Keeping track

Not much going on in the Circle City. I'm listening to music, and obsessing over my stats on my Last.fm/Audioscrobbler page, which recently got a makeover. It's amazing how such a simple idea has kept me so amused. I'm like a cat with a piece of string. Seeing the name of the song I just listened to show up on the internet is like magic! How they do that?

I'm playing Yahoo fantasy football for the second year in a row, and my league had our draft tonight. I got a pretty decent crop of running backs this year, but I'm not as happy with my receivers. Although last year (when I finished 2nd in the league), I made a lot of important pickups once the season had already started, so I may be able to make some quick adjustments. I did spend an early pick on Adam Vinatieri, the only kicker in the league capable of winning an entire week on his own (as he did for me last year when he had a week where he kicked 3 field goals and 2 extra points and threw for a touchdown on a fake), and I'm hoping Chris Cooley will be a sleeper pick, as the Redskins seem to like to use him in the red zone. Here's my complete roster:

QB: Tom Brady, NE; Drew Brees, SD

RB: LaDanian Tomlinson, SD; Curtis Martin, NYJ; Julius Jones, DAL; Warrick Dunn, ATL

WR: Laveranues Coles, NYJ; Nate Burleson, MIN; Deion Branch, NE; Michael Clayton, TB; Jerry Porter, OAK

TE: Antonio Gates, SD; Chris Cooley, WAS

K: Adam Vinatieri, NE

DEF: Seattle

Music: At the moment, I'm listening to Ivy, a great pop rock band that's a side project of Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, but also spawned its own side project, Paco. Lately though, my tastes have been stuck firmly in the early 90's. Lots of Matthew Sweet, Connells, Samples, Counting Crows, Jayhawks, Uncle Tupelo, and Sugar on the playlist.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned for Sega

One of my favorite movies of all time gets the Super Deluxe treatment. Kevin Smith treats his fans well. The man knows exactly where his bread is buttered (and exactly how much he can milk from his hardcore fans with Super Deluxe editions of his back catalogue).

Um... er...

This is why it's dangerous when I get bored. Mugshot-style self-portraits, drastic haircuts... it's never pretty.

10:46 am --> 11:39 am

The F%#$ing Aristocrats

Saw The Aristocrats tonight. There's been a ton of press about how this movie features the filthiest joke ever told, and it's probably true. Basically, the deal is there's this joke that's been around since the days of Vaudeville, and comedians tell it to each other. The joke always has the same beginning and end, but the middle section allows for the comedic version of jazz improv, where the teller tries to come up with the most offensive, disgusting things he can think of, riffing on all the versions he's heard before but also trying to top them. It's always been a sort of insider thing, but Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) have put together a pretty impressive group of comedians and writers to provide their own spin on the joke. There are some surprises, and I won't spoil any of them, but I think my favorite scene had to be Kevin Pollak's rendition. As for the movie itself, it made me laugh a lot, but often in a kind of "Oh my god I can't believe they said that" way. The biggest irony is that the joke itself isn't really all that funny.

Oh, and by the way, if cursing or graphic descriptions of sex acts, bodily functions, incest, or bestiality ain't your thing, don't bother seeing this movie. But if it makes you offended that there's even a movie where people say these things, never fear: AMC Theaters will take care of all that thinking stuff for you. They have some nice, safe, dumbed-down movies with very little in the way of cursing (or plot) that are probably more your speed.

Miscellany

Nice weather here today (the humidity's finally gone), so it's inspired me to clean. Here's a few items I've been meaning to post:

My friend Todd used the power of the blogger to get a press pass and has been covering the Chicago Air & Water Show, which took place over the past few days in the Windy City. Because of his stellar coverage, Todd's blog, MyFlightBlog, was mentioned on The Chicagoist, a site devoted to covering events in and around Chicago.
UPDATE: The Chicagoist piece got the attention of GridSkipper, which is part of the Gawker blog family. Pretty nice exposure for "Todd".

I'm looking forward to the upcoming release of The Brothers Grimm, which appears to be another typically warped film from director Terry Gilliam. To mark his latest film, I've decided to revisit his entire filmography (or all that's available on Netflix) in chronological order: Monty Python and the Holy Grail; Jabberwocky; Time Bandits; Brazil (the director's cut, not the butchered studio version); The Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen; The Fisher King; 12 Monkeys; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; and finally, Lost in La Mancha, which is not technically a Gilliam film, but rather a documentary about his disastrous attempt to film a movie about Don Quixote. I decided to skip Monty Python's The Meaning of Life because Gilliam only directed a portion and not the entire film. I'm curious to see how this goes. I couldn't finish Time Bandits the first time I tried to watch it (of course, I was 13), but I loved Fisher King and 12 Monkeys.

The Ingram Futbol Club of Arkansas is trying to get the Guinness Book of World Records to recognize them for playing the longest game of soccer ever. Call me a traditionalist, but I think Guinness should stop accepting staged events like this. It's one thing if you're playing a game with unlimited overtime and it goes on that long, but when you set out to break the previous record and know exactly how long you need to go to do it, it kind of seems like cheating.

October is shaping up to be another great concert month for me. Not only do I have back-to-back nights of U2, I've now added Nickel Creek and Son Volt shows the following week. Speaking of Nickel Creek, their new album, Why Should the Fire Die?, debuted at #1 on the Independent and Internet Sales charts for the week of August 9. Paste has an interview with the trio, and positive reviews are coming in from the Nashville Scene, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, and a quickie from the Chicago Tribune.

I'm all over this. The Lord of the Rings exhibit is coming to Indy. Pretty much anything that was built, forged, sewn, or designed for the movies will be represented. I've decided to attend in street clothes, since I don't want to overshadow the actual costumes. I ain't tryin' to dis my man P. Jack. Unfortunately, not all Ringers are so respectful, so I'm expecting a crowd of hobbits and elves.

Hoosierama

Got to experience the final day of the Indiana State Fair today, partially for a work thing, and partially out of curiosity to see the rural Hoosier in full plumage. I managed to sit through the State Fair Queen pageant, largely due to the food coma I was suffering after eating a fried Twinkie, a fried Snickers bar, two fried Oreos, a fried Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, a steak sandwich, an Italian sausage, and a pineapple whip. All I can say about the pageant is, every stereotype you can imagine was represented: the idiot host; the dumb farm girl; the bleached-blonde Marilyn Monroe wannabe; the girl who loves horses; the dark horse candidate who followed the unconventional career path (in this case, welding); the not-at-all-surprising fact that the one African-American person in the entire building was not a contestant; the inane questions, and even more insipid answers. It was all there, and it made for some high comedy, but also some incredibly painful moments. After that was over, we wandered around the midway and people-watched. Strangely, I wore a t-shirt with the Superman "S" logo, and several people told me "nice shirt". Huh? Either the superhero t-shirt is somewhat of a new phenomenon in this area, or else the farm folk don't see too many comic book nerds out their way. Or maybe it was just the way my bulging muscles fill out the shirt so well. All in all, the Fair was interesting in a car-crash can't-look-away way, but I don't think I really feel the need to go back (a fact which pleases my digestive system to no end).

(Sigh)

The harsh realities of life for the American soccer fan. We are barely third-class citizens when it comes to TV.

Keeping with the soccer theme: usually, the theatrics come from the players.

If you were in junior high or high school at any point during the 80's, you will appreciate Freaks & Geeks. You knew these guys (or you were them, in some of our cases). Do yourself a favor and rent the DVDs. Once you've finished with high school, move on to college with Undeclared, from the same creators and almost as good. Not surprisingly, neither show lasted a full season because the networks needed to free up a time slot for Surviving the Amazing Surreal Queer Factor Apprentice of the Real Biggest Loser Rules, or whatever the current crap-ass flavor of the reality week was at the time.

I've got a fever, and the only cure is...

Christopher Walken for President? Finally, a candidate worthy of my vote. Sadly, this website is a joke. But even The Washington Post likes the idea. I mean seriously, who wouldn't vote for a candidate who could use "This Country Needs More Cowbell" as his campaign slogan?

Music: The Magic Numbers. Still no US release date, so I broke down and bought an import version. Worth the extra $6. Last time I mentioned them, I compared them to the B-52's, but the only similarity is that they have one male and two female vocalists. There's plenty of other influences evident in this disc: Violent Femmes, Rilo Kiley, Matthew Sweet. The entire album is a collection of well-crafted pop songs, and the three-part harmonies add another layer that lots of current records are missing. Basically, if you took a bunch of 70's AM radio-style pop and added 60's girl group vocals, you'd be getting close. Definitely an enjoyable listen.
Video: "Love Me Like You", their current UK single.

I like poster books. I like Star Wars. Therefore, this is my new favorite book. See kids, all those deductive reasoning questions on your SATs can be applied to the real world.

What I've Learned...

With apologies to Esquire, here's a few random thoughts that I've been mulling over for the past few days...

• Playing football on XBox is not a substitute for real exercise. Unfortunately, I usually remind myself of this fact after coming home from work and playing for three hours, by which time it's already too dark to go running.
• Jalapeños. Yum. Ouch. But yum.
• Just when you think you might have women figured out, they go and do something that blows it all up again.
• Despite the rep for being less-complicated, guys are usually just as hard to figure out as women.
• Movies are better as a shared experience. But the movie theater is not your damn living room, so stop acting like it.
• As long as people keep making music, I'll keep buying it. I don't think I'll ever reach a point when I say, "That's it. I own enough music."
• Being drunk and stoned at the same time is never a good mix.
• I will patronize any establishment that makes good cheese enchiladas.
• Live music is a pretty powerful thing, regardless of whether it's performed in an outdoor amphitheater for thousands of fans or in a living room for one person.
• Not much can top a good nap. Unless it involves scantily-clad women and hot fudge.
• Becoming comfortable with yourself is a huge step towards adulthood. Since I embraced my nerdhood, I've been a lot more content with my life.
• I'm a firm believer in the whole "laughter is the best medicine" thing. If you meet somebody who makes you laugh, keep them close.
• A wise man once said to me, "Pizza is like sex. Even when it's bad, it's good." Actually, he used to say that a lot.
• You could have the greatest job in the world, and you'd still find something to complain about.
• If it's worth fighting for, fight. Otherwise, you'll be 80 years old, looking back on a long list of regrets.
• The hardest-rocking band in the world features a grown man in a schoolboy uniform, proving once again that growing up is overrated.
• Sometimes I wish I knew everything. But then life would probably be really boring.

A second chance

After seeing the first half of the Colts-Bills game last night with a few co-workers (great seats, total yawner of a game), we adjourned to Casa de Leister to watch Napoleon Dynamite. I saw it once in the theater and wasn't as impressed as a lot of people, but I decided to give it another chance since everyone in the freakin' world continues to spout quotes from the movie on a daily basis. As it turns out, I did think it was funnier this time, in part because it was nice to hear the quotes in their original context instead of coming from somebody at the office. It's just a silly and random movie, and I still feel like it tries a little too hard. The parts with his family are a lot funnier to me than most of the school scenes. But it's also a lot more enjoyable when you're watching it with somebody who's giggling uncontrollably through most of the movie. It's hard not to laugh too.

MLS: Another game, another 3-0 win for DC United. Even missing a lot of their offensive starters and playing in scorching humid DC heat, they rolled over expansion club Chivas USA. Santino Quaranta continued his recent string of impressive games, and Dema Kovalenko, Jamil Walker, and rookie defender Bobby Boswell extended their point streaks as DC stretched their unbeaten streak to 6 with their 4th straight win. I almost felt bad for Chivas at some points, but then I remembered when their owner, Jorge Vergara, was talking before the season about how Chivas (the sister club of a Mexican League team) would come in and own MLS right away. My favorite part of the game? Hanging in front of the Screaming Eagles supporter section was a banner that read: "Us-4 cups. You-3 wins."

Music: Although I've been listening mostly to Coldplay since Friday night's concert, I also downloaded the remastered version of AC/DC's classic album Back in Black, mainly because after so much mellow Brit music, I was feeling the need to rock very loudly. I am happy to report that I still remember how to play the opening riff to "Hell's Bells" after a 15-year break. If there was an emoticon for the devil horns, I would totally throw them now.

In the immortal words of Ted "Theodore" Logan...

Whoa.

Coldplay.
15th row.
Two hours.
They covered "Ring of Fire."
'Nuff said.


UPDATE: Some very nice person has posted mp3s of Tuesday night's show in Cincinnati from a radio simulcast of the show. The tracks are a bit distorted, but it's the same setlist from last night, so just imagine Chris Martin ad-libbing lines about Indy instead of Cincinnati, and this is pretty close to what I heard (minus "Ring of Fire", which followed "'til Kingdome Come").

365

It's hard to believe, but a whole year has passed since my first post. I'd like to say that it's been a momentous twelve months when lots of exciting things happened, but for once, a lot of my life stayed unchanged. There's no Alaska trip to look forward to this year, but I have the same job, live in the same apartment, and hang out at a lot of the same places. Of course, being relatively settled has given me the chance to travel a fair amount, and I have managed to see a lot of good music in the past year. That trend continues tomorrow night with Coldplay at the Verizon Wireless Music Center. I'm looking forward to this show a lot, since it will be my first time seeing Chris Martin and Co. I'm getting hooked up through a friend of a friend, so I'm still not exactly sure where our seats are, but I'm expecting a good show as long as the forecasted thunderstorms don't interrupt.

Since I like to keep up on all things Apple and iPod-related, this caught my eye. As if the world needs more "DJs".

DC United, playing without Freddy Adu, still somehow managed to destroy the Metrostars 3-0 last night. OK, who am I kidding? DC's playing great ball, and Freddy's just another cog in the machine. This was a cakewalk, and the latest in a long string of dominating games against their archrivals from New Jersey. I watched the second half through MLSNet.com's streaming video, and despite losing their captain, Jaime Moreno, to a red card, United moved the ball beautifully and scored two great goals. As disappointed as I've been with Jamil Walker's play this year, he made up for it last night, setting up both second half goals, and Santino Quaranta continued his hot streak, making some great passes, creating dangerous chance after dangerous chance, and looking like the player he's long had the potential to be. And there really is no better feeling than watching my favorite MLS team beat up on my most-hated. Ever since my first MLS playoff game in 1996 when DC beat those miserable hacks, I have hated the Metros with great hating, and 10 years later, that feeling has not gone away.

It's definitely not Alaska, but I do have a trip to Columbus, OH coming up over Labor Day. Woo-hoo! The plan is to tailgate for the Ohio State-Miami University football game, harassing Buckeye fans with the classic Miami chant, "That's all right, that's OK, you'll all work for us someday," then later in the day figure out some way to sneak into the US-Mexico World Cup Qualifier over at Crew Stadium since tickets sold out in like 15 minutes and are selling on EBay for $200. In reality, I'll probably get hammered at the tailgate, pass out on somebody's couch, and wake up 5 minutes before the soccer game and watch it on TV. Strangely, this one's being carried live on ESPN Classic, I guess because ESPN 1 and 2's schedules are filled up with college football that day.

And finally, since she obviously has had enough of reading my crappy posts and knows she can do better, my friend Jenny started her own blog. Aside from intelligent and witty writing, Jenny can also offer a slightly different perspective on life from that of an unmarried and childless man. Y'know, if you're into that kind of thing.

Money well spent?

A combination of work, weather, lack of anyone to go with and just general exhaustion kept me from going to the Trey/Matisyahu show tonight. I'm a little bummed, but the fact that I'm seeing Coldplay on Friday night takes away any sting from missing this show. If I had to miss a show this week, tonight was the one to skip.

But rather than let tonight's ticket money go to waste, I made a few more entertainment purchases, picking up the newly-released Madden NFL 06 for XBox. As part of the release date deal, I was also able to get Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the low low price of $4.99. Not bad for a game I've been wanting to play for a long time but have just never gotten around to renting or buying. Madden should be interesting. They've revamped the play this year, with a new passing system as the main selling point. Todd bought it today as well, so we should be able to learn the new features together with some online games. He feels the new passing mode is more difficult, so I'm curious to see what exactly it involves. As much as live pointyball can bore me to death sometimes, when it comes to fantasy football or NFL video games, I'm all about it.

I also purchased Nickel Creek's new album, Why Should the Fire Die?, and a 4-song live EP recorded for iTunes. I'm listening to it first time through, and so far, it seems a little more traditional than their last outing, This Side. Obviously, I'll need to give a few more run-throughs before I can really evaluate it, but anything that Sara Watkins sings on automatically gets at least a "good" rating. Highlight so far is "Can't Complain". Looking forward to their show here in October.

Also, good timing by Nickel Creek, since their release date happened to fall on my mom's birthday, thus making for an excellent and timely present. Happy Birthday, Mom. :)

MLS Alert: The Golden Boy suffers his first injury. Depending on who tells it, Freddy either twisted his knee last Saturday trying to dribble through two Chicago Fire defenders, or was cruelly scythed down by said defenders. Either way, sounds like he's recovering well, but it's a shame to see him get hurt just as he was starting to play the best soccer of his young MLS career.

And finally, because it's what I just ate for dinner, I just wanted to mention how much I love Panera's Sierra Turkey sandwich. The Bacon Turkey Bravo used to be the one for me, but since I've been trying to go a little easier on the old stomach lately, I'm trying my best to cut out bacon and onions. So these days, it's Sierra Turkey all the way.

Matisyahu

Lots of work lately can't stop me from buying new music. Today's iTunes store purchase: Matisyahu's Live at Stubb's. OK, some explanation is needed, because you're probably looking at the picture and thinking, "This is some crazy Weird Al thing, right?" Oh no, my friends. Matisyahu is a Hasidic Jew, and the music is straight-up reggae. More info can be found at his site. I've never been much of a reggae fan, but this album is incredible. And as weird as this marriage of cultures seems, the themes of oppression and searching for the promised land that are so prevalent in reggae seem to mesh pretty well with Jewish history. More on that from Paste Magazine.

In a stroke of perfect timing, turns out Matisyahu is opening for Trey Anastasio tomorrow night here in Indy. I was debating whether to go to this show, since I wouldn't mind seeing Trey solo. I was thinking $35 was a little steep, but adding Matisyahu to the mix probably puts it over the top for me. I think it would be worth the money just to hear Matisyahu beat-box.

SSS

A.K.A. Soccer Specific Stadiums, or what is the biggest buzz in a big week for Major League Soccer. Last night, FC Dallas (owned by Lamar Hunt, at right) opened up Pizza Hut Park with a 2-2 draw against the Metrostars. Rather appropriate, since earlier in the week, the Metros announced that they have finally secured a deal to build their own stadium in Harrison, NJ. Add to that the stadiums underway in Chicago and Colorado, the purchase of DC United by a new ownership group for a record fee, and Andy Williams scoring the 5,000th goal in league history, and there's been a lot of positive steps forward for the league this week.

Kudos to Fox Soccer Channel for giving us bonus coverage of the Dallas-Metros game this afternoon. Tape delay aside, it was nice to get a look at the new park, and to see two of the finest goals scored this year, one a cheeky backheel from Carlos Ruiz, and one a delicate chip by Youri Djorkaeff. (Warning: you'll need Windows Media Player and a fast conncetion for these clips.) A lot of people questioned the Metros' signing of Djorkaeff in the off-season as another mistake in a long line of over-the-hill Europeans, but watching last night's game should put any griping to an end. Not only did the French international play the entire game in summer Dallas heat, but he had a fantastic game, scoring two goals and showing why he's the type of classy player MLS should always be looking for.

Jennifer Aniston? Still hot.

I couldn't really care less about whether Brad is with Angelina, except that it means that Jennifer Aniston is single again. And that it gives me an excuse to put a picture of her on my blog. Apparently, Jen felt the need to tell her side of the story, so she went the high road and talked to Vanity Fair instead of The Star or Us Weekly or some other piece of crap like that (yet somehow all the tabloids seem to have her on their cover anyway). My favorite quote from the interview is this one: "Am I lonely? Yes. Am I upset? Yes. Am I confused? Yes. Do I have my days when I've flown to Indianapolis so that I can find consolation in Mike Leister's arms? Absolutely."

OK, I made part of that quote up. But I'm not telling which part. It really wouldn't be fair to Jen. She's very private.

As I was adding The Hobbit to my "Read" list over on the right side there, I Googled the title. Sigh. People have too much time on their hands.

Music: The Magic Numbers. I have yet to find a US release date for this album, but as soon as I can buy it, I will. The few tracks I've gotten my hands on are just plain good. It sounds kind of like the B-52s without all the silliness and camp. Actually, that doesn't describe their music at all. Forget I said that. Just listen to the sample clips or download some songs off a file-sharing network or do whatever it is you kids do to get your music these days.

That Time Again

About ever year or so since I was twelve, I start to feel the need to visit the old friends and familiar landscapes of Tolkien's Middle Earth. So I break out my well-worn copies of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (I don't own one of these nice hardback collected versions, although I'd like to... hint hint) and settle in for a familiar journey. It's a different experience now that all the movies are finished and I've seen them several times, because instead of only seeing my own imaginings in my head, I now compare them to the movie. To Peter Jackson's credit, a lot of the scenes are pretty close, especially in Fellowship of the Ring. When people find out that I re-read these books so often, they often wonder what kind of enojyment I can get on the 18th or 19th read. I always thinking of it as going on vacation to the same place every year. It's familiar and comfortable, but you almost always discover something new every time you go. Now if only we could finish the damn September issue so that I'll have enough free time to start reading.

A Poem:
Once, I grew a mustache
and then I shaved it off.

But before I did, I said to my mustache,
"One day, my friend,
I will be brave enough to keep you.
But that day is not today.
There are still women I would like to have take me seriously."

Music: Fountains of Wayne. Their new b-sides collection, Out-of-State Plates, has rekindled my love for this band. All of their discs have something appealing: The quirky nerdiness of their self-titled debut; the sugary power-pop goodness of Welcome Interstate Managers; but it's Utopia Parkway's beautiful and haunting love songs to New Jersey that always keep me coming back.