Mellowfied

Here's hoping ol' Red and the gang make a stop in H-town as they head out east. Have been listening to some of their 'new stuff' lately and i thought it was purty.



music page on myspace

From impromptu sessions at the House of Pies

A real conversation we actually had

If we start now, in this very moment.

...Okay...

I'm afraid to speak now

I think we have to get over that fear.

Did you say "you" or "we"

"We"

Oh, come on - you're going to have me write "Did you say
you or we a million times".

Come on, this is never going to work if we don't write, or
record our whole conversation.

Okay.

So time to get over the nerves.

But am I supposed to be funny?

I don't care; I think - I think we just need
to write everything down.

Okay, whatever you say. If that's what you say,
then we shall do it.

(awkward silence)

Lol

Yeah, i think it just becomes funny in and of itself.

I think that's a good place to end it.

Okay.

From "Pretty Good Jokes"

A guy went to the pet shop to buy a singing canary. When he got it home, he discovered the canary had a broken leg so he took it back to the store to get his money back. The pet owner said "what did you want, a singer or a dancer?"

-Doris B., Ft. Myers, FL.

Mr. Spock goes to Dr. McCoy and says,
"Dr. McCoy, I believe there's something wrong with one of my ears.

"Yes, Mr. Spock, you do have a point there!"

-William Dunbar, Ottawa, Ontario

It is Written...

I think this song was on a Pineapple Express trailer also, but I feel a lot more socially conscious letting it get stuck in my head thanks to Slumdog Millionaire. It has been stuck in my head and has been slapped on to the playlist for my next shindig, whenever that is. May it get stuck in your head as well. Once again, Merry Christmas.



I fly like paper, get high like planes
If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name
If you come around here, I make 'em all day
I get one down in a second if you wait

Sometimes I think sitting on trains
Every stop I get to I'm clocking that game
Everyone's a winner now we're making that fame
Bonafide hustler making my name

All I wanna do is (BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
And (KKKAAAA CHING!)
And take your money

Pirate skulls and bones
Sticks and stones and weed and bongs
Running when we hit 'em
Lethal poison through their system

No one on the corner has swag like us
Hit me on my burner prepaid wireless
We pack and deliver like UPS trucks
Already going hell just pumping that gas

Third world democracy
Yeah, I got more records than the K.G.B.
So, uh, no funny business

I had no idea - but MIA samples from this song by the Clash - "Straight To Hell"



I love how much you can learn by wasting time.

You be my Charlie, and I can be your George.

I'm gonna let y'all in on a little secret - this probably isn't an offical music video for this song.

Ah, yes, the youtube 'music video' - that masterpiece of do-it-yourselfmanship that is the song set to ambient background video by anyone with some time on their hands. (And the desire to get a favorite song on youtube to be shared by all and not feel bad about distributing music for free.)

The CD cover for Low's Christmas CD states something to the effect of "despite the commerce involved, we hope you will consider this our gift to you." And I do. I think it's a gift. And I'm happy to regift it to you all. especially since someone (well, at least someone and three or four other do-it-yourselfers) already regifted it by posting it on Youtube.

Enjoy. Merry Christmas. May you find joy via gift, regift or otherwise.

because I like songs that love the sun

Beulah - Burned By The Sun

High above the bordertown

I can see the golden ground

If I wasn't looking down

I might have lost you in the miles

Ocean blue and foaming white

Surround the body of my flight

As I flew out of sight

You were turning in the stiles

And I know what it means to you

And I know what it means to me

And I know how it feels to be

Burned by the sun, the sun

I love the sun

Now I'm sleeping on the sand

Of an unfamiliar land

And I'm dreaming up a plan

To get you on the breeze

And I'm staring at the speck

Of the map laid on the deck

It's time to make a trek

On forgiving seas

Gardea

When I was like 6 or 7 years old, my brother Rick was just learning to speak and put words and sentences together. He quickly became a master at stringing funny stuff together, and remains a master of comedic timing to this day. I don't remember when it happened, but one of his best malapropisms ever was combining the words "great" and "idea" to form one of the words I have loved most in my life, "gardea". I think this word should be propagated throughout the English speaking world. I'm perfectly content to keep it within the family, but then again, not really. I felt to share it with all, and there you have it. Maybe the word should have an apostrophe, but I wouldn't know where to put it, since the 'gar' part was a mispronunciation of 'great' by the young Ricky. I guess that would place the apostrphe near the front, rendering it g'ardea, but the word combines before the 'dea' part, so maybe it should have two apostrophes, to make it "g'ar'dea", but nah. To simplify, I'll just leave it with no apostrophe. My brother's contribution to the English language is:

gardea: noun. - A great idea. "Ricky interjected saying, 'I've got a gardea - let's start a shell company in the Cayman Islands and sell bootleg Simpsons gear'."

Sunday Morning Bubble Gum

One of the great things about going to church at one in the afternoon on Sunday is the chance to listen to A Prarie Home Companion on NPR before I head out. There's always great state fair type acts, and this was no exception. This is Kristin Andreassen, who apparently sings with a group called Uncle Earl from Boston, MA. I read somewhere this song won the "Lennon Award" for best childrens song two years ago. I don't know how big that is, but it's a good thing it finally got to my ears. Hope this player embeds correctly. I think it's called Crayola Maybe I was all ready for bubble gum becasue I watched Madagascar 2 friday night and was all ready for bubble gum and sunshine. In any case, Enjoy.

Don't be like a baby....

Haha! I live about a block from Yao's restaurant. Who's in?

And also, why is this supposedly funny? I don't get it.

He's Baaaack!

The stud of the world

Manu Ginobili has rejoined his squadron. The ship is beginning to be righted, and in a major way.

This s#!? is bananas, yo!

George Hill and Roger Mason, two guys whose names make them seem more like CPAs or lawyers than NBA ballas, have been meshing nicely with the team in his abscence, and kept them at .500 while Manu and Tony Parker have been out. Hill, a rookie out of IUPUI of all places, has had three straight 20+ point games and Roger Mason has hit a game winner, is shooting from 3 at something like a 52% (for real??!?) clip, and is fitting into the Spurs' game plan like few first year Spurs have. The guy is a quick study. All this spells good news as the Spurs develop this season - when Tony Parker returns, the Spurs will have the best set of guards they ever have, and I'd dare you to name a team that has a better 1-2 punch at BOTH the 1 and 2 slots. I'm excited. I'm optimistic, and I'm glad I never jumped the gun and thought the season was over. Things are looking good in the backcourt.

Up front, there is, of course, room for concern. Outside of "Spock/Groundhog Day/The Tinman/Greatest Power Foward ever" Tim Duncan, the ranks are looking thin. Ian Mahinmi would be a welcome addition if he could rebound at about 7-8 a game in 25 minutes, with a block or two average a game. he looks like he has the potential to be a servicable weakside defender, and hopefully could get a few off the ball buckets and hopefully average 4-7 points a game. But it looks like that will be a tall order. He's been hurt to start the season and has only really played in the D league. the one NBA game I have seen him play in was pretty OK, but I wonder if he'll be able to provide the help tim needs on the boards. Kurt Thoma and Fabricio Oberto are steady, but that's easy to say becasue they are both like 64 years old. Hopefully Pop is able to utilize what he's got and develop Ian sufficently to give that kid some confidence going into the postseason. Time will tell.

For now, I'm excited for the prospects of small ball with the 6'6" and under crew of Manu, Mason, Hill, and TP around Timmy at some point.

Manu dropped 12 points in 11 rusty minutes on 3-4 shooting, with a nice dunk down the lane. If he can be 4/5 as efficient playing real minutes, I really like the Spurs chances this year, Even though the Lakers look great and Portland, Houston and Utah look to figure into the mix - not to mention NOLA! (wow, they have their work cut out for them) It's going to take a lot of work, and definitely some luck for my team, but still like our chances.

Roger Mason, esq.

Images: © Getty

Intricate Simiplicity

There are increasingly detailed answers within the increasingly simple.

At least that's what I'm guessing.

tastes like the letter Z

If wisdom is knowledge rightly applied, I freely admit to a lack thereof.

I took an antibiotic for a persisting illness and kept on forgetting to sugarcoat it. - I don't know what this stuff was made of, but I imagine it tasted the way fermented uranium would.

I'm all better though, so it worked, but every time I took this stuff the pill lodged in my throat and the taste stuck around the back of my mouth.

I guess that's why they call it medicine.

My barber told me that the cause of all sickness is an imbalance of water in our systems. He may be onto something, but I think it's a tad more complex than that.

E Z recipe of the day

Time: 2-3 minutes, (depending on your microwave settings)

Plus (+) any kind of



Plus (+) any of



OR




Yield Chicken Tortilla Soup!



YUM

And it's something quite peculiar

The Church - 'Under the Milky Way'



Sometimes when this place gets kind of empty
Sound of their breath fades with the light
I think about the loveless fascination
Under the Milky Way tonight

Lower the curtain down in Memphis
Lower the curtain down all right
I got no time for private consultation
Under the Milky Way tonight

Wish I knew what you were looking for
Might have known what you would find

And it's something quite peculiar
Something that's shimmering and white
It leads you here despite your destination
Under the Milky Way tonight

Under the Milky Way tonight

I'd rather be playing Calvinball

So Jessie has tagged me. And It ain't like freeze tag or cartoon tag, at least not to my knowledge.

[So here goes - 5 things about Ram that relatively few people know:]

A) I broke my wrist one day and later that night jumped off a train. 3 days later I went to the hospital to get a cast and a few months later they had to do a bone graft surgery on it.

B) I forgot the ENTIRE Spanish language at age four and learned it again at 20 (That's about when I got over my pre-school teacher making me cry because I didn't know know The Pledge of Allegiance when I was four.) (b/c I only spoke Spanish then).

C) I like to solve the 'Wordy Gurdy' in the daily paper. The crossword puzzle is too time consuming. And usually too vexing.

D) I am sorta friends with Bruce Leroy.

E) I was in the state of Montana for 26 minutes once.

Now I have to tag some people: Tanya, Lee, Elin, Jamie, and Jefe. I bet none of them do this. I kinda can't believe I did. But then again, I seem to be a Nerd.

I'm realizing why the results from the personality test resonated with me...

hmm...

thanks to lee and lisa, I know thyself

You Are An ENTJ

The Executive You are a natural leader - with confidence and strength that inspires others. Driven to succeed, you are always looking for ways to gain, power, knowledge, and expertise. Sometimes you aren't the most considerate person, especially to those who are a bit slow. You are not easily intimidated - and you have a commanding, awe-inspiring presence. In love, you hold high standards... for yourself, for your relationship, and for your significant other. While it's easy for you to impress others, it's hard for you to find someone who impresses you. At work, you are organized and good at delegating. You understand how to achieve goals. You would make a great CEO, entrepreneur, or consultant. How you see yourself: Rational, calm, and objective When other people don't get you, they see you as: Inflexible, controlling, and overbearing

What's" Your Personality Type?

I never knew I inspired awe. I think those of you who really know me are not in agreement with this canned answer to my snap responses.

I Seem To Be A Nerd

Wired.

Geekipedia.

Technorati.

These are all things I like, perhaps even love in principle, but haven't spent much time perusing. that's for the best, though, I'm fairly certain of. Far better to be riding my bike or chasing a ball than to allocate ALL my waking hours to the taking in of all things interesting.

I happened upon a post in the dreamhouse blog listed among 'The Links' which led me back to a book which has been sitting on my friends' coffee table in my apartment. "I Seem To Be A Verb"

It's a book I loved instantly, and maybe thought was too weird to read at first. I still haven't read it. I've only looked at a few pages and taped the cover back on to the spine. (I found this paperback in Deseret Industries thrift store In Salt Lake.) I considered it a treasure the moment I got my hands on it.

Someone else has read it and has real thoughts on the book.

Here are the pictures from the blog with real thoughts on the book in case you just wanna see some of what's inside.

Oddly enough, the linernote booklets that have been coming with the Pavement CD re-releases look very much inspired by this. Hmmm...

Walt Whitman in Todays' Tennessee

Here's a poem from Actual Air, by David Berman - lead singer of the Silver Jews, whose show in Austin 2 weeks ago I will eventually share more about.

Snow

Walking through a field with my little brother Seth.

I pointed to a place where kids had made angels in the snow.

For some reason, I told him that a troop of angels had been shot and dissolved when they hit the ground.

He asked who shot them and I said a farmer.

Then we were on the roof of the lake.

The ice looked like a photograph of water.

Why he asked.Why did he shoot them.

I didn't know where I was going with this.

They were on his property, I said.

When it's snowing, the outdoors seem like a room.

Today I traded hellos with my neighbor.

Our voices hung close in the new acoustics.

A room with the walls blasted to shreds and falling.

We returned to our shoveling, working side by side in silence.

But why were they on his property, he asked.

Uncle Sam is about to pwn Uncle Pennybags

I'm glad I have 4 cans of canned fruit to my name.

I really don't know how much to care about all this, but I figure either way, if we can't laugh about it, we're in deep 'ish'. Headed for an economic Mexican Standoff, a la Reservoir Dogs. Which, as they say, may not be such a bad thing after the collapse, maybe.

Ok, enough of that.