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the bright aisles of c-town
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Tuesday, June 29, 2004
A Real Interview with George Bush
Here is a real player link to an exclusive interview with George W. Bush by an Irish journalist. She gives a tough interview, and Bush stands up for himself pretty well.This is a good look at Bush answering tough questions without much preparation. The interview starts about 20 minutes into the program. The debate afterwards is pretty good, too.
8:57 PM
F 9/11
Last night I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 with Bill. First off, I thought the film was very entertaining. I laughed, cried, and cringed. I was apalled, disgusted, sympathetic, and confused - all within a 2 hour period.
I thought Moore's film did a fantastic job of revealing a few things. 1) Bush is not a strong leader. One of the many arguments I hear in favor of George Bush is that he is a strong, moral leader who is decisive and ascertive. Of course Moore only chose the best footage to argue otherwise. The footage of Bush just sitting in a classroom for 7 minutes looking confused after planes struck the World Trade Center shocked me.
2) Bush isn't some Republican anomaly. If he weren't elected as the Republican representative it would have been some other yahoo in the back pocket of big business. The economy controls the government, unfortunately, and it should be the other way around.
3) Moore made a point to examine the socioeconomic issues behind military service and the war industry. The interviews and scenes with families who have lost children in the war, Armed Forces recruiters preying on low-income youth, and corporate consultants conferencing on how to make money from war particularly stand out.
4) Above all, I was disappointed that Moore (again) used this film to smear himself across the screen. If he would just make a journalistic documentary instead of a highly opinionized editorial I think his arguments would be much stronger. Some of the footage speaks for itself, and the movie doesn't need Michael Moore driving around in an ice cream truck reading the Patriot Act to make the point that the Patriot Act is a questionable piece of legislation. The interviews with Senators and Representatives make that point well enough on their own.
I am curious to see if this movie will change any minds. At least in the theatre I was in, Moore was preaching to the choir. Then again, I don't know many people who are on the fence regarding Bush, but they do exist. I hope they see this movie.
And finally, do we think Kerry isn't also in the pocket of big business? We can sit around all day accusing the Bush administration of basing policy decisions on business influence - but I am weary of anyone in Washington these days. At least Kerry won't pillage the environment or send us off for needless war - or at least I hope not.
7:48 AM
Saturday, June 26, 2004
5ive Days To Mid.... THIS IS TOTAL CRAP
I originally wrote this post as a comment to Eric's blog. I figure I've spent enough time writing it that I might as well post it on my own blog as well. Here is Eric's rant:
what's with this "replace a letter of a word with a number or something else that looks nothing like the letter" trend that's emerging? those subway adds for 5ive hours til midnight. a 5 looks nothing like an f, or an F. who do they think they are kidding? and se7en. that 7 does not resemble a v. good movie, but that still bugs me. and the one that made me blog is an ad for driv3r. i guess that's supposed to mean driver 3, the third one in the series. it looks awful though. driv3r is not aesthetically pleasing to me in any way. i hope to god the next one in the series is not driv4r. and then driv5r. when will they stop? at driv354r? also, i didn't think of it until i had already started this post, but that stephen spielberg series, t(person thrusting his chest forward)ken did not look like taken. not even close. i remember always calling it tiken or token because that little bastard annoyed me so much.
Here is subway ad Eric is complaining about.
My comment:
Eric, I completely agree. Those Sci-Fi Channel ads with "5ive" piss me off to no end. But that ad is fucked up on a number of different levels. First, there's the numeral 5 replacing the letter F. Agreed - these two symbols look nothing alike and the replacement is visually irritating.
Second, the clock in the image is BACKWARDS, with the numbers 1-12 arranged counterclockwise. They must have meant to do that, for what reason I have no idea. Or are the graphic designers just total fucktards?
Third, the title of the show itself is just moronic. You were mistaken when you thought the show was called 5ive Hours Til Midnight.Your grammar is too good, or your though process is too logical.It's actually called 5ive Days to Midnight. Days to midnight??? That doesn't make sense. Maybe 5ive Days to Midnight on Tuesday, but 5ive days to midnight just doesn't make sense.
Finally, let's think about the demographics of the Sci-Fi channel:HUGE NERDS. These people probably react even worse then I have here, since HUGE NERDS often get pissed off over things not worth getting pissed off about. I predict that this show will tank miserably, based solely on the poor graphic design of their advertisements and the ungood grammar in the title.
...And if you want to see some really repulsive images, google image search the word "5ive" and check out all the terrible boy band photos.
7:30 PM
Friday, June 25, 2004
here's a Bush joke stolen from craigslist
President Bush was visiting a primary school. One of the classes was in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.
The teacher asked the president if he would like to lead the discussion on the word "tragedy."
So the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a "tragedy. Little Jimmy stood up and offered, "If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs him over and kills him, that would be a tragedy."
"No," said Bush, "that would be an accident."
Little Suzie raised her hand: "If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy."
"I'm afraid not." explained the president. "That's what we would call a great loss."
The room went silent. No other children volunteered.
Bush searched the room. "Isn't there someone here who can give me an example of tragedy?"
Finally at the back of the room little Johnny raised his hand. In a quiet voice he said: "If Air Force One carrying Mr. and Mrs. Bush was struck by a "friendly fire" missile and blown to smithereens, that would be a tragedy."
"Fantastic!" exclaimed Bush. "That's right. And can you tell me why that would be a tragedy?"
"Well," says little Johnny, "it has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn't be a great loss and it probably wouldn't be an accident either."
9:23 AM
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Moving on the 3rd
July 3rd is the date! I'm going to move all my crap, or rather all the crap that will fit, into the apartment in Brooklyn Heights that Jackie and I will be sharing. Somehow there will magically be closet space for me to put my stuff.
Is there anyone out there who would like to help me move on Saturday the 3rd? It shouldn't take very long because I'm leaving all the big stuff at my current loft. In fact, all I'm moving is clothes, computer, desk, coffee table, some kitchenware/books, a couple lamps, and a shelf.
My goal is to get 4 helpers so each of us can take a flight of stairs and move stuff assembly line style. I can offer you food, cash, or furniture for payment.
Tomorrow night is Critical Mass, but I'm not sure if I'm going to go due to the rainy forecast. Vic Thrill is playing at South Paw in Park Slope tomorrow night. Matt Davis and I are probably going to check it out. We first discovered them playing at Coney Island at a local bar near the Siren Festival. Vic even commented on my blog! See the archived post here. Unfortunately the comments are not archived.
1:30 PM
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Post Wedding Fog
I'm sitting the computer room at my friend Mike's house in Walled Lake, Michigan the morning after his wedding. We had an absolute blast last night - complete with throwing friends in the pool, countless shots, cake fights, and a picture perfect ceremony that couldn't have been more beautiful.
I offer my sincerest congratulations to Mike and Melissa!
And right now I need to find some advil.
7:06 AM
Thursday, June 17, 2004
SMACKDOWN
Quite possibly the mostest stupidest radio contest ever invented. Hot 97 Blazin' Hip Hop, R&B, and Backhands.
www.hot97.com/av/video/exclusives/slapfest-day8.wmv
1:36 PM
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Remembering Reagan
8:16 AM
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Yeah Pistons!! I'm so happy - elated! Larry Brown is the oldest head coach to win an NBA title at 63. No team had ever won 3 straight home games in the finals before. No team had ever held the Lakers under 70 points in the shot clock era. It's time to stop saying, "The Lakers lost," and start yelling, "The Pistons won!"
Although I'll admit, it's pretty damn fun saying, "The Lakers got spanked." In fact, I'd scream it right now, but that would wake Jackie up.
Did anyone see Mike Tiriko's spray on hair start rubbing off during the presentation of the championship trophy and the MVP trophy? It was dribbling down his forehead while he was announcing.
9:03 PM
Sears Family Portrait
Hello Nurse is meeting at 6:15pm today to drive to Sears to take a portrait. We're talking lame, boring, awkward portrait. We wanted to all be wearing bad clothes, and of course all the guys looked to me. I didn't think I dressed that badly! But, after going through the duffel bag and box that I've had ready for donation for the past couple months, I realize that I have made some questionable thrift store purchases.
Who knows what this portrait is going to look like. We sure love gimmicks!
The Michels
The Ellenberger-Thompsons
The Walshes
The Lorbers
The Andrakas
1:49 PM
Friday, June 11, 2004
Brooklyn Invasion IV
Saturday, June 12th
8pm
$10 for all the beer you can guzzle
4 Brooklyn Bands Invade Manhattan
140 West 24th Street between 6th and 7th ave
The Lineup:
Joe Rogers Band
Hello Nurse @ 9pm
frank
Nomad
8:17 AM
Thursday, June 10, 2004
An e-mail I received from our Chief Financial Officer
The end is a kicker.
As some of you may be aware, a laptop was stolen from the 7th floor yesterday, apparently by a man falsely claiming to have been given approval by [John Doe] to wash the windows. After spending some time removing the screens it looks like he walked away with a laptop that had been left on a desk unattended.
I don't think the lesson from this is to lock your laptop away everytime you're away from your desk. Rather, we all need to be more aware of the people in our office whom we don't recognize. If you are letting someone you don't know (or who is not wearing a UPS, Fedex, etc. uniform) into our office, please ensure that they stay in the entry area until John or the person they've asked to see is made aware of their presence. Moving forward, John will accompany workers to the appropriate area of the office and/or send an email letting us know the details on what they will be doing. In the absence of these, please check with John or me if you encounter someone seeking to gain access to our office.
Spring and summer are particularly challenging times in this respect as we've got lots of new staff, summer interns and interviewees in the office that old-timers like myself aren't going to recognize. So please err on the side of caution (and if you are a new staff person or summer intern and subsequent to this email others ask you who you're here to see, please don't take it personally -- instead tell them how much you appreciate their taking personal responsibility for the safety and security of our office). One very common tactic for thieves like this is to show up to an office in professional dress (like they're there for job interview), to ask to use the restroom, and then to walk through the office unaccompanied, looking for pocketbooks, PM Dawn cd's and other valuable stuff to nab.
Thanks in advance for your help and please let me or John know if you have questions/additional thoughts.
I had ARoss download Set Adrift On Memory Bliss for me and he IM'd it to me. I played the song through my computer speakers. Instant office uproar.
12:03 PM
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
New Hello Nurse Review to brighten up my post-Pistons-loss blues
I was in the WORST mood last night after the Pistons lost. I sent my roommate an entirely unnecessary e-mail asking her to clean up her dishes. I sorted through my clothes and muttered curses under my breath until 2:30am. Since I didn't sleep much I've had a headache all day and I'm just in a general pissy mood.
Luckily my parent are coming by work today and we're going to go out for sushi, so that should brighten me up.
Another thing to brighten the day is the latest Hello Nurse review. Check it out:
Even by their own admission on their website, it took a little friction for New York City-based band Hello Nurse to record their EP. And some how it all clicks together here on this arresting six-song set. You're not far off the mark if you can compare their sound to Television (guitarist Ed Gross' playing harkens back to the guitar wizadry of TV's Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, and he's one person), and maybe with the modern day angst of Weezer.
The songs Hey Sailor contain quite mindlessly catchy melodies, if you don't get the lyrics at first. The vocal harmonies and the hooks dress both anthemic rockers such as "There You Go" and the head bobbing "Animalympics," and on the minimalist punk of "Quit Sand" and "Tectonic." The uptempo "Ordinary Me" even employs a bit of reggae. Mike Garcia's desperate-sounding vocals makes you imagine what if the Cure's Robert Smith was playing at CBGB's in 1977. Usually post punk bands today seem to deliver a lot of bombast without the substance. Hello Nurse is the quirky but intelligent alternative.
I absolutely love every review that is even the slightest bit positive. Thanks to David Chiu from NewBeats.com for this one.
Full review here.
We're playing a show in Manhattan called the Brooklyn Invasion on Saturday, and for $10 admission you get all the beer you can drink. Since we're going on second in a four band line up, there will be plenty of beer to go around. Come early and get your money's worth.
11:16 AM
Sunday, June 06, 2004
jumping around and shaking my fist - go Pistons
I am very excited that the Pistons beat the Lakers tonight. Yeah, the Aeolian Ride was pretty cool, and I bought a new rear rim for my bike, and Ronald Reagan has passed away. But the real news this weekend is the Pistons beating Los Angeles in game 1. Ok, Reagan's death is definitely most significant. But I'm more than just a little bit pumped about the Pistons.
10:22 PM
Saturday, June 05, 2004
2:23 PM
Friday, June 04, 2004
A man's got to know his limitations
Last night I played ultimate with the East River Yacht Club, a young club team who were practicing at a field just blocks from my place. I joined them and had a great time running around. I miss that game so much! But, I think Hello Nurse has taken over anything I might consider "Free Time" for the time being.
I got home from ultimate and I desperately needed to do some laundry. I loaded up my basket with the most essential items since I only had enough time to do two loads before midnight. I walked down the hall and put the quarters in the washer, but the washer did not turn on. I looked inside and saw powdered detergent, likely from another person who discovered that the washer wasn't working.
The first thing I did was swear quite a bit and smacking the side of the machine. The smacking wouldn't accomplish anything, but hearing the BOOM made me feel better. Then I brought a lamp from my apartment to check whether the problem was the power or the washer. It was the power - the fuse in the laundry room must have blown. I searched for a circuit breaker - nowhere to be found. I went back to my place and dug out all my extension cords. 15 feet short.
So then I got clever. I took a lightbulb->power adapter and ran power from the building stairwell next to the laundry room. Now I could run power that I wasn't paying for. I had to bring my ladder because the light socket was about 9 feet up, but it worked. I did a load in the washer and sat in my loft eating my chinese food with a smug look on my face. I even IM'd Jackie: "I rule!! I am so smart!"
I went back at the end of the cycle to put the clothes in the dryer. I inserted my quaters and pushed the button. The dryer rotated a couple times and stopped. I tried again - it rotated once and stopped. From then on, the dryer would just buzz but not rotate. The effing dryer was busted.
Now I REALLY start cursing and I pound the crap out of the side of the dryer. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM echoing up and down the hallways. In defeat, I carry my ladder, extension cords, one load of dirty laundry and one load of clean, wet laundry back to my place. I hung up clothes on hangers along the sprinkler pipes in my room and watched Magnum Force, the second movie in the Dirty Harry series.
Clint Eastwood's catch phrase and last line of the movie:
A man's got to know his limitations.
12:32 PM
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Fahrenheit 911 looks to be a sizzler and Things to keep you busy this weekend
A-Ross just sent me a link for the Fahrenheit 911 trailer. I can't wait to see this movie. Bush bashers rejoice! I just watched Bowling for Columbine for the first time last weekend. Michael Moore does use some underhanded tactics, and I can see why the conservatives hate his guts, but I loved the film. I can imagine that this new film will be equally abhorred by Republicans, if not moreso. Moore is as devicive as ever, judging by clips in the trailer of him riding around DC in an ice cream truck reading the Patriot Act and asking congressmen on the street if they would like to sign up their children for military service.
He definitely found some Bush gems.
"I call upon all nations, to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you. Now watch this drive." "
Bush at a fund raiser dinner: "This is an impressive crowd - the haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite, I call you my base."
According to the Fahrenheit 911 website the film will be released June 25th, and I can't wait to see it.
**********
Last night Jess and all available friends went out to dinner at Carmines, followed by buckets of Rolling Rock at Jake's Dilemma, and a late night round of disc golf. Jess, it's been a great 4 years. Make sure you get back to the East Coast at some point in the not so distant future.
Jon Yang and I are doing the Aeolian Ride this Saturday. The aeolian ride is described as 50 people wearing wind inflated suits and riding bikes through the streets of the city. Some girl has made 50 of these suits and recruited bikers over the internet. Jon and I signed up, it should be a surreal ride and we'll definitely take pictures.
On Sunday Rooney, OZMA, and Straylight Run are playing a free show on Pier 54 at 6pm. I've been a huge fan of Ozma since ARoss discovered them on MP3.com (rip) back in the day. I've always joked that they are more Weezer than Weezer. Fun fun music. Anyway, check out more about free perfomances throughout the summer at the Hudson River Park here.
Oh, and if you've read this far and you're still bored in front of your computer, check out A Down And Dirty Guide To Dating And Seduction For The Man Who's Fed UpWith Being Mr. Nice Guy. I haven't read this yet, but judging by the reation on Craiglist Rants and Raves it must have some kind of redeeming value, most likely in humor and absurdity.
11:29 AM
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Rainy Tuesday night after a Holiday Weekend
Everything was going against us. We were slotted to play late on a Tuesday evening the day after Memorial Day. It was raining. Our lead singer had a sore throat. Our bass player sliced open his pinky finger (on his fretboard hand) on a ceiling fan while pretending to be Jason Kidd in his living room. And I'm pretty sure he was pretending to shoot a jump shot, not pretending to beat his girlfriend, since his father-in-law was there with him. All that and Arlene's Grocery was charging an obscene $7 cover.
Still so many of you showed up to hear us play, and we sincerely thank you for that. We would also like to apologize for the $7 cover, of which we were unaware beforehand. But, I guess Arlene's has to make money - it's their business.
Tonight is Jess' last night in town, and before I start eulogizing him before he's even packed his stuff - I'm going to save it for dinner tonight.
Oh, and the bright aisles would like to make a huge shout out to the Detroit Pistons. I'm still searching for an article that effectively argues that the Pistons will win this series, but I'm still hopeful. Plus, what's even more fun than hating the Yankees? HATING THE LAKERS.
7:57 AM
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