Four songs flow like something that flows

That’s how I flow.  Badly.

KKCK:

Jamie Foxx w/T-Pain “Blame It”
After so many songs about bartenders, and buying one more drink, and boat trips, T-Pain decides to help Jamie Foxx assign blame for, well, whatever needs blame assigned to it.  The song is smooth, auto-tuned, and it has T-pain.  That should get it a spot on the next Nowcompilation at the very least.  I think this makes Jamie Foxx the first actor first/singer second to have a song in KKCK rotation since Jennifer Love Hewitt’s “How Do I Deal”.  If that’s not select company, I don’t know what is.

Flo Rida w/Wynter “Sugar”
IT SAMPLES “BLUE (DA BA DEE)” BY EIFFEL 65.  That’s either awesome or horrible, depending on your feelings about Eiffel 65 and Flo Rida, and the combination thereof.  Again, all I have to say is IT SAMPLES “BLUE (DA BA DEE)” BY EIFFEL 65.

Manchester Orchestra “I’ve Got Friends”
This song reminds me of some of the forgotten modern rock of the mid to late 90s, right between Grunge and Creed-rock.  My boss hates it when anyone on air says “we’ve got” or “I’ve got” so this song should frustrate him just a bit more than usual.

Nickelback “If Today Was Your Last Day”
It’s Nickelback.  I really doesn’t matter what I say, but I will mention that for a slow Nickelback song, it has a strong and pronounced beat.  Of all the singles so far, this has the biggest “Mutt” Lange fingerprint.  One would think production tricks that worked so well in the 80s and early 90s wouldn’t work now, but since they do I must conclude “Mutt” is some kind of genius.

Pick to click: Nickelback and/or Eiffel 65.

Battlestar Galactica is now over.  What an ending.  I’m watching it again tonight with the other big BSG fan I know.  I’m curious to hear his take, which should be either “awesome” or “that sucked”.  Biffy is a man of few middle grounds.  In a few weeks Terminator: TSCC wraps up, possibly for good.  There are a few shows I might want to start, but on the other hand I might just keep what I have.  There was a time I watched so little TV I almost dropped cable.  I never did, because I do enjoy a baseball game from time to time.  DVR upped my viewing habits, but a combination of ratings and endings should help drive it down again. 

Braeden has had some…challenging nights the last few weeks.  Most babies are sleeping through the night at his age, but the emphasis on that sentence is “most”.  He’s been up at least three or four times a night over the past week.  I now understand why “teething time” elicits such a groan and look of misery on the faces of parents everywhere.  So far his best career track might be magician, with an emphasis on escape artist.  We have a swaddling blanket of some kind that wraps him up, and it fastens with Velcro.  By the next morning, he’s either one arm out, both arms out, or has it off completely.  This morning he had somehow gotten his arms and legs out without undoing the Velcro.  Last night he got out and turned himself over, which was bad because he’s also still hooked up to an apnea monitor with corded electrodes.  On a more positive note, he’s sitting on his own and he certainly enjoys baby-talking.  I think we’ve got a future chatterbox kid on our hands.

I’m still not writing as much as I was a few months ago, but I think some of that has to do with twitter.  The only thing I really wish Twitter would add is a way to separate the people I’m following.  They’d fall neatly into: friends, web-comic artists, and people I don’t know who don’t draw web-comics.  I don’t want to use something that has to be downloaded, because I split my tweets between up to four or five computers a day.

The other morning I used Braeden’s nap to finally watch the original Vanishing Point.  I know it’s a cult classic, but all it did to me was make me want to take a long, fast road trip through Colorado and Nevada.  That’s also what the movie Scorched and many other movies made in the American Southwest make me want to do.  As of right now, a long road trip through that area is only on my list of things to do after winning the lottery.

I’ve been watching a bit of spring baseball.  I’m ready for the season, or as ready as I’ll ever be.  My big fantasy draft is this Saturday, and I’m not preparing as much as usual.  The reasons are a combination of no time to prepare, and that past years when I’ve really prepared it hasn’t helped any.  This year I’m going with a more “seat of the pants” and “follow my gut” strategy.  We’ll see how that works.

Speaking of work, I should do some.

Wednesday? Has it been that long?

Hey there.  How the heck are you?

KKCK:

Soulja Boy w/Sammie “Kiss Me Through the Phone”
It is now official: Soulja Boy has been upgraded from “one hit wonder” to “two hit wonder”.  This song will be top ten by next week if trends continue.  After “Crank That” I didn’t want to like a Soulja Boy song, and I don’t really like this one.  That being said, I don’t dislike it.  In fact, as far as rap/R&B songs go, it might be slightly above average.  I’d say more, but the whole bit about kissing through the phone is a bit odd to my ears. 

The Killers “Spaceman”
After a single that tried to straddle Sam’s Town and Hot Fuss, we have a single that puts both feet on the Hot Fuss side.  It also has a bit of something new to it.  My enjoyment of the song is somewhat ruined by Chris Parnell and Tracy Morgan.  When I see this song I think of Tracy Morgan as Tracy Jordan on “30 Rock” yelling “CALL DOCTOR SPACEMAN!” who is occasionally played by Chris Parnell (and if you don’t watch “30 Rock”, all the characters besides Tracy pronounce Spaceman “spa-CHem-en”).

HiFi “She’s My Girl”
If young Everclear got in a time machine and jumped to 2009, got signed to a small label, spent some studio time with a slick pop producer, and tried to write a hit pop-rocker for CHR, this would probably be the result.  If the sound of that appeals to you, check it out.  I think it’s pretty keen.

Pick to Tell ‘em: Soulja Boy

Things are going well at the household.  Last week things were a bit on edge.  Before Braeden was born, we invested in what’s called an AngelCare monitor.  It’s both a monitor and a movement sensor that detects the slightest movement, including breathing.  Last week during one of Braeden’s naps, it went off (an alarm sounds after 20 seconds of no movement).  Kate rushed in and Braeden appeared not to be breathing, but once she picked him up he let out a gasp, and all was well again.  The next day during another nap, the warning (10 seconds w/o movement) chirp sounded.  I rushed in, but he appeared to be breathing normally.  We took him in, and their best guess was that it might be sleep apnea.  Some dear friends of ours lost their little girl to SIDS a few years ago, so for a few nights we didn’t sleep all that well.  It has been a week, and so far the alarm hasn’t gone off again.  If I never hear that alarm again I’ll be beyond happy.

Last Saturday I had the day off.  I was in a great mood.  Things were going all the right ways.  I put Braeden down for a nap, and fired up the cathode ray tube.  After browsing the selections on the DVR box, I watched the newest episode of Battlestar Galactica, “Someone to Watch Over Me”.  The rest of my day was pretty much ruined.  I’m not saying I hated the episode or the direction it took.  The episode was good and the directions (mostly) made sense.  What happened on the episode actually bummed me out.  I found myself worried about the characters on the show, and it made me think about things I’d rather not think about.  If turning your mood around for those reasons doesn’t indicate quality television, I don’t know what would.  In happier TV times, I’m still loving Terminator, and I’m glad to see viewership is going up (because of the hype about the new movie perhaps)?  I’m a few episodes behind on Dollhouse, but from reading my Twitter feed I’m not missing too much. 

It is probably too late, but I was thinking of doing a post called the “russ-cars” since I skipped the Oscars this year.  My awards would be easy to do because I only saw five movies at the theater last year.  There’s a movie challenge if I ever heard one, especially considering the five movies I saw:
Iron Man
The Dark Knight
Wall-E
Quantum of Solace
X-Files: I Want to Believe
Like it or not, the X-Files film probably has to win at least one of ‘em.  I remember doing year end movie top ten lists, back when there were ten movies a year I wanted to see.  The motion picture industry is losing me, but this year I might actually see at least six:
Star Trek
Terminator: Salvation
Transformers 2
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Up
Am I forgetting any?

I’ve really been into Twittering lately, which means that it probably isn’t cool anymore.  If you follow me at http://twitter.com/russ4life, I’ll probably follow you back.  I haven’t written much blog wise lately.  After a few days, not posting to Cliffhanger Theater isn’t as weird as it was the day after the story ended.  I’m hoping to get to some other blogs about music here, about South Dakota over at russ4life, and maybe do a few Facebook “iTunes on shuffle” survey-things I’ve been putting off.

For some reason I woke up extra tired today.  I’d better save some energy for my show.

Four artists but just two songs?

It isn’t even an even split.

KKCK:

Eminem w/Dr. Dre and 50 Cent “Crack a Bottle”
Let’s take a look back at initial hits from Eminem CDs for a moment.  The first album gave us “My Name Is…” which was a fun mid-tempo bouncer that had some naughty moments.  The next album stuck “The Real Slim Shady” in our heads for months.  It picked up the pace, had a decent beat, and was utterly quotable.  We’ll skip the 8 Milesoundtrack, but I’ll touch on it in a second or two.  Eminem reached his zenith of wacky but randy lyrics on “Without Me”.  “Just Lose It” wasn’t bad, but it sounded forced in a few spots.  Encore changed things up by dropping a different kind of song from Curtain Call.  “When I’m Gone” was the darker, moodier kind of song that was usually saved for a second single.  The new Eminem CD’s lead track tries to play it both ways in my head.  The chorus sounds like one of his faster songs, but slowed down to fit into one of his darker, slower, moodier songs.  The vibe of the bulk of the song strikes me as one of his slower songs, which I’ve never been a fan of.  That opinion has me in the minority.  Eminem’s darker songs, like “Superman”, “Cleanin’ Out My Closet”, “Lose Yourself” and the rest are the songs that are requested 99 % of the time here.  I often wonder why his less fun songs seem to stick longer and get more attention here, or is it that way everywhere?  The guest stars on the song don’t add much, especially when after being away so long Eminem turns over close to half of his song to people who aren’t Eminem.  I’d argue this is probably the weakest first hit single Eminem has ever had from an album, but it did (temporarily) set a record for most first week downloads, so what do I know?

Utada “Come Back to Me”
At long, long last, Utada is starting to break through.  I’ve been a fan since her first English CD, and I liked it enough to pick up a few of her Japanese CDs on eBay.  Her American releases lean towards a lower vocal delivery and punchier beats, and they don’t make her sound like she’s watering down her sound (take notes on that Shakira).  Her album is a few weeks away, but if you like this check out her last English CD Exodus.  I think you’ll agree there’s just something about her voice that’s…alluring.

Pick to click: Eminem

Sorry for the late posting.  I’ve been borderline-slacking on my 52 Cards blog, so I usually end up writing those the night before they go up.  I’ve also been wrapping up Cliffhanger Theater which is taking a break after a year of daily updates.  There were times I thought I was wasting my time, and other times I wondered if anyone was even reading it.  The views have been lower than I had hoped, but over the course of a year writing it has taught me a lot about writing, and a lot about myself.  I plan to take the story and hack-n-slash it half so it’s about regular novel length, plus I need to clean up a lot of the early entries.  Before then, I plan to start writing something else I can hopefully finish by the end of the year.  I won’t be posting that online, at least not right away.  I might let a few things slip here and there at my recently un-privated-blog 13 Shots (I explain the name in the first entry).  Right now I’m wondering how much I’ll write in March.  Part of me wants to take some time off, and part of me wants to write more.

BSG was BRG last week, as in boring.  Jane Espenson wrote the episode, and she’s the head writer of the upcoming spin-off “Caprica”.  She is way more space opera than science fiction.  I can feel the show building towards a resolution, but I’m not sure yet what that will be, so I’ll give RDM credit for that. 

There were other reasons for this blog being late, but I don’t want to talk about them.  Everything is fine now, and if I want to talk about it, I’ll write about it next week.

General question for any PC gamers out there.  Has anyone reading this used Valve’s Steam service?  How does it work?  How well does it work?  I’m looking at getting Xcom for five bucks, but I’d like to hear from someone who has used the service.

I’m a bit short on time today, so I need to wrap up.  I’ll be around online if you know where to look.

Two new songs for the price of none

You can’t find a better deal! Well, you could…but stick with me here.

KKCK:

Lily Allen “The Fear”
I remember all the hype behind Lily Allen the last time around, and her album, at least to me, was a bit “meh”.  I’ll check out the new one because this song changes up her formula in a way I like.  That and Mr. Dewey liked the album, and more than half the time I’ll agree with him.

Carolina Liar “Show Me What I’m Looking For”
This song reminds me of another time in music, but I can’t think of when.  Maybe it was earlier days of Coldplay, when we were all over Travis songs.  The song is pretty nondescript, but the added bells in the chorus take it to another time and place.  They almost sound British at times, which isn’t a bad thing.

Pick to click: Carolina Liar

Today I was working on a commercial for HyVee, and a Bjork song popped up on my iPod.  It sent me right into a “Bjork mood”.  I haven’t had one of those in a while, and I never know what they mean or why I get them.  Right now I’m listening to my favorite Bjork CD, Post.  The song that put me in the mood was from Medulla, which used to be my least favorite Bjork CD, but over the last year it has really grown on me.  For my money, Postis best listened to one of two ways: on headphones or in a car late at night.  A third way might be while playing “Golf” on the NES in a dorm room, but that’s more a college flashback.

Battlestar Galactica crammed so much information in last week’s episode I felt like taking notes.  Seriously, we want answers BUT NOT ALL AT ONCE.  Damn.  In BSG’s defense, with only five more episodes something like this was bound to happen. 

I’m late to the party, but I’ve found myself hooked on the show “Making Fiends”.  It was a quick hook, since there are only six episodes Nicktoons is showing (supposedly they have 20 done, but aren’t showing the rest for some reason).  The show is based on a web-toon, and I’ll probably start watching those soon.  I never imagined liking anything from a Nickelodeon network, as I’ve been a big Cartoon Network guy for years.  Lately, CN’s new shows haven’t grabbed me.  Nicktoons runs the hell out of a show called “My Life as a Teenage Robot” that I’m borderline hooked on.  Their new “Wolverine and the X-Men” show is turning into the best X-Men show yet, and their new Iron Man show starts in April.  CN gets points for their new Batman show, and for renewing “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.  This winter they’ll have the new “Marvel Super-Hero Squad”, a show based around those highly stylized action figures you can find in a two pack that look like they’re made for three year olds.  I’m curious to see how that works, and if they use Punisher and Ghost Rider (I have their Super Hero Squad figures guarding my computer). 

Baseball is starting to fire up again.  I could write a rambling screed about A-rod, but I’m trying to focus on the actual playing of the game.  It should be an interesting year around the league.  MLB Network is making me a bit more of a fan, if that was possible.  This weekend they’re rerunning a bunch of games from the 1980s, when my card collecting was at its peak.  One of the games is Ryne Sandberg’s two-homer game against the Cardinals in 1984.  I really hope they use the WGN feed for that. 

I’m starting to worry I’m developing acid reflux.  I’m waking up at night on the verge of vomiting, even when my stomach is empty.  My throat actually hurt this morning, and the feeling was akin to a burning sensation.  I shouldn’t be surprised, as this ol’ bod has 35 years on it.  Things are bound to start going wrong.  I swear I only drove it on Sundays.

I finally watched Joss Whedon’s new show last night, and it left me with a bit of a “meh” feeling.  I’m curious to keep watching, as the episode got better as the show went on.  I’m trying not to get attached, as FOX has it on a Friday night, which is pretty much a death slot.  I’ve started hoping that the guys behind the Terminator show wrote their season finale as a series finale.  The show was down almost two million viewers in the show’s new Friday night slot.  I’d go on a rant like I used to when I was trying to save Veronica Mars, but the demise of that show left me a bit jaded.

Things are going swell at home.  Braeden is starting to wake up more at night, which we’ve read can happen at this age.  He decided to arise at 6 AM this morning, after a nice few weeks of 7:30 AM sleep.  He’s laughed a few times in front of me, and he almost slithered this morning for me.  My brother and I walked before we could crawl, and Braeden looks like he isn’t getting the hang of crawling as much as he loves being in a jumper.  Kate has been such a stellar mom for the little guy.  He reacts to her in ways he never does for me.  Sometimes I still look at him and think to myself I have no idea what I’m doing.  For a long time I’ve wanted children, but at the same time I spent quite a few formative years without a father figure in the picture.  I know I whine about this about once a month on the blog, but I’m still nervous about the situation. 

Has anyone who reads this written a novel or something similar?  My year long blog project is set to end next week, and after that I’ll take about a week break and then start working on a novel I’ve been plotting out.  I don’t have any really specific questions.  Just some general comments about how other people have approached the subject would be helpful. 

On that note, I’ll call it a day.  Have a good rest of the week everyone.

How to go on when the thrill is gone

How to go on…

KKCK:

Miley Cyrus “The Climb”
Well…this is the only new song this week.  By default, it is both the best and words, hottest and coldest, and dopest and illest.  The song is one of those soaring ballads, that starts quiet and sparse but gets loud and full by the end.  Miley’s voice is pushed to the limit (maybe too far) on this one, and that’s how it should be because the song is the lead single from the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack.  So…yeah.  Let’s just wrap this part of the blog up.

Pick to Click: Miley Cyrus

By the way, comments are always welcome.  However, this week I’m going to ask for them on a few topics:

1.  Is it just me, or is MySpace slowly dying on the vine?  I’m still getting a lot of random blog views, but comments are few and far between.  When I have the notice that I have “new blog posts” to read, almost all of them are singers, bands, or some other blog written by a famous person or whomever writes their blogs for them.  I double post the blog now to one of my wordpress blogs, but it doesn’t get the views that my MySpace blog does.  That’s why the MySpace blog is still my main blog, at least in my mind.  I’ve stopped listing it as my “web site” on places like Twitter, and I gave my russ4life blog as a destination in our Christmas letter (er, I mean Weevil did).  I had Facebook set to import my blogs for a while, but it stopped doing it after a while.  That was fine with me, as it usually just cropped it off and made people click on the link to get back to the original post.  I’ve started posting the new music blog at my Last.fm profile, but I only have one friend there.  I’m not sure of the general rule of thumb for adding/meeting people on that site is.  I should have joined it years ago, because I love some of the features it has.  Speaking of features, would it kill MySpace to add some new features to the blog section?  Should I slowly begin the transition to another home, or just keep pluggin’ away here?

2. Between MySpace, Last.fm, and wordpress I have eight places where I blog.  I thought separatingthem by various topic was a good idea, but I’ve been wondering if condensing them into one or two is a good idea.  I’d probably want to keep fiction and non-fiction writing apart.  Any opinions out there?

3. Animal Collective and TV on the Radio: I’m still wondering what I’m missing here.  I keep hearing how great those two bands are, but every time I try to listen I just don’t enjoy or appreciate it.  Anyone?  Anybody?

Now, back to the part of the blog where I don’t fish for comments (but hey, go nuts if you want…I’m in a comment readin’ mood).

BSG didn’t kill my favorite character…yet.  I get the feeling that at least some of the main characters are going to bite it before the end of the show next month.  I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by speculating that the Galactica herself might not make it to the end.  There was a scene in last week’s ep in the engine room, and a character  noticed what looked like either damage or metal stress fatigue.  Either way, the show has done a mostly good job of showing the Galactica getting more and more beat to hell.  Don’t forget, in the miniseries the Galactica was the oldest ship and was on her way to be decommissioned.  Aside from my favorite character (who I don’t mention anymore to avoid being spoilery) my second favorite would probably be the Galactica herself. 

Then, there’s Knight Rider.  Two episodes to go for the first season.  No word on the second, but I’d be totally shocked.  Granted, stranger renewals (Sledge Hammer comes to mind, since they ended season one with a nuclear explosion because they were so confident there wouldn’t be a second season) have happened.

There was more I wanted to type today, but the muse escaped.  I’ll have to build a better cage next week.

We’re just three new songs and one DJ…

…stealing Beastie Boys lyrics without delay.

KKCK:

Flo Rida “Right Round”
This song borrows a bit of Dead or Alive, and his style of rapping on the verses reminds me of some old pop/rock song I can’t think of.  All I can remember is that some store in Fargo used it in a jingle for something, or I saw it on a Fargo TV station growing up.  I’d enjoy the song a lot more if I could remember what old song that is.  I’m not even just saying that, because I am enjoying this way more than any other Flo Rida song I’ve ever heard.  With any luck, it might erase the spectre of “Low” from my memory.

New Kids on the Block “Dirty Dancing”
A band successful in the 80s doing a song that shares its name with an 80s movie, AND the song even rhymes “Patrick Swayze”?  That might just be crazy enough to work.  If you don’t know it’s NKOTB, you might not even recognize it as NKOTB.  I’ve never been a huge fan, but this one isn’t too bad.

My Chemical Romance “Desolation Row”
First, like Usher once did, these are my confessions.  I’ve never read “The Watchmen” so I have no idea what the movie will be like.  I’ve never heard the original version of this song by Bob Dylan.  It wasn’t on the “Essential Bob Dylan” CD I ripped into my iTunes.  So, I can only approach this as the three minutes of My Chemical Romance that I hear on my speakers.  Of those three minutes, I like them all.  I hope they don’t dilly dally too long before their next CD.

Pick to click: Flo Rida

Say, that was a pretty good week.  Dare I say it was our best week so far in 2009. 

No show as ever made me delirious with spoiler fever as Battlestar Galactica.  I had a spoiler window open, and I was ready to scroll down…but I just couldn’t do it.  I just want to know if my favorite character bit it.  It sure looks like the character did, and from the next week teaser at the end they even said the character was dead.  That’s why I’m holding hope actually.  Ron Moore never tips his hand like that, unless he has another plan up his sleeve for said character.  So, I’ll patiently wait for that character’s official fate (I’m trying so hard to not spoil anything for those who may be waiting for the season to finish before watching/buying/downloading).

After tonight there will only be two new episodes of Knight Rider, and then we wait for NBC to put a bullet in it.  I hope they don’t, as the show has shown some promise, and the producers seem willing to do whatever it takes to make the show work.  The show has gotten a lot better since the first episode, but it has a long way to go. 

Things at home are going really well.  Braeden is getting bigger, stronger, faster, and smarter by the day.  Kate’s knee is almost all the way back from her surgery.  Our cats continue both amuse and annoy, as cats are born to do.  We’re talking about where we might like to go for a long weekend once the weather warms up, but so far we don’t have any concrete plans.

Just since I started writing this week’s MySpace/WordPress/Last.Fm blog, Kate called to tell me Braeden was laughing.  We’ve been trying to get him to laugh for over a month, as he was at the age where he should start laughing.  What got him to laugh?  Mac the cat meowing at him.  If cats amuse him, he’s in for a fun filled life.

That wraps things up for this week.  Before I go, I was recently tagged by several people on Facebook to do one of those “25 Random Things About Me” deals, so I thought I’d cross post it for anyone who cares to read it but isn’t a Facebook friend.

1. I would still rather watch a well done cartoon than an above average live action show.

2. When I’m walking my son around to calm him down, I talk about baseball, philosophy, Battlestar Galactica, work, or whatever else is on my mind. Some days I swear he’s actually paying attention.

3. I think I drink way too much soda pop.

4. I might be addicted to the internet.

5. In college, I wanted to work anywhere but in Marshall. I’ve worked in Marshall over ten years, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

6. I bottle up feelings rather than talk about them. I am working on this.

7. When I think back to High School, I remember a lot of good times and quite a few things that make me wonder “what was I thinking?” (mainly my hairdo). I wouldn’t trade my time at VHS for anything though, and I’m really happy to see so many Veblen-ites (Veblonians? Vebleners?) popping up on Facebook.

8. On my iPod, I have almost 200 traditional Native American songs, over 500 Spooncat songs, every They Might Be Giants album, over eighty songs by Glenn Miller, most of my old hair rock, every 10,000 Maniacs, AC/DC, Metallica, ZZ Top, Fiona Apple, Bowling for Soup, Megadeth, Sheryl Crow, No Doubt, Dangerous Toys, Weird Al Yankovic, Daft Punk, and Reverend Horton Heat (those are just the ones I thought of now) album, and about 14,000 other songs. Of the 15,900 + songs, not one is in the genre “country”.

9. Some days I obsess about death, but not mine. I worry about my parents and my old cat, and I can’t stop thinking about how one day they won’t be here.

10. If I could go back to college, I’d major in Creative Writing and History.

11. I’m worried I’ve hit that age where I stop caring about playing video games. However, I still love to watch X-Play.

12. I like to think I’m a knowledgeable music fan. Yet, when other fans who I think knowledgeable gush about Radiohead, I feel I totally missed something. I just don’t hear the big deal. Same for TV on the Radio.

13. I still collect GI Joes and Transformers, but not as much as I used to.

14. In my bookmarks, I have almost 200 webcomics bookmarked and separated into tabs of “daily”, “M-W-F”, “sporadic”, “once a week” and “rarely”.

15. As a kid I refused to wear anything with a hood. Now I wear hooded sweatshirts almost every day.

16. I’ve had the same 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme since 1992. It looks like hell, but it still gets me where I need to go.

17. A great friend of mine tried to get me to socialize more because “I’d never meet the right girl in my apartment.” I met Kate for the first time…wait for it…in my old apartment.

18. The best sleep of my life was when I was working an overnight shift. No joke.

19. I really wanted to name our first son “Ichiro Ernest” but Kate didn’t like that idea for some reason.

20. In high school, my dream was to work at ESPN. During college I realized I just didn’t care enough about football, basketball or hockey (among other sports) to really make a go of it. Baseball is it for me.

21. I might be a borderline pack rat, but my mind really associates memories with objects, and I fear I’ll start forgetting things I don’t want to if I get rid of a few things I don’t need anymore.

22. Kate and I have only been out of the United States once, and that was to Canada. We liked it so much we half-joked about moving.

23. The only “bad” habits I picked up in college were comic books and AD&D (and other RPGs of that nature).

24. While I still collect some GI Joe and Transformers stuff, there are several things I used to collect that I no longer do. Some forgotten collections include baseball cards, matchbox police cars, Red Owl stuff, Super Soakers, and Star Trek stuff.

25. I would really like to be closer to my brother, but we’re 20 years and hundreds of miles apart. I don’t even know how to begin.

BONUS FIVE:

26. Lately I’d rather write than play video games or watch television.

27. My favorite book is There’s Adventure in Meteorologyby Neil P. Ruzic.

28. The first board game I learned to play was Monopoly, and the first card game I learned was draw poker.

29. I used to think I was good at poker, until the Texas Hold ‘Em craze. Whatever happened to draw poker?

30. I saved the best one for last. The night Kate and I got married, I had to go to the lobby for extra shampoo. For the first time, I uttered the phrase “my wife” and I realized I had been at my happiest since Kate and I were engaged, and being married has only made me even happier.

[oh, before I forget...Happy Birthday Alice Cooper!]

Three songs for the ages?

Notice I didn’t say what ages?

KKCK:

Nick Lachey “Patience”
While Nick and Jessica were the toast of MTV, I had no idea that Nick would still be getting songs onto CHR while Jessica went to country music.  Mostly I just wanted them to go away, but Nick is proving himself to be quite resilient.  Since Take That don’t do well in the States, why not take a big song of theirs and bring it over?  It sounds like a plan with no drawbacks, and for Lachey fans it is a song with few drawbacks.  For those of us who don’t hang on Nick’s every move, it’s a passable pop song with a bit more guitar that we’re used to hearing on Nick’s singles.

Kings of Leon “Use Somebody”
We toyed with the idea of playing “Sex on Fire” but instead opted to wait for a single with a slightly less racy title.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the song or the album it’s from.  KoL are just one of those bands I can’t get into for some reason.  Why can’t science solve that problem, or at least explain it?  I feel so out of the loop when, for example, musicians/music fans I respect start talking about Radiohead.  I just don’t get it, and I feel: a bit stupider/less refined/out of some kind of loop that I cannot penetrate/all of the above.  So…I do like how the song starts.  Is that a start?

K’naan “If Rap Gets Jealous”
As far as rappers go, this one probably knows more about mean streets and death than anyone with Dr, Lil’, Young, or Cent in their name.  If you don’t know, K’naan grew up in Mogadishu, Somalia, and got out on the last flight in 1991.  I had no idea who he was until we added the song, and the more I read and listen the more interesting his story and music become.  We’re probably early, but that never stopped us before (like when we played a track from M.I.A.’s Arular back in the day).  It’s worth checking out, but if you’re in listening range don’t expect to hear it until a bit later.  Even the radio edit is a bit on the “night only” side.

Plork to clork: Kings of Leon

I saw a story this week that Facebook had passed MySpace in total users, or something like that.  Facebook seems to be a lot more happening these days, but my blogs are only on MySpace and WordPress.  I had feed to Facebook, but it was turned off by FB for some reason.  Maybe I’ll hook it back up one of these years.

Battlestar Galactica has been so frakin’ good during the “final episodes” run.  During the first half of season four I was of the mind it was time, but now it’s really making me want more.  Good thing SciFi wants them to do a few movies, and maybe that prequel series.  Then, there’s Knight Rider.  I want NBC to bring it back, just because it might be one of the more undeserving renewals of all time.  The fight between KITT and KARR last week should have been the high point of the season, but it was over in about three minutes.  Plus, the filming was inspired way too much by the Bourne movies AND the fight was in the dark no less.  I had to watch parts of it three times on the DVR just to see what the heck happened.  The cast is really doing their best with a bad show, and it could be a show that finds better footing if given more time.  The next (and last) four episodes of the season were made in hopes of courting fans of the original show.  We’ll see how that goes.

Nicktoons was on this morning, and I found a new cartoon to list among my new favorites.  “My Life as a Teenage Robot” had snappy jokes, heart and I really liked the overall look of the show.  I don’t think new episodes are in the cards, but I have plenty of reruns to catch up on.  This really is a good time for cartoons, especially superhero/scifi cartoons.  “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is getting better every week.  “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” has been pure win every week, especially last week with an appearance by the Blue Beetle (I’m talkin’ Ted Kord, not the new guy…no offense kid).  “Wolverine and the X-Men” looks like an interesting take on the characters, and “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” starts up in April.  “Spectacular Spider-Man” has new episodes coming back in March, and so does “Transformers Animated”.  I didn’t even mention the DTV “G.I. Joe: Resolute” that’s on the way.  Safe to say Braeden won’t have a problem finding a cartoon to watch with his old man in a few years.

Things in the old town are going mostly okay.  The Schwan Food Company has been shedding management everywhere, including some people I know.  Quizno’s closed up shop, and I got freaked out at Kmart because damn near everything was on clearance (no worries…that I can find out about).  The station’s home show should be a good barometer of how bad the area is doing.

I don’t have a lot else on the brain, other than what I’m going to write in a few other blogs.  We’ll reconvene here next week, or maybe sooner.  I know I say that a lot, but maybe this is the week it happens.

Four new songs! Four new songs!

So, now I can just do the same thing I was doing?

KKCK:

Jesse McCartney w/Ludacris “How Do  You Sleep?”
This is a duo that I didn’t see coming.  I mean, the rapper/singer combo song is a well established tactic to boost a single that would otherwise be a bit lacking.  While I’m a huge fan of Ludacris, I’m a bit “meh” on Jesse McCartney.  This song comes in many flavors, from the bland AC ‘no rap’ version to the full blown ‘rhythmic’ version.  The difference is probably just the amount of bass and Ludacris.  We went with the ‘mainstream CHR’ version, which has just enough of both to give Jesse a bit of cred, but not so much as to require the song be dayparted.  Speaking of dayparts…

T.I. w/Justin Timberlake “Dead and Gone”
…doesn’t have one.  My friends, this is the power that Justin Timberlake wields.  He can do a song with someone who is almost always relegated to our “night only” stuff and get our MD to say, “It’s a ballad, so it’s fine.”  I ask you, is there anyone who couldn’t have a hit with Justin Timberlake on the track, especially when Timberlake is between albums?  I only hope his power doesn’t corrupt him.  From his SNL bits and awards show speeches, he seems like a decent bloke.  I’d even go so far as to say I enjoy hearing “Sexyback” now and then.  Does that make me less a man, or Slayer fan?

Beyonce “Halo”
Don’t you hate it when a song comes out that has the same title as a song you really like?  This is a textbook case for me, as I get Soil’s “Halo” running through my head.  Other than titles, those two songs have pretty much nothing in common.  While partial to Soil’s “Halo”, I find little wrong with Beyonce’s “Halo” other than it isn’t from the Sasha Fierce half of the CD.  So far, I’m digging those tracks a lot more.

Papa Roach “Lifeline”
This band had come a long way from “Last Resort”.  The song is a bit punchy for CHR, but not for our unique blend of CHR.  I wonder what will happen if their ex-drummer wins his lawsuit, and the band has to be legally “dissolved”.  Has that ever happened before?  The closest thing I can think of is the whole Dokken fiasco back in the day, and that was just about a band name.

Pick to click: T.I. & Justin Timberlake

There’s a topic I thought of discussing today.  I thought long and hard about it, and with a new administration and a general feeling of renewal, it seemed like the time to talk about it.  I didn’t have the time to really break it down, so I’ll save it for another day.  It’s nothing severe, and nothing Earth shattering.  In fact, some will just laugh it off.  So, we’ll let that sit a while longer.

Battlestar Galactica…OMG.  I have no idea where this is going to go.  I’m ready for the ride, even if the destination is one I don’t care for.

I don’t have time for much else.  I shift into Mr. Mom gear for the next few days, as Kate’s having her meniscus repaired.  Wish me luck.

Thursday is not the new Wednesday (4 & more)

I’m a day late.  Decide my punishment in the comments.

KKCK:

John Legend w/Andre 3000 “Green Light”
I was all about this song about a month or two ago.  The song was huge, and now CHR is giving it a run so it can live once more.  The more I hear John Legend the more I want to hear more John Legend.  Quite frankly, I’d call it a crime this song wasn’t pushed harder and wasn’t a big CHR hit last year.  If not for the lull in new songs it might have never made it for some reason.  I’m not sure why CHR hasn’t given John more love over the years. 

Lady Gaga “Poker Face”
A few days ago I linked to a story about Lady Gaga lighting her thongs on fire.  I’ve had a hard time focusing on this song since then.  Why did it take this long for a song about poker to make it?  I bet Lady Gaga has a great poker face.  Even if she doesn’t, she lights her thongs on freakin’ fire.  Who’d look at her face when anytime a fire may start in her nether regions?

Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat “Lucky”
After a confab with the co-workers, it was decided that if Jason and Colbie had covered Britney’s “Lucky”, that would have been comedy gold.  GOLD I tell you!  Anyway, instead we get a nice duet that should nuzzle up to the top ten on the AC chart for months, and maybe a top twenty spot on CHR.  Then again, I didn’t think Jason had a #1 in him, and “I’m Yours” proved me wrong.

Kelly Clarkson “My Life Would Suck Without You”
On Kelly’s last CD, she wrote her own material and did things her way.  Now that the music business has beaten those dreams down, she embraces the American pop music machine once again, and takes on a song that should be a big hit, thanks to a combination of name recognition and solid production.  Is it just me or does she sound less than enthusiastic on this track?  Even her album cover conveys a message of “well, my way didn’t work, so back to the grind” with the way she’s pulling on her jacket, and the forced look of interest.  I could be reading into it too much, but I will probably never know.

Pick to click: Kelly Clarkson.  Congrats.  Now get back to work.

I do apologize for being late this week.  I had to catch up on a few other blogs, and we’ve had some doctor visits mixed in.  Kate’s got something kinda odd going on with her abdomen, and the doctors are so far stumped.  The ultimate frustration came yesterday during the ultrasound.  The tech couldn’t tell us what she was seeing, and her doctor won’t be able to tell her the results from the lab until Friday.  There’s a small chance it could be serious, but it most likely isn’t.  We’re just hoping it doesn’t affect her knee surgery next week.  Her meniscus is completely torn, and this seemed like as good a time as any to get it fixed.  She’s been trying to keep her spirits up, but she often claims she’s “falling apart”.  I just hope I can continue to help hold her together. 

The final ten BSGs start this Friday.  I’m not getting as excited as I thought I would.  I keep thinking of how Ron Moore ended DS9, which leads me to think it will be bittersweet at best.  I just don’t know how they’re going to wrap everything up, and I know I won’t like it.  I wonder if BSG will get re-imagined again someday in a totally different way?  Hopefully not the Knight Rider way, even though I’m enjoying the show for the sheer fact I can’t believe it’s still on.  The upcoming fight between KITT (as a Mustang) vs. KARR (now some kind of ATV/robot transformer) should be a highlight of the first (and probably only) season.

After reading all the hype, I downloaded the new Animal Collective CD.  I’m not feeling this “album of the year” buzz.  Besides, would that be some kind of record?  If an album came out that mind-blowingly awesome in January, how excited would you be to drop a CD in June?  Or even March? 

I’m going to clear out my Last.FM data later today, and re-import it.  It bothers me that I had a bunch of artists misspelled or incorrectly labeled.  The one that burned me the most was Tripping Daisy.  I had that song on my first iPod, and all this time the song was marked “Tripping Dasy”.  Granted, it is only one song, but “I Got a Girl” is worth the proper spelling.

Time for another Hot Pocket.  Have a swell post-Wednesday.

4 songs get 4 words each.

Can I do it?

I really think so.

KKCK:

Britney Spears “Circus”
Tarty dancy basic pop.

We the Kings “Secret Valentine”
Rock? Sure.  Why not.

Paramore “Decode”
Slow and different.  Likey.

Vincenza DeCasare “Silent Screams”
Hard name to pronounce.

Pick to click: Paramore

It’s hard to stop.

Perhaps a new subject?

Television has been good.

No movies interest me.

Kate is still great.

Braeden is crying less.

Reflux was the cause.

That did not work.

Maybe South Dakota?  Perhaps.

Nothing new going on.

Work is going fine.

No shortage of commercials.

Diet Coke is tasty.

At least for today.

I had a thought.

Should I join Twitter?

Or maybe Last FM?

Does that one qualify?

Is FM a word?

I am counting it.

Is this old yet?

I think it is.

Well, that is all.

We will talk again.

Does next week work?

It does for me.

Help.  I can’t stop.

Did you know that…

…my lucky number is…

…four?  Ellipses are cheating.

Oh!  I almost forgot.

New Galactica in January.

SciFi has a trailer.

Check it out now.

I will wait here.

Okay, now I’m done.