The Muffin Chronicles

Journal: Day 5

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:20:33 GMT

12-18-09: It's A Wonderful Friday (I'm doing this for me)

Good Things About Today:
Easy Mac. Seriously, who knew this stuff was so good??? I only bought it because it was 50 cents, and it turns out to actually taste like Kraft Mac & Cheese. Maybe after it's been chilled & reheated, but still, that's the way half of us eat it anyway.

It turns out I have affiliates that actually prefer me, and like me. How about that, somebody listens and cares. Unfortunately, I have fewer listeners now, and fewer people to care. Oh well, just ax this Blake character, give me all his work, and suddenly I will be the one in power!

Bad Things About Today:
I took my car into the shop last night, and I picked it up. The heat is working, but I am significantly poorer now. Is poorer even a word? Doesn't seem like it is, but it works for my situation. Since I paid off my car a few months back, I've put twice what my monthly payments were back into it for repairs. I am pretty sure there are gods that get mad at you for paying things off early. Only last minute payments for me from now on! That should work out fine.

Bits From Prep:
The Tom Brady kid has a name, and it is… Benjamin. Benjamin Brady. Kind of boring. Where’s the Apples and Plutos and Macintoshes and whatnot that we expect from celebrities? You better have another kid soon so you can screw the name up proper!

Tag Hauer, the watchmaker, has finally severed ties with Tiger Woods in the advertising game. They will still continue a partnership, just not… use him to advertise their watches. I can see where this partnership worked out though, because whenever I have to watch golf, I look at my watch about every 13 seconds.

Jon and Kate are divorced. It’s official. After the hearing, Kate said she is looking forward to the new year, and focusing on her kids. Meanwhile, Jon will be black out drunk until the new year, and will focus on getting vomit stains out of his Ed Hardy clothes.

A recent study has shown that people with red hair are much more sensitive to pain than brunettes or blondes. So basically they are saying that redheads have a "wuss" gene. You have to believe it, since it was published in the Scientific Journal known as Cosmo.

Other Thoughts:
Seriously, I can't wait for Sunday. First day not working since... I'm going to cry thinking about it.

Journal Day 3. Oh, 4? Oops.

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:36:07 GMT

12-17-09: Do I have the hang of Thursdays yet?

Good Things About The Day:
So, we had our big Festivus lunch at the radio station. BBQ was served. Appropriate. But one of the big-wigs was in town talking about our move to Denver. I of course, still don't know if I'll be going. It's not because I don't want to, it's because I don't know if I have a full time job with the company. My boss tells me I will know soon. And as soon as I know, I'll probably take it, and probably move to Denver in August. Scary. I really, really don't want to be a Broncos fan.

Also, my mom got to talk to my nephew Clark last night. My lovely sister/brother-in-law decided to forget to pick up Clark from CCD, and so he was forced to call my mom to pick him up. There's a lot of back story here, but basically Clark isn't allowed to talk to my mom, my dad, or me. But, he had no choice, otherwise he would be sitting on the steps of a church in freezing Lincoln weather. So my mom picked him up, took him home. That was it, but it was enough to probably get him in trouble. Seems fair. That should probably go under "Bad Things About The Day," but the fact that my nephew got to spend 5 minutes with his grandma is enough to overlook how horrible the situation really is.

Bad Things About The Day:
It was Hy-Vee/Lunch(@radio)/Hy-Vee/Prep/Radio today. No real downtime from 9am on. And now I get to leave work to go drop off my car, since the heater stopped working. That's a nice chunk of change that I probably couldn't use for anything else (see: Move to Denver).

Bits From Prep:
If you are biking, watch out for Anne Hathaway, because she might just mow you down. Well, that’s not technically correct, but the actress was involved in an accident where a bike ran into her car. Although I hear she was just preparing for her next film, “Broke Bike Mountain.” (I’m booing myself too).

If you were missing the CW’s Beautiful Life since it got cancelled, well, that makes one of you, but the good news is you can now start watching the unaired episodes through YouTube. HP has teamed up with Ashton Kutcher’s production company to provide the remaining episodes on the video service. In other news, I now have the fear of accidentally watching "The Beautiful Life" if I ever go to YouTube. Thanks for that.

Other Things From The Day:
Did you check out the trailer for "Hot Tub Time Machine?" You should. http://tiny.cc/IeHfd

Joshua Malina was on Celebrity Jeopardy today, and ended up with $1. I was extremely disappointed. The good news is that Harry Shearer won. Yeah, I am back to watching Jeopardy.

Journal Day 2

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:20:08 GMT

12-15-08 - It sure was a Tuesday

Good Things About The Day:
I had lunch with my wife and two good friends today. I love going to lunch. It's easy, there's a time limit, and there's always a distraction when the conversation gets boring. Luckily, none of these things needed to happen, because we had fantasy baseball to talk about! Yeah, I'm that kind of dork now.

Bad Things About The Day:
I'm pretty sure the heater in my car isn't working. This is from my observation that it only blows cold air. This doesn't help when it is 8 out. So I get to look forward to shelling out more money to fix it.

Also, I forgot about the fact that my hands get extremely dry during the winter. Like, cracked and bleeding dry. So, I had to borrow lotion from someone today. I was met with the normal "I figured your hands would be very well lotioned" style of jokes. It's alright, because I can move my knuckles without witnessing a lost scene from "Saw."

Jokes From My Prep:
Nothing of note today.

Other Things From The Day:
Talked to my boss at the radio job about my future. I am the only person in the world concerned about two jobs trying to offer me full time. Well, two jobs that I assume will be offering me full time. I will know by the end of the week though if radio is my future. Hopefully it is.

P.S. On spell check, it wanted me to change "Lotioned." One of the options was "Lemoned." That would hurt. A lot.

Journal: Entry 1

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 05:52:58 GMT

I’m starting to write down my thoughts on the day. I’m sure this will last… a day.

12-14-09: A Monday.

Good Things About The Day:

My second shower. Oh man was that needed. I don’t know if you understand the -10 wind chill happening here in Omaha, but it isn’t pleasant. Yes, it is worse in other places, and yes, I am used to it, but dammit, when it is -10 a hot shower is amazing! Plus it give a place for some alone time. (Eww.)

Bad Things About The Day:

A piece of chicken fell of my Lean Cuisine Panini, which sucks since they put on approximately one piece of chicken per Panini. Upside is that I saved calories? Bigger upside is that I have an excuse later when I eat an entire pizza.

Other Things I Did:

Watched “The Nines,” which begs the question: Is Ryan Reynolds God, or is it just his abs are God-Like?

Watched “Sit Down, Shut Up” on Hulu. Seriously, that is a funny show. Take all of your favorite parts of FOX Sunday night, and then actually make them funny!

Jokes From My Prep:

After the success of Paranormal Activity, Paramount pictures has launched an initiative to place between 10 and 20 projects in development by the end of next year, with no individual budget topping $100,000. On a related note, be prepared to throw up every time you watch a Paramount picture a year from now.

Nike is standing by Tiger Woods, saying that when his career is officially over in many, many years, people will look back and remember what a great golfer he was. And then they opened a newspaper, did a spit-take and yelled “He Did What???”

Green Day are working on a version of Rock Band featuring all of their songs. No word on if it will include a special three-button guitar.

Final Thought:
Just because there is snow on the ground doesn’t mean you can make up your own parking space. There’d be an extra three spots if it weren’t for people who somehow have never parked a car before to know the appropriate distance.

Horror Movie Marathon...ish

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:53:30 GMT

Here's the short story:
I need to figure out three horror movies to watch in a marathon with the wife. What would you suggest?

Here's the longer story:
My wife owes me. I don't enjoy musicals, but I go with her because I know she likes them. I think it was in a vow somewhere that I had to do that. However, I feel that it is important for both parties to make sacrifices. What kind of sacrifice can she make in return? Well, by watching one of my favorite genres! I am setting up a horror movie marathon that we will watch sometime on or around Halloween. I'd prefer to get a nice variety, so I'm just looking for suggestions as to the perfect three movies.
Stipulations:
No Freddy Kruger. That's her thing, not mine, otherwise it would be in there.
At least one that borders on comedy. That is for me, because a movie that successfully handles both is better than either one sometimes.
And... that's it.

Thank you in advance for the 1-3 responses.

The Return... oh wait, that failed.

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:45:04 GMT

I still hold a dear place in my heart for LiveJournal. It was my first social networking site. And it was barely a social networking site. It was just a place to put down some thoughts and feelings. Or something.

So I'm trying to figure out which social network I should first announce that I am married on, and while I don't ever use this, I feel like this has been with me since the beginning. It's in the running. The other options are MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. I hate Twitter, and MySpace is useless anymore. Facebook does have bejeweled though...

These are tough times we live in, with difficult decisions to be made.

The Return: Day ohnoicantmove

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:20:05 GMT

Today:
1) Exer-ooooooowwwwwww!
2) Kick some Koopa ass
3) Work
------
1) So I got up this morning, with the intent of running. Instead, I stretched, and destroyed by neck/upper back. Fun times. So I sat around not doing anything for an hour, and I have regained the gift of movement. It's pretty great. Everything is still tight, but at least I breathe.
2) Going to Jeremy's, playing Mario 3 all the way through. Well, this is all in theory, but I don't see how I can fail. Although I am better at Super Mario World, since it is the best game that has ever happened.
3) Another night of work. Probably pretty low-key.

On another note, I was driving behind a car the other day with a Jazzercise bumper sticker. Who is so into Jazzercise that they go "Bumper sticker? Fuck yeah! Slap that shit on!"

The Return! Day 1

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:11:45 GMT

MySpace is dead, and lame. That is something of the past now. Yes, I still log in every day, but I don't know the last time I had anything relevant on there.
Facebook, well, facebook doesn't have a blogging feature. It has notes, but all they are for is "25 things about my cat" and "Quotes from movies that make me better than you for knowing."
So what does that mean? Well, I'm going to start this thing back up. I think 4 of my 12 friends might care. Well, that might be a little extreme. 1 out of 12 ain't bad.
Enough rambling, onto the updates!

----

Today's Rundown:
1) Work for an hour
2) Friday Night Lights!
3) Exercise
4) Rock Band?
5) Work for more than an hour.

Detailed Explanation.
1) Hy-Vee. The place where I create my own schedule. Somehow I've been able to just work random hours for about 6 months now without anybody noticing. I plan on keeping that up for a while.

2) Can you believe that coach caught them in bed??? Crazy!

3) I've been running recently. I decided to work off this weight that I put on the last 25 years. I managed to get 2 miles last week without dying, so now I am going to make that my minimum. It is horrible. The pain in my body can only be likened to the time that I stayed up until 3 in the morning after work 13 hours to watch "Catwoman." Horrible, horrible pain.

4) I just finished the running thing, so this is all speculation. I am showering, but I didn't want to list that. The thought of me nude would turn entirely too many people on. I can't do that to America in these tough times. Anyway, I'm meeting up with friends on Saturday to play Rock Band, and I said I'd drum. I'm not good at that, so, better practice.

5) I work every night. This is nothing new to most people, but for those of you who are new to my work schedule, radio is the night life. 7-12 five nights a week. I'm kind of a big deal. Except not really.

Have a good day!

So, I Went To Chicago The Other Day...

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:09:39 GMT

Here's what the idea is.
I went to Chicago (I'm in Omaha), and I saw Jimmy Eat World perform their entire "Clarity" CD. It was awesome. I also met Jim Adkins after the show at a bar. That was awesome. It was a good trip.

Normally I might put together some sort of story, and add photos along the way. I am much to lazy at this point, plus there are like 20 photos to link. That's beyond my caring.

If you do want to see the photos, I invite you over to facebook. If you want to be my friend there as well, go for it.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2220401&l=52d02&id=507869691

Thank you for your time.

On a side note, I'm getting closer and closer to abandoning MySpace and using this and Facebook. They seem better, right?

Sigh

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 22:05:45 GMT

Limp Bizket announced today that they are reforming, going on tour, and putting out a new album.

Shouldn't they have waited until tomorrow?

Inaguration '09!

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:32:35 GMT

Fun Fact: By this time 8 years ago, President Bush had been on 3 vacations!

Fun Fact: Yesterday, Dick Cheney was so distraught about having to leave the white house, he could barely eat any of his three baby omelet. (As appeared on CNN)

Fun Fact: While President Bush was walking out onto the steps of the capital, he couldn’t stop smiling. That cartoon squirrel was on TV again this morning.

Fun Fact: While it is true that Dick Cheney hurt his back moving, nobody seems to ask where he was moving: The Legion of Doom!

Fun Fact: In their first non-partisan meeting, Obama and McCain declared Beyonce to be “Bootylicious.”

Fun Fact: Barack Obama wanted one celebrity to come out today, but they couldn’t come. Who was that unavailable celebrity? You guessed it, Frank Stallone.

Fun Fact: Barack Obama’s first dance: “At Last” performed by Beyonce. George Bush’s first dance: “Summer Girls” performed by LFO.

Fun Fact: On the way out, George Bush accidentally let the door hit him on the ass.

The Best of 2008! At Last!

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:50:19 GMT

This will be my third year doing a best of list. What’s change since the first year? Well, I haven’t bought as many random CDs as I used to. The good part about that is… nothing. So, I’m stuck with a few of the regulars. Expect 2009 to be even more slim pickins! Once again, this is in alphabetical order, because that is the only way to be fair to everything that isn't (SPOILER ALERT) Weezer.

Air Traffic - Fractured Life

http://www.myspace.com/airtraffic
This was my first favorite album of 2008. Back when I used to work at Best Buy, I would find a favorite album, and not stop until everyone bought it. I did not have that advantage this time, so I had to stick with pestering on Myspace and Facebook. I doubt the success of this. Anyway, about the album, it is fantastic all the way through. The flow reminds me of a Muse CD, where there are constant ups and downs, with every song having its own little purpose. With that statement, I don't want you to think it sounds like Muse. Except for that one song. That sounds like Muse.
Songs: "Charlotte" "Come On" “Never Even Told Me Her Name”

Death Cab For Cutie - "Narrow Stairs"

http://www.myspace.com/deathcabforcutie
Good god. This album will kick your ass in every way it can. "Bixby Canyon Bridge" is a beautiful start, and the build-up during the song is amazing. "Pity and Fear" literally scares me whenever it ends. "I Will Possess Your Heart" could have had another 20 minutes of music, and it still would be far away one of the best singles of the year. So, instead of me sitting here and telling you why each track is so damn good, just go buy the album and love it.
Songs: "I Will Possess Your Heart," "No Sunlight," "Grapevine Fires."

Grand Archives – Grand Archives

http://www.myspace.com/grandarchives
So, this is my arbitrary “You’ve never heard of this band!” entry. I was actually very reluctant to put it on this list, because when I tried it with Winter Sounds last year, I regretted it about 2 months later (still a fine CD, just not the tops). It’s a CD I haven’t been obsessed with all year, so whenever I go back to it, I still enjoy everything it offers to me, and find more things that I like about it.
Fact: Features a guy from Band Of Horses. Not to be confused with Horse The Band. One of them had a hit song, and I don’t remember which one though.
Songs: “Miniature Birds” “Sleepdriving” “The Crime Window”

Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger

http://www.myspace.com/jacksmannequin
Everything about Jack's Mannequin is a success story. There's a chance that Andrew McMahon wouldn't have even been around to make this album. But he did, and now this album is a chronicle of everything that could have been negative, but is truly a positive thing. There is an uneven balance of the tempos between the first and second half, but the quality of the song writing is never sacrificed for a specific feeling. By the way, it's a 14 track album, so I really have to give 4 recommendations:
Songs: "Spinning" "Hammers and Strings" "The Resolution" "Caves"

Nine Black Alps – Love/Hate

http://www.myspace.com/nineblackalps
As with any band that comes out of the gates with an amazing debut album, Nine Black Alps had a lot to live up to. So what did they do? They calmed it down. They took their time, focused on writing fantastic songs, and turned the distortion down on their guitars. Does it still rock? Yes, but now it just occasionally has a Nada Surf feel. But more British.
Songs: “The Bitter End” “Happiness and Satisfaction” “Burn Faster”

People In Planes - Beyond The Horizon

http://www.myspace.com/peopleinplanes
I remember the first time I saw the cover of their first album, and I was like, “I should buy this.” And then I never did. And I probably never will. Maybe I don't want my perspective of the greatness of this album to be shattered by something that doesn't live up. Either way, there's a nice range of great rock songs, and you should listen to it because I said so. I’m pretty good at these things.
Songs: "Last Man Standing" "Mayday (M'aidez)" "Get on the Flaw"

Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns

http://www.myspace.com/snowpatrol
So, "Eyes Open" was a bit of a letdown. Yes, it made it on my list a couple of years ago, but in comparison, it really probably shouldn't have. I knew this was good when I started having songs pop into my head out of nowhere. This album is back to full, well-thought out songs, and doesn't stagger into some of the mistakes they have made (see: The Finish Line). Things to note: "Crack The Shutters" is not "Chasing Cars." "Take Back the City" is 10x better than "Hands Open," and nothing can compare to anything off of “Final Straw."
Songs: "Take Back The City" "Life Boats" "Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands"

We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery

http://www.myspace.com/wearescientists
I don’t know what WAS did between their two albums, but something grew in their songwriting, because head to head this album kicks With Love And Squalor’s ass all over the pavement. They don’t take themselves too seriously, you can tell that, but that doesn’t mean they are going to skimp on any aspect of their writing. It’s mostly evident in the hours of fun you can have on their website, www.wearescientists.com. Plus when the videos are directed by Akiva from The Lonely Island, you know they have to be awesome. Did I sell it to you yet?
Songs: “After Hours” “Chick Lit” “Impatience”

Weezer - Weezer (Red Album)

http://www.myspace.com/weezer
I was going to leave this off of the list, and then I remembered that there was no way that I could do that without abandoning everything I believe in. Plus it is a good collection of songs. It’s not the Rivers Cuomo show. It’s not the blue album. Nothing ever will be. Deal with it jerks. If anything, you have to love the video for “Pork and Beans.” By the way, the only way to purchase this album is the deluxe edition. The bonus songs are boss.
Songs: "Pork And Beans," "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived," "King"

Zox - Line In The Sand

http://www.myspace.com/zox
It's been such a long year, that I keep forgetting about this album, but every time I go back to it, I still love it. In fact, I probably like it more than when it first came out. They are a unique band with a unique sound, but pull together songs that are full of catchy-goodness that deserve to have a lot more attention paid to. Everything that was done on "The Wait" is amplified as much as it is subdued to make it one of the best accomplishments of 2008.
Songs "Line In The Sand" "Goodnight" "Seventh Avenue Prophet"

So there you have it. The tops. That’s the important stuff. But here’s some more crap to consider!

BEST COMEBACK
Kaiser Chiefs – Off With Their Heads
Their last album was terrible. This one redeems everything. They took all the elements that sucked about “Yours Truly, Angry Mob” and made them not suck. Good job guys.
Runner-up: Offspring – Rise & Fall, Rage & Grace

BIGGEST REGRET:
Flobots - "Handlebars" – I spent every day this year hating this song for how damn good it was.

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN QUICK TURNAROUND
Weird Al Yankovic - "Whatever You Like" – A good experiment for Weird Al, and a good song for a day.

OUTSTANDING SONG FROM A BAND I SHOULDN’T CARE ABOUT
The All-American Rejects - "Gives You Hell" – How can a band write a song this good, but sill be so mediocre on everything else?

OUTSTANDING SONG FROM AN ALBUM I REALLY, REALLY DON’T CARE ABOUT
Katy Perry - "Hot & Cold" – Yeah, I said it. It’s 100x better than “I Kissed A Girl.”

OUTSTANDING SONG ON AN ALBUM I ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT – A TIE!
Airborne Toxic Event - "Sometime Around Midnight" – I wanted so badly to put their album on the top 10, but the rest just can’t live up to how good this song is.
The Gaslight Anthem – “The ’59 Sound.” Great album, but this song is just too damn fantastic.

And a final note for all of the bands that have previously made my year-end list, but didn’t cut it this year.
-Okkervil River – “The Stand Ins” – You did well kids, just not well enough.
-Rise Against – “Appeal To Reason” – My love for you won’t fade, but I play the hell out of your songs on the radio. I just need a break. It’s not you, it’s me.
-Quietdrive – “Deliverance” – This was one that hurt not to put on. I like the album, it just didn’t hit me like everything else. Maybe if I made a top 20. But that isn’t happening.

Damn Girl

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:31:52 GMT

So when I was driving home today, the temperature gauge in my car hit 0, which is pretty depressing as a whole. There it was, a big ol’ 0, my new cycloptic friend stuck in the dashboard of my car with no job but to just stare back at me. And then the unthinkable happened, and it got colder out. The reading switched to a -1 stance, taking my new friend away from me and leaving me with a feeling of abandonment. Now all I have is this unbelievable number. How can it be less than nothing outside? Is that possible? And then I stepped outside, and it seemed very, very possible. Basically, once it hits a negative number, it’s not as much the temperature outside, as it is the space where your balls once existed. See, it is so cold out, that they shoot so quickly inside of your body that they actually implode, creating a black hole where your genitals used to be.

And that is how the world ends.

10 Cents In The Lottery

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:04:36 GMT

Man, I kinda miss this thing.

Or do I?

I was watching one of those strongest man competitions the other day. Those things are frickin' crazy. The stuff they do is incredible, and horrifying. The acts of strength just get more and more amazing as the show goes on. First they have to like, pull a semi, and then they have to uproot a tree, and then there's the Oprah toss. Amazing stuff.

Top albums coming soon.

Barky Bark?

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:31:05 GMT

I love everything about this sketch.

And now that is over.

And That Crazy Gremlin...

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:44:13 GMT

One of the older managers at work walked by me today. He was carrying a black hat and a cauldron. All he said was "Witch's Brew."
I laughed for a long time.
The end of story.

Wasn't that worth the months of waiting?

And I thought i gave it up

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:16:26 GMT

So, as I was leaving work last night, a car came speeding around the corner.
"Oh Great, some jerk-hole in a black car" is what I thought.
Then the car pulled up behind me, and the next thing I know, I hear Rick Astly.

I was drive-by rickrolled.

It's that time, again. Again.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:24:16 GMT

Hello, and welcome to the Top 10 albums of 2007! Presented in 2008!

Here’s the story: I would have liked to have done this earlier, but for whatever reason I just didn’t buy as many albums this year, so ended up playing catch-up in these last few weeks. I mean serious catch-up. I bought all kinds of albums. Some of them made this list, some of them… didn’t (I’m talking to you, The National).
But here’s the next piece of fun. I’ve been narrowing down my list for the past week, and I finally ended up at 11 albums, and I just couldn’t cut one of them. None of them deserved to be left behind. So, I guess I need to re-intro this thing.

Hello, and welcome to the Top 11 albums of 2007!

Good for me. Also, I couldn’t find a way to properly rank these. There is no way I could call some of these albums better than other ones, without justifying why the one I ranked lower is actually better. So, I opted to do this thing alphabetically, because that was the only fair way, and I didn’t want to piss off Against Me! by ranking them too low. So here it goes. Enjoy.

Against Me! – New Wave

http://www.myspace.com/againstme
How punk am I? This punk. I’ve had a passing interest in Against Me! for the past couple of years, which started when I heard “Don’t Lose Touch.” I also saw them live last year at Warped, and they kicked some ass. Excuses aside, what it really comes down to is that I’m not a true fan, I’m jumping on the bandwagon after “Thrash Unreal” kicked my ass a few too many times, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a good album.
The Good Stuff: “Thrash Unreal”, “New Wave”, “White People For Peace”

Athlete – Beyond the Neighbourhood

http://www.myspace.com/athlete
When it comes to Athlete, it’s best not to expect too much excitement. However, they are fantastic musicians who can easily compile a collection of songs that work very well together, and end long before you want it to. I’m not trying to say that the band is bland, the lead single “Hurricane” proves that they have an ability to write up-tempo (while not up-beat), it’s just not always the norm for them. I just wish they would find a way to Coldpay their way into the world.
The Good Stuff: “Hurricane”, “Tokyo”, “The Outsiders”

Colour – Between Earth And Sky

Winner of the “Wolfmother: Will we ever care about these retro-ish guys again?” Award.
The Colour was the first stand-out band of 2007 for me. “Devil’s Got a Holda Me” stood out to me immediately as something great and new in the increasingly mediocre alternative scene. Sure, every once in a while in the album you hear something that is almost Rolling Stones-ish, but you can immediately dismiss that as just the crazy in your head.
The Good Stuff: “Devil’s Got a Holda Me”, “Save Yourself”, “Just A Taste”

Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace

http://www.myspace.com/foofighters
If the Foo Fighters were any less awesome, they wouldn’t be the Foo Fighters. That seems obvious. But here’s the thing, even on an album that is somewhat disappointing in comparison to “In Your Honor,” the Foos still manage to rock harder than 95% of the bands out there. “The Pretender” just destroys everything, and could possibly be one of the best songs of the year, and something like “Stranger Things Have Happened” is oddly catchy for being just guitar and vocals. But honestly, Dave Grohl could record himself pissing onto a Nirvana album, and it would still be composed better than anything Papa Roach has ever done.
The Good Stuff: “The Pretender”, “Let It Die”, “Stranger Things Have Happened”

Eric Hutchinson – Sounds Like This

http://www.myspace.com/erichutchinson
Winner of the “Pilot Speed: Album that I picked up purely because it was cheap” award.
Okay, that’s not fair. The cover was nice to look at as well. But let’s talk about the music. It’s a nice collection of songs. I wish I could accurately describe the sound, but I can’t. It’s always on the tip of my tongue as to what it actually is, but I just can’t get there. It’s got some jazzy elements, some pop, some folk, but what it comes down to is that it is just a fun listen.
The Good Stuff: “Ok, it’s Alright With Me”, “Outside Villanova”, “It Hasn’t Been Long Enough”

Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light

http://www.myspace.com/jimmyeatworld
I knew this album would be on my top 10 before it even came out. In fact, I think the reason that I am doing this alphabetically is because I knew I would feel like a sell-out for putting JEW at number one. But whatever my motives, this is an amazing album. The music has evolved into something louder than what they used to be, and the production has stepped up since the days of “Clarity,” but the essence of the band hasn’t changed. The lyrics are still very well done, and the compositions themselves are amazing. Here’s the final line: I would risk sitting through Paramore to watch Jimmy Eat World perform these songs.
The Good Stuff: “Big Casino”, “Here It Goes”, “Dizzy”

Luna Halo – Luna Halo

http://www.myspace.com/lunahalo
Where did this come from? All I knew about them was their single “Kings & Queens,” and that my old P.D. obsessed about it. I was initially excited for the album, but then the release got scrapped, and I forgot about it. Then one day I was walking along the CD section and saw it sitting there, so I figured I’d give it a shot. It’s not a revelation in music, but it’s a straight forward alternative rock album. I imagine it as SR-71 getting back together to perform a Sugarcult album, minus all the pop-punk. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Or none of that at all.
The Good Stuff: “Kings & Queens”, “English Boys”, “On My Way”

Matt Pond PA – Last Light

http://www.myspace.com/mattpondpa
I wish I had more time to listen to this album before I made this list, because then I would be able talk further in depth about how genius Matthew Pond really is. For now though, you are just going to have to take my word for it, and check out three or so songs before falling in love. (Also, it’s the best use of hand claps on an album this year. Not overdone, not to be epic, just because it fits)
The Good Stuff: “Last Light”, “People Have A Way”, “Sunlight”

Okkervil River – The Stage Names

http://www.myspace.com/okkervilriver
So, I walked up to this guy I worked with, and I was like “What’s your favorite album from this year?” and he told me this one. Good call. It’s what I pictured Head Of Femur eventually being, but Okkervil beat them to it. It’s indie rock, but you can actually listen to it without falling asleep (I’m talking to you, The National).
The Good Stuff: “Unless It’s Kicks”, “Plus Ones”, “A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene”

VHS or Beta – Bring On The Comets

http://www.myspace.com/vhsorbeta
First things first; These guys are listed in the “Dance/Techno” section at Best Buy. That is in no way accurate. There’s a keyboard player. And the drummer uses the hi-hat a lot. But that’s about it. The rest of the band is a fully-functional rock and roll outfit, and they produce some damn fine tunage.
The Good Stuff: “Can’t Believe a Single Word”, “She Says”, “Bring On The Comets”

Winter Sounds – Porcelain Empire

http://www.myspace.com/thewintersounds
The Winter Sounds spend the entire 50 minutes of their CD being just inches away from catchy pop stardom, but never cross that line. Instead, they drift in that small area that exists where a band can experiment with different sounds and styles, but not to the point where the structural integrity of the song is lost. There is always a beginning, middle and end, but it’s just fun to find out how they wanted to get there on each song.
The Good Stuff: “Windy City Nights”, “Static In The Whole”, “The Great Forgotten”

So there ya have it. My favorite albums this year, and soon to be yours as well. But, what would my top albums be without some additional categories? Well, it would be a real top albums list.

BEST COMEDY ALBUM:
Mike Birbiglia – My Secret Public Journal Live

http://www.myspace.com/birbigs
Hilarious fellow. Check him out.

OUTSTANDING SONG ON AN ALBUM I DON’T CARE ABOUT
Modest Mouse – Dashboard
Holy crap, what a song that is.

OUTSTANDING SONG ON AN ALBUM THAT I ACTUALLY LIKE
Fountains Of Wayne – Someone To Love
When I first listened to “Traffic and Weather”, I said “this is one of the best of the year,” and then the rest of the year happened. This song is still good.

WORST SOPHOMORE ALBUM/BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly, Angry Mob
Really? I mean, come on, really? This is what you give me? Sigh.

And that is it. Have a good year.

Not quite a year, but close enough.

Sat, 12 Jan 2008 07:00:39 GMT

If I cared enough to do a post with sound, it would be me saying "Hello?" and letting it echo and fade.

But I don't.

So, what am I doing on here? Rereading my own stuff. I know, pretty sad, right? But sometimes it is just good to go back and wonder what I was thinking at certain times. Surprising thing is that it isn't all about girls, or sex, or sex with girls. I know!

But, back to the present. Just wanted to say "Hi" to anyone who still is friends with me, and screw up their world by having a random post like this show up on their friends page.

Oh, and I am working on my Top 10 of 2007, so if there is anything that just has to be on there (read: Soulja Boy), let me know.

Word?
-Grant

Goodbye Troy!

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 15:51:59 GMT

I went on a trip to Minnesota this weekend. Why tell you about it, when I can show you the pictures!

Welcome to Iowa, if you lived here, you’d be bored by now. Same thing goes for visiting Iowa, or even thinking about it.

A high-class lunch for the road. I had something that might have had too much cheese on it, but then I called myself a liar and went on with my day.

Welcome to Ames, if you lived here, you’d be bad at sports by now!

Old & Busted/New Hotness, done Iowa stylee! Boyeeeee.

Welcome to Minnesota, if you lived here, you’d be pretty good at sports, but then something would happen that would cost you the chance to move on. Zing!

So, Minnesota is pretty busy. People leaving. People going there. Luckily, I can take advantage of the carpool lane. Actually, about two seconds after this picture was taken, the carpool lane ended. Pretty sad story.

So, this photo would be more shocking if you saw the outside of the building first. It honestly looked like crap, and I feared for the worst. But we checked in, went upstairs, walked in, and saw a freakin’ hot tub in the room. How cool is that? The whole room was pretty kick-ass though. Except for…

these things that were in the bathroom. Normally they provide a couple of soap-like items, but this place had all kinds of toiletries. The problem? They smelled like old-Halloween candy. And by that, I mean the damn cinnamon bears that nobody ever wanted to eat because they smelled like crap, and that was because they tasted like crap. So, they didn’t get a lot of use.

We also had a cool little kitchen thing. Way to go, Holiday Inn Express!

This is the part where the concert would happen, but instead, you have a picture of some buildings because cameras weren’t allowed at the concert. Highlights:
-Silversun Pickups improvising a song about Guitar Tech Troy’s last day on the tour.
-OK Go talking about their song on Kidzzzz Bop, and how the lyrics had to be changed around to “Hey!... we’re 8!”
-Snow Patrol inviting two girls up on stage to help sing a song, and then immediately kicking them off after they didn’t know the first words, and getting Brian from Silversun Pickups to sing the part instead.

This is where we ate lunch the next day. They had fine food, but a waitress who lived up to the musical equivalent of the name. If that makes sense to anyone. Probably not.

If this picture had a thousand words, they would be the lyrics to “Time After Time” as performed by Quietdrive. On the radio!

The Mall Of America. There’s some sort of joke here that I’m trying to make about Illegal Immigration, and closing of the entrance to the Mall of America, but no matter how I word it, I end up sounding like a dick, like Bill O’Reilly.

The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory actually hand makes different chocolate treats on tables like these. We got to watch somebody make three different things. It was straight out of “Unwrapped.” In fact, Marc Summers was even behind us begging for change.

On the drive back, we got to see Iowa’s new state logo.

The Manly Forest City exit, the straightest place on Earth.

I probably had more jokes to make, but I forgot them. So I ended on a gay joke. Sad.

Taken from every source, FIRST!

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:20:39 GMT

Announcing the new flavor Wednesday, Ben & Jerry’s called it: “The sweet taste of liberty in your mouth.”

The Vermont-based ice-cream maker is known for naming its flavors after people such as Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy and the band Phish — which Colbert sees as a political bias.

“I’m not afraid to say it. Dessert has a well-known liberal agenda,” Colbert said in a statement. “What I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case.”

Well...

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 02:20:05 GMT

Nothing like the Jeopardy contestant's test to make you realize that you don't know crap.

Have a good day.

You're the tops!

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:36:06 GMT

I’ve got 2006 problems, but a bitch ain’t one
A musical year in review

2006 was quite the year in music, especially for artists who had been out of the game for a few years. Tool, Pearl Jam, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers all released career-defining albums. 2 Pac released only his 8th album in his posthumous career. And of course, Jay-Z came out of retirement to deliver another album, which is of course where I got the title for this blog from. Not his new album in particular, just that one song from that one album a while back. I just want to get this straight, I have not heard anything off of his new album, seeing as how my cracker-ass probably wouldn’t be picking up what he was lying down anyway, so I just stuck with what I know (and love).

So, even with all of these huge acts doing huge things, it was also the year of the underdog. A psychedelic/rap/soul project from a duo known as Gnarls Barkley stormed the charts, Blue October finally hit gold (and possibly platinum) after years of absolutely nothing, and Hinder’s success reminded us that there is no god.

But anyway, enough introduction, here’s the Top 10.

10. Pilot Speed – “Into The West”

http://www.myspace.com/pilotspeed

I had 8 albums that I couldn’t argue out of the top 10, and then a long list of albums that all had their good reasons to make it into the remaining two spots. The reason Pilot Speed made it in was purely for the surprise. Not to you, but to me. I picked up this album because it only cost me five bucks (a trend in this list), and I ended up being very, very content with my purchase.
Basically you get Radiohead, minus some of the pretentiousness, but a lot more catchy. However, this is not an album that you’ll want to listen to while driving on the interstate at night, unless of course you want to be really introspective and artsy. It’s a relatively quiet album, but it gets important when it needs to be.
Suggested Tracks: “Barely Listening” “Ambulance”

9. Rise Against – “The Sufferer & The Witness”

http://www.myspace.com/riseagainst

Rise Against is one of the few bands on my list that have entered my life before this year. “Siren Song of the Counter Culture” is easily one of my favorite albums to kick some ass to, and before that you could at least say they did a wicked cover of Journey. On “Sufferer” the band continues to build a solid reputation as popular political punk-rockers. Now, most people will disagree with the labeling of “punk,” but most people also tend to suck, so I don’t really care.
Suggested Tracks: “Ready To Fall” “Prayer of the Refugee”

8. Snow Patrol – “Eyes Open”

http://www.myspace.com/snowpatrol
I could probably list their previous album, “Final Straw,” as one of my favorite albums ever. With “Eyes Open,” the band definitely took a different direction, opting to include some poppier tracks, and solidifying the production on the main instruments (rather than doing odd mixes that are hard to reproduce live). Whatever changes happened though, it still managed to keep my attention, and it is something I’ve gone back to since its release last May.
Suggested Tracks: “Hands Open” “Shut Your Eyes”

7. Zox – “The Wait”

http://www.myspace.com/zox

Here’s the story of how I found out about Zox. I went to the Warped Tour over the summer, and their CD was on sale for five bucks. The end.
P.S. I liked the CD.
Suggested Tracks: “Thirsty” “Carolyn”

6. Sparta – “Threes”

http://www.myspace.com/sparta

Sparta has had two albums before this (one of the many reasons for the title “Threes”), and I have never liked them. I have even gone back and listed to their old stuff since loving this album, and I still don’t like it. This album rocks my balls off. “Taking Back Control” is almost too bad-ass to be experienced without some sort of precautionary measures being taken first by the listener. And then it is followed up with “Erase It Again,” which is so cool in its own unique way that you forget you just got your ass handed to you for three minutes and forty seconds. Why did it take these guys so long to become great?
Suggested Tracks: “Taking Back Control” “Erase It Again” (as if you couldn’t guess)

5.Wolfmother – “Wolfmother”

http://www.myspace.com/wolfmother

I spent the first half of the year purposely not listening to Wolfmother, because I knew I would enjoy it too much. I had heard “Woman” a good 50 times before I ever even had the CD, and once I had the CD, I didn’t listen to it for a month. And then I did, and damn. Where The Darkness failed, Wolfmother prevailed, leaving a blazing trail of classic-rock-done-anew in their wake. I’m counting the days until I purposely don’t listen to their second album.
Suggested Tracks: “Woman” “White Unicorn”

4. Quietdrive – “When All That’s Left Is You”

http://www.myspace.com/quietdrive

Okay, so it may seem like I am biased, but why? I just like the music a lot, and the guys are just plain nice. In a music scene that is way over-saturated with pop-punk/rock, these guys don’t reinvent the genre, but they justify its existence. The album is lyrically and musically strong, plus you can actually sing along without having to plug your nose to emulate the whininess that the genre tends to suffer (see: New Found Glory). If just the songs alone aren’t enough to convince you that these guys are the real deal, take the time to check out a live show. You won’t regret it. (If anything, you might be able to pick up the CD for, you guessed it, five bucks)
Suggested Tracks: “Rise From The Ashes” “Take A Drink”

3. Incubus – “Light Grenades”

http://www.myspace.com/incubus

“A Crow Left of the Murder” was just disappointing. I’m willing to admit that now. There were a few good moments on it, but they faded quickly. When I first listened to “Light Grenades,” I had hyped it up so much to myself that I was afraid of the same thing. Gone are the days of funky bass breakdowns and over-done turn tabling. Now the tremendous guitar gets the spotlight the way it deserves, with everything else still managing to keep the balance. Incubus has grown up since we last heard from them, and it works very, very well.
What was missing from “Crow” was an album. There were some good individual songs, but Incubus had always crafted a great album before that. Something that flowed. And they get back to that with “Light Grenades.” It goes from beginning to end, with no need to repeat anything. So now I’m going to do the “suggested tracks” thing, because there are some highlights, but really, it’s a damn good album.
Suggested Tracks: “Dig” “Anna Molly”

2. Nine Black Alps – “Everything Is”

http://www.myspace.com/nineblackalps

This was the first band of the year that really caught my attention. Their debut single “Cosmopolitan” was inspired. I couldn’t imagine not having that song in my life. Then upon further investigation (namely their 5-track EP), I found out these guys were, well, amazing. “Everything Is,” is just so perfect in so many different ways. This began a string of albums that I forced everyone I knew to buy (followed afterwards by Quietdrive, Wolfmother and Zox).
I do remember though that the first way I described them was that they were “Like Bloc Party, if Bloc Party didn’t suck.” I now know that doesn’t even begin to describe what I was trying to get at. It is so much better than that.
Suggested Tracks: “Cosmopolitan” “Unsatisfied”

1. Gomez – “How We Operate”

http://www.myspace.com/gomez

If there was one surprise to me this year, it was Gomez. “How We Operate” was a pretty cool track, so I decided to go ahead and buy the CD. Much like Incubus, it took a few listens to grow on me, but it grew on me in spurts. First I’d notice how great a certain song was, so I’d go back and listen to that a bunch, which would inevitably lead me to another track, then to another, and pretty soon I was listening to the whole CD nonstop. This is an album where every single track stands out, making the entire thing impossible to not listen to.
Suggested Tracks: All of ‘em, but go for “See The World” and “Girlshapedlovedrug”

And that is the top 10. Was it good for you? Well, I don’t care, because it was good for me. But we aren’t done yet! What year in music doesn’t have just those stand out singles that make you go “oh my god, this is the greatest thing, ever,” without caring about anything else the band has ever done, or will ever do. So, no I present to you;

The Top One-hits of 2006!

Wired All Wrong – “Nothing At All.”
Not too much to say about them, but this song sure was cool.

“Weird Al” Yankovic – “White & Nerdy”
Yes, there’s great stuff on his album, but this is a stand out song for 2006. It’s just saddening though that it took the Chamillionaire to re-launch Al’s career. But I guess the silver lining is that the Chamillionaire is actually good for something!

OK Go – “Here It Goes Again”
Their CD didn’t make it on to my list since it was released in 2005, but their landmark treadmill video showed kids that it’s cool to exercise (as long as this doesn’t happen).

Muse – “Starlight”
Yes, once again I have a song of an album that is actually good, but this song is so f’in amazing that it should be sent out to all aspiring musicians as a guideline for how not to suck.

And finally…

Cobra Starship – “Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)”
A song that is so catchy that it can’t be listened to in seriousness, but man, it is catchy. Undoubtedly the single of the year (and I can say that, since nobody will remember what it is at this time next year).

That’s it.

Bye.

The dormant.

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 18:23:47 GMT

So, I know I don't do much on here anymore, but I felt that this was worth posting.

I have opted to not renew the hosting for www.onionarmada.com

It's kind of sad, but really, it hasn't been touched in months, and it is time to move on. Does this mean that the Onion Armada will cease to be? No idea. Not my call. There just won't be a website for it.
Or the Jeopardizers.
Sad.

I think I'm keeping the domain name though. I don't want to give that up to porn just yet. Or do I... I'll have to look in to that.

Anyway, I'm going to go make Tacos now. Hope your day goes as good as that.

Exploring Wonderful

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 04:28:51 GMT

Well hello to everyone in the land of Live Journal. I felt it was time to actually post something exclusively on here, so I am. How exciting for the three of you who still regularly use this thing!

Life has been extremely... normal. And that's good. I've had a severe lack of drama, and I love it. Usually once or twice a month I go into this deep depression where I don't talk to anyone, but it's been a while now since that happened. In fact, I would pinpoint it as being right around the time that I got a girlfriend.

Yes, that's right, Grant can no longer complain about being single. The three-point plan worked out, and now the lovely Jenn is a part of my life. So that's pretty good.

I'm not digging everything about my jobs right now, but they are bugging me a lot less than usual. So that's good as well.

Also, I started doing some writing again. Well, not really writing, but the prep work for it. Figuring out characters, plot points. Working out the idea of the story that I've been kicking around for a while. It'll be so indie that it won't even think it's cool. I really hope I actually get somewhere on it. That would be amazing. Even if I don't finish (like everything I've ever done), I just want something.

What else can I tell you... I guess nothing else is really going on. This whole thing has reminded me though that I should call Aaron. I think I'm going to do that now. You all have a great week, or month. Whatever it is until I say something on here again.

Peace, bitches.