TV on the Radio doing 'Wolf Like Me' at a show in Seattle - May 5

I still contend this is the best single I've heard in recent years.

Hello and welcome to 2001

I took this photo around 3 pm today. Today being May 19, 2005.

(You have to click on it to really see it)



What the hell

For those of you that were at Jonn & Justin's going-away gathering last August

Direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-4ebhmiyhs

2006 making up for 2005 musically

I just realized how much goodness has been/will be released this year:

Already out:

Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
Pearl Jam - s/t

I guess I could say Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio is out, per say, although I don't think it'll be released until June. That having been said, It's amazing.

Still need to hear the new Streets LP too.

For the future -

Zero 7 - The Garden (The 30-second clip of "Futures" on http://www.myspace.com/zero7official sounds pretty good)

The Dears - Gang of Losers

I'm sure there's some other stuff. The Shins are supposed to have a new album sometime soon, but I have a feeling it's going to suck.

Look what I found

I was thumbing through the photo album of Ned, one of the PCVs over in Zambia, and...



Nice goatee. He seems to be doing ok; heck, he should be - some of those female PCVs are rather attractive.

He's come so far

I had almost forgotten about this. Think it's from my 22nd birthday gathering (December 2003).



That would be a bottle of cheap vodka into which I pointlessly stuffed about a dozen gummy bears; it gelatinized once I put it into the refridgerator.

And to think, now he's signing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in a karaoke bar in Lusaka.

Justin reaches a new low!

Tenspeed wanted a commuter bike, but since the bicycle thieves in Austin are like skilled ninja assassins or something and can remove an OnGuard U-lock in about 3.6 seconds, he got a Trek 7300 an slapped a bunch of stupid Homestarrunner stickers on it.

Jesus.

Oh, and Austin is still 50 times better than anywhere else

Every now and then, my job kicks ass.

Occasionally, when I lurk around train yards after talking to managers about injury-free streaks, retirees and TRAIN VELOCITY, I find myself randomly asking guys "Do you have any hobbies?"

Now, remember- this is Texas. 99% of anyone in the railroad work force (well... anywhere actually, but especially here) is involved in one or all of the following activities:

1) Hunting
2) Fishing
3) Riding 4-wheelers (which they probably use to go hunting)
4) Boating (which they probably use to go fishing).

But sometimes I get lucky.

So what was I doing today, around 3 pm?

Talking to a conductor named Joey about his comic book collection, and whether Ian McKellen was a good choice for Magneto.

It'll be in the next issue of the Gulf Division newsletter. I'll post a link.

Sure beats the heck out of the time I interviewed a guy whose Rush-esqe band opened for Bon Jovi.

Red Stick, part 2

The Louisiana capitol building, which beats out Nebraska's by about 30', making it the tallest of the 50. Ours is far more phallic in nature though, so fuck you, Pelican State.

...uh, not literally. Har har.



Huey Long, former governor. He ruled Louisiana with an iron fist yet still managed to get stuff done. Then he became a US Senator. And got shot and killed.

A Hard Satur-Day's Night

Saturday, April 22 - A timeline:

1:10 am - I, asleep on Savener's couch, am awoken by Savener upon his return from work

1:15-1:45 - I surf the net while Savener takes a few hits and plays Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

~2:10 - I fall asleep

5:30 am - I awake, shower, depart for Eppley

7:18 - I board my plane, two minutes before scheduled takeoff. And I'm not the only one; Continental has some issues

7:19 - I discover that I somehow got bumped to 1st class

~7:30 - I am given a hot towel by a flight attendent. I'll be. Turned down the free wine though.

12 pm - Arrive at Louis Armstrong Int'l Airport in New Orleans

12:10 - the Avis bus driver calls me "sugar" and tells me I have nice eyes

12:50 - I arrive at Union Pacific's big terminal in area and talk to some managers

1:30 - I ask a couple of locomotive engineers how they mentor the younger guys, and bullshit with them for about a half hour

2:40 - I leave for Baton Rouge, and drive by this... thing. I don't know what the heck it is, but I've seen it every time I've come here and it still freaks me out. Apparently Jughead turned into a lumberjack and decided he preferred the cock



5:30 - After chillaxin' for an hour or so, I realize I haven't eaten anything all day and go to a Whole Foods Grocery, where I purchase some asian noodles, sushi and a bottle of Belgian white ale

6:10 - While on my drive back to my hotel, I realize I really like Baton Rouge for some reason, and it's my second favorite place to stay on my territory after Austin (no-brainer)

8:00 pm - I type this while achieving a bit of a buzz, realizing that working on the weekend isn't all that bad, given the day I've had, the fact that it'll add to my vacation time, and that I can sleep in a while tomorrow, something I've really needed to do since Tuesday's Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert

Pretty much the only thing yoga is good for

That's my shirt, by the way. I tried but couldn't bend over backwards as well as her

Ten Speed has fallen to the myspace gods

http://www.myspace.com/romulasprime

Even if you don't know Justin, it's, uh, worth seeing.

My newest cousin is not amused.

Only three months old, and he's already got it figured out. Seriously, Kia and I are going to save the human race someday.

Also, what's with the shoes this furry is wearing?

Lame. Like this blog post.

George Mason losing to Florida is probably the best evidence there is for the lack of a God.

Oh well, only 2 months and 7 days until the World Cup.

You're goddamned right I am

You Are Boston

Both modern and old school, you never forget your roots. Well educated and a little snobby, you demand the best. And quite frankly, you think you are the best. Famous people from the Boston area: Conan O'Brien, Ben Affleck, New Kids on the Block

What American City Are You?

"But I am an artist"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4822418.stm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
'Running tap' artist to try again

An artist's plan to leave six taps running for a year at secret London locations has angered Thames Water.

Performance artist Mark McGowan says it is a protest against private control of water in the UK.

The water company has threatened legal action to stop the "irresponsible" stunt which comes during a prolonged drought in southern England.

Last year McGowan left a tap running in a south London gallery, but bowed to pressure to turn it off after a month.

That stunt used 800,000 litres of water, and angered many Thames Water customers and gallery visitors - some of whom turned off the tap themselves.

This time he intends to keep the taps running at secret London addresses, sending an estimated 100 million litres down the drain.

McGowan said that private water companies made a profit while wasting billions of gallons of water a year through under-investment.

"I understand we are in a drought. But I am an artist so I'm not actually wasting water for nothing."

A Thames Water spokesman said the company planned to take immediate legal action once it knew where the taps had been left running.

Pointing out that London and the South East get less rain per head of population than Istanbul and Dallas, he said: "For the sake of the environment we call on Mr McGowan to abandon this childish game now."

McGowan has previously made a name for himself by rolling a monkey nut across London with his nose to highlight student debt, and pulling a bus with his big toe in protest against bus lanes and mayor Ken Livingstone's "ridiculous traffic strategy".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And this is why I hate roughly 95% of all modern day artists, folks

Put on some old sad bastard music, see if I care.

Out of boredom I have High Fidelity on the TV (it's on that oxygen network), despite the fact I could watch it whenever.

So at the beginning of the film when Jack Black walks into Championship Vinyl and hears Belle & Sebastian, and says "Holy sheeeeet! What the fuck is this?", Oxygen has changed "fuck" to "frog"

So there's my post for the week

I found where reflection seismograph was born

My life is now complete

Reason #28294 why TV on the Radio kicks fucking ass

Alex, one of my co-workers, found a leak of their new album. I'm already deeming the first track, "Playhouses," the song of the year.

Rumor is the title of the new album is 'Return to Cookie Mountain'. I know TVotR are avid video gamers.

You may recognize this:



That beige mass in the upper-right, on the "east" side of the bridge? That's Cookie Mountain, a level in Super Mario World.

TV on the Radio is the best band ever. Besides Pinback of course - but their songs, etc., also contain video game references.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find a girlfriend.

It's so orange. And green. Kind of like Ecto-Cooler

My cousin Jason and I are headed out to Moab and the surrounding areas Memorial Day weekend to see what the National Park Service is making Schacht do. Nonstop hikin'/bikin'/drinkin'/geocachin' fun.

Anyone else up for the journey?


...Seriously. It'll make the 12-hour drive a lot better.