Four songs just beat the midnight deadline

Hey, I had about a half hour to spare.

KKCK:

Sean Kingston “Fire Burning”
Every time Sean Kingston has a new song, I think it will be the one I can’t stand.  Once I spent some time with this song, I knew that this wasn’t that song.  In fact, this one is a bit more fun that anything we’ve played from him.

Incubus “Black Heart Inertia”
This new song hasn’t gotten much CHR love yet, but it will.  Even if it doesn’t, our track record with slower Incubus songs is pretty good.  Dare I say stellar?  Bad puns aside, I really think this one could be a big hit for them.  As their last hit (a two year old song that was never a single) can attest, radio will play Incubus if the song is slow and good.  I predict this will be a song I’m totally sick of in a few months.

Daughtry “No Surprise”
In this line of work, there’s an unwritten rule that CHR jocks should watch and/or care about American Idol.  This is a rule I often break, which leaves me out of the loop until there’s a winner, or until somebody who was on the show hits the right formula.  ChrisDaughtry found that formula pretty quickly.  The guy has pipes, but after hearing one power pop rock track after another come down the pipe from him, I’ve had my fill.  I’ll give this song some props for taking a few chances, but in the end the sum of the parts equals more of the same fromDaughtry.  If you like him, then you’re set.  If not, there’s always…

People in Planes “Last Man Standing”
If there’s one thing our old MD could do like no other, he could spot a song that could cross-over from quite a distance.  That is something I need to work on.  Until then, I’m forced to go with my gut and with the data I have.  That combination led me to give this Welsh alt-rock band a go.  It stands out without sounding too out of place.  Will it work for us?  Hard to say, but the data looks promising, and my gut and ears tell me it could be a real sleeper.

Pick to click: Sean Kingston

Once upon a time there was a radio message board where there were all kinds of slap fights and flame wars about KKCK and KKLS (Sioux Falls CHR, in case you don’t know).  That board died and went away, but another message board came along, and from time to time some of those old wars of words come back up.  Now, on the old message board, I actually got involved from time to time in theseonline arguments.  Since the new site started, I’ve stayed out of the once-a-year online blah-blah.  Now, the old wars of words are back on again, and I’m more tempted than I’ve been in a while to hop on and throw down, but I haven’t.  Judging by the anonymousposting , it’s the same person who used to start all this crap back on the old board.  Whoever he/she/it is, they have one hell of a grudge againstKKCK for doing our music the way we do.  Part of me wants to defend us, and the other part of me wants to correct some errors that are just annoying (they’re puttin’ songs in we’ve never played).  I’ll probably continue to stay out of it.  That’s the prudent thing to do, right?

The blog tonight is a bit late because work was really long today.  Normally I can find enough spare time to bang this out, but today it was wall to wall prod, clients, and other stuff.  Thursday should be a better day all around.

Kate and I are pretty booked for the next few weekends.  If all goes according to plan, I’ll be in Sioux Falls Saturday, Iowa next weekend, and Rochester the weekend after that.  I’m looking forward to each trip, but for totally different reasons.  I don’t think we’re travelling much in June, so in a way that will be nice.

Braeden is doing well.  He’s pulling himself up and you can see he’s only one or two leaps of logic and faith away from walking.  He’s gotten to be pretty smiley around the house, and like his dad he’s a bit shy around strangers.  Kate has been good, other than her knee bothering her.  Hopefully switching hospitals will help in that department.  I passed the “first mother’s day” test, even though she can tell me all she wants there is no such thing.

Everybody is asking what I thought of Star Trek, so here goes.  I liked it, but I wasn’t blown away by it.  After hearing about how it was “not your father’s Trek” and all that noise, I went in expecting something that was more akin to JasonStatham than James Kirk.  I found a few parts a bit slow, which shocked the person I went with. Acting wise, all of the new crew members were great.  I’d say there wasn’t a poor performance in the movie by anyone.The science angle of the movie was a bit shaky, but that can be called a nitpick, since this movie was made for mass consumption and not the same people who can rattle off the reason Kirk/Picard/Sisko/Janeway/Archer (there have to be a few Archer fans out there) is the best Captain.  I did enjoy the passing mention of “Admiral Archer” in the movie, and I had to chuckle that “Enterprise” is the one show totally unaffected by this reset of the Trek universe.  The one thing the movie missed was the old show’s true intent.  “Star Trek”, when it was on top of its game, was a mirror that reflected current society into a prism and presented it in a way that was entertaining, futuristic, and thoughtful.  There were a lot ofmorality plays and tough questions asked on the old show, but there were also episodes like “The Trouble with Tribbles “, “The Savage Curtain” (space Lincoln!), and “Spock’s Brain” (dear lord that episode is bad).  The new movie amps up the entertainment value, but Trek goes from being a prism to being a TV screen: just watch and don’tover think it.  I think there’s a place in Trek for that kind of a story, but I’m used to Trek being so much more than that.

If I want mindless, check your brain action, I’ll be good this year.  I’m psyched for Terminator: Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Have a good rest of the week.

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.

A day late and a turkey short

Who’s up for bologna on white?

KKCK:

Beyonce “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Destiny’s Child or Beyonce, but I wouldn’t describe myself as an anti-fan either.  The fast songs I tend to like longer (“Crazy in Love”, “Ring the Alarm”, “Survivor”) more than the slow ones (“Irreplaceable”), so I was quite happy to get this one to play along with “If I Were a Boy”.  “Single Ladies” doesn’t have the raw emotion and raw sound of “Ring the Alarm” that I found so refreshing, but “Ring the Alarm” wasn’t a big hit, so doing a song with more in common with “Crazy in Love” makes total sense.  If you didn’t see her bit on SNL with this song, involving Justin Timberlake, Andy Samberg and Bobby Moynihan, get thee to NBC.com now.

Pussycat Dolls “I Hate this Part”
MTV writer, musical Bon vivant, and blogger James Montgomery listed PCD’s album as one of 2008’s “top turkeys”.  I haven’t heard enough to make that assumption, but this song is akin to that can of cranberries.  Some people like it, but one sometimes wonders if it is really necessary.  I could make a joke about how “berries” are better if they’re “fresh” and “real”, but that seems a bit over the top.

The Airbourne Toxic Event “Sometime Around Midnight”
Step one: Watch me at every party/bar/gathering I went to in college
Step two: write a song about a guy who totally whiffs because he didn’t go for it
Step three: profit make ‘em open the box playlist on KKCK?
At first I didn’t care for this song, but if you give it time it just might grow on you.  I can’t remember the last song we played that didn’t have a bona fide hook, or one that didn’t have a chorus at all.  Sadly, this band suffers from a disease called “Brit-itis” which makes them sound a bit British (or a lot British in parts) even though they hail from Los Angeles, California.  Do I really need to put the California part in?  Is there a Los Angeles, U.K.?

Pick to click: Beyonce

I apologize for my Wednesday blog being late this week.  Work was rather busy, and will only be busier on Friday.  My Wednesday night was spent talking to an old friend who I hadn’t spoken to in quite some time, and baking a pie.  Some of you might be bored with this story, so here’s the short version.  I said “how hard can it be” in regards to making pecan pie, so I was tasked with making said pie for Thanksgiving.  I’m not sure where pecan pie ranks in terms of pie difficulty, but as far as a first time pie-maker goes, it wasn’t as easy as I thought, but it wasn’t as hard as I thought either.  I made the decision to go for broke, so I found a recipe on Foot Network’s website that included making the crust from scratch (everyone told me to go with a frozen one).  I made the crust on Tuesday night, and let it chill overnight (the instructions said at least an hour, so I thought 24 hours would be even better).  The problem with the overnight chilling was that our fridge seems to be a bit on the cold side, and the dough got a bit dry and sticky.  I had to wet it down a smidge and really flour the rolling area before I had the right size and consistency.  Just making the crust brought back a lot of smell-induced memories from my childhood.  My mom isn’t the greatest cook ever, but she is a heck of a baker.  Her apple pies are the stuff of station legend.  Anyway, once I had the crust frozen for 30 minutes, I threw it in the oven so I could start on the filling.  The pecans I bought weren’t toasted, so those got a quick trip in the toaster oven.  While those toasted, the corn syrup, brown sugar and butter got their boil on.  The pecans were supposed to be chopped, but there wasn’t time.  So, chopping gave way to a bowl and a potato masher.  The pecans, vanilla and bourbon (Jim Beam black label) went into the filling mix, and the crust was taken out of the oven.  The instructions told me to place the crust on a sheet pan rather than bake it inside the pie pan, but somewhere along the line my crust had developed a crack, so Kate helped me get it back in the pan when the leak became unfixable.  45 minutes later, the pie was out of the oven and it looked ready to go.  The moment of truth is later today, and then I’ll know if I can attempt a pie I’ll actually like.  That’s the twist ending: I don’t even like pecan pie.

Braeden and Kate had doctor appointments yesterday.  Kate is in great health, and Braeden is freakin’ huge.  After two months, he’s 25 inches and 15.6 pounds.  A friend of ours has a four month old that isn’t that big yet!  I keep joking we’re raising a pro wrestler or a linebacker, and I’m starting to wonder if I should stop joking about that.  He’s stating to get very giggly and smiley, and soon he won’t be napping so much.  That’s when I can start regaling him in tales of the Cybertronian War, the principles of the Federation, the threat of COBRA, and why he shouldn’t pick the Yankees as his favorite baseball team.  Maybe I’ll work in the alphabet somewhere if I have a chance.

Over the past four days four albums have found their way into my head.  Guns n’ Roses finally dropped Chinese Democracy, and lo, it was good.  Ten year wait good?  Well…maybe not ten year wait good.  I need to give it a few more listens before I can quantify how many years worth of wait it was really worth.  I’m just happy it is finally out and the saga of it coming out is over with.  Maybe Axl can relax and get the next one out in just five years.  Kanye West’s new CD is out and…yeah.  Look, auto-tune is fine.  If I want auto-tune, I just need to hear any song with T-Pain, or I can buy a freakin’ T-Pain album.  I liked about half of the album, and there was one song that I liked even more than “Love Lockdown” but at the moment I can’t remember what that song was called.  Next up the Killers returned with Day and Age.  I think this one will have to grow on me, much like Sam’s Town.  Actually, I think the only Killers CD that I liked right away was Sawdust, which was a b-sides album.  Brandon Flowers, make with more b-sides please.  It was looking like G’n'R was the winner, but then Ludacris stepped up and took care of business.  Here’s how good this album is.  I was starting to listen to it while cutting commercials for HyVee, and I had to shut it off because I was laughing too much.  Ludacris exercised a few demons on Release Therapy, so now he’s back to his humorous ways on Theater of the Mind.  The CD was the soundtrack to my pie-making, and if good music helps you bake this pie should be outstanding.  Since I made the pie, I’ll settle for edible.

Other things I’m really liking in November: Kate, Braeden, our cats, Quantum of Solace (better than Casino Royale IMHO), Knight Rider, Terminator: TSCC, the Star Trek trailer, work, gas prices of late, Night Court reruns on TV Land and Arbys.

Things I’m not fond of: worrying about the budget, waiting for BSG to come back, the new Star Trek trailer, and how much Arby’s costs.

The wee one is demanding sacrifice!  Or, at least his bottle.  Happy tryptophan overdosing day.

some songs, emotions, tori and OMG NEW NICKELBACK!!!

I’ll admit, it is a shameless title to get more readers.

KKCK:

Nickelback “Gotta Be Somebody”
Robert John “Mutt” Lange’s hand-prints are all over this like they used to be all over Shania Twain’s music and everything else.  It has that Mutt sound, but over the years he’s really moved towards what almost sounds like a drum machine back-beat.  Look, this is one of the biggest rock bands right now being produced by one of the biggest rock hitmakers of all time.  It doesn’t matter what I say, so avocado drum masher flib-flib nookie-nigh hey-ha glorp blorp whoop whoop nee-yaa stapler shuffle cookie biscuit Wisconsin baseball eggshell satin burrito junior deodorant kittykat noosh glib-glarb gnip-gnop bandu teriyaki fatality.

Ne-Yo “Miss Independent”
What ever happened to Miss Independent?  It looks like Ne-Yo found her, and he’s diggin’ her scene.  I’m liking the beat in this track, and the subject matter is a refreshing change from all the “shawty shake it” hip-hop that seems to be the ruling class.  I like to be pleasently surprised, so I really like this one (no thanks to one of my co-workers hyping it up like crazy…that just made me doubt it was a good song, but a point to him).

Lady Ga Ga with Colby O’Donis “Just Dance”
She’s been getting a decent amount of publicity and buzz, and this song tells me it isn’t all wasted.  The beat drives it forward, and her voice is strong and authoritative without being too much of either.  Colby O’Donis is a nice touch, but he is in no way the star of this track.  Heck, he wasn’t even the star of his own track, as most calls were for “What You Got” by Akon, or even one caller requesting it by saying it was by “Akon and that other guy who doesn’t matter”.  Ouch.

The Killers “Human”
After flirting with a more rock sound on Sam’s Town, The Killers go back to the new-wave redux that made them stars in the first place.  Or, as I like to say, they went back to writing the best Duran Duran songs.  I don’t know if I can pinpoint a thing about this song that makes me like it, but I know when the Killers are on their game, I find them enjoyable at anytime.  The question of “are we human/or are we dancers/dancing?” I don’t quite get, but I still don’t know or care who Mr. Brightside was/is.

Plork to clork:Nickelback and Mutt Lange…taking over the radio for the next 16 months.  Just ask any country fan about how much life a Shania album had.

Over the last week, I’ve been reintroducing myself to Tori Amos, including listening to Under the Pink and Boys for Pele for the first time, and listening to Scarlet’s Walk, Strange Little Girls, Little Earthquakes, To Venus and Back, and From the Choirgirl Hotel for the first time in years.  The first Tori CD I bought was From the Choirgirl Hotelwhen it first came out, and I’ve been buying her stuff since then, even though I wasn’t listening to any of them a lot.  I kept thinking something just wasn’t clicking with me, but it would someday.  It would seem something did click recently, as I have been enjoying discovering and rediscovering her material.  The Beekeeper nudged me a bit, and American Doll Posse also nudged me along, but until the last few weeks the urge to listen to her stuff wasn’t there.  Why it kicked in so hard in the last few weeks I’ll never know.  Could it have been because of my recent status change to “parent”?  The other Tori fans I know aren’t parents, so I doubt that’s it.  Any Tori fans out there can venture a theory, as I have no idea.

BTW, “Gold Dust” from Scarlet’s Walk seriously gives me chills every time I hear it.  I can think of fewer songs that can change my mood as radically as that one.

On the recommendation of alntv, I nabbed myself a copy of the new Kings of Leon record.  I’d heard few songs by KoL that I could stand before, but I was willing to give them a chance, since he said it might be his album of the year.  It sounds a lot better than anything else I’ve ever heard by them by leaps and bounds, but I want Vampire Weekend to relax, since that’s still my favorite of 2008 so far.  In the next few weeks, I have high hopes for new Leona Naess (I’m a bit slow getting that one), Rachel Yamagata, AC/DC, and dare I say Guns n’ Roses?   I dare, because I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who thinks it might have a chance of coming out.  If Fiona Apple can get Extraordinary Machineout, Axl can finally get this out.

Other than music, things are going very well in the life and times of me.  Every day with Braeden is a learning experience in some way, and Kate’s evolution to a super-mom was almost instantaneous.  She’s always thinking of him and she’s always happy to talk about him.  I’ve never seen her happier in the years that I’ve known her, and seeing her that happy only makes me happy as well. 

That being said, I’ve also had several bouts of near-crippling sadness of late.  My step-father’s health isn’t improving as much as anyone would like, and it’s taking a toll on my mom.  I know how much she’s already suffered, raising me and dealing with losing her husband and parents within a four year span, along with an ill-fated move to New Mexico and some disagreements with my brother mixed in after that.  My step-dad has been thinking a lot about death for years (to hear my mom, over a decade) and that’s starting to rub off on her.  The prospect of losing them soon, along with the reminder of my own mortality that their health gives me, tends to render me sullen, melancholy and ready to cry at the drop of a hat.  Kate thinks I should see someone about it, but I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet.  Maybe, like being a fan of Tori Amos, I’m waiting for something to click. 

Warp 11 isn’t helping in the long term, but in the short term it does.  I’m going to go torture my eardrums with “Sto Vo Kor” and “Everything I Do (I Do with William Shatner)”.

3 isn’t inspiring any subject material

So let’s get to it.

KKCK:

Estelle w/Kanye West “American Boy”
Once in a while a song comes along.  This song stands out from others by the unique ability to make me want to do things, unspeakable things.  I believe the proper term is “dancing” but nothing I do resembles such an activity.  Yet, the beat and music behind Estelle’s unique voice cause my so-called “booty” to “move”.  It is a phenomenon that is hard to control, and for the most part I’ve experienced without witnesses, not counting cats.  This might explain the cat vomit clean ups so far this week.

Saving Abel “Addicted”
We’re playing the “amended lyrics” version, so it went from borderline PG-13/R to mostly PG.  It’s like seeing a movie on TV when you’re a kid, and you know there are swears and scenes cut out.  Then, you get older and rent the film on VHS or DVD, and realize you weren’t missing much, and the movie wasn’t that good anyway.  If this song was an action film aimed at a male demographic, it would be a Spike original film written by one of the better writers of SciFi original movies, and would star somebody you swore you remembered from some show that was cancelled pretty quickly.  SciFi keeps making stuff like “Mansqito”, so if you’re in that percentile, enjoy the song.  I’ll pass if that’s cool with you.

Lifehouse “Broken”
Sometimes, a song title will remind me of another song.  Gavin DeGraw’s “In Love with a Girl” always makes me think of “Fell in Love With a Girl” by the White Stripes.  I dig the White Stripes, but I’m pretty noncommittal about Gavin DeGraw.  I thought that was as bad as it would get.  That is, until “Broken” by Lifehouse.  Everytime I see it, “I’m Broken” by Pantera rockets into my head.  “Broken” isn’t quite the anti-”I’m Broken” but it might be in the same general area.  The Lifehouse song is one that the ladies usually call for, or the guys call it in for them.  At least that’s what I tell myself when deep voiced dudes call for Miley Cyrus.  *shudder*

Pick to click: Estelle w/Kanye West

My shoulder feels like Mr. Spock gave me the Vulcan neck pinch for a good six hours.  Once in a while I sleep on my arm/shoulder/neck funny, and this is the result I live with for a good week or so.  What always gets me is that I never sleep that differently, so I have no idea why it happens when it happens. 

Thank goodness Mythbusters has new episodes starting next week.  It might wash the taste of “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” out of my head.  That show had a neat idea, and parts of the show are quite good.  I’m not sure if this is a problem with other reality shows (since I rarely watch any) but it is now to the point where none of the contestants left are really even likeable.  I think there’s one left named Bilenda or something like that, and she inspires “meh” while the rest are just annoying and spiteful.  The two hour finale is next week, and I’m very okay with that.  Thank goodness for DVR, as we now just fast forward all the interviews and just watch the Japanese game show elements.

Speaking of game shows, the new GSN series “Catch 21″ isn’t too bad.  The host is Alfonso Ribeiro, who you may remember as Carlton from “Fresh Prince of Bell Air”.  I never would have thought of him as a game show host, but he does a really good job.  It isn’t quite a show worth DVRing, but if it’s on and nothing else is, you could do worse.  If you don’t like product placement, be warned. 

I’ve read a lot of negativity towards the new X-Files movie, and the friend I went to it with called it “the worst movie of the year, worse than Space Chimps” (which prompted the response “you saw Space Chimps?).  I enjoyed the movie, which is odd since I’ve seen all of three or four episodes of the show.  The few episodes I’ve seen I enjoyed, but I watched them midway through the run, and I was so hopelessly out of the loop I decided to just wait and watch them all on DVD someday when I’m retired.  I enjoyed David Duchovny’s dry delivery and Gillian Anderson’s conflicted storyline, along with what little bit of Mitch Pileggi’s Skinner that made it into the movie.  Fans of the show probably have more of a beef with the movie, but I enjoyed the first X-Files movie without watching the show, so as a fan of X-Files movies, I wasn’t let down. 

The ol’ homestead is almost ready for the new tenant, a.k.a. the baby.  Kate has the living room nearly baby-proofed, and if he/she (I’m holding out hope the ultrasound tech goofed up) was to arrive now, we’d have everything we need, and almost everything we want.  Everyone says that the nine months go by fast, and Kate would agree.  I actually don’t think they did.  For me at least, time seemed to go slower.  Does this mean I lose my “make fun of Kate having no patience” cred?

This Saturday the Spooncat-ish group The Radio Specialists take to Phillips avenue for the annual steak-out, and I hope to be there to enjoy some tunes, and maybe this year some steak.  I need to get in touch with the guys and ask exactly how one does that. 

Until next time…

Clouds and rain? Here are three songs that won’t change that.

[It is time for this week's MySpace blog simulcast]

I wouldn’t want to anyway.  Seattle weather for the block!

KKCK:

Plies w/Ne-Yo “Bust It Baby (Part 2)”
This summer…get ready…for the ultimate hip-hop big budget team up.  Plies…Ne-Yo…in a sequel so big..it…okay I’m done.  I’m not watching any more summer movie trailers.  I have a hard time believing that the busting was such that a sequel was really necessary.  The good thing about this song is the copious amount of Ne-Yo in it.  To me anyway, Plies sounds like he’s had too much syrup or booze or some mix of both.  I expect to hear drunk-sounding vocals in concert, not in the studio.  Heck, Dave Mustaine can’t remember recording a few of the early Megadeth albums and he at least sounds sober on them.

Safetysuit “Someone Like You”
I get the safety angle here.  The song is equal parts mid-90s power rock and mid-00s power rock.  I don’t like to bust a band’s balls for not being original, but these guys bring nothing new other than their name.  Even their wikipedia page is boring.  Now, the suit angle would be different, but not really that different thanks to the Hives.  On the plus side, the song is doing well, and there isn’t anything about it that’s bad.  It’s a vanilla cone of alt-rock, and some people like those.  I prefer my vanilla cones to be the real kind, but that’s just me.

Adele “Chasing Pavements”
Some have called her the next Amy Winehouse.  Amy, if you’re still alive and they’re looking for the next you, they don’t expect  you to live very long.  I hope Adele avoids flashing the camera, getting arrested, addiction, racist rants, more addiction, stumbling through concerts, and more addiction.  She still lives with her mom, so unless her mom is Amy Winehouse she’ll be okay.  I don’t disagree with the comparisons to Amy Winehouse, but she owes her music more to the style of Duffy with less of the slick production of Duffy’s slower songs. 

Pick to click: Plies with Ne-Yo

If  you pick one show to catch up on via DVD and/or torrenting, make it Battlestar Galactica.  Sure, some episodes, like the first chunk of season four, are a bit slow and nothing seems to happen.  Then you have episodes like last week that take all the slow plot threads and give them a yank that leaves you with a threadbare Colonial uniform.  [minor spoiler alert...stop if you don't want it NOW]When Adama and Roslin saw each other again, after what they had each realized each other, it was one of the most real, heartfelt, emotional moments of any TV show I’ve ever seen.  Of any movie I’ve seen.  Of any anything I’ve ever seen.  I’m not ashamed to say it almost made me tear up a little.  Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell will probably not win Emmys because the show is science fiction, and that is damn, damn shame.

I wrote another blog about my feelings on AC/DC going the Wal-Mart route, but I posted that here.  I revised and reread it a lot, but I’m still not sure I’m happy with it, nor am I sure it says everything I want to say.  This is what happens when I get the idea to post something I whipped up with a font download and MS Paint before figuring out what I’m going to write about.

Things at the household are going well.  Almost all the stuff I had in the nursery room is now elsewhere, and the few things that are left won’t take up much room.  We’ve finally got Mac off to the vet to get fixed, so we’ll be dodging the loud heat-meowing from now on.  Eileen hasn’t been fixed, but she’s easily distracted(aided by the fact she’s not as smart as her dad, who won’t win any “smartest cat” awards) when she’s in heat.  Since both boy cats have already been clipped, there’s not a kitten concern.

Kate has been packing for her eventual hospital stay in a few months.  I’ve been thinking about what to pack as well.  I know that there will be some time for me at the hospital to hold and comfort the new arrival, and I know the mom suites at hospitals these days have a DVD player.  So, I’ve been debating what to imprint on the young un’s psyche at an early age.  G.I. Joe or Transformers (I’m leaning “Revenge of Cobra” unless I get some of the new show on DVD)?  Batman or Superman (I’m leaning towards Supes here, since his show actually has an origin story, where the Bat-show didn’t)?  Star Trek or Star Wars (probably Trek)?  I’m pretty sure one of the first things he’ll get is “The Trouble with Tribbles”, since that is widely regarded as a Trek classic, and it doesn’t have any awkward moments where Kirk gets it on with anyone.  Also, he’s due in September, so I won’t be watching the baseball playoffs alone this year.  I wonder if he’ll be drawn to the World Series winner when he’s older.  Oddly enough, one of the first baseball teams I liked, when I was old enough to buy one or two packs of cards, happened to be the Oakland A’s. 

I sometimes think I’m going to talk to the little guy so much his first words will be “shut up”.

Speaking of shutting up, I’ll sign off for the week here.  Write at’cha later.