Arlo's Bloggity Bloggy Blog-Blog

MY FAVORITE SONGS OF 2009

2010-01-12T17:09:00.006-06:00

This may or may not be my final "best of" list... it all depends if I can think of anything else by tomorrow. However, in case it is, I think that it is only fitting that I would close the same way I started... with my first love, music.

Having said that, I've never before complied a list of my favorite songs from a year. I've made many "best of" album lists, and I've also put together plenty of song "mixes" (or "mix tapes" for those of you over the age of 30), but never before have I taken the time to try and look back on the music of the year by strictly focusing on my favorite tunes.

If you compare this list to my favorite albums and/or Jen and my "best of 2009" track list, you'll see some overlap in artists, but not necessarily the same songs... that's because typically if I loved an album, it's because of all the songs together, and when choosing a track for the mix cd, I'll more likely go with a lesser known song than one you've probably heard by that artist before (in less I absolutely love a certain track, like a few you'll see near the top 10 of both lists). In addition, there are many artists here who I might not have even considered for the album list, either because I didn't listen to their entire album or because I only particularly enjoyed a couple of songs. Either way, I know that this list is just as subjective as all the others, but I'll stand behind every one of these songs as the ones that I will most likely go back over the next two to fifty years and still be diggin'.

My 33 Favorite Songs Of 2009:

1. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home (from Up From Below)

2. Andrew Bird – Anonanimal (from Noble Beast)

3. Ida Maria – I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked (from Fortress ‘round My Heart)

4. The Thermals – Now We Can See (from Now We Can See)

5. Miike Snow – Animal (from Miike Snow)

6. The Swell Season – Low Rising (from Strict Joy)

7. Animal Collective – My Girls (from Merriweather Post Pavillion)

8. Dead Man’s Bones (featuring The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir) – My Body’s A Zombie For You (from Dead Man’s Bones)

9. K’naan – Wavin’ Flags (from Troubadour)

10. Bon Iver – Blood Bank (from Blood Bank EP)

11. Theresa Andersson – Birds Fly Away (from Hummingbird, Go!)

12. Dawes – When My Time Comes (from North Hills)

13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (from It’s Blitz!)

14. Peter, Bjorn, & John – Nothing To Worry About (from Living Thing)

15. The Low Anthem – Charlie Darwin (from Oh My God, Charlie Darwin)

16. Lissie – Little Lovin’ (from Why Are You Running?)

17. BLK JKS – Lakeside (from After Robots)

18. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You (from I And Love And You)

19. White Rabbits – Percussion Gun (from It’s Frightening)

20. Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons – Born Again (from Death Won’t Send A Letter)

21. Ben Kweller – Fight (from Changing Horses)

22. Brandi Carlile – Dreams (from Give Up The Ghost)

23. Passion Pit – Little Secrets (from Manners)

24. Fanfarlo – The Walls Are Coming Down (from Reservoir)

25. Matisyahu – One Day (from Light)

26. The Decemberists – The Rake’s Song (from The Hazards Of Love)

27. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks (from Veckatimest)

28. YACHT – Psychic City (Voodoo City) (from See Mystery Lights)

29. Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move (from Bitte Orca)

30. Cage the Elephant – Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked (from Cage the Elephant)

31. Wilco – Wilco (The Song) (from Wilco (The Album))

32. Wild Light – California On My Mind (from Wild Nights)

33. The Rosebuds – Nice Fox (from Life Like)

Let me know what you agree with... what you disagree with... what you've never heard of... what you assume you hate even though you've never heard it... and what kind of beer you would pair with each song.

MY FAVORITE RESTAURANTS OF 2009

2010-01-11T17:39:00.003-06:00

If you thought I was out of "best of" lists, you were wrong... but I'm getting close. I don't know how many I've got left, but we're gonna keep this thing alive as long as we can. Why? Because we love you.

Today's list features my favorite restaurant experiences over the last year. What made them the best restaurants, in my opinion? First and foremost, the food, dummy... but also the atmosphere, who I was with, the occasion (many of these were on special occasions... I'll let you know the ones I remember), and anything else that made it a fun time.

My 10+ Favorite Restaurants of 2009
(NOTE - Each entry includes the following:
Name of the restaurant - Location, Date(s) I Went There in 2009, who I was with + info. on the occasion(s) - Whatever I can remember eating there)

1. Graham Elliot - Chicago, 12/20 with Jen (as part of my Christmas present) - Heirloom Beet Salad, Cheddar & Bratwurst Risotto, Pork Belly with Grits & Collard Greens, Orange Dreamsicle Dessert

2. Mader's - Milwaukee, 11/14 with Jen, Pops, and Terry (Jen's Mom) - Turkey Schnitzel, Bratwurst in Sauerkraut, Almond Crusted Trout

3. Triskele's - Milwaukee, 8/5 with Jen (the day of our proposal) & 10/17 with Jen and Pops - Cream of Crab Soup, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Mussel Stew

4. Palomino - Milwaukee, 4/11 with Jen, 5/14 with Jen and Pops, and 10/29 with Jen - Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes and Corn

5. English - Chicago, 2/28 with Jen (celebrating our 2-year anniversary) - Newcastle-battered Fish & Chips

6. Karl Ratzsch's - Milwaukee, 2/21 with Jen, Terry, and MaryLou - Apple Pancakes & Bratwurst

7. Cafe Lulu - Milwaukee, 7/25 with Jen, Mom, and Mary (for my 30th birthday) - Moroccan Chicken with Lulu Chips, Roasted Vegetable Pita

8. La Tapitia - Racine, 4/16, 4/25, 5/24, 6/13, 9/19, and 11/8 with Jen, etc. - Chicken Tacos, Bean Tacos, Beans & Rice

9. Cliff's Boathouse - Racine, 2/20 with Jen, Pops, Terry, and MaryLou, 3/27 with Jen, Pops, Bill, and Amanda, and 5/15 with Pops, Sally, and my Aunt Carol - Friday Fish Fry with Potato Pancakes

10. Beans and Barley - 2/20 with Jen, Terry, and MaryLou, 3/27 with Jen, Bill, and Amanda, 5/15 with Jen, Pops, and Sally, and 8/26 with Jen - Vegetarian Chili, Walnut Burger, Burritos

Runners-Up (i.e., I'm sick of typing so I'm just giving the names of the last restaurants, not the rest of the info.):
11. Guanajuato - Milwaukee
12. St. Paul Fish Company - Milwaukee
13. The Old Feed Mill - Mazomanie, WI
14. Bombay Sweets - Milwaukee
15. Bosley On Brady - Milwaukee

Alright, I'm hungry... time for dinner.

MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2009

2010-01-09T12:06:00.003-06:00

Whoever said books are dead was wrong.

Did anyone actually say books are dead? Actually, I think that was newspapers. But I digress...

I read some really good books in the last year... in fact, I'm pretty sure that any of the top 5 on this list could make a list of my favorite books of all time: #5 is probably my favorite sports book of all time, #4 and #3 are my 2nd favorite books of all time by my two favorite authors of all time (if that makes sense to you, give yourself a quarter), and #2 and #1 are easily two of the best works of fiction that I've ever read and I would highly recommend to anyone. But even beyond that, I'd recommend any of the following 13 books, which were my favorites over the last twelve months...

The 13 Best Books I Read in 2009:

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David Wroblewski
2. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
3. All The Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy
4. *** Zeitoun - Dave Eggers
5. *** Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played - L. Jon Wertheim
6. *** The Wild Things - Dave Eggers
7. The Wordy Shipmates - Sarah Vowell
8. Consider The Lobster and Other Essays - David Foster Wallace
9. *** My Custom Van ...And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face - Michael Ian Black
10. Burr: A Novel - Gore Vidal
11. Free Darko Presents The Macrophenominal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game
12. The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope - Jonathan Alter
13. Crazy '08: How A Cast of Cranks, Rogues, Boneheads, and Magnates Created The Greatest Year in Baseball History - Cait Murphy

*** = Books That Were Published in 2009

MY FAVORITE CONCERTS OF 2009

2010-01-07T19:09:00.005-06:00

For all the reasons why I've enjoyed moving back to Wisconsin, the live music scene has to be near the top of the list. Our proximity to venues in both Milwaukee and Chicago, as well as many of my favorite music festivals, has made living here with Jen that much better. So for today's "best of" list, I've decided to take a stab at ranking some of my favorite live shows/ festivals from the last 12 months.

While there's obviously no scientific way to go about ranking these concerts, I've tried to use the same criteria on all of them, regardless of whether is was just one act or a full festival. Most important was the music itself, but close behind were things like the venue, the sound, and the audience/atmosphere (which is why Pitchfork is ranked lower than it might've been if I based it on the performances alone). I've also included a couple of stand-up acts, so my definition of "concert" is pretty loose. Finally, as with all of my lists, I've only included performers, festivals, and venues that I would recommend to others (although, again, Pitchfork wouldn't be here if not for some really good acts... the audience pretty much sucked). And for festivals, I've included only performers that I saw there and would be willing to pay to see on their own.

My 15 Favorite Concerts/ Live Performances/ Festivals of 2009

1. Winnipeg Folk Festival (Arlo Guthrie, Josh Ritter, Okkervil River, Xavier Rudd, Iron and Wine, Great Lake Swimmers, Deep Dark Woods, Kobo Town, Dala, etc.)- Bird's Hill Park (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - 7/9-7/12
2. Dan Deacon - Turner Hall Ballroom (Milwaukee) - 5/5
3. Lollapalooza (Jane's Addiction, The Low Anthem, Andrew Bird, Ida Maria, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend, Dan Deacon, Band of Horses, Arctic Monkeys, etc.) - Grant Park (Chicago) - 8/7-8/9
4. The Decemberists/ Blind Pilot - Riverside Theater (Milwaukee) - 5/29
5. Andrew Bird/ St. Vincent - Pabst Theater (Milwaukee) - 10/17
6. Joshua Redman - Old Town School School of Folk (Chicago) - 3/1
7. The Swell Season - Pabst Theater - 11/1
8. Brandi Carlisle - Pabst Theater - 4/9
9. Michael Showalter/ Michael Ian Black - Turner Hall Ballroom - 10/14
10. Summerfest (Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons, Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band, Brett Dennen, Margot and The Nuclear So & So's, etc.) - Summerfest Grounds (Milwaukee) - 6/25, 6/26, 6/29, 7/5
11. Rachael Yamagata/ Cory Chisel - Turner Hall Ballroom - 3/24
12. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - The Rave (Milwaukee) - 5/31
13. Ben Kweller - Turner Hall Ballroom - 2/18
14. Pitchfork Music Fest (Flaming Lips, The Thermals, Blitzen Trapper, Frightened Rabbit, etc.) - Union Park (Chicago) - 7/19
15. Todd Barry - Turner Hall Ballroom - 5/17

I'd say to comment, but I've learned that no one comments... so do whatever you want, homeboy.

MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS OF 2009

2010-01-06T17:32:00.007-06:00

While I wouldn't say that 2009 was a bad year for television (because I could never say anything negative about tv), I will admit that there weren't as many shows that excited me in the last year as in the previous few. This may have to do with the abundance of reality shows and/or the lack of new original programming, or it might just be that I'm getting old and cranky. Either way, there were still plenty of my favorite shows that continued to keep me entertained, as well as a couple of new favorites and one show that grew leaps and bounds in its second season (shout out to Amy Poehler). So here for your reading pleasure is my take on everyone's favorite excuse for not reading more often:

My 17 Favorite Television Shows Of 2009:
1. Breaking Bad (AMC)
2. Mad Men (AMC)
3. Top Chef: Las Vegas (Bravo)
4. Parks and Recreation (NBC)
5. Modern Family (ABC)
6. The Late Show With David Letterman (CBS)
7. United States of Tara (Showtime)
8. Lost (ABC)
9. Michael and Michael Have Issues (Comedy Central)
10. The Office (NBC)
11. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX)
12. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
13. Tosh.O (Comedy Central)
14. The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
15. 30 Rock (NBC)
16. Scrubs (ABC)
17. Man vs. Food (Travel Channel)

Let's add them up: 9 comedies, 3 dramas, 3 talk/variety shows, and 2 reality shows... on 9 different channels including every major network except FOX (not done on purpose, but funny).

So what do you think I should be watching? And please don't say The Dish.

MY FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2009: PART THREE

2010-01-06T16:56:00.005-06:00

It the third and final day of my movie lists... AND THE EXCITEMENT IS PALPABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, not really, but let's move on anyway... This list is kind of cheating and kind of not. It's cheating in that I've not actually seen any of these movies. But it's not in that I want to see all of them soon. Of course "soon" could mean anytime in the next 0-5 years, but whatever.

Enough rambling, here's the list, in order of how much I want to see them, but not necessarily how soon I will see them (since I'll probably wait until DVD to see some, if not all, of them):

The 15 (+1) Movies That Came Out In 2009 That I'm Most Excited To See:

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2. Big Fan
3. Up In The Air
4. The Hurt Locker
5. A Serious Man
6. Zombieland
7. The Road
8. Gomorrah
9. Precious
10. Crazy Heart
11. Anvil! The Story of Anvil
12. Food Inc.
13. The Cove
14. District 9
15. Departures
And one bonus movie, thanks to the suggestions of Jess and others... Star Trek

What am I missing? Which of these have you already seen? Who wants cake?

MY FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2009: PART TWO

2010-01-04T21:12:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I posted my ten favorite movies that I watched last year and that also came out last year. But I saw even more films in 2009 that came out earlier than that year (see the explanation in the last post if you missed it). So as promised...

My 10 Favorite Movies That I Got Around To Seeing In 2009, But That Came Out Before Then:

1. Wall-E
2. The Wrestler
3. Role Models
4. Man On Wire
5. The Visitor
6. Horton Hears A Who
7. Cloverfield
8. Slumdog Millionaire
9. Wendy and Lucy
10. Rachel Getting Married

Questions? Comments? Observations? Poorly worded sentence fragments?
Go ahead and share...

MY FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2009: PART ONE

2010-01-02T14:46:00.007-06:00

I am not good at seeing movies when they come out. I used to be better. But now I am not. At any given time, I'd say I have a list of 20-30 movies I want to see: of those, probably 5-10 are currently in theaters, another 10-15 were in theaters in the last 6 months, and whatever's left is available on DVD. And unless I really want to see a movie (and many times, even if I do really want to see it), I don't usually get around to watching it until it's been on DVD for a while. That means that many of the films I saw in the last year didn't actually come out in the last year. So I am making three lists:
(1) Today's list is of my top ten movies that came out in 2009 and that I saw in 2009.
(2) Tomorrow's list will be my favorite movies that came out before 2009 but that I watched for the first time in 2009.
(3) Thursday's list (if I haven't gotten sick of this by then) will be of movies that came out in 2009 and that I haven't watched yet, but that I want to see.

Confused yet???

Anyway, I promise that in both today's and tomorrow's lists, I've included only movies that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend to others.

Enough already...

My 10 favorite movies that came out in 2009:

1. I Love You, Man
2. Where The Wild Things Are
3. Sin Nombre
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Drag Me To Hell
6. Up
7. Sugar
8. Away We Go
9. Observe and Report
10. Tyson

Again, I'm not giving comments as to why I picked these films... instead, it's your job to tell me what you agree and/or disagree with, as well as what I've missed.

JEN AND ARLO'S FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2009

2010-01-02T13:43:00.014-06:00

There was so much good music this year, which made it especially hard to quantify. However, I did my best to whittle it down to my 25 favorites, as well as a few more that just barely missed this list. I won't bore you with how I went about putting together my list, other than saying that the primary factor in ranking each album was how much I've listened to it so far and how much I plan on listening in the future. Each of these albums comes highly recommended by me; if you're wondering why, just ask. In addition, immediately after my list I've added Jen's top 19 cd's. Why 19? Because that's how many she remembered enjoying. After checking this out, feel free to look back over my last post to see how many of these ended up on our "Best of 2009" mix cd.

My Top 25 Cd's of 2009:

1. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
2. The Swell Season - Strict Joy
3. Ida Maria - Fortress 'Round My Heart
4. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
5. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
6. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zero's - Up From Below
7. Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
8. Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons - Death Won't Send a Letter
9. Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
11. Norah Jones - The Fall
12. Passion Pit - Manners
13. Dan Deacon - Bromst
14. Brandi Carlisle - Give Up The Ghost
15. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
16. A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
17. Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
18. Various Artists - Dark Was The Night
19. Langhorne Slim - Be Set Free
20. Hoots and Hellmouth - The Holy Open Secret
21. The Thermals - Now We Can See
22. The Deep Dark Woods - Winter Hours
23. Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hidden
24. Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything To Nothing
25. Karen O and the Kids - Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack

Other CD's I enjoyed: St. Vincent - Actor, Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavillion, Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels, Bishop Allen - Grrr..., Blind Pilot - Three Rounds and A Sound, Metric - Fantasies, Xavier Rudd - Dark Shades of Blue, Levon Helm - Electric Dirt, Wilco - Wilco (The Album), Olatunji - Drums of Passion (remastered), Mason Jennings - Blood of Man

Jen's Top 19 Cd's of 2009:

1. Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
2. Ida Maria - Fortress 'Round My Heart
3. Brandi Carlisle - Give Up The Ghost
4. Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody
5. The Swell Season - Strict Joy
6. Norah Jones - The Fall
7. Dan Deacon - Bromst
8. Bishop Allen - Grrr...
9. Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
10. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
11. Hoots and Hellmouth - The Holy Open Secret
12. Dala - Everyone Is Someone
13. Karen O and the Kids - Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack
14. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
15. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zero's - Up From Below
16. The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
17. Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons - Death Won't Send A Letter
18. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
19. Blind Pilot - Three Rounds and A Sound

HAPPY HOLLERDAYS... HERE'S MY GIFT TO YOU!

2010-01-02T12:27:00.004-06:00

It's 2010 and although I haven't blogged nearly as much as I hoped over the last couple of months, I'm starting the new year off right by posting not only today but for at least the next couple of days. I'm starting today with my post-holiday gift to all of you. Then I'll be following it up with as many "Best of 2009" lists as I can think of, hopefully posting at least one a day until I run out. Likely lists will include my favorite cd's, books, movies, tv shows, meals, etc. from the last year... I'm not sure how interested anyone is in this, but since I keep track of these things, I feel like I should be recording it somewhere. So anyway, I'll do my best to post daily and likely share updates on Facebook for those of you interested. But before that happens, I want to share this musical treat:

As those who are in anything close to regular contact with me may have realized by now, Jen and I normally send out Holiday/Xmas cards, but didn't get around to it this year. However, we were able to put together our other annual tradition, our "Best of 2009" mix. For at least the last 5 years, I've put together a cd at the end of the year featuring some of my favorite songs and artists. Since I've met Jen, it's turned into a collaboration between the two of us; I put together a list of all the cd's I've/we've listened to that came out this year, then we each rank them individually, and then use those rankings to create a playlist that includes many of our favorites. And I can safely say that this year's is one of my all-time favorite "best of"s! Here's the track list:

1. Ida Maria – Oh My God (from Fortress ‘round My Heart)

2. The Swell Season – Feeling The Pull (from Strict Joy)

3. Andrew Bird – Anonanimal (from Noble Beast)

4. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home (from Up From Below)

5. Norah Jones – Waiting (from The Fall)

6. The Low Anthem – Champion Angel (from Oh My God, Charlie Darwin)

7. Paolo Nutini – Pencil Full Of Lead (from Sunny Side Up)

8. Brandi Carlile – Dreams (from Give Up The Ghost)

9. Hoots & Hellmouth – You And All Of Us (from The Holy Open Secret)

10. Ben Kweller – Fight (from Changing Horses)

11. Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons – Longer Time At Sea

(from Death Won’t Send A Letter)

12. The Avett Brothers – Kick Drum Heart (from I And Love And You)

13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Dull Life (from It’s Blitz!)

14. Dan Deacon – Of The Mountains (from Bromst)

15. The Thermals – Now We Can See (from Now We Can See)

16. The Decemberists – The Wanting Comes In Waves/ Repaid

(from The Hazards Of Love)

17. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (from Manners)

18. Ingrid Michaelson – Everybody (from Everybody)

19. Heartless Bastards – Sway (from The Mountain)

If you've read any of my blog postings in the last year, you'll probably recognize some of the artists. But even if you haven't, trust me in saying that they're all amazing and will blow your earholes off (in a good way).

So here's the deal:
Since I probably won't see most of you anytime soon to give you the cd myself, I'm offering it up here to anyone who is interested. Just post a comment below and/or send me an email and let me know that you want one, and I'll send you the cd in the mail asap.

And as a final reminder, keep checking back for lists of my favorite stuff from the last year. Tomorrow I think I'll start by sharing both Jen and my own favorite cd's, so you can see how they compare with the artists and songs we decided to put on the "Best of" cd.

BOO YAH.

My Bi-Monthly Post: I Like... No I Love Music

2009-11-04T13:53:00.010-06:00

It's been almost two months since my last post. When I started this blog, my goal was to write something pretty much every day. I have failed. However, I can take some solace in the fact that one year after starting this blog it still exists... kind of.

As I've done several times before, I thought about no longer posting. But for some reason, every once in a while I get the urge to share some of what I've been up to... even when there's not much to share. That's why I'm here today, I guess. Also, as I began writing this, I thought of an idea that might actually get me to post more often and also gets you, the non-existent reader(s), involved... but I'll save that for another post in the near future.

So as I said in the title, I love music. If you've ever met me, this should not come as a surprise. But every once in a while I get a reminder of how good music can make you feel... especially when you get to hear something great for the first time. That's how I'm feeling right now... I'm listening to the new Norah Jones album, The Fall, which is currently streaming on NPR's website. I'm not sure when the actual album is being released, but I recommend checking it out as soon as possible. It's not all that different from her old stuff, but it doesn't feel recycled either. Anyway, if you're a fan of Norah Jones, take a listen and let me know what you think.

Beyond that, I've been listening to a slew of great music recently. Here are a few that come highly recommended, in no particular order:

The Swell Season - Strict Joy

The new cd by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova of Once fame, as well as Glen's band, The Frames, which continue to be the best live band in the universe in my humble opinion. Jen and I saw them perform last Sunday at the Pabst and, even though I wasn't feeling well, it was easily one of the best concerts I've been to in a long time.

Who Won't Like This Album (WWLTA): Cynics, metal heads, and people who hate polite Europeans

The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

This album's been around for a while, but I don't think I've mentioned it here yet. With 2009 coming close to it's end, I can say with about 97.5% certainty that this is my favorite album of the year. Not surprisingly, it's also the one I've listened to the most and, like a fine bottle of Mad Dog 20/20, it gets better with each listen. I got to see the band at Lollapalooza last summer and I'm hoping they come around again soon... they've got a bright future ahead.

WWLTA: People with ADHD, creationists, and anyone who thinks Bon Iver is grossly overrated

The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

For a band that never had a major label recording and has only a small (albeit cultish) following, this album actually had some pretty lofty expectations going into it's release roughly a month ago. Luckily, I think it lived up to those expectations, since it does a good job of capturing the frenetic and simultaneously melodic sound of their live show. I'm not sure they're going to be selling out arenas any time soon... but if it does happen, I can't say that I'll be surprised.

WWLTA: People who hate the South, robots, and those who find banjo pickin' annoyin'

Brandi Carlile - Give Up the Ghost

I've been shocked to find that roughly 50% of people that I talk to about Brandi Carlile don't like her voice. The other 50%, like me, think she's an incredible singer. Maybe she's the musical equivalent of Barack Obama.

WWLTA: The 50% mentioned above

Langhorne Slim - Be Set Free

If Brandi is Obama, Langhorne Slim is Forrest Gump... he's been around forever and seems to pop up everywhere, but no one really notices. If you've been to a concert in the last five years, there's at least a 63% chance that Langhorne Slim was the opening act. If you've been to a musical festival, I'd put money on it that he was there, even if he wasn't on the bill (maybe he was just playing for change on the sidewalk as you headed towards the entrance). And at least once a day I hear one of his songs on tv, either in commercials or while someone is dying horrifically as Jen cries her eyes out watching Grey's. Having said all of this, his new album is his best yet... so maybe more people will know who he is soon.

WWLTA: People who enjoy being depressed, those who can't get past his silly name, and "Tea Baggers"

Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons - Death Won't Send a Letter

I know I've mentioned Cory Chisel at least twice before on this blog, so I'll keep it short: he's from Wisconsin, the album was produced by Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs, and it's really good.

WWLTA: People who think that music can't be good if the lyrics actually make sense and FIB's

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

If it wasn't for The Low Anthem, ES&TMZ would be front-runners for my favorite new band of '09. Definitely the most fun recording I've heard in a long time... think The Polyphonic Spree, but even more happy-hippyish. I'm really hoping to see them when they come to Madison in a couple of weeks... from what I hear, they're amazing live.

WWLTA: People who have social anxiety, hate crowds, and/or think music cannot have a psychotropic effect

Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack

I listened to this soundtrack before seeing the movie and now am looking forward to going back and listening to it again. Most of the music was created by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. I thought it fit the movie/book/images perfectly. All are recommended to anyone who hasn't seen/read/heard them yet.

WWLTA: People who don't like the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Where the Wild Things Are, or anything else fun

I could go on, but that seems like enough recommendations for now... please let me know if you've listened to any of these, or if you have further questions or comments about any of them. And as I mentioned above, look for another post soon about my suggestions for future posts!

Things That I Am Currently More Excited About Than You (not that it's a competition)

2009-09-09T14:29:00.006-05:00

1. The U.S. Open

I don't know whether I've just been watching more matches or that the overall level of play is that much better, but the tennis I've seen in the last week and a half has been consistently and insanely awesome. I've always been a big tennis fan, but even I will admit that the last couple of years it was hard to be excited about anything other than the few annual Federer/Nadal matchups. However, my theory is that when Andy Roddick played Federer to an epic 16-14 fifth set loss in the Nadal-less Wimbledon final this year, other players realized that they too might be able to step it up and challenge Federer (or any other playe, for that matter) as well. Whatever it is, I strongly suggest checking out what's left of the quarterfinals and beyond... starting with the Federer vs. Soderling (who last met up in the French Open final) and Oudin vs. Wozniacki matches tonight. Both will be fun.

2. This Game

Equal parts Boggle, Scrabble, and Tetris... I have a hard time believing there hasn't been a game like this before. I first heard about it from the usually dependable Very Short List. Even more fun when you play with someone else screaming words over your shoulder... seriously.

3. The Slew of Awesome Live Shows Coming to The Pabst, Turner Hall, and The Riverside:

Ida Maria - 9/22
Mike Birbiglia - 9/25
David Cross - 10/3
Bon Iver - 10/11
Michael and Michael Have Issues - 10/14
Andrew Bird - 10/16 and 10/17
Ingrid Michaelson - 10/25
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - 10/28
The Swell Season - 11/1
White Rabbits - 11/10

I'm especially impressed with the amount of good comedy coming to Milwaukee. All of the above shows are highly recommended, and if anyone living around here is interested in going to any of them, feel free to let me know. Also, if you live somewhere else, keep in mind that all of these artists are likely touring nationwide right now.

4. The Fall TV Season

This means new episodes are finally coming for many of my favorite shows, including The Office (9/17), It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (9/17), How I Met Your Mother (9/21), SNL (9/26), and The Simpsons (9/27)

If you're a tv freak like me, here's a very helpful calendar you might want to print out.

5. This Youtube Video of Al Franken Drawing a Map of the United States

Maybe some of my Minnesotan friends have already seen this, but I just heard about it via BWE. I seriously think I would be impressed if it was a complete unknown drawing a map freehand... so the fact that it's Senator (yes, that's right Norm Coleman) Al Franken doing it makes it that much more impressive. I now have a new skill to hone.

6. Today is 9/9/9

I'm not sure why this is exciting, but it is... just trust me. Plus, it means that all shirts are $9 on Threadless. I'm thinking about getting this one... what do you think?

Other Than Proposing, What Did I Do All Summer?

2009-08-31T13:50:00.008-05:00

If I were a song parodyist, this would be my latest inspiration...
(Sung to the tune of Alice Cooper's "School's Out"): Summer's... out... for... school.
This is why I am not a song parodyist.

However, it does make my point: now that schools are back in session and the temperature has been dropping into the 40's each evening, summer is all but over. And since my laptop was busted and I didn't post all summer, I will likely be using the next couple of weeks/months to recap some of my favorite events from this summer. To begin, here's an idea of some of what I was up to this summer... think of it as an "overture" of sorts. Then, hopefully, you will help me to be able to hone in on which of the things I've mentioned that you'd be most interested in hearing more about. Of course, more likely no one will mention anything, and I'll just go on blabbing (or blogging... blogabbing or blabogging?) about things no one's truly interested in. Either way, here is a semi-detailed account of the more-memorable things I've been doing for the last three months:

Attended four music festivals: Summerfest, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Pitchfork Music Fest, and Lollapalooza
Between those festivals and other miscellaneous shows, saw at least 100 musical performances
Went to Minneapolis and Canada (for the Winnipeg Folk Fest) with Jen and Michigan (for a NASCAR race... yes, you read that correctly) with my Pops
Read several books, including All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, Strokes of Genius by L. Jon Wertheim, God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens, and The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac by FreeDarko
Bought/Listened to at least 30 new albums... some of my favorites being new ones by Levon Helm, Passion Pit, White Rabbits, Matisyahu, Deep Dark Woods, Metric, Xavier Rudd, Hoots and Hellmouth, and Wilco
Saw approximately a dozen movies, including three I'd highly recommend: Ingloreous Basterds, The Wrestler, and Drag Me to Hell
Saw three plays at the American Players Theater (APT) in Spring Green... Shakespeare's King Henry V and The Winter's Tale, and Hay Fever by Noel Coward
Dealt with another near-death experience for Marley when the neighbor's dog tried his best to tear Marley to shreds
Celebrated my 30th birthday... the first birthday I've acknowledged since my 21st

I'm sure there's many other things I could mention, but this is a good starts and definitely gets at the most memorable parts. Please feel free to post comments, questions, suggestions, and let me know what you've been up to... later skaters!

P.S. - While posting this, I've been listening to two cd's that come out this week... When The Devil's Loose by A.A. Bondy which, like his last solo cd, is incredibly beautiful and terrific, and Break Up by Scarlett Johansson and Pete Yorn, which is unincredibly not very good.

THE PROPOSAL STORY... and I'm back!

2009-08-24T12:17:00.012-05:00

So I guess I should first apologize for not posting in several months… as I said in my last short post, my computer went kablooey back in June, which meant I had to venture into coffee shops and libraries to do most of my internetting. I’m sure I still could’ve posted here and there, but I took it as an excuse to be lazy and take a break. Anyway, the good news is that now I have two months worth of happenings to share… most important of which is that Jen and I recently got engaged! It happened a couple weeks ago, after several months of planning and anticipation. So before I go back to my semi-normal blogging topics (i.e., things nobody else cares about), I wanted to share the story of how our proposal went down. This is partly a promise I made to Jen, because she’s also written her version of the proposal on her blog, and which I’ve also promised not to read until after I write mine. And of course, I should apologize ahead of time if it’s too long-winded… I know myself well enough to assume it will be. However, if you want to just skim the writing and look at the pretty pictures, I promise I won’t be offended. Alright, let’s get started…

PROLOGUE

Once Jen and I started seriously discussing getting married, I wasn’t quite sure how to go about getting her an engagement ring. I knew from our conversations that she had some idea of what she wanted it to look like, while I had absolutely no clue, since I’ve never worn nor bought jewelry in my life. We started looking together, visiting jewelry stores, talking to others who’ve bought engagement rings, and looking online. Slowly I started to get a better idea of what she wanted, but I still wasn’t quite sure where to get it. Both of us preferred to stay away from “chain” jewelry stores or online sites, since it’s difficult to determine the quality of the purchase or have any sort of follow-up should there be an issue. I suggested we check out some of the local jewelry stores in Racine, where I grew up. We eventually settled on Brandt Jewelers because we both liked the owner and it was clear that he’d be willing to work with us to find exactly what we wanted. Jen decided she wanted a blue sapphire as the primary stone rather than a diamond, and we picked out several settings to try. After a few stops back, we found the “perfect” ring and I took it from there. I should point out that Jen was a little hesitant about being this involved in picking out her own engagement ring, but I definitely wanted her to be as specific as possible about what she wanted since (a) I know jack about jewelry and (b) she’s the one who has to wear it for the rest of her life. Plus, as I was constantly telling her, I didn’t care as much about the ring being a surprise as I did the proposal itself. Of course, this then created an ungodly amount of stress in my head, as I now felt like I should come up with the “perfect proposal.”

I had several ideas in mind for how to propose, but nothing was sticking. I thought about throwing some sort of party, possibly inviting some of Jen’s family and friends out from the East coast, but decided that then it wouldn’t really be about the two of us. I thought about trying to coordinate with one of our favorite bands/musicians to propose during a concert (mostly because early on in our relationship we went to the Austin Music Festival and saw this happen during one of the sets, at which point I turned to Jen and said, “That’s how I want to propose.”), but decided this was probably unrealistic and also not likely to be something Jen would enjoy as much as I would. I thought about proposing during one of our big summer events, such as Summerfest , but that didn’t seem romantic enough and, besides, I knew I didn’t really want to do it in a large setting in front of a bunch of strangers.

Eventually, I started to get an idea in my head of what I really wanted the proposal to be like. I wanted it to intimate, but not necessarily at home. I wanted it to be something that incorporated both the times we’ve spent together in Maryland and Wisconsin and our future plans together. I wanted it to involve the things that we both enjoy doing together. I wanted it to be fun, but also a bit of a challenge. And, of course, I wanted it to be memorable.

One of the things that Jen and I learned about each other early on is that we both love “games” of all kinds. With this in mind, I decided to turn the proposal into a game. However, those of you that know Jen well probably realize the risk involved in doing this; Jen loves games, but HATES losing or feeling incompetent in any way. I knew that this might be an issue, but I decided it was a risk I was willing to take. My primary goal was for it to be fun and I knew (or at least desperately hoped) that the fun-factor would overwhelm any other competing emotions along the way.

I realize at this point that I’m writing way too much, so from here forward I’m going to try to focus as little on my though process and planning, and instead try to focus on the details of the “game” as clearly as possible.

Let’s start with the rules:

The object of the “proposal game” was, obviously, to get the proposal. In order to do so, Jen had to gain points until she got to 135 (one for every week we’d been together). In order to gain points, I gave her a list of 30 places around Milwaukee that we’ve been together (restaurants, bars, theaters, parks, etc.). She could then pick which she wanted to visit and in what order. When she got to each new location, she automatically gained 5 points and then could earn up to 15 additional points; 10 from answering trivia questions about our past, present, and future, and another 5 for completing a “challenge” involving the location. Once we were done at each location, she would move on to another location until she reached 135 points, at which point I would immediately propose. In addition, in case the game ever went from being fun to torture, there was a stipulation in the rules which said that if at any point Jen tired of playing or wasn’t having fun, she could declare the game over and I would propose immediately.

Having learned the rules to her own proposal, Jen and I headed out to begin the game. Below I will provide a somewhat detailed account of each stop along the way. If you get bored, feel free to skim or just look at the photos:

LOCATION 1: SVEN’S

Jen chose to begin at Sven’s because (1) she knew it was open, (2) she knew how to get there, (3) she knew it was close to several other locations on the list in the Bay View area, and (4) she knew we both could probably use a cup of coffee. We went in and ordered coffee, then sat outside for the “trivia portion” of the game. As part of the rules not described above, Jen had to wager 1, 2, and 5 points on the three questions (past, present, future) before I read them. She decided to wager 1 on past, 5 on present, and 2 on future. I read each question (Sample Question: Future – Of the following scenarios, which is my biggest fear about our wedding: (A) You turn into a “bridezilla”; (B) We constantly disagree when planning things; (C) People tell you embarrassing stories about me; (D) Few to none of my friends show up?), along with a 2 point bonus question about our location. Jen answered all 4 trivia questions correctly, gaining 10 points, added to the 5 points she scored when we got to Sven’s. She was then given the option of wagering from 0 to 5 of these points on a challenge, of which she decided to wager 3. The challenge in this case was to go online on one of the computers at Sven’s and update her Facebook status in less than 3 minutes. When I said go, Jen nearly plowed some dude over, barreling back inside, where she blew the challenge away by changing her status in just over a minute. Soon after, we took our coffee and left Sven’s, with Jen’s point total looking like this:

5 location points (LP) + 10 trivia points(TP) + 3 challenge points(CP) = 18 total points

Only 117 points to go!

Leaving Sven’s, Jen was so excited she backed into the car parked behind us… luckily no damage done. We were then off to our next location!

LOCATION 2: SOUTH SHORE PARK/ FARMER’S MARKET

I chose South Shore Park as one of the locations for the game primarily because it’s the site of our favorite farmer’s market. However, we’ve also been there for the Bay View Fest/ Chili Cookoff and to picnic/fly a kite. We found a park bench near the shore and Jen wagered/answered the 4 trivia questions, which she once again got all correct for a perfect 10 points. Feeling pretty confident, Jen wagered all 5 points on the challenge. I told her that it was to get the kite that I had had secretly put in her car trunk to fly in 7 minutes or less. She immediately got the kite and went running with it, trying to get it into the air. I should probably remind you here that we both decided to get dressed up that morning, so she wasn’t in great running gear. The kite went up at first, but then came down with a thud and broke. There was a good couple of minutes when it looked like the challenge was over and incomplete… until she remembered that she had another kite in the back seat of her car! (Believe it or not, we’re not big kite people… we just like to keep a couple extra kites around for situations like this, I guess.) She went and got it and almost immediately got the kite flying. Challenge won, points tallied:

5 LP + 10 TP + 5 CP = 20 total

New total = 38 points… 97 to go!

I should point out that as we left South Shore, the proposal game looked like it might take a turn for the worse. Walking back to the car with the kite, Jen, out of breath and tired from running around with the kite, said something along the lines of, “How come I have to do all the work in this game?” I laughed, hoping she was joking, but knowing there was some frustration in her voice. However, the tension was short-lived and seemed pretty much gone by the time we got to the next stop.

LOCATION 3: THE OUTPOST CO-OP

Jen next went to The Outpost grocery store not far from South Shore. We sat outside and, rather surprisingly after her first two stops, she got the 3 trivia questions incorrect. However, she did answer the 2-point bonus question correctly and easily completed the 5 point challenge, which was to find and buy a “Little Oatie” (i.e., the most delicious treat on earth available only at The Outpost) for us to split in under 3 minutes. Emerging victorious, we tallied up the points and headed out, enjoying our treat along the way.

5 LP + 2 TP + 5 CP = 12 total

New total = 50 points… 85 to go!

LOCATION 4: BAY VIEW BOWL

Jen then headed not far up KK (i.e., Kinnickinnic Ave.) towards Bay View Bowl, where we’ve been for the “Rock ‘n Glow Bowl” they host each Saturday night. Unfortunately, BVB was closed that week for remodeling, meaning we were not able to go in and bowl as I had planned. Instead, we hung out in front and Jen answered 2 of the 4 trivia questions correctly. Then, since we couldn’t bowl, I went to my backup challenge, which was for Jen to get from the bowling alley to At Random, a kitschy lounge not far away that we’d went to before bowling at BVB the last time we’d been there, in less than 5 minutes without using the GPS. Luckily for Jen, she’d passed At Random earlier that day while driving to South Shore. We took a roundabout way, but she made it with approximately a minute to spare. We took a picture, tallied up the score, and headed to our final Bay View destination.

5 LP + 4 TP + 5 CP = 14 total

New total = 64 points… 71 to go!

LOCATION 5: PALOMINO BAR

Jen decided to go to the Palomino Bar next, if for no other reason because it was within walking distance to At Random. Palomino is one of my favorite bars in Milwaukee and also holds the distinction of having quite possibly the best fried chicken in the universe. However, we weren’t quite ready for lunch yet, so instead we ordered a couple of N/A drinks and, after again answering 2 trivia questions correctly, Jen received the challenge: beat me in a game of pool. Luckily for Jen, I suck at pool. Unluckily for Jen, so does she. I’m not quite sure how long the game took, but we had fun trying our hardest to get the balls in the holes. And eventually Jen won!

Afterwards we hung out for a while longer, taking a few pictures and finishing our sodas. Both of us agreed later that this was probably the most fun stop of the day.

5 LP + 7 TP + 3 CP = 15 points

New total = 79 points… 56 to go!

LOCATION 6: TRISKELE’S

After Palomino, both of us agreed that it was probably time for lunch. And since I included at least a half-dozen restaurants we’d been to together on the location list, Jen had several to choose from. She chose Triskele’s, a place we discovered together shortly after moving here and which has become one of our favorite eateries. Since it was a weekday afternoon, they were basically empty. We picked a booth and, before ordering, Jen answered all 4 trivia questions correctly. We ran into some controversy with the challenge, which asked Jen to buy me a pint of a Wisconsin beer I hadn’t previously tried. She ended up buying me a pint of Lakefront's Riverwest Stein, which I’m pretty sure I’ve drank before, but couldn’t be 100% sure. Also, although they did have a beer I hadn’t tried, it was a porter, which Jen knows isn’t my favorite. We ended up calling the challenge a wash, meaning the points were as follows:

5 LP + 10 TP = 15 points

New total = 94 points… 41 to go!

We then ate an awesome lunch... Jen had crab cakes (I think), I had macaroni and cheese, and we split a cup of clam chowder. The waitress took our picture and we headed out, moving towards downtown for our next locations.

LOCATION 7: MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

Once we got downtown, Jen chose to go the Art Museum next. We didn’t actually go inside, but instead parked outside and walked along the lakefront next to the museum. Jen got 3 of the 4 trivia questions and wagered 4 points on the challenge, which was to take our picture in front of the sculpture I like on the side of the museum (we have a painting in our house that my mom did of the sculpture… I can’t really explain why, but I think it’s a very neat looking sculpture). Jen had 3 minutes to complete the challenge, so she grabbed me and ran towards the sculpture, quickly set the camera up, had a little trouble figuring out the timer, but ran just in time to make it into frame… not the best picture, but good enough to win the challenge.

5 LP + 9 TP + 4 CP = 18 points

New total = 112 points… 23 to go!

As you can see, Jen was now edging very close to the 135 points needed before I would start proposing. She was obviously aware of this as well, as she now began to try and plan where and when she wanted the actual proposal to happen. She told me this, not telling me which location she had in mind, but convinced that I must know (I didn’t). She decided to pick one more close location, thinking she would earn enough points that she would then be assured of winning when we got to the location she had in mind… however, as you’ll see, it didn’t turn out exactly as she planned.

LOCATION 8: SHANK HALL

Jen knew that Shank Hall wasn’t far from downtown, so she headed there assuming she’d get between 15-20 points and be safely on her way to the final location. However, as luck would have it, she missed a couple of questions and then, for the first time, lost a challenge. The challenge was to come up with the names of two artists coming to Shank Hall in October that we’d seen together before. She had 7 minutes for this challenge and could use any means available to her to find their names. With this in mind, earlier in the day I’d grabbed a copy of both The Onion and The Shepherd Express and put them in the car. However, I guess Jen only saw me get The Onion, so she went right for that. She paged through it about 5 or 6 times, but they weren’t in there. She was getting visibly frustrated, but I didn’t want to ruin it by just giving her the answer. Finally, she gave up and I showed her that they were in The Shepherd. She lost the 4 points she’d wagered, meaning only 7 points at this location:

5 LP + 6 TP – 4 CP = 7 points

New total = 119 points… 16 to go!

This probably wouldn’t have been as big a deal, except that now she wouldn’t be assured of getting to 135 at the next location. With this in mind, she chose one more close location as a “buffer.”

LOCATION 9: THE NOMAD PUB

We didn’t actually go in The Nomad, a bar we’ve been to for their Monday night pub trivia, but instead parked outside. Jen astutely answered just a 1 point trivia question correctly and wagered no points on the challenge, meaning she would now be just 10 points away:

5 LP + 1 TP – 0 CP = 6 points

New total = 125 points… 10 to go!

While this didn’t mean that the proposal was guaranteed at the next location, it was a comfortable enough margin for Jen to head there. She now admitted to me the place she had in mind… Bradford Beach. While this made sense, I must admit that I didn’t foresee Jen having any specific place in mind for the proposal; in my head, it wouldn’t have even played into the order of choosing locations. However, I could now see that that wasn’t very realistic, and it made sense that as the points got closer, she would start keeping this in mind. Either way, we now were headed to what Jen hoped would be the final location… of course, she still needed 10 points.

LOCATION 10: BRADFORD BEACH

Although we’d only been to Bradford Beach (or, as Jen likes to call it, "Bradley Beach") one previous time together (last September, almost a year ago, for a picnic on the beach), Jen had it in mind, figuring it to be a lovely and intimate location for the proposal. However, what she didn’t realize is that on warm summer days such as this, there were several hundred people on the beach, meaning not many quiet or private locations. So instead we headed just a little north of the beach, where we could sit on the rocks alone (for the most part) away from the crowds. Once we found our spot, I informed Jen that with the 5 location points gained, she was now just 5 points from the proposal. She put her wagers on the trivia questions (1 for past, 2 for present, 5 for future) and easily got the first two questions, meaning she was now just 2 points from 135. I gave her the 5 point question and, after a nail-biting minute or two, she gave her answer. It was correct, meaning the game was over and the proposal was ready to begin!

We moved off the rocks (since I was nervous I might drop the ring into the rocks or the water) and stood just a little ways off on the grass. I got on one knee and made a quick impromptu proposal request… as I’d told Jen at the beginning of the day, while I’d planned out the rest of the this far in advance, I wanted what I said when proposing to be completely unrehearsed. I can’t remember my exact words, but it was something along the lines of saying that while it took me a long time to actually propose, I’ve known for quite sometime that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Jen, and that while the ring was just a small object, it symbolized our commitment and how perfectly we fit together. I then asked for her hand in marriage and Jen said yes. Holler!

Afterwards, we spent a few minutes enjoying the moment before heading off the beach. We stopped for one more picture off the lakefront (our first as an “engaged couple”), then headed home. It was around 4:30, meaning the entire game took about 6 hours… which we both agreed was not too short and not too long! We spent the rest of the day relaxing, making phone calls, and biking to a new Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood for chip and salsa and margaritas. Overall, I’m glad with how it all went down… not too much drama and plenty of memories. Now on to the real work… planning the rest of our life together!

A quick update for those of you rereading this or seeing it for the first time:

We're now deep in the throes of wedding planning... well Jen mostly, but I'm doing what I can to help her out. So with that in mind, she's entered us in a contest to try and win some sort of $100K wedding free-for-all, courtesy of Crate and Barrel. I'm not sure how it works exactly, beyond the fact that we need to rack up votes in order to gain a fighting chance at the big prize. Anyway, I'll cut to the chase...

If you liked our proposal story and want to try to help us out, please vote for our entry in the "Ultimate Wedding Contest" by clicking here or copying the following link:

http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entries/28351

THANK YOU ALL AND GOOD NIGHT!

It's a Cruel, Cruel Summer

2009-06-17T18:35:00.002-05:00

First off, thanks for all the farts... it's nice to see you care.
But on to the bad news:

So school ended this week, meaning I should have more time to write. Only one problem... yesterday I tried to turn on my computer but the screen just read "Operating System Not Detected" or something like that. I called a computer guy my Pops knows, and he said most likely my computer has been corrupted and there's not that great a chance I'll be able to fix it. I haven't taken it to be looked at yet, but I'm already assumming the worst... in the short term, that means no blogging, but the bigger loss would be all of the photos, cd's, teaching stuff, etc. that I have on my laptop and haven't backed up in at least a few months (I'm too scared to check right now when the last time I backed it up was).

Anyway, right now I'm at the library using the internet. However, I'm not sure when I'll be back to regular online time at home. For those of you who check this site sporadically, I'd suggest giving me at least through the weekend... then hopefully I'll be blogging like crazy.

Also, if you or anyone you know has a bit-o'-intelligence about computers and wouldn't mind throwing some advice my way, please call me asap.

Thanks people,
Arlo

This Site Runs On Farts

2009-06-12T07:55:00.002-05:00

1. Click on the "comments" link at the bottom of this post.
2. Click on "anonymous" on the right side of the comments page... unless you want to use your name.
3. Type "FART" into the comments.

If you have questions, reread the comments on my last post ("A Trio of Things").

Thanks dudes,
Arlo

A Trio of Things

2009-06-10T16:39:00.003-05:00

For those of you not in the know on all things Arlo, I was in Maryland for the last 5 days visiting friends and family with Jen. Among other things, I made it back to the old high school, played tennis, got snowballs, and picked up some of my favorite bagels on our way out of town. All in all, it was good times.

So anyway, I don't have a ton of time to post, but I figured I'd share a trio of quick topics:

1. Please watch my favorite graduation speech of all time.

2. If you're a Saved By the Bell fan (and who isn't, really?), I'm assuming you already know that Zach Morris was on Jimmy Fallon's show Monday... but in case you missed it, check it out here.

3. If you were going to see a movie this weekend, which would you choose and why: The Hangover, Drag Me to Hell, or Up?

CONCERTS: The Decemberists

2009-06-01T16:09:00.003-05:00

Right now it's late Monday afternoon and I am listening to The Decemberists' The Hazards of Love for either the fifth or sixth time, still trying to figure out what exactly it's about. So far I've gotten that there are four main characters (Margaret, William, the Queen, and the Rake), that Margaret and William are tragically in love, Romeo and Juliet-style, that the Queen is William's mom and also probably the "queen of the forest," that William is a faun (i.e., half-human, half-goat) who somehow impregnated Margaret, and that the Rake is a giant douche/baby-killer. Also, the theme seems to have something to do with love being hazardous.

Regardless of whether I ever end up fully deciphering all of the nuances in this story, THOL is a kick-ass album. And seeing it performed live in its entirety, as Jen and I did last Friday, is even more kick-ass (kick-asser?). You may recall my raving about The Decemberists' first live recording of the album at SXSW in March (which you can still listen to here). However, as much as I enjoyed that, it didn't prepare me for actually experiencing the show myself. This was the third time I've seen The Dec's live and it was easily my favorite.

The show was at The Riverside Theater, which I'm pretty sure I haven't been to since high school. I remember it being much more run down than it looked Friday, which either had to do with my fuzzy memory or the fact that The Pabst bought the theater sometime in the last five years and probably put some money into the joint. Either way it made for the perfect setting for this show, which was essentially a rock opera without acting and designed for "word nerds." Collin Meloy (the band's lead singer, who was an English major in college) is unlike any other songwriter in that he is somehow able to craft songs from topics and language straight out of 18th century Romanticism, but which even people who usually listen to Top-40 radio and work at The Gap (does that store still exist?) seem to enjoy after a few listens. Talking about the diversity in the crowd before the show (there was a kid who was probably 10 a few rows in front of us, two guys in their 60's behind, and girls who dressed like they were going to the club afterwards standing next to pseudo-hippies with dirty dreads), I told Jen that I consider Decemberists' fans like the musical equivalent of tv fans of Lost; you probably couldn't point them out in a crowd (like say, fans of Metallica or Phish), but get them talking to another fan about the band/show and they'll never shut up.

If this show was at The Riverside 13 years ago, I can't say whether the high school version of me would agree, but there's definitely something rewarding for the almost 30-year-old, English-teaching me to watch a sold-out crowd sing along to perfectly poetic lines of dactylic trimeter such as:

And when young Margaret's waistline grew wider
The fruit of her amorous entwine inside her
And so our heroine withdraws to the taiga

My point is this: the show was Awesome with a capital A, and I am a better person for having been there... as are you, if you've read this far.

However, this was not the only thing I've been up to over the last week or so. I've also seen several films (I Love You, Man and Twilight), another amazing show at a not-so-amazing venue (Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs at The Rave), and finally finished reading David Foster Wallace's Consider the Lobster, among other things... if you are interested in hearing about any of these things, all you have to do is ask.

LATER SKATERS.

3 (or 4, kind of) Unrelated Things Floating Around Tn The Interweb That I Wanted To Share With You, My Bestest Friend(s)

2009-05-22T11:33:00.005-05:00

1) I'm not really a fan of Jimmy Fallon's new late-night talk show... if I had to rate the late-night hosts, it would go (1) Letterman, (2) Ferguson, (3) Conan, (4) Kimmel, (5) Fallon, and (6) Leno. Did I forget anyone? Whatever, that's not the point... the point is that last weekend, Jimmy Fallon did a show at the Pabst, and ended up giving a shout-out to Milwaukee and, more specifically, Wolski's, on his show. Here's the link to the the entire show... forward to approx. the 3:45 mark and you can here it and see the bottle opener they gave him. Probably my favorite Milwaukee bar story happened at Wolski's... it involves Wirkus, Moneypenny, a couple of cops, and a snake in a bag.

2) Is anyone else a Frank Lloyd Wright fan? If you are, you already know that he grew up and lived (part-time) in Spring Green, Wisconsin. However, you might not know that LEGO has a new FLW "Architecture" series... probably the coolest LEGO sets I've ever seen. As long as you can get 'em for under $100, I'll be buying at least one.3/4) From where it stands right now, there's really only two movies coming out this year that I'm excited about: The Road and Where the Wild Things Are. Both are based on books that I love (though obviously not written for the same demos) and, in an odd coincidence, both are set to come out on the same day, October 16th. Also, both now have previews online. Unfortunately, The Road's preview leads me to think that the movie's not going to live up to my enormously overblown expectations. But on the plus side, the WtWTA preview looks sooooooooooooooo good and practically brings me to tears every time I watch it. I seriously can't wait to see this movie... however, if it turns out that it sucks, it might end up being the last flick I ever bother to see.I await your comments on any of the above... or just let me know what you're having for dinner tonight. Whatever, your choice.

My Stream of Consciousness Pop Culture Musings On What I've Been Up To Recently

2009-05-19T09:16:00.006-05:00

Jen and I saw Todd Barry at Turner Hall on Sunday... he's funny.

I'm subbing for an English teacher from Monday until Wednesday . All three days students are watching When The Levees Break. I've seen it before, but forgot how good it is... a fine reminder why Spike Lee is the greatest director of all time.

Speaking of Spike Lee, did anyone catch Kobe: Doin' Work on ESPN last weekend? I tivo'd it and watched the first half so far... I'm still not a Kobe fan, but it's a very watchable doc for any basketball fan.

Last week I finished reading Looking Foward, a collection of speeches/essays by FDR... pretty dry, but interesting.

I'm hoping to finally dig into Consider the Lobster this week.

I have two music recommendations that come out today: It's Frightening by White Rabbits and Manners by Passion Pit... you can stream both cd's online here. I actually haven't heard either album yet, but they're both bands I love, so I'm sure I'll end up listening to/ buying them soon.

Another album I haven't heard yet is Wilco (The Album), which I think is still streaming on their website... if you're a Wilco fan, I'm guessing you already knew this though.

I want to see The Hangover... the cast is awesome and the previews make it look hilarious.

My tv highlight of the last week: Amy Poehler back on SNL's Weekend Update... I wish Parks & Rec was funnier.

Let me know what you've been up to people... HOLLER.

BOOKS: Edgar Sawtelle and My Custom Van

2009-05-11T17:04:00.006-05:00

As always, I feel like I should start by apologizing for not posting more often... I've got plenty of excuses I could offer, but mostly I just haven't feel like writing. However, I have been doing more reading, which is why I'm finally posting about a couple of book recommendations. The two books I've finished reading most recently couldn't be more different, but I'd highly recommend both.

The first is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. I first heard about this book which I was fishing around the internet looking for new fiction recommendations. It's set in northern Wisconsin and tells a story that parallels Hamlet, both of which were things that drew me to it. It was also approximately a million pages long, but luckily was a "page turner," as the ladies say. I'm pretty sure this is the author's first published work, but it was incredibly written. I don't want to give much away, but if you are looking to get lost in a book, I definitely recommend checking it out.

The second book is My Custom Van, a collection of essays by Michael Ian Black. As you likely know, MIB is a comedian and member of both Stella and The State, two of my fav comedy groups. However, if I'm being honest, he was never my favorite member of either... I thought he was funny, just not as funny as the other guys. But his collection of essays is one of the funniest books I've ever read. I had already read a few of them online, and I remember forwarding his Billy Joel essay when it first appeared on McSweeney's. The book has 50 essays and clocks in at just over 200 pages, meaning most of them are 3-4 pages long... so it's also great if you have a short attention span. If you are a fan of MIB, Stella, The State, Wet Hot American Summer, or other things with this type of nonsensical humor, this book is highly recommended.

TO REVIEW:

If you like long books based on Shakespearean themes and characters set in the north woods of Wisconsin approximately 50 years ago, then check out this.
If you like short books full of dick jokes and made-up stories about famous people, then check out this.
If you hate reading, buy a Wii.

The First Semi-Annual Beverage Awards

2009-04-30T14:55:00.005-05:00

G. Love may have been the first to show his love with "Cold Beverages," but I think he got it wrong by excluding warm, hot, and even tepid beverages (or bevry for short). Therefore, I would like to show my appreciation for bevry of all temperatures by declaring my favorites in the following categories:

Root Beer - Winner: Schell's 1919, Runner-up: Sprecher
Cola - Winner: Royal Crown (R.C.), Runner-up: Sprecher's Puma Cola
White Soda - Winner: Vernor's Ginger Ale, Runner-up: Squirt
Carbonated (non-soda) - Winner: La Croix Cran-raspberry, Runner-up: Tonic water with lime
Coffee - Winner: Bay View Brew, Runner-up: Cafe du Monde's Coffee and Chicory
Hot Tea - Winner: Oolong, Runner-up: Egyptian mint
Iced Tea - Winner: Ginger peach, Runner-up: Green tea with lemon
Sweetener - Winner: Tupelo honey, Runner-up: Sorghum
Fresh juice - Winner: Apple cider, Runner-up: Orange
Store-bought juice - Winner: White cranberry peach, Runner-up: Ruby-red grapefruit
"Ade" - Winner: Limeade, Runner-up: Orangeade
Smoothie - Winner: Acai berry, Runner-up: Orange juice and vanilla ice cream (aka, "creamsicle")
Beer (domestic) - Winner: Schell's Carmel Bock, Runner-up: New Glarus Spotted Cow
Beer (foreign) - Winner: Unibroue's La Fin du Monde, Runner-up: Newcastle Brown Ale
Mixed drink - Winner: Brandy Old-Fashioned Sweet, Runner-up: Whiskey sour
Shot - Winner: Sambuca, Runner-up: Goldschlager
Lifetime Achievement Award - Water

Congratulations to the winners... see you again in 6 months!

MOVIE: Sin Nombre

2009-04-24T12:29:00.007-05:00

Jen likes to remind me of how lucky I am... not because I'm with her, but because I tend to win a lot of contests. Just since we've moved to Wisconsin, I've won a dvd (The Strangers), movie tickets (Nick and Nora's, etc.), concert tickets (Rachel Yamagata and Cory Chisel), a game of BINGO ($20!), and probably other stuff I'm forgetting about. I think it's probably just that I enter a lot of contests... but I will admit that it's gotten to the point that if I enter for something, I do pretty much assume I'll win it.

So on Monday night, I wasn't too surprised to get a call from The Exclusive Company, telling me that I'd won a pair of movie tickets for The Oriental Theater. But even I had to laugh when I checked my email five minutes later and found out I'd also won a pair of tickets to a sneak preview of Sin Nombre... maybe Jen is right.

The preview was Wednesday, and we decided to make a night of it, heading first to Bosley's on Brady for a quick and super-delicious happy hour (tempura green beans, fried green tomatoes with shrimp and crab, pistachio-crusted scallops, and drinks... all half-price... all mmmmm). We then rushed to The Downer, Jen two sheets to the wind from downing her fancy martinis and me convinced that we wouldn't make it. Luckily, we got there just as the title screen was rolling and found two empty seats in near darkness at the back of the theater. And then we settled in for a little under two hours of celluloid magic.

Even though I'm guessing most of you haven't heard of Sin Nombre, I don't want to give too much away for fear of ruining it for anyone who might actually see it. Here's a very quick synopsis: A gangster dude from Mexico has to escape his scary-as-hell gang (whom I'll be having nightmares about for weeks). He meets a girl from Honduras who, along with her family and lots of other people, is traveling via the top of a train across Mexico to try and cross the border. Chaos ensues.

The film was more violent and make-you-feel-like-your-getting-punched-in-the-face dramatic that I usually tend to enjoy... but since it was also incredibly realistic and full of suspense, it was simultaneously difficult to stomach and impossible to look away. Likely because I saw it recently, I saw parallels between S.N. and Slumdog Millionaire... especially with the whole "trying to escape a difficult past in a poverty-stricken area and, at the same time, falling for a girl that could get you in even more trouble" motif. However, I have to say that even though I enjoyed Slumdog, Sin Nombre blew it out of the water for me. I could also compare aspects of this movie to Breaking Bad (for it's abundance of crazy dramatic tension), City of God (for it's depiction of boys growing up in an incredibly violent society) and Amores Perros (because it's in Mexico... duh), all of which I also highly recommend if you haven't seen them. If you're already fans of any of those shows/movies, or if you can "tolerate" two hours of subtitles (I did hear one guy say on the way out that he's needs to read more because "I couldn't keep up with all those words crossing the screen!"), then I strongly recommend Sin Nombre.

Things I Recommend To You and You and You

2009-04-16T18:04:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't written in a while, but I decided to take an internet break over the last few days. Anyway, I thought I'd update you by sharing a few of my current favorite things:

Ida Maria - Singer from Norway whose song "I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked" is probably my favorite pop-song ever. Give it one listen and I guarantee you'll want to hear it again and again. You can check that song out at her myspace page or listen to her entire album streaming here.

The Fried Chicken at The Palomino - Jen and I went there last weekend, and while the bar is a little smokier than I'd like, the food is delicious. Even though I don't eat it too often, I feel better knowing there's a place with kick-ass fried chicken within 10 minutes of my house.

This Guy's Pictures - I don't know much about the artist, but I heard about him from one of my favorite websites, Very Short List. In each picture, he's photoshopped a bunch of people doing a similar action. It might not be the most difficult way to make art, but I think they're neat looking.

Man On Wire - I can't remember if I ever said anything about this film after I watched it a month or so ago, but the fact that I'm still thinking about it tells me it was pretty damn good. Definitely recommended if you're a fan of documentaries. (By the way, I finally watched Bigger Stronger Faster... it was good, but I had a hard time getting past the fact that the filmmaker was totally stealing his style of narration, directing, editing, etc. from Michael Moore.)

Muzzle of Bees - Great website for info on the local music scene in Milwaukee/Madison/Chicago... I agree with their concert recommendations roughly 72% of the time.

Comedy and Everything Else - I recently got hooked on this podcast featuring comedians Todd Glass, Jimmy Dore, and Stefane Zamorano. Even though it's longer than I usually like my podcasts, it keeps me entertained... great dog-walking conversation. If you listen to roughly 15 minutes of any episode, you'll have a good idea of whether it's something you're into or not.

Anyone else have a recommendation?

Things I've Seen and/or Heard Recently

2009-04-06T16:07:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to post a quick update on some of the things I've been watching/listening to/ going to see and hear/ enjoying lately. Next to each of the things I've already seen and/or heard is the grade I'd give it (since I am a teacher, after all)... if you disagree or have questions or comments, please reply. Also, I need book recommendations... preferably something nonfiction, but anything entertaining would be welcome.

Last Book I Read: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (A+... crazy entertaining, highly recommended)

Current Book I'm Reading: How To Be Alone by Jonathan Franzen

Last CD I Listened To: The Felice Brothers - Yonder Is The Clock, streaming online here (B+... lead singer sounds just like Bob Dylan)

Next CD I'll Listen To: The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love (I still haven't listened to the cd, but I loved their live version from SXSW)

Last Movie I Watched: Rachel Getting Married (B+... was as good as I was hoping, but not better)

Next Movie I'll Watch: Either Zach and Miri Make a Porno (though my expectations are pretty low) or Slumdog Millionaire

Last Concert I Went To: Heartless Bastards (A-... great, but short) and Gaslight Anthem (C... okay, but nothing special) at Turner Hall

Next Concert I'll Go To: Brandi Carlisle at The Pabst

Last TV Show I Watched: Breaking Bad on AMC... last week's (3/29) episode on DVR, not last night's (4/5), which I haven't watched yet (Episode = B+... I agree with Madd that it was probably the worst episode this season, although it was still pretty entertaining; Series = A+... I only hope they can keep it up)

Next TV Show(s) I'll Watch: Tonight I'll be watching the NCAA B-Ball Championship (UNC vs. Michigan State... Go Heels!) on CBS and the Chicago Cubs season opener at Houston on ESPN2... you gotta love the fact that on the same day my favorite tournament ends, my favorite team (the Cubs) begin!

Also, I just want to point out that although some of my picks were WAY off, I did get the final two teams correct (review here if you don't believe me). How many of you did that?!

CONCERT: Rachael Yamagata and Cory Chisel

2009-03-25T16:23:00.004-05:00

Last night I had the pleasure of enjoying three of my all-time favorite things: Chinese food, beer, and live music. The Chinese food was at China Gourmet, which is located across the street from the Pabst theater, and after entering, both my Pops and I realized that it used to be a jazz club we'd go to after shows at the Pabst until a couple years ago when it closed. I had vegetable egg foo young accompanied by the best service I've had in a long time. The beer was PBR, which, as always, is served in "tall boys" for the reasonable price of $3. And the concert was by two of my favorite singer/songwriters, Cory Chisel and Rachael Yamagata, at Turner Hall.

Jen and I had been planning on going to this show since it was first announced, but as it came closer, several wonderful things happened that made me even more excited. First, I found out tickets were only $10. Then I found out Cory Chisel was opening. And finally, last week I received an email from The Onion letting me know that I'd won free tickets to the show. Could life get any better? Yes, because I got to eat Chinese food beforehand.

Both singers were amazing. It was a great combination because they both have incredible voices and rely on very minimal accompaniment. Luckily, the audience was mostly respectful during their sets; at only one point did I want to get up and choke a group of four people who were standing behind us laughing and talking way too loud. Why do people pay to see live music and then spend the majority of the show talking over the musicians? Oh yeah, because they're morons.

Anyway, even though I was a bit disappointed in Rachel Yamagata's newest cd (if only because her first one, "Happenstance," is in my top-20 albums of all time), I thought she sounded incredible live. And Cory Chisel, from Appleton, Wisconsin, is currently finishing his cd that'll probably come out this summer. When it does, I predict that he will be the biggest thing to come out of this state since Jeffrey Dahmer... it's going to be killer (hey-ohh)!!!

A couple of unrelated side notes while I'm here:
1. I thoroughly dislike, and am no longer employed by, Milwaukee Public Schools... haven't been this close to actually hating something in a long time. I'm thinking about posting an explanation here in the near future, even though it has nothing to do with live music or television.
2. I had forgotten how much I love Chinese food. Damn, it's delicious.
3. Summer is coming... need any new t-shirts? Threadless has a whole bunch on sale for $5 or $10. Last week Jen and I each ordered 5 new shirts, and the whole order was less than $60 with shipping.
4. I am currently watching the President's news conference that I tivo'd last night. I think he should do this at least once a week... it's refreshing to see the President actually take the time to try and explain what he is doing to the rest of us.
5. If you aren't watching "Breaking Bad" this season, you are missing the most suspenseful tv show of all time... yeah, it's that good.
6. I worked out today... weird, huh?

Later skaters!

SXSW:The NCAA Tournament of Music

2009-03-23T15:53:00.003-05:00

Even though I've never been to SXSW (or South by Southwest), I look forward to it's occurrence each March because of the amount of new music that gets indirectly passed onto my ears based on other people first hearing it there. For those of you who aren't music freaks and geeks, SXSW is a giant, relatively well-organized cluster fuck of live music that basically takes over the city of Austin for five days every March. Each day there are probably close to a hundred venues where bands can play; times that by an average of 10 bands at each and you can assume that there are at least 5000 sets during the festival (there's over 1800 bands/musicians, and they each normally play a couple of different shows/venues). Add to this that there's also a bunch of concerts, radio stations doing outdoor sets, a film festival, and a bunch of other crap going on, and you start to see why it's not so much a "music festival" as it is the music equivalent of the Holy Land.

Of course, because of the time and insane cost, not to mention that it generally happens at the same time as the start of the NCAA tourney, I've never actually been able to attend SXSW. However, since basically every indie rock label, radio station, website, blog, magazine, musician, etc. is there, it's pretty easy to follow their coverage. Like many things music, my favorite source of SXSW coverage is NPR Music. Last year alone, I learned about many of my favorite new artists by listening to their NPR broadcasts, including Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, A.A. Bondy, and Yeasayer. This year they don't have quite as many bands I haven't heard about, but they have put another butt-load of awesome live performances online, including The Heartless Bastards, Blitzen Trapper, The Avett Brothers, and The Decemberists, who premiered their new album in its entirety. All of these performances, as well as daily wrapups and a 10-song SXSW sampler, are available as free podcasts from either the NPR website or directly from iTunes (or you can stream them if you don't do podcasts). And while you're there, check out some of the other musical treasures on the NPR site, such as episodes of All Songs Considered or other live concerts... and let me know if you need any further recommendations!

College Basketball is More Than A Way of Life... It's A Game

2009-03-18T13:21:00.002-05:00

Due to popular demand (SARCASM PEOPLE!!!), I'm sharing my NCAA picks... in super-duper-ultra-deluxe list form. Hopefully this will help you win your office pool and/or a date with Dick Vitale:

MY ELITE EIGHT: Wake Forest, Michigan State, Washington, Memphis, Pittsburgh, UCLA, North Carolina, Arizona State

MY FINAL FOUR: Michigan State, Washington, Pittsburgh, North Carolina

MY FINAL: North Carolina over Michigan State

FIRST-ROUND UPSETS:
(12) Western Kentucky over (5) Illinois
(11) Dayton over (6) West Virginia
(10) Minnesota over (7) Texas
(9) Siena over (8) Ohio State
(9) Tennessee over (8) Oklahoma State
(9) Butler over (8) LSU

OTHER POSSIBLE (but not as likely) FIRST-ROUND UPSETS:
(15) Morgan State over (2) Oklahoma
(14) North Dakota State over (3) Kansas
(14) Stephen F. Austin over (3) Syracuse
(13) Portland State over (4) Xavier
(12) Northern Iowa over (5) Purdue
(11) Utah State over (6) Marquette
(11) VCU over (6) UCLA

MOST LIKELY 1, 2, or 3 SEEDS NOT TO GET PAST THE SECOND-ROUND (in order of likelihood):
1. Syracuse (3)
2. Missouri (3)
3. Oklahoma (2)
4. Kansas (3)
5. Memphis (2)

MOST LIKELY NON-1, 2, or 3 SEEDS TO MAKE IT TO THE FINAL FOUR (in order of likelihood):
1. Washington (4)
2. Wake Forest (4)
3. UCLA (6)
4. Florida State (5)
5. Gonzaga (4)

MOST LIKELY 8 THROUGH 16 SEEDS TO MAKE IT TO THE SWEET SIXTEEN OR FURTHER (in order of likelihood):
1. Western Kentucky (12)
2. Dayton (11)
3. Maryland (10)
4. Wisconsin (12)
5. Siena (9)

MOST LIKELY TO WIN IT ALL (in order of likelihood):
1. North Carolina
2. Pittsburgh
3. Michigan State
4. UConn
5. UCLA
6. Louisville
7. Duke
8. Wake Forest
9. Oklahoma
10. Memphis

TEAMS I'M ROOTING FOR:
1. Minnesota
2. North Carolina
3. Villanova
4. Marquette
5. Washington
6. Wisconsin
7. Michigan State
8. UCLA
9. North Dakota State
10. Pittsburgh

(BONUS) MY NIT FINAL FOUR: Davidson, Northwestern, Penn State, Creighton

Please discuss.

MOVIE: Role Models

2009-03-15T20:09:00.005-05:00

After far too many misses over the last couple of months, I finally watched a comedy flick that lived up to expectations: Role Models ("Pineapple Express" was entertaining, but not nearly as funny as I hoped). Although the plot was extremely predictable and reminiscent of approximately 83% of all films (dude(s) are kind of shitty, do shitty thing(s) that lead them to reevaluate life, then, with the help of non-shitty dude(s), overcome even shittier dude(s) to turn their live(s) around and become a little less shitty), the acting and dialog were so funny that none of that mattered. Here are a few more observations for those interested:

The movie followed a simple formula that I hope more films will use: Paul Rudd + David Wain = Comic Gold. Although I'll see pretty much anything Paul Rudd is in (which is why I'm looking forward to I Love You, Man), his three best performances have been in the three movies written and directed by David Wain: Wet Hot American Summer, The Ten, and this one.
While I'm mentioning it, if you haven't seen "WHAS" or "The Ten," or Stella, the show starring David Wain, Michael Showalter, and Michael Ian Black, go rent them now. Seriously, go... if you don't, you're a big dummy.
I wonder why Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black weren't in this movie.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse, aka "McLovin," is freaking hilarious in both RM and Superbad... however, I feel bad for him, because there's pretty much no conceivable way he will avoid the same career path as other "kid dorks," such as the dudes who played Napolean Dynamite, Urkel, and that big-headed kid in Jerry McGuire. People just don't seem to appreciate nerds once they become semi-famous.
Bobb'e J. Thompson, however, is bound for super-stardom. Other than his annoying first name, the kid has no weaknesses. Does anyone else remember how funny he was on "The Tracy Morgan Show" about five years ago?
This movie made LARPing seem totally entertaining and something that would be fun to watch in real life... in all likelihood, it is not.
Sean William Scott, aka "Stiffler," looks exactly the same as he did 10 years ago. How is this possible?

So anyway, those are my random thoughts pertaining to "Role Models"... go see it as soon as you're done watching "WHAS," "The Ten," and "Stella."

P.S. - It can't be a coincidence that I've now written 64 posts since starting this blog and today is Selection Sunday... I'll be posting my thoughts on the NCAA brackets in the near future.

This Weekend I...

2009-03-09T17:04:00.009-05:00

Hung out with my sister Sally, her kids Garrick and Lauren, her boyfriend Jamie, and his kid Nolan (we'll call them SGLJN), who were all visiting from La Crescent, MN.
Ate a Friday fish fry at Robert's/Change's with Jen and SGLJN... good, but greasier than it needed to be.
Finally listened to "Furr" by Blitzen Trapper... a nice piece of good old-fashioned rock and roll.
Went to The Domes (aka, "Three Big Boobs") with Pops, Jen, and SGLJN... and bought a kick-ass cactus in the souvenir shop.
Had pizza and fried chicken at Wells Bros. with SGLJN, Pops, Jen, and my Grandparents... sooo delicious.
Saw Joel's band, The Andes, at George's for Thoughts for Food with Jen, Jamey, Chris, and others... a mighty fine show, they just keep getting better.
Watched Hamlet 2... it's neither bad nor good, but altogether pretty forgettable.
And bartended twice... I heart drunks.

Unfortunately, I did not watch either the Gopher/Michigan or the UNC/Duke basketball games, although I was looking forward to both... I've learned the hard way that Time Warner's DVR and/or signal is/are pieces of shit.

Luckily, it did record "Breaking Bad," which Jen and I will likely be watching tonight.

Anybody else want to share what they did this weekend?

Stuff I'm Looking Forward to in March

2009-03-03T16:08:00.005-06:00

Now that we're less than a week into March, I thought I'd start out the month by mentioning some of the things that I'm looking forward to hearing, seeing, or doing in the next 31 days. My plan (hopefully) is to elaborate on some of these things in future posts once they've arrived... until then, feel free to comment and add to my list. Anyway, here are some of the things that I'm looking forward to this month:

CD'S

Bishop Allen - Grrr... (3/10)
Dan Deacon - Bromst (3/24, or you can listen to it online here)
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love (3/24)

CONCERTS

Rachel Yamagata w/ Cory Chisel at Turner Hall (3/24 at Turner Hall... but they're also playing Chicago, Minneapolis, etc.)

TV SHOWS

Breaking Bad, Season 2 (3/8 on AMC)

MOVIES

I Love You, Man (3/20)

DVD

OTHER STUFF

South By Southwest (SXSW) - (3/18-3/22 in Austin, TX... I'm not going, but I'll be listening online)
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, aka "March Madness" (starts 3/19)
Spring (hopefully sometime soon)

What are you looking forward to?

CONCERT: Joshua Redman

2009-03-02T16:47:00.004-06:00

This weekend Jen and I decided to celebrate our two-year anniversary (of dating, not marriage, silly) by taking a mini-vacation to Chicago. We stayed downtown at the Hyatt Regency (for $70... I heart priceline.com), ate some awesome meals (sushi, turkey burgers, a beet, manchego cheese, and arugula salad, and Newcastle beer-battered fish & chips at a place called English ... which was quite possibly the best fried fish I've ever had outside of Wisconsin), drank some tasty beverages (a Pimm's cup, blackberry and sage iced tea, pomegranate soda, a 40 of PBR, and the highly-recommended Goose Island Mild Winter Ale), and, of course, saw some live music.

The trip actually came together after I found out that Joshua Redman, i.e., my favorite living jazz musician, was doing a one-night, two-set gig at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Being that it'd been a couple of years since I'd seen him, and I'd never seen him with Jen, I used my best powers of persuasion to talk her into going to the 6 o'clock set Sunday night (I knew suggesting the 8:30 set as well would be pushing it). She then made the suggestion of turning it into a weekend away, which made it all the better.

In preparation for the show, I uploaded all of my Joshua Redman cd's onto my iPod, at which point I realized that I currently have something like 15 of his cd's... probably the most of any one musician/band in my collection. This comes from the fact that his first cd came out in 1993 and he's recorded roughly one per year since. However, each one is distinctly different, meaning it would be unthinkable that I would ever stop looking forward to listening to whatever new stuff he puts out. Furthermore, I can't say that Joshua Redman is the entire reason why I started playing the tenor saxophone in 8th grade, but he definitely had a larger influence on my playing than any other musician. And even though I no longer play on a regular basis, every time I listen to Joshua Redman I want to pick up my sax and try to make another run at a music career.

As for the show itself... it was pretty awesome and, luckily, lived up to expectations for both Jen and me. Similar to his cd's, I've seen Redman live a ton of times (ton = somewhere between 5 and 8) and no two shows have been the same... in fact, I would go as far as to say that I've probably never heard him play the same song twice. That's because he tends to play a nice mix of his own newer compositions and new arrangements of classic jazz pieces. For instance, last night he did at least 3 songs off his newest cd, a couple off the last one, and a few other semi-recognizable standards by people like Wayne Shorter and Duke Ellington.

The setting was pretty neat as well; not as big as most theaters/halls, but not as small as most jazz clubs. I'm pretty sure both sets were sold out, meaning crowds of approx. 300 for each. We sat in the front row of the balcony, which only had a total of 4 or 5 rows and, like most of the seats on both levels, gave a nice view of the stage. Having said this, there were two minor disappointments with the show. First, early into the set I tried to run to the bathroom between songs. However, when I tried to get back to our seats, the balcony door was locked. It took a while to find someone who worked there, and when I did they had to track down the janitor to let me in. By the time they did, I'd missed a good 10 minutes. Second, since the second set started at 8:30, we figured he'd play until at least 8pm, meaning we'd get to hear at least 2 hours of music. However, he actually only played until 7pm, then game back for a one-song encore, and was done before 7:30pm. Even Jen, who isn't a huge jazz fan, thought that it should've been longer. Regardless, the show was an awesome ending to a kick-ass weekend/vacation. Hopefully we'll get another one soon!

If you have any interest in hearing Joshua Redman's stuff, I'd recommend checking out any of his cd's, but especially Timeless Tales (For Changing Times), Spirit of the Moment: Live at the Village Vanguard, and Back East. Also, he's playing in Minneapolis tonight and tomorrow, but after that the rest of his upcoming tour dates are in Europe... there's still time to book a flight!

What Have I Been Up To?

2009-02-25T13:47:00.004-06:00

Hello, nonexistent reader. How have you been? Good to hear. So what's new? That's nice. What's that? Oh I'm fine, thanks for asking. What else? No, I really don't have a good excuse for not posting the last few weeks. I guess I just decided to take a couple of days off, which then turned into a couple of weeks. And of course, there is the fact that I'm lazy. But anyway, nonexistent reader, thanks for your concern. And since you seem so interested in what I've been up to, I thought I'd start my return to posting by answering just that question. So here are some of the things that I've been doing since I last posted, along with a grades for each (except the cd's I haven't listened to yet):

Books I've Read

Burr: A Novel by Gore Vidal (A-)
How to Read a French Fry by Russ Parsons (C+)
The Defining Moment: FDR's Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope by Jonathan Alter (I actually listened to this book on cd... does that count as "reading"?) (A)

CD's I've Purchased (but not yet listened to)

Parts & Labor - Receivers
Super XX Man - There'll Be Diamonds
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band - Season of Changes
Blitzen Trapper - Furr

CD's I've Listened To

Joshua Redman - Compass (A-)
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone (streaming on NPR) (B+)
Laura Gibson - Beasts of Seasons (streaming on NPR) (B)
K'NAAN - Troubadour (streaming on Spinner) (A-)

Concerts I've Been To

Atomic Records Valentine's Benefit Show at The Mirimar (C+)
Ben Kweller at Turner Hall (A)

TV Shows I've Watched for the First Time

Dollhouse on FOX (for approx. 15 minutes before turning it off) (D)
The Rachel Maddow Show on CNBC (B+)
Austin City Limits with Kings of Leon on PBS (B+)
Bits and pieces of the Academy Awards on ABC (B)
Important Things with Dimitri Martin on Comedy Central (A-)
Eastbound & Down on HBO (C)

Movies I've Watched

Sadly none... unless you count finally watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (A+).

Restaurants/Meals I've Eaten

Sticky Rice in Racine (Thai Gumbo) (A)
Beans and Barley (Chili and Quiche) (B+)
Cliff's Boathouse in Racine (Best Fish Fry Ever) (A++)
Karl Ratzsch's (Bratwurst and German Apple Pancakes) (A-)
Trocadero (Cheese Plate, Sweet Potato Fries, and Ham & Cheese Crepe) (B+)
Cafe Calatrava in the Milwaukee Art Museum (Bloody Mary Burrito) (B)

New Meals I've Cooked

Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry (C+)
Turkey Tacos, Guacamole, Rice & Beans, and Margaritas (for Jen's Birthday) (A-)

Rather than posting my comments on each of the above things, I thought I'd just give it a grade for now (I am a teacher after all) and leave it up to you, the nonexistent reader, to decide if I say anymore. Is there anything you're interested in hearing more about? If so, feel free to post a comment and I'll do my best to respond. If not, I'll continue to ramble to myself!

Lamest Post Ever

2009-02-09T19:56:00.006-06:00

Just wanted to post quickly and say that I'm not going to be posting again for a couple of days... tomorrow I am heading back to Minneapolis via the wonderful Megabus to see the Gophers pummel (hopefully) the Indiana Hoosiers. Have a good mid-week and I'll likely be back Thursday!

Sidenote: Anyone else watching the Presidential News Conference right now? The man is eloquent as shit.

9 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-02-08T16:39:00.004-06:00

1. Ate a McChicken sandwich and $1 fry for lunch... first time in months and boy was it delicious.
2. Gave Marley a much-needed bath.
3. Gave myself a not-really-needed-but-just-for-the-hell-of-it buzz cut.
4. Made a Chicken Sausage Frittata with Goat Cheese for dinner.
5. Finally got around to listening to new cd's by Ben Kweller and Los Campesinos! that I bought at Atomic a couple of weeks ago... both exceeded my expectations.
6. Watched the Gophers lose to Ohio State... the last 5 minutes were nearly impossible to sit through.
7. Woke Jen up at 9:30pm and forced her to leave the house with me.
8. Went to At Random and had delicious ice cream & liquor drinks... I had the "King's Ransom" with brandy, kahlua, and creme de cacao.
9. Went to Bay View Bowl for "Glow Bowling"... Jen and I both had one frame where the "glowing" pin was in front, which means that if you get a strike you get get to spin their wheel 'o cash... and we both got our strikes... and we both won $1... best... bowling... ever!

Right now I'm sitting at Sven's drinking the most delicious acai smoothie I have ever had... life is good.

6 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-02-07T10:56:00.006-06:00

1. Bartended from 11am-5pm... I felt surprisingly good and didn't pass out once!
2. Ate a Friday Fish Fry with Jen... yummmmm!
3. Watched this week's episodes of "The Office," "30 Rock," "Flight of the Conchords," and "United States of Tara"... and all were hilarious!
4. Discovered a new delicious mixed drink (with Jen's help)... Brandy, Ginger Ale, Bitters, and a splash of Grenadine... it's like a Brandy Old-Fashioned... on Weed!
5. Played Rock Band with Jen... I never realized the drums on "Don't Fear the Reaper" were about so much more than just cowbell.
6. Finally finished reading "Twilight"... so is she or isn't she a frickin' vampire?

I'm feeling better and it's in the mid-40's outside... what else could I ask for?!

Today's A New Day

2009-02-05T11:34:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to post an update to say that I'm feeling much better today, although I did stay home from bartending this afternoon just in case... did you know that when you're sick with the flu, you are contagious for 3 days afterwards? Neither did I until Jen told me... she read it on the internet, so it must be true.

Anyway, here's a couple of random thoughts/things I've been up to in the last 24 hours:

1. Watched the Gopher game last night... TURRIBLE. I'm not sure what happened, but it definitely brought my expectations for the team down a couple of notches. Also, did anyone else catch the Spartan student section chanting "Wash your face" when Colton Iverson was at the free throw line? That's just wrong.

2. I'm almost done reading "Twilight"... so far I've enjoyed most of the book, until it got all lovey-dovey. I'm guessing I probably won't be reading any of the follow-up books.

3. I listened to the new Lily Allen cd yesterday, which is streaming on her myspace page and comes out next week... sadly, I wasn't very impressed, although I still think she's more talented than Amy Winehouse or Duffy.

4. I just watched last night's episode of "Lost"... entertaining, but not mind-blowing. I hope Sun shoots Ben... although he probably wouldn't really die anyway. That's the problem with "Lost" - even the dead people aren't really dead.

If I get up the motivation, I was thinking about posting some of my favorite music podcasts today... does anyone care???

Later skaters.

1 Thing I Did Yesterday

2009-02-04T12:55:00.005-06:00

1. At approximately 2pm, after feeling progressively worse all day while subbing for a high school math class, I realized that I felt nauseous and had to go to the bathroom. I called for someone to cover my class but, while waiting, started passing out. I decided just to make a run for it and moved as quickly as possible towards the bathroom, which was approximately 50 feet from the classroom. About halfway there I blacked out completely, but tried to keep walking towards the bathroom. My feet let out beneath me and I fell to the ground, knocking my knee against the concrete floor and somehow spraining my ring finger. In the process of falling over, I somehow regained consciousness long enough to get to the bathroom, where I proceeded to dispose of everything in my stomach. They made me stick around for another hour or so, until I finally convinced them that I could drive myself home (which, I realize now, was a pretty poor decision, but I just wanted to get out of there). I've been in bed ever since, but am finally getting to the point today where I can sit up for more than 30 seconds without having to throw up... yaa!

Being sick is a bitch.

SPORTS: My Trip to Tubby Town

2009-02-02T18:04:00.001-06:00

For the one or two of you who read this bloggity-blog more than bi-annually, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while... especially after all my big promises last week. However, as I mentioned in my previous posts, I've got a bit of an excuse in the fact that I was gone for a couple of days to Minneapolis for the Gophers vs. Illinois game last week. If you have any interest at all, I'm sure you already know the outcome of the game and can assume that the trip was a success. However, being that this was my first game during the Tubby Era, it would've been hard for this trip not to have been worth it regardless of the outcome! Either way, I've decided to provide a detailed account of the game. If this goes well and anyone cares, I might elaborate on the trips to and fro the Twin Cities in another post sometime later this week.... so please let me know what you think!

So anyway, join me as I am about to enter Williams Arena, aka "The Barn," aka "Tubby Town" last Thursday, January 29th... all times are approximate, but the names and events are totally spot-on:

6:00pm - Fresh from a dinner of tasty subs at Jimmy John's, my good friend Scott and I walk to Williams Arena to meet Yang, a student I tutored along with Casey (another good friend... in fact, just assume every one I mention is a good friend unless I say differently) and Scott through Upward Bound 4-5 years ago and who is now in his third year at the U of M. Casey, with whom I spent my few hours in between arriving in Minneapolis and meeting up with Scott around 5pm, set up for Yang to meet us here so that he could purchase student tickets for Scott and I to use at tonight's game. The student tickets for single games (i.e., not season tickets) go on sale an hour and a half before tip-off (which tonight is 8pm) and are $15, compared to $35 for all other tickets. In addition, this means we will be able to sit in the student section, which is the only place I have ever sat for a Gopher game. As a side note, although I am staying with Casey tonight, she was unfortunately not able to go to the game, due to unforeseen circumstances. So Yang, Scott, and I get in line and wait for the sales windows to open while watching the Michigan State/ Iowa game showing on a tv that I've either never noticed before or was added in the last two years to the Williams Arena lobby.

6:30 - We get our tickets and move to the entrance line, also inside the lobby. Doors don't open until 7pm, but luckily we are inside rather than having to stand out in the freezing cold. At this point, there are approximately 200-300 people in line, practically all students. The last season that I had student season tickets, 2004-05, they changed from having assigned seats for students to general admission (i.e., first in get the best seats). However, even after the change, back then most students wouldn't show up until approximately 10 minutes before game time. It's nice to see that this is no longer the case... although the cynic in me thinks at least part of it has less to do with getting the best view of the game and more to do with wanting to get up close and look like a fool on television. Since the game has a later start than normal, there are quite a few drunkos in line... luckily the U won't be offering them any more liquor inside.

7:00 - We enter The Barn and immediately head towards the student section to choose our seats. We settle on two seats at the far right end of the student area, seven rows up and parallel with the Illinois bench... not bad. On top of each seat is a "Gopher stat sheet/ scouting report," a tradition that I believe Scott and/or Casey instituted approximately 5 years back (if I remember right, it was then called the "Gopher Gazette"), as well as a coupon for a free sandwich at Dino's Gyros. Scott and I later saw an ad for Dino's in the Gopher program that showed that the closest DG to the U of M campus is approximately 30 minutes away. This might explain why nearly every coupon was still left on the seats after the game.

7:15 - We sit down and watch warm ups, as I begin to reminisce about "the old days." I haven't been inside William's Arena for over two years, which is the longest break I've had since before I became a Gopher fan/student in 1997. I am probably the only person currently in the student section that was here for the Gophers last home win against Illinois on February 3, 1999... except for the usher (Jim?... John?), who actually recognizes Scott and me and stops over to say hi! Since that win 10 years ago, we've lost 20 straight, beginning with a heartbreaking loss at the end of that '99 season in the first round of the Big 10 Tournament to an Illini team that was then the worst in the league. I will later point out to Scott and Desiree that this was also significant as being the last Big 10 game of Clem Haskins' career.

7:30 - I purchase the aforementioned program (with Jonathan Williams on the cover who, ironically, is not dressed for this game), along with a souvenir cup of Coke. I visit with Desiree, who normally sits with Casey, as she waits for her hubby Joe, who is using Casey's ticket and currently parking the car. We catch up, although I have trouble thinking, and therefore talking, about anything else but Gopher basketball... game time's so close I can taste it!

7:45 - Two guys sitting immediately in front of us, who either go to the U of M or know quite a few students that do, take off their sweatshirts to reveal orange Illinois t-shirts underneath. An "asshole" cheer immediately breaks out throughout the student section. I reluctantly join in, realizing that our chances of getting crap thrown at us from behind just went up about 750%.

8:00 - Player introductions, followed by tip-off... the game is under way! I can immediately tell the difference in crowd participation, especially the student section. They are more energized and excited than probably any game I've been to since the Clem era... and possibly even more than then. The cheers are the same, but much louder. And you can no longer hear the individual taunts of loud-mouthed fans (like myself). I love it!

8:15 - The score is back and forth for the first 5 minutes or so, but the Gophers seem to be in control. They're effectively using their big freshman, Sampson and Iverson, who are getting the majority of the rebounds and quickly putting Illinois' big men in foul trouble. It also doesn't hurt that Illinois can't make a jumpshot to save their lives.

8:30 - About half way through the first half, the score is 10-6 in favor of Minnesota. I turn to Scott and say, "This is some exciting defense we're watching!"... and I actually mean it.

9:00 - The Gophers take a 6 point lead into halftime. It wasn't the prettiest first half, but they definitely looked like the better team. Illinois is 0 for 8 from the three-point line and shooting approximately 25% from the field. I am cautiously optimistic about our chances of winning.
The halftime entertainment is the Alexandria Aces, a group of roughly 30 kids around the ages of 10 to 12 from the small town of Alexandria, Minnesota, who spin basketballs and do other tricks on the court. It's kind of like the Harlem Globetrotters, except much younger and whiter. I'm pretty sure they've performed every year that I've had season tickets, and while not much has changed in their routine, they always manage a standing ovation. I silently wonder if any of the Aces that I saw when I was an undergrad at the U are now sitting in the student section drunk off their asses and/or cursing out the refs.
Also during halftime, Moria and her boyfriend stop down from their seats to visit. I was planning on meeting up with them before the game, but ran out of time since we had to get the tickets. It's always fun to see Mo, especially at Gopher games, since she's the one person I know who gets more visibly excited about Gopher basketball than me. She is also one of the people with whom I attended my first game ever in The Barn. We holler back and forth for a couple of minutes before they scramble back to their seats for the start of the second half.

9:15 - The second half begins and quickly follows the same routine as the most of the first half, with the Gophers maintaining a healthy lead but never totally pulling away. The amazing thing is that the fans continue to get louder and louder, rather than settling down or, even worse, becoming frustrated during the few moments where it looks like Illinois might be creeping back. I realize that this is the most obvious difference from the Dan Monson era (better known as the Dark Ages); the Gophers are no longer expected to fall apart at the end of big games. It definitely seemed like the last few seasons that I had season tickets, we got used to letting the other team dictate how the game went, and, especially in the second half, there was usually nothing the fans could do besides try to quell their frustrations and pray for a miracle. Like most non-elite teams (which is pretty much every team this season), the Gophers still show signs of becoming complacent and playing down to their opponent's level, but it's clear that Tubby won't stand for letting this become a pattern. This has obviously been a godsend to the fans, who can now watch each game expecting a tough-fought and deserved win... which is exactly what I'm expecting tonight!

9:30 - With 10 minutes left, the Gophers are up by 10. Rather than allowing the Illini to creep back into the game, they then go on an 8-0 tear over the next few minutes, and their lead quickly explodes to 18. A few fans start to leave, which seems out of sorts with all of the other allegiance I've seen tonight... until I remember that it's a late start on a weekday, which means Minnesotans are getting sleepy. Nevertheless, we of course stay until the final buzzer.

10:00 - The lead never gets lower than 14 in the final 10 minutes and the game ends as a 23-point drubbing: Gophers 59, Illinois 36. It is the Illini's lowest point total in 24 years and I couldn't be happier... not only did we finally bring the 20-game losing streak to an end, but we did it with panache! As always, the band plays the Minnesota Rouser and all of the fans sing, clap, and spell along (M-I-N-N-E-S-O-T-A!), as do the Gopher players. Having the players join the student section for the rouser after each game is quite possibly the one decent decision Monson made during his tenure at the U... even though it became quite disheartening to watch the Monson-coached Gopher players stand there and sulk immediately after so many disappointing late-game collapses. After the rouser, the players, led by Tubby, walk on the edges of the court and slap hands with all of the fans who've stuck around... a new tradition that's a bit silly to watch, but still fun.

10:15 - Scott and I hang out inside for a little longer as most of the fans file out. We stop by Desiree's seat and say good bye, but not before reflecting once more on the significance of tonight's losing-streak buster. Desiree's points out that it's her first time seeing the Gophers beat Illinois, and this includes not only every home game since her first year of the U but also at least two visits to Assembly Hall (a.k.a. "Home of the FIB's"), one of which I attended as well. On our way out, we pass two Illinois fans who are meandering around the arena exits. One of them shrugs, and I overhear him smugly say to the other, "So what, that makes us 20 and 1 versus the Gophers now?" I let it go, reminding myself that if he's rooting for Illinois, he's already a lost cause. We take a short cut through the connected Sports Pavillion and reenter the freezing weather, headed towards Scott's car. My trip to Williams Arena is successfully complete. And the best part? I get to do it all over again in two weeks!

10 Things I Did This Weekend

2009-02-02T17:38:00.003-06:00

1. Took the Megabus back from Minneapolis to Milwaukee.
2. Bartended Friday night... and was surprised by Jen, Jamey, Joel, and Jerry Jr. (aka, my Pops) all stopping in to hang out (although not all together)... quite a night for the J's!
3. Met up with my Pops after work around 1:30am for a drink at Waves... then barely made it home without dozing off.
4. Slept until about 11am on Saturday... and was still tired (I ended up taking a short nap later in the afternoon).
5. Went to Woodman's and bought booze and groceries with Jen.
6. Came home and made an awesome dinner together... Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meatloaf (sans mustard, of course) with Autumn Cabbage Slaw... thanks, "Real Simple"!
7. Watched American Teen... pretty entertaining doc, although it's definitely meant for a younger audience. Also, it got me thinking about how many movies I've seen that begin with the word "American"... I'd guess at least a half-dozen.
8. Tivo'd the Australian Open final between Federer and Nadal... then, being the idiot I am, woke up Sunday morning and went straight to espn.com to check the basketball schedule, at which point I saw a picture of the Aussie winner.
9. Bartended Sunday morning... the slowest shift I've ever had.
10. Went to Brian's house to watch the Superbowl with him, Jen, Jamey, Kathy, etc... of course, I was the only one rooting for Pittsburgh (although I would've been happy to see Minneapolis-native Larry Fitzgerald score the winning touchdown).

A glorious weekend... sorry I didn't do any posting though!

5 Things I Did Today (Early Edition)

2009-01-28T22:58:00.003-06:00

1. Finished up my 3 day stint as a 6th grade teacher... yippee!
2. Stopped at Atomic Records (possibly for the last time) and picked up 9 new cd's (see the last post for info. on 2 of them)... all for under $50!
3. Packed for my 2-day trip up to Minneapolis to see the Gopher b-ball game vs. Illinois tomorrow!
4. Caught the last play of Wake Forest's win vs. Duke... I always love seeing Duke lose!
5. Watched tonight's "Lost" episode... good, but not as exciting as the season premiere!

Lots of exclamation points = a pretty good day!

NOTE: Since I will be traveling by bus the next two days, I most likely won't be posting until I get back. Have a good end-of-your-week and look for a recap of my trip to the TC's when I get back... GO GOPHERS!!!

MUSIC: Kick-Ass New Releases

2009-01-28T16:51:00.004-06:00

Since I didn't get a chance to write a music post yesterday, I figured I'd catch up today by talking about a few recent or upcoming releases that I've been looking forward to. I actually picked up the first two at the almost-closed Atomic Records today, so I'll be listening to them on my way up to Minneapolis tomorrow!

Andrew Bird - Noble Beast

Andrew Bird tops a lot of musical categories for me: best singer/ live act/ songwriter/ whistler/ violinist/ glockenspielist/ all-around good guy. His music is predictably unique and eclectic, but at the same time it's not so out-there that the average listener would find it too strange or off-putting. The bottom line is that he writes great lyrics, has an amazing voice, and makes music that is both subtle and engaging. If you've never heard him before, check out some of the songs on his myspace page and let me know what you think.

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post about seeing this band in Madison and pretty much falling in love with the lead singer, Erika Wennerstrom. Now I'm giddy with excitement all over again because I was able to snag a prerelease copy of their new cd today, which doesn't officially come out until next Tuesday. Although I've only heard the title track cd so far, based on their live show, I'm expecting a much bigger sound that their previous releases. This is because since their last cd, Erika moved from Ohio to Austin, Texas, where she wrote and recorded this new cd with an entirely new backing band. If you're a fan of the Black Keys or other stripped-down blues/rock/soul music, I highly recommend checking them out.

Joshua Redman - Compass

Looking over the list of new cd's that I listened to last year, I realized that only one or two were jazz. Compare this to roughly 10 years ago, when probably at least 1/3 of the music I listened to and saw live was jazz. There's two big reasons for this change: one is that since I don't play the sax anymore, I don't have as much of a connection to jazz music as I once did. The other is that even then, most of the jazz music I listened to was classic stuff (Miles Davis, John Coletrane, Sonny Rollins, etc.), meaning that even when I purchased a "new" jazz cd, it wasn't really new.

One notable exception is Joshua Redman, who has been and continues to be my favorite living jazz musician. I've seen him probably 6 or 7 times live, the last being two summers ago at Ravinia with my Pops. In addition, I have every cd he's ever released, which is pretty much one every other year or so over the last 15 years. The thing I love is that no two of his albums sounds the same - some are pretty much straight-ahead jazz while others are the kind of avant-guard stuff that turns most people off to jazz - yet they're all equally impressive and fun to listen to as far as I'm concerned. If you have any interest in jazz music and haven't heard Joshua Redman before, I highly recommend you check him out.

(The Only) 3 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-01-28T16:13:00.003-06:00

1. Taught crazy 6th graders from 7:30am-2:30pm.
2. Stopped home, blogged, walked Marley, and changed from 3-4pm.
3. Bartended in Racine from 4:30-12:30pm.

Crazy day... I only got about 4 and 1/2 hours of sleep before teaching this morning. Oh well, I have no one to blame but myself. Plus I'm done with work until Friday night, because I'm heading up to Minneapolis tomorrow for the Gophers vs. Illinois game!

4 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-01-26T17:03:00.004-06:00

1. Became so desperate to work that I took a three-day position in a 6th grade class that hasn't had a full-time teacher since September... luckily it hasn't been as bad as I expected.
2. Watched the second episodes of "Flight of the Conchords," season two, and "United States of Tara," season one. FOTC doesn't seem quite as quirky and hilarious as it did last season, but it's still pretty entertaining. On the other hand, I was ready to give up on USOT about 10 minutes into the first episode, but then it actually got pretty interesting. Now, after just two episodes, it's quickly becoming my favorite new show since "Gavin and Stacey"... nice job, Juno-lady.
3. Played darts with Jen... I won the first, but she killed me in the rematch.
4. Watched the end of the Marquette's somewhat surprising defeat at Notre Dame... I'm still not sure they deserve the top-10 ranking, but I'm pretty close to jumping on the bandwagon. Go Warriors... I mean Golden Eagles!

My music post is going to have to wait until tomorrow... I just got done subbing for today, and now I have approximately 30 minutes to walk Marley and change clothes before heading to Racine to bartend tonight. Wish me luck!

TV: Lost

2009-01-26T16:27:00.003-06:00

Due to a previously mentioned DVR glitch, I wasn't able to watch the "Lost" season premiere until it reaired last Saturday. However, it was definitely worth the wait and I figured it should be the topic of today's tv post. I'm not sure how many of you watch the show, but I've been hooked since the first episode. Although I'm a pretty big tv addict, "Lost" still stands out as one of the only shows I've watched intently since it started and never missed an episode. Moreover, I tend to watch "Lost" differently than any other show; it's probably the only show that I don't "multi-task" (i.e., check my email, grade papers, sing) during, since I never want to miss a line. I love that throughout each episode, you have to constantly think about not just what is currently going on, but how it connects to everything that's happened before, as well as what it might be leading to in the future. Unlike most critically-acclaimed tv shows, "Lost" cannot be compared to a good novel or movie. In fact, I don't think it could work in any other format, because there's too much happening at any one time. And because of this, even if you get tired or confused by one or a few of the plot lines, you always have enough other stories and characters to draw you back in. So this, in a nutshell, is why I love lost.

There's one more point I wanted to mention about watching the show yesterday. After it was over, I was thinking about why the characters are all so compelling, but also unique. And since I am an English geek, this somehow led me to thinking about how many of the characters remind me of Shakespearean characters, both in personality and story lines.

Here are some examples I came up with:
Jack = Hamlet
Hurley = Falstaff
Sawyer = Hotspur
Ben = Prospero (this, actually, could lead to a much larger argument about the similarities between Shakespeare's The Tempest and "Lost"... further character connections might include Ben's daughter and Miranda or Sayid in the future (i.e., Ben's hitman) and Ariel)
Juliet = Ophelia (and surprising, not Juliet)
Desmond and Penny (or, possibly, Sun and Jin) = Romeo and Juliet

These were the ones I came up with off the top of my head... I'm sure I could find more with time. Do you agree? Can you think of any others?

6 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-01-25T17:34:00.005-06:00

1. Watched the Gophers pull off a relatively impressive win at Indiana... even though the Hoosiers haven't yet won a Big Ten game, any win at Assembly Hall is at least relatively impressive in my opinion.
2. Finally took the toilet seat back to Bed, Bath, and Beyond... the new one is squishy, warm, and wonderful. My ass is happy.
3. Had lunch with Jen at my favorite chain restaurant, Ruby Tuesday... their salad bar is the king of all salad bars.
4. Finally put away our Christmas tree, decorations, et al.
5. Listened to the new Animal Collective cd streaming online... despite the rave reviews, I'm still not a huge fan of the band... however, I do think it's their best cd yet... plus, I like that they named it after one of the best places to see live music in Maryland.
6. Finally watched the "Lost" season premiere.

You can see by the plethora of "finally"s that I got some things done that I'd been putting off... good thing, since this should be a pretty busy week.

4 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-01-25T17:12:00.003-06:00

1. Watched Jen blow glass with my Pops at the Hot Shop.
2. Ate dinner at Waves and had one of the most delicious pieces of fish I've ever eaten (red snapper w/ avocado, some spicy red sauce, and chevre cheese).
3. Had a beer at the Yardarm and saw some dude named Mer (my review in one word: meh).
4. Watched most of Rodger Federer's amazing come-from-behind win vs. Tomas Berdych after being down two sets in the Aussie Open... although I will admit that I set the DVR around 1:30am and finished watching it this morning (damn time difference).

As you can see, Jen and I spend most of the day in Racine. We were planning on going to see Joel's band, The Andes, at McAulliffe's, but were too worn out and ended up heading home around 9:30pm. Oh well, maybe one of these weekends we'll stay out past 10!

THINGS I LOVE: Bagels

2009-01-24T11:26:00.005-06:00

If you've read the short blurb "About Me" on the right of the screen, you know that I take my bagels seriously. I'm not sure where or when this started, but for the sake of the argument, let's say that I've loved bagels and cream cheese since I was approximately 2 years, 3 months, and 7 days old. This probably doesn't seem so strange to my friends in Baltimore, where good bagels are almost as easy to find as a decent "chicken box." (Note to my midwestern friends: That is exactly what it sounds like... a box of chicken.) But here in Wisconsin, finding a good bagel is roughly the equivalent of finding a bartender in Baltimore who knows how to make a brandy old-fashioned.

I didn't realize it then, but I grew up eating quite possibly the worst bagels in the world: the ones you'll find in the frozen aisle of the grocery store, where even after you defrost them they taste hard and chewy, kind of like really undercooked pasta. I'm pretty sure we didn't even get the name brand (i.e., "Lender's") bagels, but probably the knock-off generic ones that were made in a factory in Hoboken, New Jersey. However, somehow I always loved them. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I hated all other breakfast foods. Eggs were too squishy. Cereal was too soggy and milky. Oatmeal was too oatmealy. So that basically left me with bread. And even the worst bagel is the best kind of bread.

In high school, I worked at the restaurant in the Racine Marriott, where every Sunday morning I would get up at 4:17am and head out to clean up after all the slobs who dined on our all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. For someone who disliked breakfast foods, it was a personal hell. However, the one plus was that we were able to sneak pretty much whatever we wanted out of the serving area. So this is where I likely had my first fresh bagel. I don't remember them being crazy delicious, but I do remember eating A LOT of cream cheese.

Then in college I learned about the "chain" bagel places: Bruegger's, Einstein Bros., et al. When I was an RA (i.e., Resident Advisor, i.e., idiot who gets to live in the dorms for free but in return has to pretend like he's watching out for the well-being of all the other idiots who live there), one of my residents worked at the Bruegger's around the corner from the dorm, and would bring back day-old bagels. These were delicious, and it marked the first time that I realized you could eat them without cream cheese. I remember liking the Rosemary and Olive Oil bagels the best, probably mainly because they sounded so high-class.

But the place where my love of bagels finally hit its apex was when my Pops and I took a trip to Montreal. There we saw a story in the local paper about a place called Fairmount Bagels, a local institution that had been making bagels since 1919. We decided to visit their shop, and when we did I found the kind of bagel that I've judged every bagel I've eaten since against. Crispy on the outside, just soft enough on the inside. Big enough that it fills you up, small enough that it's not too filling. So delicious that you can eat in plain, whether warm or cold. I ended up buying a couple dozen and driving them back with me to Minnesota, where I kept them in the freezer and tried not to eat them too quickly.

Luckily for me, I eventually moved to Baltimore where, thanks to the Jews, good bagels are a dime a dozen (or, really, about $6 or $7 a baker's dozen). Still, even in Baltimore, there's one bagel shop that I love more than all the others: Goldberg's. When Jen and I went back for Thanksgiving, it was the one place I told here that I had to visit before we left. I had the "Black Russian," which is a dark rye bagel with sesame seeds. We took another half-dozen back with us and polished them off within a day or two.

I still haven't found a great bagel here. But thanks to Woodman's, the largest grocery store in the universe, I can actually find some that are better than the frozen logs I grew up on. If anyone has found a good bagel within 50 miles of Milwaukee, please let me know.

Finally, a couple months back I read this article on the history of the bagel... kind of interesting if you're as obsessed as me.

4 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-01-24T11:14:00.003-06:00

1. Went to the YMCA with Jen and pretended to exercise.
2. Watched The Visitor.
3. Talked to my dad and found out his cell phone was stolen.
4. Drank hot chocolate with Kahlua and brandy.

I'm starting to feel like shit... not sure if I'm coming down with something, or just bored from being home so much.

I Heart Changes

2009-01-23T12:06:00.007-06:00

Once again, having nothing better to do with my time, I've decided to make some changes to this blog. My hope is that by putting a little more planning and organization into what I'm writing, it'll motivate me to post everyday. So what I've decided to do is basically focus on having at least one post each day by category.

Here's my plan:
Monday = Television
Tuesday = Music
Wednesday = Websites
Thursday = Movies
Friday = Sports
Saturday and Sunday = Potpourri (People, Places, Things, Monkeys, etc.)

In addition, starting today I will post a few of my favorite things that I did the day before... that way, if you are stalking me, plan on stalking me in the future, or are currently working on my unauthorized biography, you'll have a little more information as to my whereabouts.

Let me know what you (and by "you," I of course mean Wirkus, quite possibly the only person reading this) think or if you have any other suggestions.

And, as always, holler.

7 Things I Did Yesterday

2009-01-23T11:50:00.005-06:00

1. Slept until well past 11am for the first time in a long time. (I bartended the night before and didn't get to sleep until 3am, so I don't feel too guilty.)
2. Freaked out when I realized that our DVR screwed up and didn't tape the season premiere of "Lost." I then called Time Warner and they reset the cable box and boosted our signal. Luckily it's on again on Saturday... hopefully I can wait that long.
3. Drove to Bed Bath and Beyond to return a toilet seat Jen bought... then realized that I left the toilet seat at home.
4. Got a delicious cup of coffee at Sven's Cafe.
5. Made Eggs over Kale and Sweet Potato Hash for dinner... mmm.
6. Watched the Minnesota Golden Gophers play their worst game of the season against Purdue.
7. Started reading "Twilight."

Overall, not the most productive day, but pretty good.

What I Learned From Watching the Inauguration and Inaugural Balls.

2009-01-21T11:28:00.005-06:00

1) People seem to like Obama... especially musicians and reporters.
2) Jamie Foxx is really proud of his Obama impression.
3) Stevie Wonder must get sick of singing the same three songs.
4) Shakira's voice seems to be getting weirder... possibly more masculine.
5) Obama dances kind of like me... he has limited moves, but he tries to make the most of them.
6) Dick Cheney looks eerily appropriate in a wheelchair.
7) Will.I.Am is more talented than I thought.
8) Ray Romano is still not funny.
9) Brian Williams is much funnier.
10) Life is good.

GO AMERICA!

P.S. - Should I run for mayor of Racine?

MOVIES: What Have I Been Watching?

2009-01-13T16:32:00.003-06:00

If you've been reading this blog for the last month or so, then you might be aware that my movie viewing lately has been way down. In an effort to combat this decline, as well as help a Fortune 500 company in need, Jen and I recently renewed our subscription to Blockbuster Online. That, along with the increase in time at home due to both the end of my long-term sub position and the freezing cold weather, has allowed me to start catching up with some of the movies that came out in the last year or so that I've been meaning to watch... as well as those that some of you recommended. Sadly, most of the movies I've seen so far have not been living up to my expectations. However, a couple have been entertaining and I'm hoping for more pleasant surprises soon! So with this in mind, I wanted to share the films that I've watched since rejoining BO, in order from the most enjoyable to the least:

1. Wall-E - Based on what I'd heard and read, I thought I'd probably enjoy this film. But I also knew that I'm typically not that big a fan of animated films. Luckily, it not only met expectations but exceeded them. Jen and I watched this on New Year's Eve, when she was crazy sick and drugged up on meds... the fact that she somehow remembers liking it as well says a lot.

2. Step Brothers - This is the other film that exceeded my expectations, albeit for entirely different reasons. I rented it knowing that both Jen and I are big fans of Will Farrell, but also kind of expecting it to be a let down. However, I found the movie hilarious. I'm surprised it didn't do all that well, because I think it's one of the funniest movies I've seen in the last year or so.

3. Horton Hears a Who - Best part of this film: Steve Carell voicing the mayor of Whoville; Worst part: The always-annoying Jim Carrey voicing Horton the elephant; Bonus points: Having my name in the title, of course

4. Burn After Reading - Relatively interesting story (albeit about nothing really), but I expect more from a Coen Brothers film.

5. Iron Man - I loved the first 15 minutes or so, but then, like most comic book/action movies, it got boring. Too much backstory, not enough Iron Man being Iron Man. However, I do agree with the fact that Robert Downey made this movie much better.

6. Tropic Thunder - Based on the reviews and comments, I thought I'd find this movie hilarious. However, I should've listened to my instincts, which say that Ben Stiller is NOT funny. Pretty much the only movie I've ever liked him in is Mystery Men. There were a few funny parts, but for the most part I was bored and irritated.

7. The Foot Fist Way - Again, I was really expecting to enjoy this indie-comedy based on what I'd heard about it. However, after it was over, all I could do was apologize to Jen for having asked her to watch it. Sadly for her, she actually stayed up for the whole thing... I slept through at least half of it.

Currently I have The Visitor and Cloverfield at home, with the documentaries Man on Wire and American Teen on their way.... I'll keep you posted on what I think after watching those.

Any other suggestions about what to add to the queue?

TV: Best of 2008

2008-12-24T17:59:00.006-06:00

As promised, here are my top 17 television shows of 2008. Why 17? Why not.

17. Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Even though the second season wasn't quite as entertaining as the first, I'm glad I stuck with this show until the bitter end. I'll agree that some of the episodes started to get monotonous recently; however, it's still one of the most inventive and unique shows on television.

16. Reality Bites Back (Comedy Central)
Like another one of my favorite reality shows, "Joe Schmo," this was a reality show that spent most of its time making fun of reality shows. It was hosted by Michael Ian Black and the contestants were all comedians. I can't recall who ended up winning, but I do remember that it was hilarious.

15. The Journey: Minnesota Basketball (Big Ten Network)
This show was basically an 8-week long documentary chronicling last season's Gopher basketball team and Tubby Smith's first year as coach. If you know me, you can probably understand why this would make my list. However, since I didn't get the Big Ten Network until I moved to Milwaukee in August, I wasn't able to watch this show when it originally aired at the beginning of the year. Luckily, I recently found out that the BTN has an On Demand channel, so last week I watched the entire season. It not only met my expectations, it made me like both Tubby and the Gopher squad even more. I especially enjoyed the antics of Damian Johnson, my new favorite Gopher.

14. Summer Heights High (HBO)
Even though this is basically just an Australian rip-off of every Christopher Guest mockumentary film, it's still hilarious. I don't think anyone else I know watches this show, but if you have HBO you should definitely check it out. Between this and the upcoming season of Flight of the Conchords, it makes HBO worth the cost.

13. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Consistently one of my favorite sitcoms... made better by the fact that I've now hooked Jen on it as well. I'm not sure why Neil Patrick Harris hasn't won a million awards for playing Barney by now.

12. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Looking back, I'm kind of shocked that I never saw this show before this season, but somehow I didn't. Luckily Casey recommended it last summer, and as soon as the new season began I set a season pass. "Who Pooped the Bed?" might just be the funniest episode of any show this season and the season finale contained my favorite line: "Laughs are cheap. I'm going for gasps. Wait'll you see it, dude. Gasps are where it's at."

11. Late Show with David Letterman (CBS)
One of my all-time favorites, Letterman was just as funny as always this year. Plus, over Spring Break, Jen and I fulfilled one of my lifelong dreams by attending a taping of the show. The best part was that we got to sit in the front row; the worst was that Counting Crows were the musical guest.

10. Lost (ABC)
This wasn't my favorite season of "Lost," but it's still my favorite drama over the last five or so years. Even the worst episode of "Lost" contains enough mysteries and riddles to keep me thinking about it for days after. Hopefully next season they'll focus less on the "flash-forwards" and more on what happens on the island.

9. 30 Rock (NBC)
Jack Donaghy is probably the funniest character on television. Tina Fey is probably the best comedy writer on television. And Tracy Morgan is probably the most underrated comedian on television. How could this show not be hilarious?

8. Top Chef (Bravo)
My favorite reality show of all time. Season 4 (Chicago), which aired earlier this year, might've been my favorite season yet. Season 5 (New York), which is currently airing, isn't quite as fun, but is still great television. Join me in rooting for Eugene.

7. The Office (NBC)
Consistently a great show. Every character is funny in their own way. Every line is quotable. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this show, so I don't think I need to say more.

6. Breaking Bad (AMC)
For those of you who haven't seen "Breaking Bad," here's the premise: A high school chemistry teacher finds out he has lung cancer and starts making/ dealing crystal meth in order to leave his wife and children with some money before he dies. This show could easily have been terrible. However, it's the opposite of terrible... it's really good.

5. The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Like Letterman, this is one of my perennial favorites. And with the election this year, it was even more fun to watch. While some people seem to think that "The Colbert Report" has overtaken TDS, I still prefer Jon Stewart any day of the week.

4. The Wire (HBO)
I didn't get into this show until after I moved to Baltimore. However, it's hard to live in or around Baltimore and not watch this show, since everyone there seems to. While I didn't like the final season quite as much as last year's season, it was still an incredibly engaging show. My favorite part is the fact that both the students I taught, many of whom grew up in Baltimore, and people I knew who were afraid to drive within 10 miles of the city at night, could relate to the show. I hope the rumors of a "Wire" movie are true.

3. Mad Men (AMC)
I still don't personally know anyone who watches this show, which is a shame. I'm not going to retell my obsession over this show, since I've already done so in earlier posts. However, I'm going to continue to beg everyone I can to watch both seasons asap. Just do me a favor and start with the first episode, so that you don't miss anything.

2. Gavin and Stacey (BBC America)
I was a little shocked myself when I put together this list and ended up putting G&S this high. However, when I look through the entire list, I can honestly say that no other show was as much fun to watch this year as this one. I don't know how many of you have heard of G&S, but I believe it aired a while back on BBC. It finally made it to American television in September and was well worth the wait. I learned about the show on Pop Candy and was a little skeptical about whether or not I'd like it. However, I thought Jen might, so we watched it together. Luckily, both of us ended up loving it. Now we can't wait until the second season makes it here. And for those of you who missed the first season, I'm not sure what you can do, since it's not yet available on DVD... sorry.

AND FINALLY MY NUMBER ONE TV SHOW OF 2008...

1. The Presidential Election
Okay, I know it's not technically a tv show... but it was still my favorite thing that I watched on tv this year. Not just the election results, but the primaries, debates, interviews, parodies, and all of the other coverage. Of course, I don't think it would've been my favorite if there had been a different result on election day... but luckily it had a happy ending!

MUSIC: Best of 2008

2008-12-24T17:18:00.005-06:00

Hello all and hope you are having a wonderful holiday time. Right now it is Christmas EVEning (get it?!) and I am home alone and a bit bored, since Jen is in Maryland with her friends and family. However, don't feel too bad for me... tomorrow I will be with family in Racine, and after that I will hopefully get to see a few out-of-town friends who are here for the holidays. Anyway, tonight I thought I'd use my boredom to my advantage and catch up on a few things I've been putting off, including posting. So here is a countdown of some of my favorite cd's from the last year. If you look a few posts back, you can see a list of all of the cd's I listened to in the last year, from which I'm now posting my top 30. All of the following come highly recommended by me... however, if you feel otherwise, please share! Also, I've decided not to add any commentary to my list, so if you'd like to know more about why I picked any of these cd's (or why others are missing), please comment! Finally, be on the lookout for my list of the best tv shows in the next couple days. Thanks and here they are, in order of ranking:

30. Coldplay - Viva La Vida
29. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
28. The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers
27. K'Naan - The Dusty Foot Philosopher
26. Basia Bulat - Oh, My Darling
25. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
24. Man Man - Rabbit Habbits
23. Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles - Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles
22. A.A. Bondy - American Hearts
21. The Avett Brothers - The Second Gleam EP
20. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster
19. Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons - Cabin Ghosts EP
18. Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
17. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
16. Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
15. The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing
14. Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet - Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet
13. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
12. Santogold - Santogold
11. The Wood Brothers - Loaded
10. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
9. Mason Jennings - In the Ever
8. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
7. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
6. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
5. Ray Lamontagne - Gossip in the Grain
4. The Streets - Everything is Borrowed
3. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
2. She & Him - Volume One

And my number one choice is...

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, KRAZY KWANKAA, AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU WEIRDOS LIKE TO CELEBRATE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

2008-12-15T17:26:00.004-06:00

Now that the end of the year is approaching, I, like many fans of pop culture and lists, have started reading and compiling my own "Best of"s for 2008. For the first time, I've actually asked Jen to join me in putting together the "Best of" cd, which should be done within the next week. However, when it comes to movies, I'm kind of at a loss.

Looking back at the last 12 months, I can think of only one film off the top of my head that I really enjoyed: "The Dark Knight." I'm sure there were probably others, but none that really stood out. Usually I would be able to come up with at least a top ten for the year. However, right now I'm stuck on one... and that's it.

There's a couple possible reasons for this, including:

I saw less movies this year, partly due to Tivo and partly due to having less free time.
When Jen and I did watch movies, it was usually on DVD rather than going out, and many times these weren't movies that came out in the last year.
Many of the "award-worthy" movies haven't come out yet or are just getting to theaters.
Movies now suck.

I'm pretty sure the first three are true. I'm hoping the fourth is not.

Jen and I are planning on going to see "Slumdog Millionaire" sometime in the near future. I'm also interested in trying to check out "Rachel Getting Married" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" when it comes out.

Beyond these, does anyone have a recommendation that I might've missed? Are there any other movies currently out or coming out soon that you're excited to see? I'm especially interested in any recent documentaries, since I haven't seen hardly any new docs and I'm sure there have to be some that I'm missing. HELP ME!!!

I Am Quite Possibly Keeping the Music Industry Alive All By Myself

2008-12-07T15:35:00.002-06:00

After the terribly sad news about Atomic Records on Friday, I decided to spend part of my weekend looking back at all of the music I listened to in the past year. As many of you know, the last couple of Decembers I've put together a "Best of" cd for my favorite releases that year. However, this year I listened to so much new music that I was worried I might forget something. So for the first time I decided to try to track every cd that was released in 2008 that I either bought or downloaded. As you will see, it's a pretty long list, but, like I said, there was a ton of good stuff that came out this year. Also, I'm sure I missed a couple, but hopefully nothing too important. So anyway, here is the list of cd's I bought/downloaded this year, in alphabetical order. The ones in bold are the cd's that have the most likelihood of ending up on my "Best of":

A.A. Bondy – American Hearts
Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet – Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet
Amos Lee – Last Days at the Lodge
Ani Difranco – Red Letter Year
Atmosphere – When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Basia Bulat – Oh, My Darling
Beach House – Devotion
Bell X1 – Flock
Ben Folds – Way To Normal
Billy Bragg – Mr. Love & Justice
Black Kids – Partie Traumatic
Black Mountain – In the Future
Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music?
Cat Power – Jukebox
Cloud Cult – Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)
Cold War Kids – Loyalty to Loyalty
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Colin Meloy – Colin Meloy Sings Live!
Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons – Cabin Ghosts
Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs
DeVotchKa – A Mad and Faithful Telling
Duffy – Rockferry
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah: Part One (4^th World War)
Firewater – The Golden Hour
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Flight of the Conchords – Flight of the Conchords
Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple
Grand Archives – Grand Archives
Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
Ingrid Michaelson – Be OK
Jack Johnson – Sleep Through The Static
Jackie Greene – Giving Up The Ghost
Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue
K’Naan – The Dusty Foot Philosopher
Kings of Leon – Only By the Night
Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles – Langhorne Slim & The War Eagles
Lil’ Wayne – Tha Carter III
Los Campesinos! – Hold On Now, Youngster
Madonna – Hard Candy
Man Man – Rabbit Habits
Mason Jennings – In the Ever
Mates of State – Re-Arrange Us
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
Mike Doughty – Golden Delicious
My Morning Jacket – Evil Urges
Nada Surf – Lucky
Oasis – Dig Out Your Soul
Okkervil River – The Stand Ins
Old 97’s – Blame it on Gravity
One Day as a Lion – One Day as a Lion
Orchestra Baobab – Made In Dakar
Pezzettino – Because I Have No Control…
Portishead – Third
Punch Brothers – Punch
Rachael Yamagata – Elephants… Teeth Sinking Into Heart
Randy Newman – Harps and Angels
Ray Lamontagne – Gossip in the Grain
Santogold – Santogold
Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head
She & Him – Volume One
Shearwater – Rook
Sigur Ros – Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks – Real Emotional Trash
Sun Kil Moon – April
Tapes ‘n Tapes – Walk It Off
The Avett Brothers – The Second Gleam
The Black Keys – Attack & Release
The Dresden Dolls – No, Virginia…
The Felice Brothers – The Felice Brothers
The Fratellis – Here We Stand
The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues
The Kills – Midnight Boom
The Last Shadow Puppets – Age of the Understatement
The Magnetic Fields – Distortion
The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
The Raveonettes – Lush, Lush, Lush
The Streets – Everything is Borrowed
The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing
The Whigs – Mission Control
The Wood Brothers – Loaded
Tokyo Police Club – Elephant Shell
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

The main thing that I noticed right away is the lack of new jazz and hip hop that I listened to this year. In the past, those might've made up about 25-30% of my purchases. However, this year there were only 3 or 4 new hip hop cd's I bought and virtually no jazz. I'm not sure if this says more about my changing tastes or the lack of quality releases in these genres. Probably a little of both. Anyway, let me know if you have questions or comments about any of these cd's... and if I get time in the next couple of weeks, maybe I'll post my favorites.

I Guess I Can Move Back To Maryland Now

2008-12-05T17:02:00.005-06:00

Here's a condensed version of the email I got today:

Atomic Records to Close in February 2009‏

From:	Atomic Records News (news@atomic-records.com)
Sent:	Fri 12/05/08 1:37 AM
To:	arlohorton@hotmail.com

Rich from Atomic Records here.

It is with great sadness and more than a little difficulty that I have to announce that Atomic Records will be closing in February 2009.

The reasons for shutting down are many -- and I'd hate to bore you with wonkish details of shifting demographics, downward market trends, changing consumer habits, etc. -- but the decade-long (and running) decline of the music industry combined with the recent economic downturn have made it impossible to continue doing what we love to do.

Thank You !

First off, THANK YOU! It has truly been a pleasure serving the music lovers of Milwaukee for the past 24 years. Much gratitude goes out to our customers. The recent words of encouragement -- the likes of "hang in there," "please don't go out of business," "what would I do without you?" -- mean more than you can imagine. I only wish we had the wherewithal to continue on. But for the next couple months the current members of Team Atomic shall keep on serving you as best we can.

For those of you lucky enough to ever shop at Atomic Records, I'm guessing you are probably as depressed as I am right now. For those of you who aren't from this area, it's still a sad reminder that the "local record shop" is a dying breed. I'm sure this doesn't bother some of you who don't normally buy cd's or download all of your music. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I think it sucks. Anyway, do yourselves a favor and go buy a cd before it's too late.

CyberLIFE SUCKS.

2008-12-02T19:31:00.003-06:00

I love puns.

Anyway, Jen and I had a nice time in Maryland. There was only one downside to the trip... somewhere on the way home, my laptop screen cracked.

Since I can't get onto Blogger from work, this means I likely won't be blogging until I get a new screen or a new laptop. Hopefully that'll be soon. Until then, hopefully Madd Scientist will be able to keep you entertained with his disturbing and somewhat disgusting comments about Topenga.

Hang in their folks!