While I revolve around the sun a few more times, enjoy these MP3s

Here's a random sampling of some of the more interesting stuff to land in my inbox of late. Nothing that's blowing my mind, but at least some sounds to click through.

The Aguilar brothers "This Aint Livin"

The Strange Boys, "Heard You Wanna Beat Me Up"

Dead Confederate, "The News Underneath" (Live)

Children, "Power Spirit"

The Drones, "The Minotaur"

Zodiac Dust, "loop243"

Medeski Martin & Wood, "Amber Gris"

An Horse, "Postcards"

Jeniferever, "Green Meadow Island"

Spread the wealth around

Monday nights have too much good tv. Here's a list of shows that air on Mondays that I watch:

Castle* (10 p.m.)
How I Met Your Mother (8:30 p.m.)
Chuck (8 p.m.)
House (8 p.m.)
Gossip Girl (8 p.m.)
One Tree Hill (9 p.m.)
Greek (8 p.m.)

DVRs can only record two things at once. Not five, as would better suit me. Granted, most of these shows play online after they air, but dammit, I'm a red blooded American media consumer, and I like watching tv on my tv. Also: here's a list of shows I watch on Tuesdays:

.....
..........
..................

Nothin. Move some things around, networks! Shake the sheets a little bit. Help me out. It's been a rough few days. I could use a little something to look forward to.


*Which, by the way, I'm totally into so far. It feels a lot like Bones, tonally, and Nathan Fillion is just the charmingest. Two blog-thumbs up.

Bless me

Allergies are something I have accepted as part of my life. They come along with some of my very favorite things, so I'm willing to put up with the discomfort because the awesome factor is so much higher. For instance, I am allergic to Stinker, but I love him madly. So I shove bajillions of antihistamines in my body every day, and we coexist delightfully. Spring is the same way. The unbelievable amount of teeny tiny little snot making machines it sends into the air is kind of worth it, what with the warm mild temperatures and pretty flowers. This year, however, mother nature seems to have only remembered to deliver part of that equation. The air is chock full of evil evil pollen, but said air is still cold! I am totally happy to put up with your evils, just make it worth my while, planet. Until you hold up your end of the bargan, I am going to walk around calling you a bitch. Fair warning.

Too overwhelmed with whatever chemical "cute" produces in my brain to coherently comment

Please Watch Immediately

I love the trailer for Where The Wild Things Are. I am going to ignore all the problems and waiting and reshooting and assume that anything that can visually and tonally capture something this perfectly is going to be great. Or if not assume, at least hope. Wow. Love.

SO, anybody want to go to the Zoo sometime soon?

Just wondering. That's about all I got goin on right now. I've been working a lot. Working and sleeping. And playing with my new macbook. It's so pretty and fast. One of my coworkers refilled my candy jar for me. Isn't that nice? Jelly beans for everyone! Sometime soon I'll spend more time on the internet/in the world, and have more things to talk about. Until then: enjoy Malian musicians Tinariwen, suggested to me by GH when I put up a status message asking for music that doesn't suck. And "Here Comes The Night" by Nick Gilder. If you spent any time at Tyler/Chris/Phil/Evan's house in Alexandria circa 2006, you are very familiar with this song.

Here Comes The Night - Nick Gilder

Salad Days

My lovely neighbor Dan made a salad recently that changed my life. Only to the degree that, I now make this salad for lunch at least twice a week. But hey, that's a change. Quit nitpicking.

It's truly simple, really. The key is finding really good quality tuna canned in olive oil. Mix that with some fresh salad greens, chopped tomatoes, fresh chopped mozzerella, and drizzle with some balsamic. It doesn't sound like it's that special. But god, oh god, it really is. The cheese and the tuna work so perfectly together, I can't even begin to describe it.

This has been a public service announcement.

A good way to start the day

1. Poach some eggs, eat them atop amazing Truck Patch Farms arugula, radishes, goat cheese, crushed pistachios, with a white balsamic dressing.

2. Stop by Big Bear for a small coffee to go -- which lasts exactly the duration of your commute.

3. Listen to "The Blues Are Still Blue" by Belle & Sebastian while you drink said coffee on said commute.

He Spends Most of His Time with His Sheep

If you skip ahead to about the 2:30 mark of this video, you'll get an idea of what our vacation was like. In it, Al Roker plays the part of me, Meredith Viera plays the part of Sarah & Kay.

You've Just Been Turned On

OK PR. I know you've got to find new ways of presenting yourself to stand out from the crowd, but I hereby object to "(X) has turned you on to (Y)" as a way of saying, hey, check this out. How the fuck do you know if I've been turned on to your film short? Just sending something to me doesn't dictate my opinion of it! At first I gave it the benefit of the doubt -- maybe this was just pulling some key element of the movie's title or description into the subject to create interest. But you want to hear the movie's description?

Harsh economic conditions and executive corruption drive a loyal employee to murder. A man struggling in a dead-end job decides to take action against the system that is holding him back by carrying out a plot to murder the boss and assume his title.

Have I turned you on?

my favorite lists of broad categorization

On Facebook, by The G

FRIEND

FRIEND ME FRIEND

SHOOT THIS HERE ZOMBIE

PLANT A GARDEN

SAVE KIDS WITH CANCER FROM DOLPHINS

GIVE A GIFT THAT WILL COST YOU MONEY TO BUY AN ICON

WRITE 25 THINGS

DO IT

WINK AT ME

NUDGE ME

LOVE ME FACEBOOK LOOOOVE MMMMEEEEEEE

Ice cream GIFs and spinning unicorns, zombies and mob wars, a list of books i have read and a list of books i havent read. 25 things list. more unicorns.

On anti-Watchmen discussions, by Emily

twitter is for losers, eating meat is evil, the Wire is super lame, and David Brooks is the most brilliant thinker of our time.

On Skankets, by Kriston/Me/The G, over time

slankets
crocs
pumpkin spice latte
coldplay
target gift card
amy's frozen dinner
fleece fleece fleece
patriots
tumblr
boy in striped pajamas
two and a half men
twilight
Common
Regina Spektor
snl digital shorts
dane cook
WJFK radio
urban outfitters "concert" teeshirts
pilates
frisbee golf
any breed of dog whose name ends in "doodle"
snapfish
cover bands
pre-washed lettuce
single-serve pomegranate juice
sterling park

This explains so much

Sometime after you've known me for a while (or maybe even at the beginning; I'm not very good at masking my weird tendencies), you'll probably be with me at a restaurant, or in my kitchen while I'm cooking, and do a double take when you think you see something you couldn't possible have seen -- me pouring or scooping salt into my hand and eating it. I am a saltaholic. I love salt. And as it turns out, it's my drug of choice. Thanks for all the delicious times and my cheery disposition, old buddy old pal!

[via]

Slainte

UPDATE: Catherine is a blog wizard (I tried to mash those words together into a new title, but "blogard" or "wizog" don't sound cool) and found a different application. So, slideshow!






OK NEVERMIND
I followed directions to embed a flickr slideshow of my trip, but instead, The Internet decided you'd rather see somebody else's photos of their kids' soccer practice and rusty old chains. So, instead: a link. Here you go.

Trying to figure out how best to blog stories about hilarious Irish people, but here's a start. The descriptions and titles will be a good starting point to weaving the tale of our adventure in the Emerald Isle.

Tremendous.

This video of the Flaming Lips covering Madonna's "Borderline."

Also tremendous: my new macbook.

And, Collin's new music blog.

Little help?

I am in a dire situation. I haven't been able to get a song out of my head since getting back from Ireland (more on that later). But I don't know what song it is, so I can't listen to it and reverse! It is played about 800 times every night in every pub in Ireland. It's a rock tempo song that goes "doo da doop doo da doop doo da doo da doo da doop", over and over and over. Anybody?

Things People that Won't Be Out of the Country This Weekend Should Do

• See Imperial China at the Kansas House tomorrow
  
• Get $1 sliders at Matchbox on Friday
• See The Shirks at the Black Cat on Sunday. And Vandaveer there on Monday.
  
• Drink 4 new cask ales at Rustico on Tuesday night

For some reason, my traveling companions have decided we should pack extremely light to go to a very cold and very wet country. This means: we're all just bringing back packs. Anyone that's traveled with me before probably just re-read that 3 times to make sure they weren't seeing things. I am not a light packer. I am TERRIFIED. But, you know, I can just buy a bunch of new Irish wool sweaters to keep warm or drink lots more Guinness and Beamish and Jameson. And no matter what I have to leave out, I will have room for a tube of neosporin, which is the only thing I REALLY need no matter where I go, ever. So I'm set. And also extremely excited.