Triops likes 3 songs/mental forecast-cloudy

So Here Come the 1, 2, 3s by They Might Be Giants is Russ 2.0’s new favorite DVD to watch.  Kate & I are quite familiar with all things involving triops and how much 7 likes cake.  Now, who would like some cake?

KKCK:

John Mayer “Heartbreak Warfare”
After CHR collectively told Mayer that “Who Says” was a no go, the next single gets an enthusiastic embrace.  I dare say I get a bit of an 80s vibe from this song.  Speaking of the 80s…

Anberlin “True Faith”
I will never claim to be well versed in New Order, but one of my favorite songs from the days when I taped music off the radio was “True Faith” by New Order.  I liked the song, the bizarre video that went with it, and it was the first song I’d heard on the Top-40 countdown that went up, then down, then up, then down, then up again over the course of five weeks in the 30-40 range.  Anberlin walks a fine line that leans more towards making the song their own, while still acknowledging the original. 

Ludacris “How Low”
It was a damn shame that Ludacris didn’t have more chart success with the singles from Theater of the Mind, but this song is proof he isn’t letting that get him down.  This is a Ludacris fan’s Ludacris song. 

Pick to click: Ludacris!

Normally, I spend the rest of my Wednesday blog talking about TV, music, movies, and the wife & kid.  This week I’m going to switch gears and talk about something else.

Death.

Recently, Kate, B and I drive to Veblen to visit my mom and step-dad.  We had a great time like we always do.  My mom is still a firecracker at 76, and my step-dad still does some yard work at age 88, although now he does it with oxygen.  I have no reason to believe either of them are facing further health problems, and both have family histories that suggest they have a good ten or more years left.  For the past several years, the same thing has happened every time we start driving home: I get very emotional and depressed.  I never thought of it as a big problem before, as Kate knows I have issues about it.  On this last trip Kate pointed out that Braeden was a new factor.  He’s young enough now that he won’t remember, but what if we’re making this drive when he’s old enough to ask questions, and asks why dad almost cries every time we visit grandma? 

In case anyone reading is new, here’s a quick recap.  Between the ages of five and nine, I lost my dad (heart failure) and my grandparents (old age).  Since then, death has kept a distance from me, only brushing close with an aunt and uncle I was close with, a co-worker, a friend’s infant daughter, another friend’s mother, and my boss’s father.  My Aunt Martha’s funeral was actually the first funeral I had ever attended, as my mom felt it was better I not go to my dad’s, grandmother’s or grandfather’s funerals.  That was her choice, and I don’t fault her for making that choice.  I don’t know if this is the reason I think about death the way I do, but I’m sure it has some bearing on it.

What also gives me cause for concern is that these feelings aren’t always limited to my parents.  One of our cats, Weevil, is much older than all our other cats (we adopted him as a stray, so we don’t even know his age).  Sometimes when I’m petting him, all I’ll be able to think about his him passing away someday and how sad I’ll be.  You don’t have to tell me that’s no way to go through life, and it’s no way to think about your pet.  I also know I can’t think about that day when he probably has quite a few years left of being our resident grouchy cat.  There are even days I think about the end of the line for…my car.  As silly as it sounds, the thought of my 1989 Oldsmobile giving up the ghost depresses me if I linger on it for too long. 

Don’t linger on it?  It isn’t that I choose to linger on these thoughts.  For a good chunk of my life I didn’t have these thoughts.  It all started about ten years ago after I saw Saving Private Ryan.  My father served in World War II (in the Pacific theater), and Tom Sizemore’s character had his rank, and looked a bit like how I imagine my father looked back then.  Why it started then or why that movie had that effect on me isn’t really important, as how my mind got to where it is isn’t why I’m writing this.

I don’t know what to do about it.  Should I seek counseling?  What about therapy?  I don’t think my insurance covers mental health, and right now there’s no way I can afford to pay for something out-of-pocket.  Do I just hope the feelings go away or don’t pop up at awkward times? 

I was hoping writing about it would help, but all I’ve done is make myself rather down.  I didn’t wish to make anyone else feel down, so I’m sorry if that was the case.

Here’s to the week getting better.

Please insert four songs to reboot system

Boot ‘em up.

KKCK:

Flo Rida w/Ne-Yo “Be On You”
Mr. Rida was way overdue for a slow-jam hit.  Adding Ne-Yo all but insures this as a top ten single.

Jason Derulo “Whatcha Say”
He’s new on the solo scene, but he’s been behind the scenes as a songwriter for some time.  It sounds like he spent all  his royalty money in shares of the company that sells auto-tune equipment, and/or on auto-tune equipment.

Rise Against “Savior”
Rise Against has never quite clicked with me.  I don’t know why.  They’ve been chipping away at me one song at a time, and this song takes out a sizable chunk.  I’m curious to hear from Rise Against fans as to what song they’d recommend as essential Rise Against listening.

D.K. “About My Bread”
Marshall’s very own D.K. offers up his second single, and it sounds a lot bigger than a song that was self-financed and recorded on a home studio.  Lyrically, I liked “Gettin’ to the Guap” better, but there’s nothing about this song that should

Pick to click:  Flo Rida w/Ne-Yo

Things at the casa de Russ have been great…if your name is Braeden.  If not, the hurt locker is a popular destination.  I tripped on the steps going into the house last week, resulting in a doozy of a shin bruise, along with doing something to my knee.  I haven’t seen anyone about it, but stairs hurt like the dickens.  I bought a knee brace at Kmart, which is helping quite a bit.  The last few nights, my knee hasn’t even hurt after I’ve taken it off.  I’ll just keep doing that for a while and hope that works.  The only bonus is that I mentally pretend I’m putting on a Delta-6 accelerator suit from the new G.I. Joe movie.  Kate has it a lot worse than me right now.  She’s had this back that’s been acting up off and on for months, and recently it acted up worse than ever.  After muscle relaxers didn’t do the trick, she had an MRI which revealed two herniated discs in her back.  We’re waiting for a referral on a back specialist, and after that it’s more drugs and physical therapy…or surgery.  The worst part of it is she’s not allowed to lift over 20 pounds (and she can’t), which means she’s not allowed to pick up her own son.  I know the pain is hard enough on her, but not being able to pick up Braeden is really taking a toll on her.  I’m trying to help as much as I can, but we’re having to bring in a sitter to help during the day so I’m not missing as much work.  Hopefully we can see a specialist soon and get her feeling better as quickly as possible.

In better news, I really enjoyed the G.I. Joe movie.  Countless reboots to other franchises all turned out to be the perfect preparation for me to buy into one for a movie version of G.I. Joe.  The ending could have been better, but I can live with it since it should lead right into a sequel (should one get made).  The real surprise in this movie for me was Arnold Vosloo as Zartan.  I’ve been skeptical of that casting choice since it was announced, but I’m glad to be so wrong.  Vosloo’s Zartan came across as dangerous, heartless, and very much his own man who wasn’t about to totally throw in with Destro’s plans.

I’ve been somewhat oblivious to music for the last month or so, no thanks to G.I. Joe and a few health issues.  I’m looking for any good album suggestions, so suggest away.

A solo singer, a duo, and a four piece. What’s missing?

The number three!  Oddly enough, we have three new songs this week.

KKCK:

Jordin Sparks “Battlefield”
This song is in no way a remake of Pat Benetar’s “Love is a Battlefield”.  I wonder why no one remakes Pat Benetar songs?  I can’t remember any recent hit song that was a cover of Pat Benetar, although numerous other 80s artists have been covered, and some very successfully.  I think Jordin could easily have done that song, or maybe “Shadows of the Night”.  Anyway, this new “Battlefield” song is pretty average as far as pop ballads go.  Jordin kind of goes for it on the chorus, but I think she held back, probably at the suggestion of the producer.  That’s not how I would have gone, but I’m not a record producer.

The Fray “Never Say Never”
Remember the first Fray album’s first two singles?  We all thought “Over My Head” was mellow piano rock until the next single made it sound like a bawlz out rocker.  While their new album took everything The Fray was and amped it up, they relapse into a similar single pattern.  “Never Say Never” takes the tempo down a notch in hopes of scoring with the same crowd that shrugged at “Over My Head” but lapped up “How to Save a Life”.  Will the same thing happen on album number three?  If it does, I think we’ve found the Hot AC version of AC/DC, which isn’t a bad thing.

MGMT “Kids”
While I’m happy to see another single from these guys, I was hoping it would have been “Electric Feel”.  Now THAT is one funky jam.  “Kids” is weird but only as weird as “Time to Pretend”.  “Electric Feel” might have been a bit too out there. 

Pick to click: The Fray

Last night I went to Terminator Salvation.  It was better than T3, but not by much.  McG should stick to Charlie’s Angels movies.  If there’s a movie franchise I can list as a “guilty pleasure”, it’s the Charlie’s Angels one.  Hopefully Drew isn’t stringing me along with those rumors that she wants to do a 3rd one.

The new Tori Amos CD was decent.  It wasn’t as adventurous as her last, but it does what it does well, which is sound like a Tori CD.  I’m still hoping to pick up the new Carbon Leaf soon.  I never thought a Rooney song would get stuck in my head, but their theme song for “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” is way catchy.

Speaking of “Iron Man: Armored Adventures”, has there ever been a better point in time for comics-inspired cartoons?  “Iron Man: Armored Adventures” is really winning me over.  “Wolverine and the X-Men” might be the best X-related series ever.  “Batman: The Brave and the Bold” has somehow made a fun Batman show without making Batman himself a campy character.  New episodes of “Spectacular Spider-Man” start up in a month or so, and that show is arguably the best Spider-Man show ever made.  I can’t think of the last time that many good comic-inspired shows were on at once.  The early 90s came close, but I don’t think the old Fox versions of “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” hold up as well, and the first season of “Iron Man/Fantastic Four” was awful.  Luckily “The Tick” made up for that.

Braeden is close to walking!  It’s crazy to see him starting to stand on his own.  Even though it is way earlier than I’d like, it’s always a treat to find him standing up in his crib, waiting for somebody to free him for the day.  He’s been such a happier baby since he started being able to get around and do some things himself.  I’ve never understood why parents said “they grow up so fast” until now.  Just thinking about the last eight months makes my head swim.  Even after saying that, I wish he’d grow a bit faster.  I have so many games to teach him, cartoons to share with him, and action figures that need more action.  I was going to sell all my old Toy Biz figures on eBay, but now I think I’ll save them to see if he takes an interest in super-heroes.  I have a mostly complete collection of the Transformers “Robot Heroes” and G.I. Joe “Combat Heroes” still in their packaging, but I’ve told Braeden on several occasions that when he’s three he can open them all up if he wants to.

This past weekend we spent a chunk of the weekend with Kate’s family in Iowa.  I had a good time like I always do, but I always feel out of place.  They’re very outdoorsy, and I’m not.  The odd thing is, I could have been that way if my dad hadn’t passed away.  He was a big-time hunter and fisherman, while my mom and step dad were only into fishing (something I have no skill at whatsoever).  I know Kate’s family wants him to get involved with all of that, and I don’t have a problem with it.  It’s just I don’t know how into it I’ll be, and I hope that doesn’t color how he feels about it. 

I think this is a good place to stop.  Have a great rest o’ the May.

Todays songs: Smashes, Thrashes, Hits, Double, Platinum

You can assign those words to these five songs at your leisure.

KKCK:

Lady Gaga “Lovegame”
What the heck is a disco stick?  Is that like a disco ball?  Lady Gaga talks a big game again.  From what I’ve seen in music news, she doen’t just talk about-she be’s about it.  Is that how I should type that?  “bees about it” is wrong but looks funnier.  Ms. Gaga can do no wrong of late, and this song should do almost as well as the first two, but since she didn’t go to a ballad I think it will only get to the top ten before fizzling.  It isn’t that edgy of a song, but compared to her other two it’s a bit risque.

Madcon “Beggin”
If ever there was a song that reminded me of a lot of other artists without sounding like any of them, this is the song.  This song has already been huge around the world, and I can tell why.  It’s very catchy, bouncy, and it walks the tightrope of sounding both original and at home with CHR and Urban formats.  If this song gets the chance, it could be one of this year’s big hits.

All-American Rejects “The Wind Blows”
Man, does this song sound like an 80s power ballad in the beginning.  I’m talkin’ Toto, REO, or “Drive” by the Cars power ballad.  It’s uncanny.  I’m not just saying that because when I run errands on the weekend with Braeden, I pop in some 80s mix CD I made to sing along to.  That has nothing to do with this.  My singing along just keeps him from crying, probably because he hopes that if he’s quiet no other kids will see him in the car with me.  Anyway, AAR get a bit more melodramatic on this one compared to “It Ends Tonight”, for better or worse.  If AAR was an 80s band, this song could have gotten them a sweet co-headlining gig with Night Ranger.

Tinted Windows “Kind of a Girl”
This Voltron of a band (Taylor Hanson-Hanson, James Iha-ex Smashing Pumpkins, Adam SchlonglastnameIcannotspell-Fountains of Wayne, Bun E. Carlos-Cheap Trick!) unite to take us back to the disposable power pop of the mid to late 90s.  Does that make this band the ultimate act of musical recycling?  It’s too happy to be a Pumpkins song, too fast for a Fountains of Wayne song, too tame for a Cheap Trick song, and too hip sounding to be a Hanson song.  In the end, the song probably won’t stand the test of time, but for a time it should be a fun song to have around.

The Ting Tings “That’s Not My Name”
I like the Ting Tings.  I like this song.  However, this song also makes me (and possibly other music selectors) frustrated.  See, on CHR we try to play the mythical “top 40″ songs in the land.  Sometimes, a song will slowly inch into the 31-40 range.  It hangs out there, barely moving, for a while.  This song has been hanging around in that range moving slowly upward at a snail’s pace.  Fast moving songs can move several hundred spins a week (maybe over a thousand) but this song is one of those that moves up anywhere between ten and fifty spins a week.  Other songs are passing it (up and down).  Sometimes a song like this can lose spins and move up, or gain spins and move down.  KKCK has never been married to the notion of just playing the “top 40″, because that’s how we’ve always rolled.  I didn’t hesitate on this song because of the artist (we played “Great DJ” and “Shut Up and Let Me Go” when they were singles).  I hesitated because I kept thinking “I’ll add it this week and then it will tank.”  After four weeks of inch-worming up the chart, I decided to throw it in our light category.  I hope you enjoyed that look int

Pick to click: AAR

Kate has been on my case to go to a doctor for some time now, and in the last few months she wore me down to the point of going.  I had a physical, which went fine.  The thing was that that hospital didn’t do any blood-work.  So, I decided to have it done here in Marshall.  The results came back on Tuesday, and I was braced for the cholesterol speech.  Instead, I found out I had a hand-me-down defect.  My thyroid isn’t working to full capacity, so I started hypothyroid medication today.  I felt a bit energetic and goofy like my mom did when she started it, but I’m pretty sure that was all in my head.  My head did feel weird today.  I could swear I almost felt synapses starting to fire again.  The last few months, I’ve had a really hard time focusing sometimes, which turns out to be a symptom of hypothyroid.  I looked over the list of possible symptoms, and about the only one I didn’t have to some degree was…more a female thing.  I’m excited to see how things are in a few weeks when they start to “kick in”, and a few months from now when things will be totally back to normal.

Things around my neck of the woods otherwise are pretty good.  I just wrote out my mother’s day card about two hours ago.  Writing a mother’s day card now that I’m a parent was really different.  I wound up apologizing for being difficult and gushing about how much my mother means to me.  Sometimes she gets depressed and wonders if she was a good mother at all.  I know that isn’t the case, so I really need to work harder on making sure she knows she was.

So, with BSG, Knight Rider, and Terminator gone, I’ll be writing a lot less about TV.  The only things on TV I really enjoy now are either cartoons, 30 Rock, faux news from Comedy Central, and Craig Ferguson’s show.  Since Craig is on five days a week, that’s more than enough to watch.  I’m hoping to find more time to read and write once Braeden finally gets into a routine.  He’s still refusing to sleep through the night, which is a trait I passed on to him.

Back in the days of yore, I was a big time Kiss fan.  I drove to Sioux Falls on icy roads to see them on the Revenge Tour.  I stuck up for them in various rock arguments.  I pre-ordered their action figures.  Sometime around the second or third farewell tour and the umpteenth greatest hits album, I was done.  I quit them cold turkey.  I still had a spot in my life for Revenge, but anything else by them was nothing I wanted to hear ever again.  I had imagined them in my mind to be a band that cared about music a certain way, but I was living in some kind of naive fantasy land about that.  Recently, for some reason or another, I was feeling nostalgic for Kiss.  I’d bought Double Platinum with birthday money in high school, and I’d almost worn them out.  I noticed the CD at work years ago, and last night I brought it home and ripped it into my computer.  Today at work I gave it a listen (along with the songs on Smashes, Thrashes and Hits that aren’t on Double Platinum) and it was like they’d never left my music library.  My inner Kiss fan and I are now at an understanding, which actually makes me happier than it should.  However, this doesn’t mean I’m picking up the new album that Gene and Paul are working on.  At least, not until I hear a song or two off it.

Question on my mind: are you for or against Monopoly with the debit card reader?  It speeds things up, but at the same time I like having my unorganized stack of bills in front of me.  How will our young board game players learn to make change if they don’t get stuck being the banker once in a while?

Three songs that aren’t too taxing

In an unrelated story, I had my taxes done months ago.  Seriously, why do people wait so damn long?

KKCK:

Paula DeAnda “Roll the Credits”
In most theaters, most people leave when the credits roll, which makes this song title a bit odd.  The song sounds like something that might play over the credits of a bad Lifetime movie.  If that’s what you’re into, by all means check this one out.

Rise Against “Audience of One”
If you want a radio friendly rock track from Rise Against, this is probably it.  Pros: long intro to talk over.  Cons: none.  The only thing close to a con is that I have no idea what to say about it, and songs that evoke the emotion of “meh” aren’t usually long for this CHR world.

Cage the Elephant “Ain”t No Rest for the Wicked”
Here’s a song that causes one to often say, “what was that?”.  It sounds new to CHR because it also sounds so old.  I didn’t expect this bluesy number to work its way over, but it is a pleasant surprise. 

Pick to click: Cage the Elephant

Hey.  How the heck are you?  What’s been going on?

Easter weekend had all the right intentions, but in the end it was mostly hit with a few misses.  I pre-recorded the Shag so I could have a true “weekend off” but of course the computer flaked out and some of the show didn’t air.  Kate had an appointment in Sioux Falls on Friday and work on Saturday, so I spent the better part of two full days with Braeden.  I don’t think I’ll ever stop questioning pretty much everything I do.  He’s learning something all the time, and that thought is actually quite daunting.  He’s still super cute, but there are a few things he’s not doing yet.  He’s not easy to make laugh, and considering it’s me trying that isn’t too surprising.  He also doesn’t hug me when I hug him.  Half the time he tries to push himself away.  Granted, he’s not even seven months old yet, so maybe that stuff will come in time (I’m pretty clueless about child development).  He is always happy to see me when I get home from work, and I’ll take it.

Over the weekend I had two really strange dreams about death.  One was a really vivid dream about needing to have Weevil put down due to old age.  What really got me about the dream was the end, where I held him while his purr slowly grew quieter and quieter until he was gone.  The next day I had a dream all my friends died one by one.  The last two nights I haven’t remembered my dreams, and for that I’m glad.  The friend dream was weird and didn’t seem as real, so the Weevil dream is the one that really threw me for a loop.  I spent the better part of getting ready for Easter in Canby wondering what the point of it all is.  We make friends, form relationships, love…but tomorrow is never promised.  Weevil probably has a good decade or more left in him, but all I could think about was that when his time comes, it will be that much harder to let him go.  If we like and love, it’s so hard to say goodbye.  If we pull into a shell, the loneliness is unbearable.  I had these thoughts mostly out of my mind by the time we got to church, but I can count on one hand how many times I’ve thought about how depressing this Earthy existence is, or at least how depressing it can seem when sadness is casting shadows.  I’m feeling much better now.

Thursday my show will be recorded live before a studio audience so we can take Braeden to see a specialist in Sioux Falls.  I’m hoping to pick up the new Silversun Pickups.  I’ve had a blast listening to new stuff lately, but I’m always eager to hear suggestions.

Have a good Wednesday.

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.

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.

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.