Sunday, July 31, 2005

ReVoLuTIoN: Phase 1 ... Complete

On Friday morning at work, I had my performance review. To make a long story short, I gave them my verbal notice and told them I'd have it in writing on Monday. I'm not going to take their shit anymore. I've already applied to a few other places...

Last night, Rain (http://raintribute.com/) was awesome as usual. They played the great expected stuff, and actually mixed it up a bit with some other stuff I've never heard them play. Everything was dead-on. They even played my request of "Strawberry Fields Forever". I completely love that song.

The highlights of the night were probably "Yesterday", which couldn't have been done better by the real McCartney himself (it sounded flawlessly like the album version), "Across The Universe", which was not only surprising to hear, but was also divine, and of course "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", on which George completely nailed the guitar work while singing at the same time. Amazing. That song is actually beginning to join my other Beatles favs. Also, after the encore, John (not THE John obviously) came out in a shower of red and blue lights to sing "Imagine" perfectly, while a Lennon-inspired black-and-white drawing scribbled out on the huge backdrop screen complimenting the lyrics. It was very awesome indeed.

I also received a package from Amazon yesterday. What I got:

  • The Ultimate Vacation Collection (The four Vacation movies in a DVD box-set, one of which is the widescreen version of Vegas Vacation that I've been after.)
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 2 (the original series)
  • Esthero - We R In Need Of A Musical ReVoLuTIoN! (six-track disc)
  • Esthero - O.G. Bitch (eight-track single)

Today (Sunday), I plan to relax a bit. Work on some computer stuff. Maybe take a nice relaxing bath; haven't done that in a long time. Maybe post a thing or two on ebay. Probably watch The Lion King, which I've still never seen, but borrowed from a co-worker.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Our 10th Planet?



Scientists Claim Discovery of 10th Planet
By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer

LOS ANGELES - It's icy, rocky and bigger than Pluto. And according to scientists who found it orbiting the sun, it's the newest planet on our solar system's block. The planet - the farthest-known object in the solar system - is currently 9 billion miles away from the sun, or about three times Pluto's current distance from the sun.

"This is the first object to be confirmed to be larger than Pluto in the outer solar system," Michael Brown, a planetary scientist at the California Institute of Technology, said Friday in a telephone briefing announcing the discovery.

Brown labeled the object as a 10th planet, but there are scientists who dispute the classification of Pluto as such.

Astronomers do not know the new planet's exact size, but its brightness shows that it is at least as large as Pluto and could be up to 1 1/2 times bigger. The research was funded by NASA.

Brown has submitted a name for the new planet to the International Astronomical Union, which has yet to act on the proposal, but he did not release the proposed name Friday.

The briefing was hastily arranged after Brown received word that a secure Web site containing the discovery was hacked and the hacker threatened to release the information.

Brown and colleagues Chad Trujillo of the Gemini Observatory and David Rabinowitz of Yale University first photographed the object in 2003 using a 48-inch telescope at the Palomar Observatory.

But it was so far away that its motion was not detected until data was analyzed again this past January. It will take at least six months before astronomers can determine its exact size.

It has taken scientists this long to find the planet because its orbit is at an angle compared to the orbits of most planets. The new planet is rocky and icy, similar to Pluto, Brown said.

Alan Stern of the Southwestern Research Institute in Boulder, Colo., said he was not surprised by the discovery since other objects around the size of Pluto have been found in the Kuiper belt, a disc of icy debris beyond the orbit of Neptune.

What's unique about the latest finding is that the object appears to be bigger than Pluto, he said.

"Unless they've made a grave mistake, this is for real," said Stern, who had no role in the discovery.



Planet image:

www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/newplanet-072905-images.html

Samuel Oschin Telescope: www.astro.caltech.edu/palomarnew/sot.html

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Thought Of The Day

Like color to the blind
Like music to the deaf
... love has been to me

Sunday, July 24, 2005

We Are

It's funny how certain things will trigger certain feelings. I just finished watching The Butterfly Effect... again. I can't help but feel a tremendous sense of connection with Evan Treborn. Like him, I've often seen the world as something much better outside of my existance. It's as if I have no lifeline. The five-dollar psychic would tell me that I don't belong here, and I was never meant to be.


"One of these things just doesn't belong here."
--- Esthero


Is it always so easy to see the lives of those around you as if you never were? All the pain you've shared with the world, gone in an instant. An alternate version of life in a very possible parallel universe. Does it not give you a complete sense of insignificance? Life - the future of our universe - is determined by the actions of each of us. We all have control over the future, yet none of us do. On a large enough scale, we are individually insignificant.


"If we're all obliterated, the planet won't give a shit. The stars won't give a crap. The moon won't give a crap. The sun won't give a crap. We matter only to ourselves."
--- Dave Matthews

Thursday, July 21, 2005

My Better Half

Half of me sees great potential in the human species
the other half sees our world as inevitably doomed

Half of me dreams of heaven and a magical afterlife
the other half dreads the nothingness to follow

Half of me wishes peace and prosperity on the world
the other half knows it can never be completely achieved

Half of me craves a still, quiet life of relaxation
the other half craves variety, excitement and spontaneity

Half of me would love to marry and have a daughter
the other half knows better

Half of me is the happiest person alive
the other half is extremely suicidal

Half of me is a social butterfly
the other half is hiding in the cocoon

Half of me is a charming ladies' man
the other half is oblivious to romantic interest

Half of me thrives on self-confidence
the other half overanalyzes every flaw

Half of me feels love in everything
the other half hardly feels at all

you wonder which is the dominant half?
sometimes i do too

Monday, July 18, 2005

Mix CD #13

Last night I made a new mix CD for the car. It's been quite some time since I burned mix #12... so I was much overdue. Here's my #13 (in track order):

  • D.V.D.A. - "America, Fuck Yeah"
  • Jarvis Church & Esthero - "Run For Your Life"
  • Collective Soul - "Link"
  • Imogen Heap - "Goodnight And Go"
  • Zero 7 - "Somersault"
  • Usher & Lil' Jon & Ludacris - "Yeah!"
  • Stephen Bishop - "On And On"
  • Kelis - "Milkshake"
  • The Wallflowers - "I Started A Joke"
  • Stevie Wonder - "Higher Ground"
  • Missy Elliott - "Slide"
  • Story Of The Year - "Sidewalks"
  • The Skatalites - "Latin Goes Ska"
  • Ludacris - "Area Codes"
  • Nick Drake - "One Of These Things First"
  • The Nails - "88 Lines About 44 Women"
  • Zero 7 - "Red Dust"

... the application process for #14 shall now begin.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Surfacing

Here it goes, the bloody nose
my castle made of shit
a reason why my hope must die
i'm suffocating it

the struggle of elusive love
is ripping at my skin
a darkened flight throughout the night
will crash me once again

it lives in me so vividly
but never reaches through
so you won't see the love in me
until i need you to

and so for now i'm learning how
the world makes its way
and i'll pull through to be with you
that's all there is to say

Saturday, July 9, 2005

Bad movie concepts

  • A schizophrenic man struggles to contain his alter-ego who's trying to break free and wreak havoc among society, while simultaneously training to become the reigning chess champion of his small midwestern college. Title: Chess Club
  • Three toddlers (two girls, one boy) caught in a backstabbing love traingle. Feelings are hurt, toys and hearts are broken in this seductive thriller. Title: The Sandbox
  • Detroit's toughest cop (LL Cool J) teams up with an ex-convict (DMX) to break out of a bingo-night-gone-wrong at the local senior citizen care center. Things heat up when the disgruntled geriatrics discover their jello to be lime flavored instead of the preferred cherry. Chaos ensues. Lives are lost. Walkers are shattered. Watch for cameos by Ja Rule, Usher and Ernest Borgnine. (Yet untitled)
  • Two extremely talented and beautiful young singers duke it out to see who can impress karaoke audiences the most during a nationwide roadtrip. Along the way, realizing they are really in love with each other. A heartwrenching drama about being torn between those two things which ultimately matter most... love and karaoke. Title: From Kelly Back To Justin
  • This is a biographical film of one of the greatest and most successful women of our time, Oprah Winfrey. We follow her story as she struggles to lose weight while working her way up the media ladder. Watch for the action-packed scenes involving the organization of her bookclub. Title: Oprah
  • A romantic drama involving a gay couple (played by Vin Diesel and Danny Devito) who are told they cannot have kids, but are determined to keep trying anyway. This film is filled with twists and turns as Bruce (Deisel) learns that he actually already has a son (Verne Troyer) but was never told by his first husband. (Yet untitled)
  • This romance stars Rhys Ifans and Barbara Streisand. It's an inspiring picture showing that even weird-looking people can sometimes find love. Title: The Mirror Has Two Cracks
  • Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger reprises his infamous title role of Batman & Robin. We follow his transformation from Gotham City villian to well upstanding hermaphrodite librarian. Watch as he struggles to help library-goers escape a deadly fire without his freeze gun. Title: Adventures Of Mr. Freeze
  • Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie return to their roles from the 2005 action/spy hit Mr. & Mrs. Smith. This time around, Jane's (Jolie) parents are in town to visit their newly born grandchild, James. Hilarity ensues as the wacky parents get caught in the middle of an important hit for John (Pitt). The plot twists never stop coming as we later find out that Jane's father (played wonderfully by Elliot Gould) is in the CIA himself, and was sent in to keep an eye on John. Title: Meet The Johnsons
  • Jean-Claude Van Damme teams up with Rob Schneider in this buddy-cop adventure. After losing his wife and daughter in a freak refrigerator accident, Ray Tortino (Van Damme) is a cop on the edge. His only chance to find the appliance repair man who ruined his life is in top-rookie forensics investigator, and new partner, Steven Bloyer (Schneider). A heartwrenching yet sidesplitting film about finding hope (and a friend) where you least expect it. (Yet untitled)
  • This film stars Ice Cube in a leading role...

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Over

The concert kicked ass. I was shocked at how normal and down-to-earth Esthero was. It was almost like she had jumped on stage from the crowd and claimed the mic for herself. In between songs, she would light a cigarette, hug a fan or two, down a shot of Jager, talk about how Krispy Kreme doughnuts are like crack, etc. And all the while, her voice was just as amazing as always. Her and the band mixed stuff up a bit and added a little extra latin flare to some of the tracks. A few others were more mellow and down-tempo than usual. It was very cool, and I watched most of it from barely twenty feet from the stage. And I swear that at one point, she even looked right at me for a moment when she was singing "Everyday Is A Holiday (With You)". Yeah, yeah... I know. I sound like a groupie. I guess I kinda am. I'd definitely let her take advantage of me on her tourbus. But anyway, I left that night with an enormous respect for her, not just musically. I can't wait to see her again, though I know the next time I do the venue won't be near as intimate. I would have loved to get some pictures, but I didn't have my camera. And even if I did, the flash is broken. I suck.

My Forth was hardly anything special. I went up to the lake like I usually do to watch the fireworks, but I couldn't stay too long because I had towork the next day. It was so lame for that to be the case because it pretty much ruined the entire mood for me. I think everyone should have the 5th off as well so they can at least enjoy the fireworks into the night without having to stress out about work and shit like that. Just for one night.

For now it's back to work. Back to life. Back to stress. Back to reality. Over and out.

Saturday, July 2, 2005

Esthero

A couple days ago, I picked up her new album Wikked Lil' Grrrls and it's great! : ) I've already identified some classics on here and I'll share them soon.

Track listing:

  • We R In Need Of A Musical Revolution
  • Dragonfly's Intro
  • Blanket Me In You (Never Is So Soon)
  • Everyday Is A Holiday (With You) (ft. Sean Lennon)
  • Thank Heaven 4 You
  • If Tha Mood (ft. Shakari Nyte)
  • Bad Boy Clyde
  • Beautiful Lie
  • Junglebook
  • My Honeybrown
  • Wikked Lil' Grrrls
  • Gone (ft. Cee-Lo Green)
  • My Torture
  • Melancholy Melody
  • Fastlane (ft. Jemeni & Jelleestone)
  • Dragonfly's Outro
  • Brave Bear Woman


Right now though, I'm heading downtown to see her show in person tonight...

Later!