the reflection of perfection. the tower of power; the man of the hour; too sweet to be sour!

my brother on law and order:ci

drop a note to nbc to tell them how much he rocked...(pick law & order:ci, from the drop down menu) or just send an email here

jerry zellers on law and order:ci

my brother will be on law and order:ci sunday 1/30 at 9:00PM EST - check local listings...

afterwards, drop a note to nbc to tell them how much he rocked...(pick law & order:ci, from the drop down menu)

sting's autobiography....

i just finished reading sting's autobiography (in case you didn't notice, i love autobiographies).

the book shows sting to be the intelligent and well-spoken person we all know he is...i can almost hear his voice telling the stories. very insightful about the man and the musician. my only complaint is that it pretty much stops just as the police are making it big. i wouldn't necessarily want to see any of what is there eliminated - it's just that it would seem that the years since 1977 warrant more than a handful of pages.

in one respect though, it makes you wonder...is the tacit message that the life of a successful pop star is not as interesting as the life of a struggling musician...

more than likely, he's saving it for a sequel - if so, i can't wait...

merci beaucoup, scandanavian demigoddess

skiing

i remember from picabo street's book, the first rule of skiing - when you are finished, be sure to show your ski's name to the camera.

i've xc ski-ed 3 of the past 4 days...it's been called the best aerobic exercise - by best, i am sure they mean most likely to leave you an exhausted heap on the floor. but it makes winter a bit more bearable. today conditions were good. the snow melted a bit earlier in the day, then froze a bit making a very slick surface. i felt for the first time that i was really skiing instead of playing at skiing. the park i was at today and monday is the best nearby park for it. i still avoid hills. i tried a moderate one for me, with not very good results. but on the flats and less drastic hills i felt like i was flying - think i have the stroke down - even did some double poling (quit snickering...)

bjork live

been streaming some live recordings of bjork on real rhapsody (debut live, post live etc...) they feature live versions from their namesake albums and more.

great stuff - live versions very different than studio - in some cases i prefer them - very creative and unusual intrumentation...

yet, i don't see these albums anywhere on amazon, etc...
what gives?

clever, yet serious...

the meatrix

an animation about factory farming.

awesome movie

shaun of the dead

mike's xc adventure...

so i decided on doing a bit of xc skiing today. heck, all that snow we're getting *must * be good for something...


here is the trail i went on. not terribly challenging, but up my alley. the trail is paved, but was ok given it was snow covered. i mean, i saw other tracks, so i'm not the only fool to try it. it was really fun...


of course, i stopped to take some photos. not cause i was exhausted, mind you, but because i was, um, overwhelmed with the beauty.


i'm not looking all that good at this point. oh yeah, and the white in my beard is, um, frost.


i think maybe delirium started to set in.


here i am in the car. does anyone know what a frostbitten face looks like?

all in all a nice afternoon jaunt. a rather large meal and a bit of port and my energy and warmth are returning....

procrastination...

i have a bunch of things to do, but few are urgent.
my body says today i should chill; my mind says to suck it up and get something done.

what do you say?

heaven

Super Troupers: 30 Years of ABBA is on ovation

experiment

any honest feedback will be appreciated.

amazon wish list

here is my amazon wish list

while i don't expect anyone to buy me anything - hey, i think it is as insightful as any blog post...

of course if you *want* to buy me something, i doubt if i'd argue *too* hard...

this/that

bjork's best album - for me, medulla...
discuss...

i love the bbc america show, the kumars at no. 42. yesterday's show featured the grandmother asking patrick stewart why there were no indians on the enterprise. she asked "what, didn't you need IT support?"

music meme...pass the baton

from herb

1. What’s the total size of music files on your computer:

3.89 gb

2. What is the last CD you bought?
anthony braxton - composition 94 for 3 instrumentalists - if downloads count
otherwise, wilco and anders parker

3. What is the last song you listened to before you read this post?

pole - modul
was tempted to lie, as this isn't representative

4. Name four songs that you listen to a lot or that mean a lot to you.

the beatles - in my life
aja - steely dan
so what - miles davis
paranoid android - radiohead or brad mehldau

5. Which three people are you passing the baton on to and why?
cindy - showing some love
david - good taste - likes a lot of music i haven't heard - writes well
sharon - ditto

sometimes it pays to be a fan of avant garde jazz...

picked up anthony braxton's composition no. 94 for 3 instrumentalists for $1.58 USD...

you see, real rhapsody charges $.79 per song and this 80 minute cd consists of two "songs"...

2004 (in no order)

house of flying daggers, anders parker, molvania, nellie mckay, designing with web standards, my hero, supersize me, dylan's chronicles, the life aquatic, brad mehldau, streb's downhill: the life story of a gravity goddess, dave holland, kill bill v2, tiger woods 2005, northern state, what the best college teachers do, curb your enthusiasm...

did i forget anything?

*post edited as my memory returns*

mirror project

latest entry

cat two

cat two

this is kinda cool....

music vine shows a musician and his/her influences along with followers...
here is one for anthony braxton

potrait of two cats...

cat 1

cat 3

dilemma

if i can't move until i have some coffee and there will be no coffee until i move downstairs, what's a boy to do?

in other news, please explain how robin williams is more deserving of a lifetime award from the golden globes than bill murray - who is funnier *and* more convincing in serious movies. hey, i like robin williams, but if forced, i will break it down movie by movie...

fashion question...

why is a carefully crafted unkempt look (tossled hair, unshaven, rumpled clothing) fashionable, but a sincere, natural unkempt look (tossled hair, unshaven, rumpled clothing) slovenly...

this/that

i saw a double feature yesterday: house of flying daggers and elektra

house of flying daggers is a great movie - beautiful/excellent/interesting - can't have enough superlatives...roger ebert's review, is dead on

elektra is exactly what one would expect of a comic book movie with jennifer garner. i have seen a lot of negative reviews for elektra and am a bit puzzled. reviews for movies like this are almost besides the point. if you've seen the ads and think you'll like it, chances are you will and vice versa. i am amazed how some of these comic book movies get good reviews and some bad. for me, they are all more or less the same, and when i'm in the mood for them, they fit the bill. kind of like a frozen cheese pizza, not haute cuisine, to be sure, but sometimes it's what you want...

hee hee

the phantom of the litterbox?!

exhibit...

i am really looking forward to this exhibit...

petra haden/bill frisell

petra haden and bill frisell collaborate on as achingly beautiful record as i have ever heard... i am not sure i can even listen to it very often - very beautiful and emotional - too much so for *casual* listening...

petra, iirc, is jazz great charlie haden's daughter...

this/that...

been reading a lot...
finished waking up in iceland, a great book about iceland and its music scene...
believe it or not, i am not trying to curry favor with the scandinavian demigoddess, but iceland seems real cool. seems like the population has a great attitude towards the arts and music - definitely a diy attitude - and a view that art is not just for artists -i guess that in a way is my approach to my photography...i have been able to listen to some of the bands, both from this site and nart nibbles from here

also finished dylan's chronicles which, like dylan is not a typical memoir - he doesn't necessarily write what you'd think he would and its not linear, but it is tremendously insightful - looking fwd to next 2 volumns...

also read nick hornby's new one - one of my favorite writers, makes you want to read about any subject he writes about...

next up, sting's autobio then wayne shorter bio with this gem mixed in here and there....

btw - i am not begging for comments, but can you drop a line if you read this. i am unsure if many of my old readers made the move or don't like the comment system, or i have not written anything of note worth commenting upon...

new blog!!!

from a very beautiful woman...

the most beautiful day ever

check it out

at least until i started shovelling!

nominations

nominate your favorite for a bloggie

woody guthrie on playing the guitar

If you play more than two chords, you're showing off.

i woulda wrote this article - were i smarter...

is bill murray hollywood's most gifted actor?

Many actors have undertaken a similar crossing of genres, budgets and salaries in their careers, but what makes Bill Murray stand out is that he never seems out of place. He's able to put forth a range and a depth that makes him equally believable as a hedonistic slob or a depressed movie star. As Murray's aged, he's developed the ability to portray more than one layer at a time, earning him reviews not generally bestowed upon ex-"SNL" stars.

Would John Belushi have matured as a performer if he'd lived? Possibly. Chevy Chase has never successfully played anything other than slight variations on himself. Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey have both made forays into deeper material, with moderate success (more for Carrey), but they both still feel like they're (cue Master Thespian impression) acting when they do a project like "Punch-Drunk Love" or "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." Murray is a far more intuitive actor.

funny thing i remember when he was the new kid on the block on snl and didn't think he'd fill chevy's shoes...hah! i'm willing to admit being wrong on that one!

questions...

from jen

1) What was your favorite movie from 2004?
i always hate these largely because i can never quite recall what year movies came out - or if i should count a movie that came out last year (or the year before) that i saw this year...

that being said - the life aquatic - excellent - saw it a second time today and with a smaller quieter crowd was a bit sadder, though no less great movie the second time around...

2) What was your favorite Christmas gift?
sounds corny as heck, but a little note my youngest daughter wrote...

on a material level it was a great christmas - from that perspective i'd say the book WHAT THE BEST COLLEGE TEACHERS DO

3) Have you or will you donate money for tsunami victims/survivors?
i made a modest donation

4) What is one thing about yourself you plan to work on in the coming
year?
being sure i am loving my life, completing my masters, getting more fit/active/healthier...

i know that is 3 things but i am an overachiever

5) Do you ever think you will move out of Ohio?
depends where they spread my ashes...

person of the year...

i politely decline the award. i had a substandard blogging year. i think bill murray deserves it.

t3

i watched terminator 3, which was a great movie - loads of fun, but the only thing that sticks in my head is claire danes jumping on the governor's back trying to save john connor...the last time i saw an offense that ineffectual was watching the 2004 cleveland browns highlight reel...

anyhow - happy new year - reading two great books: what the best college teachers do and dylan's autobio...

other than that, feh - watching mars attacks and that is lifting my mood...