Thursday, March 29, 2007

why are there so many songs about rainbows

i love kermit

some more musical news

i first heard about it through their myspace, and then i saw it on fresno famous. but, i thought i'd bring it to your attention, too, here. local indie favs rademacher are getting noticed. if by some chance you still haven't heard them, well, go to their myspace. you can order their cd's online. or, you can see them play next thursday night after art hop.

other local music news, my friend julia dawn is about to go on tour. she'll be cruising about the country solo. she's really good, w/or w/o her band. wednesday night you can check her out @ veni's. i think i'm going to go to that show, even though the $ for libations is exorbitant. it's also a birthday party for chuck mcnally.

hometown baghdad

this is posted on adam's blog as well, but i thought i'd throw it up for anyone that may check mine and not his. adam told me about this last night, and it struck my interest, especially because i have had baghdad burning on my sidebar for so long. so, i think i may be adding these vloggers too.

hometown baghdad, they're doing a series of 45 2 minute shorts.



this particular video is about a new salad that makes you an infidel.

thou shalt always kill

steve p (who never ever ever ever ever updates his dead blog) sent me this. english mc over some electronic beats. he has a beard like he's jewish, but i don't know, and frankly it doesn't matter. so, hear we have it (like that?)

Thou Shalt Always Kill by dans le sac vs scroobius pip

lady linkage

so, ladies, you've moved onto the sidebar. i've put kendall in their in the hopes that it will stir her towards regular posting. i put kasey in there because she is currently destroying both kendall and nick in updates.

we'll see if anyone else can crack the list, or get pulled.

lost

so, some people haven't enjoyed lost as much in this current season. me, i'm really enjoying it. although, i must admit i'm not a fan of their new, later timeslot. so, i've ended up watching the last 3 episodes via the internet. abc's got a pretty manageable system going on that. about 4 commercials during the while show. i've watched survivor on cbs online, and it was pretty sucky compared to abc. sadly, my dsl isn't the fastest connection out there, so i have to watch it on a small screen rather than full screen.

anyway, although last night's episode was about some auxiliary characters, it was still pretty good. i liked the twists in the plot, a slightly different story telling style, and that the ending reminded me of poe or hitchcock. and, more people are dead. booya!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

sometimes i hate you tv

for some reason, heather wanted to watch the results show of dancing with the stars. i found this very odd because we didn't watch the actual dance show yesterday. she's only really following the show right now because she wants heather mills to fall down off her fake leg (btw, look @ the picture of her in that link).

highlights of the show:
during one of the dancer numbers there was a lady clapping terribly off beat.
jimmy kimmel was marginally entertaining joking about the tango.

lowlights: dionne warwick singing
the dance numbers featuring just the professional dancers
heather mills talking
seeing billy ray cyrus
steve sanders, errr, ian ziering saying that "pressure makes diamonds"
and, pretty much everything else.

sticker it to ya

this is pretty good. i think that some of my friends might appreciate it.

Friday, March 23, 2007

fold your furniture

adam was showing us a drawing of a mobius strip bench he was thinking about making. so, when i saw this link to foldable furniture i thought of him. there are several things there to look at and download.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

warning, long post

occasionally i read jim wallis of soujourners. i don't always agree with his perspectives, or how he interprets/understands scripture, but sometimes i do. today, i received an email from soujourners (they're biweekly or something.) i often either skim or just delete them, but today, i decided to read it. i appreciated what i read, and the sentiments expressed that i thought i would just cut and paste it here. please read, reflect, comment if you like

"Below is the full text of my message at the Washington National Cathedral service of the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq, where I, along with many other religious leaders, spoke to a capacity crowd before marching to the White House:

Four years ago today, my son Jack was born – two days before the war began. I always know how long this awful war has gone on.

The war in Iraq is personal for me. It’s personal for you too, or you wouldn’t be here tonight.

It’s personal for the families and loved ones of the more than 3,200 American soldiers who have lost the precious gift of life. The stories I hear every day on the radio and TV break my heart. They are so young to die, and it is so unnecessary. When I look at my son and celebrate his birthday, I think of all the children whose fathers or mothers won’t be coming back from the war to celebrate theirs.

It’s personal for the tens of thousands of service men and women who have lost their limbs or their mental and emotional health, and who now feel abandoned and mistreated.

It’s personal for all the Iraqis who have lost their loved ones, as many as hundreds of thousands. What would it be like to wait in line at morgues to check dead bodies, desperately hoping that you don’t recognize someone you love? I can only imagine. And when I look at my son, I think of all the Iraqi children who will never celebrate another birthday.

This isn’t just political; it’s personal for millions of us now. And for all of us here tonight, the war in Iraq is actually more than personal – it has become a matter of faith.

By our deepest convictions about Christian standards and teaching, the war in Iraq was not just a well-intended mistake or only mismanaged. This war, from a Christian point of view, is morally wrong – and was from the very start. It cannot be justified with either the teaching of Jesus Christ or the criteria of St. Augustine’s just war. It simply doesn’t pass either test, and did not from its beginning. This war is not just an offense against the young Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice or the Iraqis who have paid such a horrible price. This war is not only an offense to the poor at home and around the world who have paid the price of misdirected resources and priorities – this war is also an offense against God.

And so we are here tonight, very simply and resolutely, to begin to end the war in Iraq – not by anger, though we are angry; not just by politics, though it will take political courage; but by faith, because we are people of faith.

This service and procession are not just another political protest, but an act of faith, an act of prayer, an act of non-violent witness. Politics led us into this war, and politics is unlikely to save us by itself. The American people have voted against the war in Iraq, but political proposals keep failing one after the other.

I believe it will take faith to end this war. It will take prayer to end it. It will take a mobilization of the faith community to end it – to change the political climate, to change the wind. It will take a revolution of love to end it, because this endless war in Iraq is based ultimately on fear, and Jesus says that only perfect love will cast out fear.

So tonight we say, as people of faith, as followers of Jesus, that the deep fear that has paralyzed the conscience of this nation, which has caused us to become the kind of people that we are not called to be, that has allowed us to tolerate violations of our most basic values, and that has perpetuated an endless cycle of violence and counter-violence must be exorcised as the demon it is – this fear must be cast out!

And to cast out that fear, we must act in faith, in prayer, in love, and in hope – so we might help to heal the fears that keep this war going. Tonight we march not in belligerence, or to attack individuals (even those leaders directly responsible for the war), or to use human suffering for partisan political purposes. Rather, we process to the White House tonight as an act of faith, believing that only faith can save us now.

Ironically, this war has often been cloaked in the name and symbols of our faith, confused American imperial designs with God’s purposes, and tragically discredited Christian faith around the world, having so tied it to flawed American behavior and agendas. Millions of people around the world sadly believe this is a Christian war. So as people of faith, let us say tonight to our brothers and sisters around the world, and as clearly as we can – America is not the hope of the earth and the light of the world, Jesus Christ is! And it is his way that we follow, and not the flawed path of our nation’s leaders who prosecute this war. As an evangelical Christian, I must say that the war in Iraq has hindered the cause of Christ and, in this season of Lent, we must repent of this war!

So let us march tonight, believing that faith is stronger than fear;

Let us march tonight, believing that hope is stronger than hate;

Let us march tonight, believing that perfect love can cast out both hate and fear.

And let us march tonight, believing that the peace of Christ is stronger than the ways of war;

Let us march tonight, to say to a nation still captive to fear but weary of war, "May the peace of Christ be with you!"

Let’s march tonight, as Dr. Martin Luther King told us in another magnificent house of worship 40 years ago this spring, to "rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter-but beautiful-struggle for a new world."

And then let us return to our homes from the 48 states represented here tonight and generate a flood of public pressure that can wash away the blind intransigence of our White House and the cautious procrastination of our divided Congress. Your letters, phone calls, lobby visits, and actions at home will put a megaphone behind the sound of your feet today.

And all of this must be wrapped in the power of prayer. Because we believe that God can still work miracles in and through our prayers – and that prayer followed by action can turn valleys of despair into mountains of hope. God has acted before in history and we believe that God will act again through us. Tonight we leave this Cathedral humbly hoping to be God’s instruments of peace and the earthly agents of the kingdom of God.

It sometimes appears that the light of peace has almost gone out in America, but tonight we re-light the candle and take the light of peace to the White House!

Tonight, by faith, we begin to end the war in Iraq!

The peace of Christ be with you!"


click here for an mp3 of the speech.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

not much else though

half way through my morning work week. it's the first week of session, and that's always a little hectic as things get set up and running.

this weekend, i have my first weekend class for the university. it's not too bad, because i co-teach it and we divide up the work. the sucky thing is that it goes until 10 on friday night. and then starts saturday morning @ 8. but, at least it's done by 3:30 on saturday.

dang, i want a nap right now. but, don't have the time. maybe later.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

trying new things

so, today while watching basketball, i tried one of these. i'd never heard of the company until the other day when the sports guy referenced it. then, when i was @ bevmo, i saw them, they were on sale (st paddy's) so i figured i would give them a try. pretty nice. smooth and tasty.

they're currently owned by the same company as guinness, and frankly, i think i may prefer smithwick's.

march 17

four years it's been going on. well, that and the prior decade where we were economically and literally starving women and children.

make it stop please

so topical


toothpastefordinner.com


man, i loooooove this comic. and, this painting even reminds me of my own work. and the reaction i get whem i'm trying to describe

Friday, March 16, 2007

next weekend anticipation

go to this guy's myspace page and look @ his upcoming show list

ncaa tourney

like many people in the united states right now, i'm totally obsessed w/march madness. i love these first two days. so many games, the chance of a big seed falling. duke provided a little bit of that yesterday, but really, the way they've played this season (at one time falling completely out of the top 25 rankings) they just aren't the duke of old. and, they mid level seed, but really that was probably more about history & respect than how good they are this year. so, they lost a close one.

(the sports guy has a pretty funny running diary about watching the tourney.)

after this initial weekend, the energy tapers of a bit, but i still enjoy following it all, seeing types scramble to advance, watching the purity of the sport. it's all about win today or you're done.

what stinks is being an "adult" now in the "working world" and missing games. of course, today is a light work day, and it's 9:30 am and i'm blogging at home. i'm currently watching unlv put it onto georgia tech. but, i've got to go to a new student orientation @ work in about twenty minutes and won't be able to watch any games until noonish.

(right now a number 15 seed is leading a number 2 seed. could be a big upset, especially because on some of my brackets i have that 2 seed winning 2 more games. i'm sure they'll get their act together though.)

Thursday, March 15, 2007

toothpaste and stuff

so, i know i've used toothpaste for dinner here before, but it's a really funny comic (imho). so, i thought i throw a few at you


toothpastefordinner.com


i like politics, but that's how a lot of us feel. same old s___ with each candidate.


now, i don't always check it every day, so today i was catching up on a few. this one reminded me of this (please don't take offense adam. it just reminded me of the post.)

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

what's happening

tonight is the last night of teaching in my 6 wk evening course for the university. it's gone pretty well. so, now i've got 4 upcoming weekend course between now & july for them.

but, next week i'll start teaching 2 courses in the mornings for the jc during the next 5 weeks.

and we've still got track season going on. wtf = women's track and field, not whatever jay thought it meant.

and my bike is over 1100 miles now.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

something strange

one of my friends referenced something i'd never heard of the other day, the pubic wig. wha? huh? we had intended to look into it, but forgot. so, today, i went to wiki. and, ta-da! click here to read an interesting history of the merkin.

galaxy vs fuego

in the first half, we were sitting behind the fuego goal, which was a good place to be if you: a)wanted to see goals; b)were a galaxy fan. fortunately, i was sporting my galaxy jersey and had a lot to cheer about. here's the third goal of the first half. look how wide open the galaxy attackers are on the goal.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

is it a moral dilemma?

tonight, my local side is playing my mls team. i have jerseys for both. previously, when these teams have met, i've worn the mls gear. here's where the problem enters: my friend plays for the local side. in fact, he got us the tickets (some of his player comps). so, am i obligated to wear the local gear, and root for them? or do i go with the pro's?

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

uefa

so, i'm getting ready to watch the 2nd uefa match today, and it's real madrid vs bayern munich. i'm particularly stoked because i really like madrid, and this should be a great match. so, as the teams are coming out and standing there, this is what music is playing in the stadium. yep, germans.

wouldn't you know it, munich scores in like 16 seconds, the fastest ever in uefa champions league. damn. we're all equal on aggregate score (3-3), but munich has away goals tie breaker as of now.

Monday, March 05, 2007

disgusting - now with update!

this really makes me angry. really, really angry. i know this person doesn't speak for all republicans, but this makes me never want to vote for a republican candidate again. ever.




(i saw this first on jay's blog) it really bothers me that there is applause and no one booing or countering it at this speech.

sadly, most of the responses i watched on youtube were of the knee jerk reaction variety. "she said he was a ______, well she's a C yoU Next Tuesday!" I'm looking for a more appropriate response.

here we go


although it's only a, "we don't condone it" from the repubs.


here is john edwards' response, on fox news of all places. (i didn't see it on la times, fresno bee, bbc, drudge report).

and her response to her own bigoted comments, "C'mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean," Coulter told the New York Times. uhhhhhh, really? that's how you want to respond to be homophobic? that's how you want to respond to using derogatory remarks?


UPDATE: slate had an interesting (to me) piece about how basically no one should be surprised, or even really cover it (which is funny because they say that while covering it). some choice quotes to end it, "So, I suppose it's only a matter of time before she calls Barack Obama a Black Panther masquerading as Uncle Tom, describes Hillary Clinton as a dyke Hitler, or reaches for something even more irreverent."

Sunday, March 04, 2007

art update

thought i'd post some photos of works in progress, as well as note that there are four new posts on my art blog (link here and to the right). they are photos of some of the pieces that are currently in my rogue show, that weren't already on my site.

and now to the in-progress stuff:

tentatively called petrified waves


untitled




these three are a triptych, with an updated flair to them


this will be the 3rd in my tower series (and it's upside down)

Friday, March 02, 2007

ibid

so, you can get one of the best mc's i've heard @ emusic. i bought his cd after seeing him for the second time live last night. but, i'm also a big fan of emusic. what's that, you aren't a member of emusic? well, if you'd like to be, let me know. not only can you get great deals by signing up, but we both can get a better deal if you sign up through my membership.

or, you could see him live somewhere and buy a cd for more $ but it goes directly into his pocket.

a post for steve

steve, i think you might enjoy these guys. others mights as well. i did. saw them live @ tokyo garden. sorta alt/country, sorta ccr throwback. really good. and it's some of the guys from el olio wolof, whom i adore.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

freedom of the press?

adam, when you go to miami, don't take any pictures of the police. you may end up in trouble.

rogue 2007

yep, the rogue festival starts tonight. i hope to post some pictures from my show either tonight or tomorrow. in the meantime, go here or here for good stuff.