unmotivated doesn't even begin to cover it.
it has nothing to do with the mild hangover.
some days, i really have a lot of trouble getting going in the morning SOLELY because i'm too busy "dancing" (id est, air guitar-ing) around my room to albums i haven't heard in what seems like forever.
i LOVE music. i love "discovering" music. but i love RE-discovering music the most.
some things to queue up if you have the time or interest:
A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner
Spoon - Gimme Fiction
Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYo
Sam Cooke - Portrait of a Legend
Jawbreaker - Dear You
happy super sunday! if you're eating something that can't be dipped in something else, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
recipe for success
i take illness as an excuse to experiment with cocktails.
don't make that face at me.
seriously, i just don't like the way most medicine makes me feel. robitussin makes my heartbeat syncopated. benedryl makes the inside of my head (and mouth) feel like the mojave desert. nyquil robs me of any sense whatsoever. tylenol is for sissies.
i try stick to traditional (non-combustible) medicines. can't sleep? two shots of jim beam will fix that. anxiety? try half a bottle of red zinfandel.
when i'm just run-over-by-a-truck sick, i drink brandy. usually in the form of a hot toddy, but today is different: today i am adventurous and not 70.
toward the end of his first book, chuck klosterman, one of my FAVORITE AUTHORS EVER, mentions a drink HE calls the "witty chuck." it's brandy and ginger ale. simple. supposedly, after a few of them, it makes you flat-out hilarious. right now, i don't want to be funny; i want to NOT feel like ass. so i added another one of my favorite cure-alls to his recipe: honey. honey is awesome for sore throats, allergies, and the dreaded "sweet tooth." observe:
flu season stinger:
in a pint glass,
1.) pour brandy LIBERALLY. i cannot stress "LIBERALLY" enough. i'm talking like... 3-4 oz., people. or half-glass it if you're really sick.
2.) add honey. a tbsp should do.
3.) stir brandy and honey until mixture becomes cloudy and no honey is settled on the bottom of the glass.
4.) add ice
5.) top with ginger ale
6.) garnish with lemon wedge (i skip this because i generally hate lemons. unless they're in pie. the meringue-y kind.)
drink four of these to forget that you're sick, along with your dad's name, your work schedule, and most of your social security number.
L'chaim.
i just realized how crooked my glasses are. shit.
don't make that face at me.
seriously, i just don't like the way most medicine makes me feel. robitussin makes my heartbeat syncopated. benedryl makes the inside of my head (and mouth) feel like the mojave desert. nyquil robs me of any sense whatsoever. tylenol is for sissies.
i try stick to traditional (non-combustible) medicines. can't sleep? two shots of jim beam will fix that. anxiety? try half a bottle of red zinfandel.
when i'm just run-over-by-a-truck sick, i drink brandy. usually in the form of a hot toddy, but today is different: today i am adventurous and not 70.
toward the end of his first book, chuck klosterman, one of my FAVORITE AUTHORS EVER, mentions a drink HE calls the "witty chuck." it's brandy and ginger ale. simple. supposedly, after a few of them, it makes you flat-out hilarious. right now, i don't want to be funny; i want to NOT feel like ass. so i added another one of my favorite cure-alls to his recipe: honey. honey is awesome for sore throats, allergies, and the dreaded "sweet tooth." observe:
flu season stinger:
in a pint glass,
1.) pour brandy LIBERALLY. i cannot stress "LIBERALLY" enough. i'm talking like... 3-4 oz., people. or half-glass it if you're really sick.
2.) add honey. a tbsp should do.
3.) stir brandy and honey until mixture becomes cloudy and no honey is settled on the bottom of the glass.
4.) add ice
5.) top with ginger ale
6.) garnish with lemon wedge (i skip this because i generally hate lemons. unless they're in pie. the meringue-y kind.)
drink four of these to forget that you're sick, along with your dad's name, your work schedule, and most of your social security number.
L'chaim.
i just realized how crooked my glasses are. shit.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
a tirade regarding the academy award nominees
disclaimer: this (of course) only relates to the movies i have SEEN. i only prejudge movies that are lauded with the line, "the family film of the year." i am positive i will hate that movie.
a word (or two) on avatar:
i am completely sick of everyone's strange fascination with EVERYTHING james cameron directs. avatar was a LACKLUSTER TRAIN WRECK of a film. horrible acting. predictable plot. pathetic love story... BUT... like a train wreck, you just couldn't look away. using nothing but beauty, avatar hypnotized people into thinking it has cinematic value, much like scarlett johansson. a lot of work went into avatar. there's no doubt about that.
a lot of work went into waterworld, also.
give it EVERY VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD. but putting it up against movies like a serious man and the hurt locker is just insulting.
cameron already pulled the wool over our eyes once before. remember the 1998 academy awards? titanic won. you know what it beat?
1.) as good as it gets
2.) good will hunting
3.) l.a. confidential
4.) the full monty
numbers 1-4 were BETTER MOVIES. i understand that garbage like avatar (which is even worse than titanic) is hollywood's lifeblood, but rewarding a movie with the film industry's most prestigious award just because it's making a shit ton of money is just silly.
ten "best picture" nominations and other communist plots:
in case you hadn't heard, there are a LOT of movies nominated for the top prize this year. they are: avatar, the blind side, district 9, an education, the hurt locker, inglorious basterds, precious, a serious man, up, and up in the air. of these, i have seen all but the blind side, an education and precious, so i won't talk about those. SO, discounting the ones i have no business talking about, here is my UPDATED list of nominees... you know... movies that were good and DESERVE such an award:
1.) a serious man
2.) the hurt locker
3.) up in the air
4.) star trek
5.) 500 days of summer
"whoa whoa... hold on a tic... 4 & 5 weren't even nominated!"
oh man... you're right... sorry, i totally thought for a second that the academy awards AREN'T TOTAL BULLSHIT. i'm going to reference rottentomatoes.com for a moment. this is a website that collects all the reviews from every critic that submits one, and sees whether the review is positive or negative. movies are then graded by a percentage that depends on the number of positive reviews. SO, in the world of professional movie critics, let's see how numbers 4 & 5 fared:
star trek: 94%
500 days of summer: 87%
wait... so, people who WATCH AND REVIEW MOVIES FOR A LIVING thought that star trek was better than every nominee except the hurt locker and up, and JUST AS GOOD as an education? (500 days of summer was only better reviewed than the blind side [70%] and avatar [82%]) something fishy is going on here...
travesties abound, but what did i expect? the golden globes are usually a pretty good indicator of how the oscars are gonna go gown, even though they bear as much significance as a freakin' cable ACE award. but why do i care? i haven't watched the oscars since the great sideways snubbing of 2005. to quote my lovely girlfriend on the topic of up being nominated for best picture AND best animated picture (which should absolutely go to the fantastic mr. fox):
"well good thing I already think the oscars are rubbish... otherwise I would be upset."
a word (or two) on avatar:
i am completely sick of everyone's strange fascination with EVERYTHING james cameron directs. avatar was a LACKLUSTER TRAIN WRECK of a film. horrible acting. predictable plot. pathetic love story... BUT... like a train wreck, you just couldn't look away. using nothing but beauty, avatar hypnotized people into thinking it has cinematic value, much like scarlett johansson. a lot of work went into avatar. there's no doubt about that.
a lot of work went into waterworld, also.
give it EVERY VISUAL EFFECTS AWARD. but putting it up against movies like a serious man and the hurt locker is just insulting.
cameron already pulled the wool over our eyes once before. remember the 1998 academy awards? titanic won. you know what it beat?
1.) as good as it gets
2.) good will hunting
3.) l.a. confidential
4.) the full monty
numbers 1-4 were BETTER MOVIES. i understand that garbage like avatar (which is even worse than titanic) is hollywood's lifeblood, but rewarding a movie with the film industry's most prestigious award just because it's making a shit ton of money is just silly.
ten "best picture" nominations and other communist plots:
in case you hadn't heard, there are a LOT of movies nominated for the top prize this year. they are: avatar, the blind side, district 9, an education, the hurt locker, inglorious basterds, precious, a serious man, up, and up in the air. of these, i have seen all but the blind side, an education and precious, so i won't talk about those. SO, discounting the ones i have no business talking about, here is my UPDATED list of nominees... you know... movies that were good and DESERVE such an award:
1.) a serious man
2.) the hurt locker
3.) up in the air
4.) star trek
5.) 500 days of summer
"whoa whoa... hold on a tic... 4 & 5 weren't even nominated!"
oh man... you're right... sorry, i totally thought for a second that the academy awards AREN'T TOTAL BULLSHIT. i'm going to reference rottentomatoes.com for a moment. this is a website that collects all the reviews from every critic that submits one, and sees whether the review is positive or negative. movies are then graded by a percentage that depends on the number of positive reviews. SO, in the world of professional movie critics, let's see how numbers 4 & 5 fared:
star trek: 94%
500 days of summer: 87%
wait... so, people who WATCH AND REVIEW MOVIES FOR A LIVING thought that star trek was better than every nominee except the hurt locker and up, and JUST AS GOOD as an education? (500 days of summer was only better reviewed than the blind side [70%] and avatar [82%]) something fishy is going on here...
travesties abound, but what did i expect? the golden globes are usually a pretty good indicator of how the oscars are gonna go gown, even though they bear as much significance as a freakin' cable ACE award. but why do i care? i haven't watched the oscars since the great sideways snubbing of 2005. to quote my lovely girlfriend on the topic of up being nominated for best picture AND best animated picture (which should absolutely go to the fantastic mr. fox):
"well good thing I already think the oscars are rubbish... otherwise I would be upset."
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
shtate *hic* of the *hic* unionss
the state of the union address is long and boring, like a slightly less-entertaining version of Avatar with better acting. you can read all the bullet points tomorrow in whatever your chosen newspaper is, or get some REAL information from jon stewart.
that said, there is literally only ONE REASON to actually WATCH the state of the union address:
it makes for a bad-ass drinking game.
THE RULES:
presidential catchphrase = 1/2 a beer (obama's favorite seems to be "MAKE NO MISTAKE...")
double-talk/contradiction = sip of any drink (this happens often. low penalty.)
democratic applause = sip of beer (LIGHT sip. otherwise, you will die.)
applause from BOTH sides of the aisle = (a shot. very low probability.)
standing ovation = chug beer for as long as the ovation lasts.
cut-away to previous presidents or first ladies = 1/2 a beer
have fun. don't drive.
that said, there is literally only ONE REASON to actually WATCH the state of the union address:
it makes for a bad-ass drinking game.
THE RULES:
presidential catchphrase = 1/2 a beer (obama's favorite seems to be "MAKE NO MISTAKE...")
double-talk/contradiction = sip of any drink (this happens often. low penalty.)
democratic applause = sip of beer (LIGHT sip. otherwise, you will die.)
applause from BOTH sides of the aisle = (a shot. very low probability.)
standing ovation = chug beer for as long as the ovation lasts.
cut-away to previous presidents or first ladies = 1/2 a beer
have fun. don't drive.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
dry run
a day full of adventures, loved ones, music, great booze and better food. hard to ask for more.
i've never seen little yosemite in sunol so saturated. storms had (i believe it's) alameda creek absolutely raging. most of the routes i take and jumps i clear were absolutely impassible, and half the jumps would have resulted in severe injury due simply to the fact that the eroded granite boulders littering the creek bed were horribly slick; this still didn't stop scott from climbing this near-vertical monolith just because i said "lemee see those climbing skills" as a joke. i made it three feet off the ground. i don't climb in the rain.
writing music has become extremely frustrating. every day (hell... every TIME) i pick up my guitar, i'm composing from a different place. tapping different influences. ripping different riffs. the problem is those different influences. they're TOO different. one day it's melodic metal (in flames/dethklok/black dahlia murder). the next it's noisy, almost dissonant punk (small brown bike/hot water music/early alkaine trio). those sounds simply don't mix. this is why i stick to "writing" video game music.
shameless plug: http://www.myspace.com/probotectorrocks
it's always fun and a little weird to meet someone you thought you'd only ever know in an online-fashion, without them ever knowing you. do you tell them about how you know about their recent vacation? about their great taste in music? does knowing this without them knowing you constitute a felony?
i've started a very happy and beneficial relationship. hopefully trader joe's doesn't pull the rug out on me. again. http://twitpic.com/ztrrw
still daydreaming about joshua tree. i know i'm into something when it becomes my lappy's desktop pic. heading out to REI tomorrow to pick up a map and guidebook. time to start waypointing.
i hope my backpacking buddies like ramen and trail mix. i may slum it a bit.
i've never seen little yosemite in sunol so saturated. storms had (i believe it's) alameda creek absolutely raging. most of the routes i take and jumps i clear were absolutely impassible, and half the jumps would have resulted in severe injury due simply to the fact that the eroded granite boulders littering the creek bed were horribly slick; this still didn't stop scott from climbing this near-vertical monolith just because i said "lemee see those climbing skills" as a joke. i made it three feet off the ground. i don't climb in the rain.
writing music has become extremely frustrating. every day (hell... every TIME) i pick up my guitar, i'm composing from a different place. tapping different influences. ripping different riffs. the problem is those different influences. they're TOO different. one day it's melodic metal (in flames/dethklok/black dahlia murder). the next it's noisy, almost dissonant punk (small brown bike/hot water music/early alkaine trio). those sounds simply don't mix. this is why i stick to "writing" video game music.
shameless plug: http://www.myspace.com/probotectorrocks
it's always fun and a little weird to meet someone you thought you'd only ever know in an online-fashion, without them ever knowing you. do you tell them about how you know about their recent vacation? about their great taste in music? does knowing this without them knowing you constitute a felony?
i've started a very happy and beneficial relationship. hopefully trader joe's doesn't pull the rug out on me. again. http://twitpic.com/ztrrw
still daydreaming about joshua tree. i know i'm into something when it becomes my lappy's desktop pic. heading out to REI tomorrow to pick up a map and guidebook. time to start waypointing.
i hope my backpacking buddies like ramen and trail mix. i may slum it a bit.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
heycoolthanks.
i kinda need this.
mostly because it will serve as a kind of therapy. it's fun to record your thoughts, only to come back, review, and wonder who wrote them when you weren't looking.
also, because i wonder if i still have the capacity to "write." i loved it once. it was more than a hobby; it was an escape. once or twice a week i would put down half a bottle of shaw and vent about varying topics, but it was usually a's-related (and yes, i still detest billy beane). i want that again.
i was too lazy to dig out my hard copy of "war all the time." i downloaded it instead. it is less than CD quality. i hear warbling. it is deeply upsetting.
the last time i really wrote, it ended up being a 90-some-odd page nightmare of self-serving garbage. to go back and reread more than a page is humiliating. one other person has a copy, and i'm glad. glad it's only ONE, but more glad that it's THAT person. it's the only person i'd want to have that kind of insight, because that person didn't need a stack of poorly-written gibberish to have it.
i am amused by how many times i've changed the font of this entry, as if the font can convey something words can't. here's the funny part: it can.
the advent of this... *sigh* blog... coincides with a new year's resolution to READ MORE. stop re-watching the same movies. stop downloading television shows. stop stealing palahniuk's style.
another thing: i am impressionable. watching "eastbound and down" makes me swear more. listening to in flames makes for more melodic guitar parts. and reading great authors makes me want to be a better writer.
i guess "impressionable" isn't always bad.
speaking of in flames AND fonts: why did a swedish metal band choose comic sans as the font for one of their albums. i guess metal is pretty silly, most of the time.
applying to another fire department this week, getting more stuff together for medic school, and going hiking finally.
joshua tree in april.
i plan on getting lost.
you're invited.
mostly because it will serve as a kind of therapy. it's fun to record your thoughts, only to come back, review, and wonder who wrote them when you weren't looking.
also, because i wonder if i still have the capacity to "write." i loved it once. it was more than a hobby; it was an escape. once or twice a week i would put down half a bottle of shaw and vent about varying topics, but it was usually a's-related (and yes, i still detest billy beane). i want that again.
i was too lazy to dig out my hard copy of "war all the time." i downloaded it instead. it is less than CD quality. i hear warbling. it is deeply upsetting.
the last time i really wrote, it ended up being a 90-some-odd page nightmare of self-serving garbage. to go back and reread more than a page is humiliating. one other person has a copy, and i'm glad. glad it's only ONE, but more glad that it's THAT person. it's the only person i'd want to have that kind of insight, because that person didn't need a stack of poorly-written gibberish to have it.
i am amused by how many times i've changed the font of this entry, as if the font can convey something words can't. here's the funny part: it can.
the advent of this... *sigh* blog... coincides with a new year's resolution to READ MORE. stop re-watching the same movies. stop downloading television shows. stop stealing palahniuk's style.
another thing: i am impressionable. watching "eastbound and down" makes me swear more. listening to in flames makes for more melodic guitar parts. and reading great authors makes me want to be a better writer.
i guess "impressionable" isn't always bad.
speaking of in flames AND fonts: why did a swedish metal band choose comic sans as the font for one of their albums. i guess metal is pretty silly, most of the time.
applying to another fire department this week, getting more stuff together for medic school, and going hiking finally.
joshua tree in april.
i plan on getting lost.
you're invited.
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