. Otherwise, I just try to hard to make things happen. So, Erik, time to sit back and enjoy. That seems to work a lot better than an odd Soviet-style 5-year plan to boost Iron production. Yes, remember this my friends: the Soviet Union is no role model for love.

Coo-coo for Coco

Well, looks like Theo v2.0 has pulled off his first deal. Well, maybe he never left, but anyway, it appears as if the Red Sox will acquire Coco Crisp (OF) from Cleveland. Now, the rumors have many permutations, so take your pick:

#1
Sox get: Coco + PTBML
Indians get: Andy Marte (3B) + Guillermo Mota (RP)

or

#2
Sox get: Coco + Dave Riske (RP) + Josh Bard (C)
Indians get: Marte + Mota + Kelly Shoppach (C)

or

#3
Sox get: Coco + 2 PTBNL
Indians get: Marte + Mota + PTBNL


I personally prefer #2, as Riske is a good, young reliever. Bard I'm less excited about, but what are you going to do?

However, Coco would be a good birthday present. He might not completely replace Damon, but he'll be a good, relatively cheap OF for the Sox.

And yes, today I do get older. TGIF is taking me out for dinner, so I'm excited. At some point, TGIF might need a new name, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Maybe need something akin to Bill Simmons' "Sportsgal" but, of course, more appropriate to this venue. Hmmm. Well, thats for another day that I'm not feeling older.

This week's iPod top 10

Here it is, for your amusement

10. Frijolero - Molotov
9. Inner City Blues (Live) - Marvin Gaye
8. Your Cover's Blown - Belle & Sebastian
7. Kids Don't Mind - Papas Fritas
6. A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill - Jens Lekman
5. She's the One - Beta Band
4. Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
3. Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Bittersweet Symphony - Jay-Z vs. the Verve
2. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
1. Marching Bands of Manhattan - Death Cab for Cutie

Moved!

The multicollector (and I) are in Johnson Hall. The move is done!

*sigh*

Epstein Redux?

And to make the world an even stranger place, Theo Epstein has returned to the Red Sox. Well, I'll be darned.

No disassemble

So we have the MC here mostly disassembled and ready to move tomorrow. This will involve getting an engine hoist into the lab and moving a ~500 kg magnet. Now, if thats not fun, I don't know what is! Well, maybe I do know what is.

I'll be pretty happy when this move is done. More than pretty happy. I just have to survive it all and not become a big freak around the-girl-I-fancy. I can sometimes have the tendency to come on too strong or too quickly, which is bad, especially considering how fond I am of TGIF (weird, I didn't even notice the coincidence of the abreviation until I typed it...huh). Breathe Erik, breathe. Maybe spend some quality time at the IMA (gym) to distract oneself. Yes, thats it.

And remember, if you're in Seattle, you should come to the Best of 2005 Winners Showcase as presented by the Three Imaginary Girls tomorrow (Friday) at Neumo's. TGIF and I will be there, so should you!

Ok, thats all.

Packing boxes

Slow day on packing boxes for the big lab move.

Maybe a couple links for the day:

Brakes - Give Blood: Another fine TIG review. Best of 2005 Showcase is this Friday too, at Neumo's!

John Donovan is an idiot: Everybody gets a C, and just read his 2 paragraphs on the Yankers, where he says that they both smartly didn't overpay for someone -- for once. and they went out and bought Damon (four years, $52 million -- ouch). Talk about fine writing!

Oh yeah, and after Riley leaves Buffy, it gets depressing! Geesh!

Oh god, the rolls are on fire!

If anyone is in Seattle, you should go see the Brown Derby Series rendition of "Dirty Dancing" at the re-bar. Lack-of-oxygen funny I tell you.

Anyway, I'm sleepy today but wanted to post my iPod Top 10, just for kicks

10. Nature Anthem - Grandaddy
9. Mr. Grieves - TV on the Radio
8. Ask Me Anything - The Strokes
7. Frijolero - Molotov
6. Inner City Blues (Live) - Marvin Gaye
5. New Dawn Fades - Joy Division
4. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
3. A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill - Jens Lekman
2. Your Cover's Blown - Belle & Sebastian
1. Marching Bands of Manhattan - Death Cab for Cutie

Enjoy!

TIG Review Update

For those of you who don't frequent the Three Imaginary Girls, I had a pile of reviews posted lately. Enjoy!

Tiger Saw - Sing!
Casey Dienel - Wind-up Canary
Boards of Canada - The Campfire Headphase
The Clientele - Strange Geometry
Dios (Malos) - Dios (Malos)

Its Monday Morning, I'm Not Wide Awake

Well, so much for my career as an NFL prognosticator. Lets see I went 1/4. Colts got smacked out by the Steelers, the Bears got wiped by the Panthers. And then there were the Pats. In what was possibly the worst Pats game in many years, the Broncos manhandled the Pats, their Super Bowl reign and 10-0 playoff run into the past. They lost to a former porn star no less in Denver QB Jake Plummer (was that the dirtiest mustache that Fox kept on showing for Plummer's pic since Burt Reynolds in "Smokie & the Bandit?). I mean, even his name sounds sleazy. Anyway, the Broncos showed that they had the Pats figured out and that was that.

So, so much for football. I still would like to see the Seahawks make the Super Bowl. We'll see.

We watched "Hustle & Flow" last night and have it say, I liked it. Maybe didn't love it, but it was good, especially Terrance Howard as "D-Jay". And, needless to say, I'm always amused to see D.J. Qualls in anything.

NFL Playoffs, Afghan Whigs and Baltimillar.

OK, not much to say today because, well, I'm giddy. I love that word. Giddy.
Anyway.

I don't know too much about the NFL. Of course, I did win one of my fantasy football leagues. What that did teach me is that good defense beats everything. Well, 90% of the time (I have no basis for that stat other than its less than 100%). So how does that make me qualified to predict football? It doesn't. Is anybody? No. Why do it? It's fun on a bun!

So...

Redskins at Seahawks - I live in Seattle. I feel their pain that the Seahawks stink in the playoffs. Of course, there seems to be much less buzz in Seattle about the playoffs than in Boston about the Pats. I guess thats not too surprising. As much as I hate Alexander and Hasselbeck (I wanted them both gone), I want to see a Seahawks/Pats Superbowl. So, in that note: 28-10 Seattle.
Patriots at Broncos - The Patriots are just a different team come the playoffs. It will still be close though 27-21 New England.
Steelers at Colts - Payton Manning is the Derek Jeter of the NFL. No, thats not a compliment. But I'd still want to see the Pats dispatch with Indy. 31-17 Indianapolis.
Panthers at Bears - I think the Bears would be my Superbowl NFC team if it wasn't for the Seahawks. 17-10 Chicago.

On the Afghan Whigs - I still think that Gentlemen was the most underrated album of the 1990s. Listen to it. You'll agree.

On Kevin Millar - Thanks for getting that walk in Game 4. You know which one. May you enjoy all the ribs you want in Baltimore.

Ok! The weekend starts here. Well, no, but soon.

The Strokes, etc.

So, after having listened to First Impressions of Earth, well, many times, I have a few comments:

(1) Thank you, Mr. Casablancas, for not recording it in a broomcloset, like the first 2 discs sound.
(2) The Strokes are taking a chance with their sound, and to me it works. Many other people disagree, saying they just don't deal well with the more robust production.
(3) All things considered, I think its darn good. Maybe 8.1/11.

Some Baseball thoughts:

- Bruce Sutter got voted into the Hall of Fame. Yawn. I'm just sad that Jim Rice hasn't made it yet. People seem biased against 70s/80s hitters and the HofF. Heck, if evil evil Ryne Sandberg is in there, Rice should be too.
- Open letter to the Red Sox front office: Alex Cora (SS) and Adam Stern (CF) do not constitute a "plan" for SS and CF in 2006. They represent names that fill in holes until you find your real replacements. If the Opening Day lineup features them both, I'll be a little concerned. More than a little. A lot. Big.
- That being said, Jay Payton as the starting Opening Day CF would be soooo odd. And scary.
- Whatever you hear about Theo Epstein is a lie. Except that somebody paid $11K for the gorilla suit he wore to sneak out of Fenway during the Halloween Day Massacre.

I would offer by current iPod top 10, except I vaporized all of my playcounts, so it looks a little strange. However, the 2 songs I've been listening to constantly lately are "Marching Bands of Manhattan" and "Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab. They make me realize what a brilliant lyricist Ben Gibbard is (e.g., "In my head, there is a Greyhound station/Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations/So they may have a chance of finding a place/Where they are far more suited than here"). As if I needed more proof.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

Well, let's update, shall we?

1 - Girl I fancy has come around ... and I'm all giddy. Cross your fingers/knock on wood. And calm down.

2 - Insurance worked out ... so far.

3 - Rejections? Who cares.

I'm in a good mood. I also started listening to Plans by DCFC in the right situation to realize that its better than I think.

Maybe I shouldn't have bothered today

Yes, quite a day.

1 - Girl I fancy may not fancy me as much just yet. Ah well. Patience on this one. At least we're still going out.
2 - Two rejection letters from two colleges. So much for moving to Ohio or Virginia. Wait, that might be a good thing.
3 - Argument with insurance company. They win. Sodding bastards.

Well, at least I have a cookie.

Saw an episode of Buffy last night I had never seen before, but had the best Riley line ever:
Buffy: I don't like you (Dawn) hanging out with someone that... short.
Riley: Yeah, a lot of young people nowadays are experimenting with shortness. Gotta nip that in the bud.

Thats all. Oh and the new Strokes album is a lot better than I expected.

Buffy, Firefly and Whedonverse

So, Big Lou, as usually, has introduced me to new ways to be nerdy. I've been watching Firefly, the short-lived Fox sci-fi/drama that was created by Joss Whedon (who also brought us Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel). Now Firefly is darn good, much more so that I initially expected. Very likeable characters (even if Jayne looks like Mark McGwire). interesting plots and, as usual for Joss, really sharp writing. So, in my usual if-I-like-something-immerse-myself method, I read up on Joss and he's quite a character. My two favorite Joss quotes are "Remember, always be yourself. Unless you suck." and his explanation of a "comfortador", a.k.a a guy (like Buffy's Xander) that wants comfort more than sex out of women. I think I find myself being much more of a comfortador than a conquistador, which I suppose is hard to convey to lady of interest without sounding like a, well, nut. Ah well. But tip-o-the-hat to Joss on continuing to make excellent shows that seem to get cancelled. Darn.

Bill Simmons

So I've spent a lot of time reading books about the Red Sox winning the World Series in 2004 (I think at least 6 by this point) and far and away the best is Bill Simmon's Now I Can Die in Peace. Simmons might be more familiar to people as the ESPN.com Sportsguy on Page 2, but he is a gem of a writer and commentator, not just on baseball and sports, but on all of popular culture. So, if you have time to kill at work (or at home too), you must check out the Sportsguy Glossary that has so many gems of articles and mailbag responses. Hours and hours of fun!

Perfect Major

Apparently, I missed the boat ... Thanks to Big Lou for the link

You scored as Philosophy. You should be a Philosophy major! Like the Philosopher, you are contemplative and you enjoy thinking about the purpose for humanity's existence. Philosophy 83% Engineering 75% Mathematics 75% Sociology 58% English 58% Linguistics 50% Biology 42% Chemistry 42% Journalism 42% Theater 42% Psychology 42% Anthropology 42% Dance 25% Art 25% What is your Perfect Major? created with QuizFarm.com

Back in the correct time zone

Well, I think my body has recovered and now knows what time zone it is in. Of course, my back is still recovering from 6 hours sitting in seat 17A on an A320 from Boston to Seattle (nonstop!) However, surprisingly enough, I'm rather giddy with anticipation today.

So...

Some music purchases over the holidays:
Gang of Four - Brief History of the 20th Century - I finally wanted to know what people meant when they say "reminds me of Gang of Four"
Aesop Rock - Float - Sinister. Good. I think I like it better than Bazooka Tooth
Blackalicious - The Craft - Haven't spent enough time to have comments, but seems good so far.
Tiger Saw - Sing! - Really good. Look for a threeimaginarygirls review in the near future.
Casey Dienel - Wind-up Canary - Super good. Look for a review of this as well.

Some baseball comments:
More Damon fallout - As discussed with some of my friends in Boston, the Red Sox front office seems baffling. They didn't seem to make any moves for a CF (or any move at all) while Toronto added Troy Glaus. Are they preoccupied with Tejada, Jeremy Reed or Coco Crisp? If the Sox add any of those players, I will be happy. Some of the deals seem a little 1 sided (Manny & Clement for Tejada - only good if the O's pick up a lot, I mean a lot, of the money).

Preston Wilson to Houston - My Houston prediction for Preston: .283/35/102. Mark it down.

Glaus to Toronto - Well, if the infield was all 3B, they would be all set with Glaus, Shea Hillenbrand, Corey Koskie and Eric Hinske. Looks like Russ Adams will be starting at 2B too. Miguel Batista and Orlando Hudson are a good draw for Arizona to get out of Glaus' contract.

Coming soon ... My new metric - NHRP ... Can you guess what that is? And what it tells us about the importance of Grady Sizemore?

Quick music update

For those who need more, I highly suggest the following albums after seeing these acts on New Year's Eve:

Tiger Saw - Sing!
Casey Dienel - Wind-Up Canary

and my current iPod Top 10 - 1/3/2006

10. Emily Kane - Art Brut
9. Be Still My Heart (Nobody Remix) - Postal Service
8. Morning Wonder - the Earlies
7. A Mariner's Revenge Song - the Decemberists
6. Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
5. Upon this Tidal Wave of Young Blood - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
4. Public Service Announcement - DJ Danger Mouse & Jay-Z
3. Easy/Lucky/Free - Bright Eyes
2. Starting Wearing Purple - Gogol Bordello
1. Tribulations - LCD Soundsystem

Returning!

I'll have more to say after I get myself reorganized from my long winter break in Massachusetts, but one thing I found when I was home was this great picture of Mr. Worst-baseball-writer-of-2005 himself, Ryne Sandberg. Enjoy!