I'm as infatuated with best-of lists as the next guy, but I have hard time coming up with my own. Part of the problem is timeliness- I'm not a critic, so I can't listen to music, watch movies, or read books for a living. There are albums showing up on "best of 2007" lists that I won't hear for another year or two, if ever. What follows are some of my favorite songs from 2007 (so far):
They Might Be Giants - "The Mesopotamians" It's easy to forget that TMBG are still around. Flood was released SEVENTEEN years ago, and I think they've been focusing their energy on children's music in recent years. This song is a keeper, though. Read the lyrics here after you've listened once or twice.
Josh Ritter - "To the Dogs Or Whoever" Crappy grammar aside (unless the "or" changes things), this is a great song by an incredible songwriter. The JR show I saw at the Fox Theater was one of the best live shows I've ever witnessed.
Xmas present- headphones to replace the shitty ear buds that came with my iPod. I can finally hear bass tones again :)
Slllllooooooooowwwww day at the library. Stumbled across this video from 1986. Frank Zappa correctly predicts that the country is heading toward a "Fascist Theocracy." At least FZ didn't have to endure the Dubya years...
You've kinda gotta use your imagination here, because the photo originates from a crappy Samsung cell phone camera.
That's the bruise from my skiing wipeout the other day. Squint your eyes, and you might be able to envision the damage. Many colors are present: purple, yellow, brown, and everything in between. The strangest thing about it is that it's almost textured. Again, squint your eyes, and you can almost see Korean characters etched into my skin. Like I said previously, I can't remember the last time I felt pain like that. Good times...
Bruce Springsteen.
The Sopranos.
Add a third thing to the list.
New Jersey abolished the death penalty today!
A couple of things that have always seemed painfully obvious to me, when it comes to the capital punishment debate:
- If there's any chance an innocent person could be executed, it shouldn't be allowed.
- Religious folks, who claim to respect life, should all be vehemently opposed to it. (I'm looking at you, Republicans.)
In regards to point #1, this isn't just theoretically possible, it happens! In the past 30 years, 124 inmates were found to be innocent and released from death row. One hundred and twenty-four people! A study published in the Stanford Law Review noted 25 instances where someone was executed, then later it was proven they were not guilty (Source: ACLU). How the f*ck is this not a deal-breaker? What argument can possibly counter this?
As far as point #2 goes, I'm not including the insane fundamentalist-types. A kindergartener understands that Jesus would never advocate the killing of another human being. And, if you're ignoring Jesus' teachings, and just looking at the Old Testament instead, you're not really a Christian, are you?
Zulu and her mom taking a cat nap together on a Sunday afternoon
Beautiful day on the mountain- I haven't been to Keystone in a few years, and the recent storms have allowed them to open up most of the mountain.
I found some powder stashes in the trees...
But, worse than that was my poor skis. The rocks left their mark.
The best part about my job is that, as I try and help people find information, I learn new things. Sometimes, these things are life-altering.
I was fortunate enough to help a gentleman today who enlightened me with tales of the Reptilians. Apparently, the 80s television show V was based, partly, on true events. However, the dude who I was helping thinks that the Reptilians started out on Earth, then left for outer space later. And maybe there was some alien-reptilian inbreeding. And George W. Bush is a Reptilian. More here.
Oh, yeah- also, the number "11" represents a gateway. If you look at it, it looks like a door, or portal. That's why crazy things always happen on the 11th day of a month. The number "9" is also important, because it's the last number, before you start all over at zero. That's why 9/11 was so crazy. And that's why 2011 is going to be REALLY F*CKING CRAZY! The Earth is going to reverse it's polarity, and maybe its axis will change, too. The sun will rise from the west. But, there will also be another sun. There will be two suns in the sky. But the second sun won't really be a sun. It will be a planet, whose orbit will lead it between Earth and Venus, for the first time in 25,000 years.
It won't necessarily signal the end of humanity, but most of us won't live. So, you've got the next three years to do all those things you've always wanted to do. Live it up!
Show us your library card.
Ha! I suggested this Vox Hunt, about a year ago. Unfortunately, they aren't giving me credit. Batards. (Not you, Joy.)
The one on the right is my current library card, from the Denver Public Library. Going clockwise, there's Minneapolis Public Library, St. Paul Public Library (about 10 yrs old), and the Library of Congress, suckas! Eric, Jen, and I had to lie, and pretend we were doing scholarly research in order to attain one of those. They don't like wasting them on people that just want a souvenir. I figured, as a librarian, I was entitled to one.
Oh, yeah- and for snowboarders, too, I guess...
It has ski areas all over the country listed. It gives up-to-date conditions, including what runs are currently open, recent snowfall, and weather forecasts. They have trail maps, mountain stats, and, best of all, Web cams. It's one-stop-shopping, which is awesome for someone like me. I've got a 5-mountain pass, and it's early in the season, so each resort has a different amount of terrain open. Instead of having to go to each ski area's Web page, figure out where they have all this information listed (every site is laid out differently, of course), I can get it all in one spot. I am totally jazzed!
