Half-Eaten Cookies

A New Home on the Web

2006-07-10T20:46:00.000-05:00

All the cool kids are doing it, and darn it, I want to be cool, too!

After 73 posts on Blogger, my blog has moved to a new location:

http://moopdog.vox.com/

Vox is much more reliable than Blogger, and has many cool functions, including video and audio playback. I'll continue to post sports-related stuff on Bang the Drum Slowly.

San Francisco, Part II

2006-07-06T23:00:00.000-05:00

Before we made the trip out west, I brought home a DVD from the library that featured San Francisco. It was a Globe Trekker episode (Jenny's favorite travel show). It was from a few years back, but it gave us some ideas of neat things to check out.

Near the end of the episode, the host joined in a Crtitical Mass bike demonstration. Steve had told me about a similar massive bicycle protest that's often held in Portland. (I guess they're actually held all over the world, and originated in San Fran.) Basically, a ton of cyclists get together, and bike as a huge group, intentionally blocking traffic as they go. Fighting for bike advocacy seems to be the main purpose. Here's a Wikipedia article, a Critical Mass Web page, and a SF Gate article, if you want to learn more. After watching the DVD, Jen and I both had the same thought- how cool would it be to witness that?

After Matt and I got back from our mountain bike ride (which I wrote about a couple weeks ago), we showered, and got ready to head out to dinner. Since there were six of us, Matt, Meredith, and I got in one cab, while Joy, Jen, and Erika rode in a second cab. On the way to Enrico's, our guy took us through a tunnel. Wrong choice. We got halfway through, and traffic came to a halt. As we were sitting there, I saw someone on a bicycle up ahead. No way- could this be it?

When it became apparent that we weren't going to be moving for a while, I started lobbying for us to get out and walk- we were only a few blocks from the restaurant. Both Matt and Mer thought it would be mean to ditch the cabbie. The meter was running, and we weren't moving. After a couple minutes, they agreed, and we hopped out, and finished the tunnel on foot.

As we came out of the tunnel, there were hundreds of bicyclists on the road. Just when the light was going to turn green, a few would stop immediately in front of the first cars waiting for the light to turn, and stop. There was some honking and cursing, but the motorists couldn't really do anything. After a few minutes, the group moved on to a different part of town, and the cars once again owned the road. I just wish I could have been riding in it...

Librarians! Your personal travel agents

2006-07-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

I think it's great that lots of people come to the library to use our computers. However, more and more companies are scaling back on in person & telephone customer service, and simply telling people to "go to the library and use a computer."

Many of the people come in, and ask us how to transfer money between bank accounts, book flights, buy retail...

I've helped two different people recently who came in to book flights on Northwest. The first woman was told to go to the library, because it would be cheaper online. The second woman was told she'd have to book online to get travel insurance (which isn't true- I found a toll-free number). If people were skilled Internet users, this wouldn't really be an issue. However, many are clueless when it comes to computers, but the person on the phone says "they can help you at the library." People come in expecting us to know how to navigate every Web page in existence, and many of them have no desire to learn how to do it themselves- they simply want us to do the work for them.

Sure, we can help. But it's not part of my job to sit down with you for 30 minutes, and book flights for your upcoming trip to Seattle. It's really a shame that companies have completely abandoned the concept of excellent customer service. They cut costs all over the place, but the product still costs the same.

Rough start to the weekend, great finish

2006-07-03T20:48:00.000-05:00

After work on Thursday, Jen and I thought it might be nice to go grab a bite to eat somewhere with outside seating. Since we hadn't been there in a while, we chose the Chatterbox Pub. Thus began a 12-hour string of misadventures and blunders. These events probably don't quite rival Joy's recent awful day, but it was a bad way to start a holiday weekend.

A waitress came by and took our order. When Jen ordered a veggie burger, she informed us that the "fryer is down," so french fries were not an option. D'oh! I'm rarely in the mood for fries, but this was one of those times. I ordered a spinach-artichoke dip and a veggie wrap instead. Five minutes later, the waitress returned, and the exchange went like this:

Chatterbox Waitress: You can't get a veggie burger, because the fryer's not working.
Jon: You guys deep fry your veggie burgers?!?!?
CW: Yep.
Jon: Whoa. That's weird!
CW: Hm. [Waiting, with pen in hand, for Jen to order]
Jenny: I'm going to need a menu.
CW: They can do chicken, instead.
Jenny: That's not going to work. I'm a vegetarian.
CW: Oh.

Jen looks over the menu, and notices that the grilled cheese comes with a cilantro-pumpkin seed pesto. Yum! A little while later, we overhear another server explaining that one of the substitution choices for the fries is roasted red pepper mashed potatoes. That sounds good! Too late to change it, though...

After a fairly lengthy wait, we get our food. There's no pesto on the grilled cheese, and it looks like they simply toasted the bread, then put some shredded cheese in between slices. The stuff was hardly melted at all. At this point, we just wanted to finish dinner, and get home, so we could pack for our weekend in Ely. (On the bright side, my cole slaw was the best I've ever had- plenty of cumin.)

Immediatley after finishing our food, our slightly wobbly table jerks violently in one direction, causing Jenny's nearly full glass of beer to topple. Some of the beer spills onto her, and the rest pours off the side of the table, directly into her purse. About 16 ounces of beer splashes all over everything inside. The small pocket holding her cell phone is filled to the top. We move quickly, getting everything out of the purse, trying to dry everything off. The cell phone didn't work for about 10 hours, so we thought it was fried. After some scrubbing and Febreeze, there's no evidence of the mishap.

My day Friday morning began with plunging a toilet, packing for Ely, and then making coffee. One problem- I forgot to put the coffee grounds into the filter. After leaving for work, I was pretty certain that our weekend was doomed, but we had a good drive up to Ely, and a great couple days enjoying the trees and lakes of northern Minnesota. Jen wrote about it on her blog, complete with pictures.

Rock and Roll

2006-06-29T16:48:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night was the big Arena ~~Schlock~~ Rock show at the Xcel. [I'm eternally annoyed by that stupid spelling- same thing with Qwest.]

I spent an hour in traffic after work, and found an open meter (gotta love St. Paul- free after 4:30). We had a bite to eat and a few pre-show beers at Great Waters Brewing Co., then headed in just before 7:30. Mal had been to the show the night before, as well, so we knew Pearl Jam would be starting on time.

Our seats were in the club level, section C27. They would be great seats for a hockey game, but not for a concert. I can't believe the face value of my ticket was $86! With TicketMonster charges, that's over 100 bones! Mal got the two tickets for a total of $100 on eBay, but I'm going to avoid him for a while, hoping he forgets I owe him money. Here's the view from our section, from the arena's Web site. (Although, we were in the last row, so it was actually a little further.)

The only band I've seen in arenas in the last 10 or 15 years is Phish. I've always had pretty decent seats. They also have a top-notch sound guy, and the best light show of any band out there (with the possible exception of Pink Floyd). Phish was my favorite band, so I was trying hard not to compare the Pearl Jam/Petty concert experience with a Phish concert. It was hard, though, and I kept thinking about how much I miss Phish.

I've heard people talk about how great the sound system is in the Excel. I wasn't all that impressed. It was kind of muddled during PJ, and could have been louder. Here's the Pearl Jam setlist:

Interstellar Overdrive/(Corduroy)
Severed Hand
Hail Hail
Love Boat Captain
World Wide Suicide
Marker In The Sand
Given To Fly
Even Flow
Light Years
Not For You
Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town
Come Back
State Of Love And Trust
Glorified G
Black
Life Wasted
Alive

When I read the setlist, and saw Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive listed first, I was very confused. There was some intro music playing as they took the stage. It sounded vaguely familiar. I'm not sure if the band actually played this song for a bit, or if it was just piped over the PA. When Eddie Vedder announced that they were going to play Love Boat Captain, there was some booing from the crowd. Did they play it in reference to the Viking's boat scandal? I think some people thought that's what was going on.

Luckily, they played some early stuff during the end of their set. Butchie loaned me their latest CD, so I was somewhat familiar with the new songs. Mal had me excited for a Who cover, but sadly, it was not to be. Eddie had a great stage presence, running all over the place, pouring wine for the people in the front row, and playing a lot more guitar than I realized he would (and sounding pretty good). I wasn't impressed with Mike McCready (lead guitar). His solos seemed uninspired.

I didn't realize until a few days before the show that Matt Cameron, formerly of Soungarden, was PJ's drummer now. He was the highlight of the show for me. The drums were nice and loud in the mix, and we had a great view of him. He was all over the place. Good stuff.

Petty's set was basically full of his greatest hits, with a few new tunes thrown in. The band was very tight, Petty's voice sounded good, and Mike Campbell's guitar solos were fantastic. Halfway through, they brought Vedder up to sing on The Waiting, which got me pretty psyched- I hadn't seen it on any of Petty's recent setlists. One problem: Eddie's mic wasn't working. The Strib's Jon Bream couldn't have been paying very much attention- he didn't even mention that in this review. Eddie sang a verse by himself, and you could hardly hear anything. Thankfully, they got him a new microphone before the encore, when he came up for American Girl, which sounded great. My favorite part of the Petty/Heartbreakers set was a cover of Mystic Eyes, a Them (Van Morrison) cover. It rocked as hard as anything Pearl Jam played.

Overall, I had a good time, but I realized that there's a reason I don't go to arena rock shows. I'll stick to First Ave and other clubs for live music.

Arena Rock Revisited

2006-06-27T10:40:00.000-05:00

I'll be attending the Pearl Jam/Tom Petty concert at the Xcel tonight. I wasn't planning on going, but then I found out Mal had an extra ticket...I'm getting pretty excited for it. The only time I saw Pearl Jam was in November of 1991, at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. It was Smashing Pumpkins/Pearl Jam/Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was there to see the Chili Peppers, and I thought both of the openers stunk. (This was right before Pearl Jam started getting serious radio play.) Jeff Ament had all sorts of problems with his bass sound- it kept cutting in and out. I think it was a really harsh crowd, as Billy Corgan got hit with a full cup of beer, and I believe both openers cut their sets short.

I loved the first two Pearl Jam Albums (I think 95% of my generation loved Ten, but really stopped paying attention after that. I've always respected the band- their reluctance to sell out; even taking on TicketMonster. Supposedly they put on a great show, so I'm ready to rock out. The boys are starting to look a little old. At least Eddie Vedder grew his hair out a little. I saw a picture of the band a few years ago, and didn't believe it was them.

I'm also quite stoked to see Tom Petty. Luckily, his setlists include plenty of his classic stuff, so I'll know most of the songs.

I've never been to the Xcel, which I hear is a good place to see arena rock. I cannot remember the last time I saw a non-Phish concert at a large arena. I've seen my share of outdoor festivals over the years, but the last time I saw an arena rock show (other than Phish) was a long time ago- 10 years? 15 years? I know I saw Metallica at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the fall of '92 or spring of '93 while I was attending Drake. I saw the Allman Brothers at the Target Center a little later- '94? I'll have to go through my ticket stubs...

Quality Late-night TV

2006-06-24T00:55:00.000-05:00

My brother called me just past midnight. "Springsteen's about to be on Conan."

Cool. I turned the television on, and went to channel 11. Commercial. Another commercial. And another. I finally got bored, and flipped through a few stations. I stumbled into the most disturbing movie scene I've ever witnessed. Worse than anything I saw in Faces of Death or Faces of Death II. It made me more uncomfortable than any scene from Happiness or Gummo.

It was Emilio Estevez teaching a bunch of grade school hockey players how to line dance. On a hockey rink. Wearing skates. I thought it might be Mighty Ducks XIV or so, but I guess it was just D2. I'm sure the rest of the movie is pretty bad, but this scene was unfathomly bad.

I forgot about The Boss! Panick-stricken, I switched back to NBC, right as they went back to Conan. Phew. Instead of introducing Bruce Springsteen, Conan gave a tease ("Bruce Springsteen will be up in just a little bit"), and then said he'd like to sing a lullaby to all the kids out there. This skit lasted a minute or two, and then...another long commercial break.

Finally, nearly 15 minutes after Dave called me, Bruce started singing a song. He had somewhere between 20 and 30 people on stage with him (I'd guess 27), including a Bonnie Raitt-looking woman playing guitar, a joyous accordian guy, an angry young man in a suit playing egg shakers?, a fireman playing the spoons, a mandolin, dobro, 2 fiddles, banjo, backup singers, about 10 horns, and many, many more.

Bruce played an anti-war tune, Bring Them Back Home. It was filled with a bunch of 30-second breaks (solos) from various instruments. As the song finished, Conan came out, shook Bruce's hand ("Thank you so much, sir") and said into the microphone "We'll be back with more from Bruce Springsteen."

The next commercial break wasn't quite as long. Same big band up on the stage, but who's that tall, dorky-looking redhead strumming a guitar on the left-hand side of the stage? Conan? Conan! He looked nervous as all get-out- quite awkward. (Not that I blame him. Jamming with The Boss?) Bruce even cajoled him into stepping up and singing the repetitious chorus with him into a single mic (Steven Van Zandt-style). I can't recall the song they sang, but it featured a ton of horn action from Conan's boys.

Great stuff. Thanks for calling me, Dave.

San Francisco trip highlights, Part I

2006-06-22T16:47:00.000-05:00

It was over three weeks ago, but I never really wrote anything about our fantastic trip out to "Shaky Town." (OK, does anyone actually use that nickname? I read it here.)

We arrived very late Wednesday night, and Matt picked us up from the airport. Our first impression of their apartment- wow. Really nice and spacious, lots of windows, and only a couple blocks from the bay. As the weekend progressed, we realized even more what a great location they're in- tons of good restaurants and bars right down the street, and running/walking/biking paths along the marina 2 blocks away. Rather incredible.

Thursday morning Jenny and I took the 40 minute walk down past Fisherman's Wharf, in order to take the ferry over to Alcatraz. We had heard nothing but good things about the Alcatraz tour, and we weren't in the least bit disappointed. It's a surreal experience. I highly recommend it.

We met up with Matt, grabbed some lunch, and headed to North Beach, old Beat stomping grounds. We hung out in the fabulous City Lights Bookstore (no Lawrence Furlinghetti sightings), then over to Vesuvio, where Kerouac and Neal Cassady used to have drinks and read poetry.

On Friday, Matt and I rented mountain bikes. On the way there we walked down Lombard, "The Crookedest Street in the World." I took the obligatory photograph, and cursed the bad grammar.

We biked down to the water, over to the Golden Gate Bridge, and then crossed it into Marin. After an agonizing climb for 20 minutes or so, wondering out loud why we weren't on road bikes, we found a trail to ride. That answered our question. We didn't find much singletrack, but there were some nice steep hills to bomb down and climb up. A suicidal green snake slithered out in front of my bike, and I didn't have time to stop. He limped (what's a snake's version of a limp?) off into the brush, and I can only hope he survived. We were without a map, and got a little lost, making our trip last a bit longer than planned. But it meant a detour through beautiful Sausalito (complete with pizza). On the way back over the Golden Gate Bridge, the winds were some of the strongest I've ever felt. Extremely frightening on a bicycle.

Since I've been working on this post for more than two days, and I'm not even halfway through my recap of our trip, I'll post this much, and say to be continued...

Good-old colonialism

2006-06-21T14:26:00.000-05:00

We watched Rabbit-Proof Fence last night, and it was a fantastic movie. I remember hearing good things about it when it came out a few years back, but never got around to watching it.

Another one of those heartwarming details of history you never really learned in school- assimilation. In the early part of the twentieth century, in their Australian colony, the British government decided that "the destiny of the natives of aboriginal origin, but not of the full blood, lies in their ultimate absorption by the people of the Commonwealth, and it therefore recommends that all efforts be directed to that end."

"Half-castes," or children of mixed descent (partly European), were stolen from their families, and put into orphanages, where they were forced to learn, act, and talk like Brits (no native languages allowed). They would then marry whites, ensuring that the native blood would be further dilluted. Similar Nazi-like practices were also common in the US when it came to dealing with indigenous Indians.

I'm probably making this sound like a quite depressing movie, but it has many uplifting moments, and it's definitely worth seeing. The three young Aboriginal girls, who had no acting experience, do a fabulous job. On a scale of 0-5, where 0= hated it; 1=disliked it; 2=indifferent; 3=liked it; 4=loved it; 5=instant classic, I'd give it a strong 4. Highly recommended.

Happy Summer Solstice!

2006-06-20T23:53:00.000-05:00

(Or Winter Solstice, if you're in the southern hemisphere.)

Enjoy the extra sunshine today- I know I will!

Matt and Joy, you should go to that labyrinth we found- there's probably a cool pagan ceremony going on today...

Time Management

2006-06-20T15:53:00.000-05:00

I haven't exactly been diligent in my blogging lately. I still planning on writing more about our wonderful trip to San Francisco. I saw X-Men 3 last weekend, and I plan on posting about that. One of the main things I wanted to write about when I started this blog was our wedding and honeymoon. There's also the sports-themed blog, and I've slacked even more on that one.

It's difficult to stay on top of everything, though- especially now that it's summer. Between June and September, I try and spend as much time as humanly possible outdoors, which means less time to do everything else. Sometimes I wish I had a magic stopwatch, so I could stop time periodically, and get caught up on things.

This weekend was tough, since the Telluride Bluegrass Festival was going on, and I wasn't there. Lisa wrote about that sad feeling on her blog.

On the bright side, my good buddy Mike Hyland was in town, so I got to hang out with him.

I'm working on uploading more photos to my flickr page. I just put together a set from our San Francisco trip. Click here to watch a slideshow.

Important Theological Questions

2006-06-17T14:22:00.000-05:00

Took this snapshot down in Mankato, after the Moondogs opener. Speaking of the Moondogs- a rainout Friday night foiled their plans of sweeping Alexandria, to climb out of the cellar. A victory tonight will still get them out of sole possesion of last place.

The pitching staff has a 1.70 ERA, but thanks to a .205 team batting average & 27 errors in 14 games, the team has been outscored 52-33. The 27 errors have led to 27 unearned runs!

Eyesight to the Blind

2006-06-16T03:44:00.000-05:00

Mose Allison will be playing at Mears Park (St. Paul) Friday evening at 6:45 PM. I know almost nothing about Mr. Allison, other than the fact that he wrote Eyesight to the Blind and Young Man Blues, songs that the greatest rock and roll band of all time, The Who, covered. There's a great exchange between Pete Townsend and Keith Moon during the concert that was released as Live at Leeds (easily the greatest live album of all time, even if you don't think The Who were all that):

Townshend: "We'd like to carry on now, and play a song originally recorded by Mose Allison, who's really a jazz musician 'n' I did read something on one of his record covers which said he was a jazz 'sage.' Quite what that means, I don't know."

Moon: "He'll flavor chicken."

[audience laughs]

Townshend: "And-- [chuckles] 'n' we picked up quite a number of his songs; 'Eyesight to the Bilnd,' which is on the 'Tommy' album, and also this song, which I think 'as gotta be one of his best. It's one of 'is own compositions which he wrote when he was about forty."

Moon: "Teenager!"

Townshend: [chuckles] "Just a mere teenager 'n' he called it 'Young Man Blues.' "

I heard Mose's version of Young Man Blues on the radio this morning, moments before I ran out of gas, and it was great- smooth and swingy piano-driven jazz (as opposed to the blues I would have expected). I'll be at Mears Park tonight- let me know if you're interested. I'll be the guy in the front row yelling out "A Quick One!" all night long.

A moment of silence, please...

2006-06-15T14:21:00.000-05:00

I just found out that my trusty 1989 Dodge Caravan will be making a trip to the great parking lot in the sky. This vehicle served me well for the past 1 1/2 years, after 15 productive years with the Butchert family. I had hoped ol' Rusty would just get me through the winter of '04/'05, and he made it through 2 winters like a champ.

I actually got a double dose of vehicle hijinks this morning. On the way to work, motoring down 394, the van started coughing and lurching, the telltale signs of running out of gas. I knew I was low, but thought I had another gallon or two in the tank. Luckily, I was near the Louisiana Avenue exit, and I got over just in time. My van jerked up to the top of the ramp, then died as I turned right onto Louisiana. I coasted down the hill in neutral, and was able to turn the corner before my momentum ran out. Have you ever tried pushing a van by yourself? Not fun. Especially trying to push & steer at the same time. Luckily, two young guys jumped out of a car and helped me out.

I got the thing gassed up, and jumped back onto 394 in a state of elation- what a close call! Talk about timing! I should have been stranded on the side of the freeway! This feeling lasted approximately 3 minutes, as the van started acting funny on the Ridgedale Drive exit ramp. I was on the phone with Jen at the time, and said "Oh shit! I'm pretty sure I have a flat. Gotta go."

I pulled into the Ridgedale Shopping Center parking lot, and got out to survey the damage. Huh? All four tires looked fine. Hmmm...what was making that sound? I got back in, and started driving. Oh, boy- this felt a lot worse than a flat! Think of metal on metal- very, very unpleasant. A grinding, grating feeling & sound, coming from the front of the vehicle. Axle? Transmission?

I got a call from the garage a little while ago, and it needs a couple ball joints, wheel bearings, blah, blah, blah...in other words, $1200 to get the car "driveable." So long, sucka! Been good knowing you.

The Boss and the BoDeans

2006-06-14T16:18:00.000-05:00

Maybe this is common knowledge, but I haven't heard anything about it before. The BoDeans totally ripped off Springsteen's Badlands when they recorded Good Things. (No, not Good Thing, by Fine Young Cannibals. It's the one that goes "No, no, no, don't pass me by/See, I can see good things for you and I.")

I was listening to Darkness on the Edge of Town the other day, and right after the Badlands sax solo there's a bridge/interlude where the song mellows a bit, and Bruce is humming. I immediately was transported to the early 90s, when that BoDeans song was severely overplayed on seemingly every radio station.

Both song are in the key of E, with nearly identical chord progressions, so it makes sense that they sound alike. But I think the BoDeans were listening to Badlands when they wrote the song.

Interesting Fact

2006-06-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

From Salt: a World History by Mark Kurlansky

The Italian mainland was originally much farther away from the islands that are now the city of Venice. The area between these islands and the peninsula of Comacchio was called the Seven Seas. "To sail the seven seas" meant simply sailing the Seven Seas -- accomplishing the daunting task of navigating past the sandbars of those treacherous twenty-five miles.

About A.D. 600, Venitians started using landfill to extend the mainland closer to the islands of modern-day Venice.

This is a fascinating read. Between this, Nathaniel's Nutmeg, and Krakatoa (which I'm in the process of listening to), I'm learning a ton about the spice trade. Very interesting stuff!

Prairie Home Companion on the big screen

2006-06-12T20:50:00.000-05:00

Jenny and I saw the film version of A Prairie Home Companion on Saturday night. It was interesting to be in a movie theater with so many ~~geezers~~ seniors.

Im won't get into any details, since most people haven't seen it yet. If you're a fan of the show, you should see it. If you're a fan of good old American folk music, you should see it. Even if you're not a huge fan of either, it's probably worth seeing if you're from the Twin Cities (particularly St. Paul). The entire movie was shot on location, although 95% of the film takes place in the Fitzgerald Theater.

It definitely does not feel like a typical Robert Altman movie, although there are some scenes (particularly those featuring Meryl Streep and Lilly Tomlin) that have the Altman-style improv feel to them. Overall, it's a fun movie to watch, though some of the plot devices seemed meaningless to me. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly steal the show as a singing cowboy duo.

If you see it, let me know so we can discuss...

It could all change in a moment...

2006-06-11T23:46:00.000-05:00

Anyone watching the news Saturday night in the Twin Cities would have seen a story about a car accident that killed two people in St. Paul. The Pioneer Press and Star Tribune newspapers covered the story, as well.

My beautiful neice Julia and both of her grandmas were in the Pontiac Montana that was involved in the crash. Thankfully, they're all OK.

Mary Ann (my sister-in-law's mother) was driving, and my mom was in the passenger seat. Julia was in her car seat in the back. They were on their way to the hospital, to go see their brand-new granddaughter. They were heading north on Snelling Avenue, ready to turn right onto Concordia, in order to take I-94 into downtown St. Paul. There was a "CRASH!" that my mom said sounded like an explosion, and suddenly there were two cars skidding & spinning towards them. Mary Ann had the presence of mind to step on the gas, and avoid the Camry, that would have smashed into the side of the car, which my mom is positive would have killed them all. While they were able to avoid the Camry, the Ciera caught the front of their vehicle, spinning them into a light pole.

My mother is bruised and sore, but that's really the extent of their injuries, thanks to some great reflexes and a super-safe vehicle. Remind me to never again bad-mouth SUVs!

The Oldsmobile Ciera was sitting at the stop light at Snelling, when the Camry came up the exit ramp full speed (witnesses estimate 60-65). The driver of the Camry claims his brakes weren't working. The Camry sideswiped one car, then rear-ended the Ciera. The back seat of the Ciera was pretty much squashed, and two people were killed.

It's a horrible tragedy, and I feel for the families involved. But mostly, I feel relief. While Dave and Cathy were at the hospital, basking in the glow of their beautiful new baby Esme (Yes! She has a name!), both of their mothers and their daughter were nearly killed. Can you imagine that phone call? Absolutely horrifying.

This incident helped put things into perspective for me (as it should). Don't forget to tell your mom (et al) you love her. You never know...

Baby Moore!

2006-06-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

Jenny and I had our baby!

For more, click here.

Adult Videos at the Library?!?

2006-06-09T11:58:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking a bit on the blog front recently, but I do have an excuse. Our cable went kaput the other day, meaning we have no Internet access at home. It's been a long time since I have not had access to the Web at home. We had Internet access when I was living at 1303 East Hennepin, which means it has been about nine years since I've been without access to the Web. It's totally crazy how dependent I've become. The last few days have been so strange- no fantasy baseball, bank account access, weather forecasts, blogging, email, news...thank goodness I have access at work, otherwise I may have gone off the deep end. It makes me think that I might need to "cleanse" myself, and go a week or two without online access. I feel like an addict right now.

So, a guy walked up to the reference desk yesterday, and asked who is in charge of purchasing for the library system. I gave him a contact number. Turns out he's producing a how-to drywall DVD, and wants to market to libraries. Then he asked if there's a way to see what the library already owns on the subject. I brought up the library catalog, and showed him a list of videos about drywalling. One children's VHS showed up, and two adult videos.

He said, "the library has x-rated videos?" (I detected a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.)

"No- those videos are intended for an adult audience, as opposed to the childrens' videos."

This experience made me realize that there may be a market for porn involving drywalling...

Goodfellas Revisited

2006-06-06T09:18:00.000-05:00

A lot of people I know consider Goodfellas one of the greatest movies of all-time. My impression of it had always been pretty lukewarm. Ray Liotta annoyed me, I wasn't a fan of the constant voice-overs, and the ending seemed to be a letdown. (Although I'm pretty sure that I never actually watched it from beginning to end.)

I love Martin Scorsese, I'm generally a fan of gangster movies, and I'm a huge fan of the Sopranos, which was heavily influenced by Goodfellas. (24 actors have appeared in both productions, most notably Lorraine Bracco and Michael Imperlioi.) So I decided to give it another shot, and go into it with no expectations. I remain disappointed.

(If you've never seen Goodfellas, but plan on seeing it someday, you might want to stop reading- there will be spoilers.)

Here's what I liked about the movie:

Scorsese's directing- this guy is undoubtedly one of the best motion picture directors ever. The visual style of the film is great throughout. I especially like the occassional freeze frames.
One of my favorite scenes in the film is when the camera slowly fades in, and, as it focuses, we realize we're looking down the barrel of a gun, held by Henry's wife. Then we figure out it's Henry's point-of-view, and he just might be waking up to his demise.
The soundtrack- great stuff covering a huge time period, including plenty of 70s-era Stones.
Joe Pesci- he stole the movie with his portrayal of the brutal Tommy DeVito. The scene at Tommy's mom's house, when they've got a not-quite-dead Billy Bats in the trunk is brilliant.
The best scene in the movie, hands down, is the montage that begins with the two corpses in the pink cadillac. The instrumental piano interlude/outro to Layla begins as the camera slowly pans up the grill of the car, revealing Johnny Roastbeef and his new bride, gunned down in their hot new ride (she's wearing the flashy fur coat that enraged Jimmy, as well). The music continues, as we are shown the dead bodies of everyone Jimmy has double crossed, simply because he doesn't want to share the spoils from the big airport job. (Wow. This may be DeNiro's least redeeming character ever. At least he doesn't want to bump off our hero. At least, not yet.)

Here's what I didn't like about the movie:

The constant voice overs- I've never felt strongly about VOs one way or another. If the movie flows, I'm usually cool with it. Didn't Stand By Me have Richard Dreyfus narrating throughout? However, Ray Liotta's constant yapping got to me, big time.
The aging of characters seemed to be indicated solely by adding some grey to their hair color (and, in DeNiro's case, give him big, ugly glasses).
The long, drawn-out scene towards the end, where Henry's being followed by a helicopter, and has to make dinner, unload guns, and deal with a bunch of dope in just a few hours didn't work for me. It was supposed to be extremely dramatic, but the only thing I enjoyed about it was the background music.
I guess my biggest problem with Goodfellas remains Ray Liotta. To love the movie, you've got to love the protagonist. And I don't love Ray's Henry Hill.

Overall, I liked Goodfellas quite a bit. But I certainly don't consider it a great movie. It may crack Scorsese's top 10, but definitely not his top 5.

The Pixies, as sung by Prince (and others)

2006-06-02T13:47:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure who this guy is, but he's definitely talented. He's recorded 8 Pixies songs, each in the style of a different artist. Even if you don't know the Pixies from Siouxsie and the Banshees, give some of these songs a listen- it's pretty incredible! My favorites are Jimi Hendrix doing "Vamos" and the Bee Gees singing "Wave of Mutilation."

Matthew's Celebrity Pixies Tribute

Recommended TV Viewing tonight! (And a great Web site)

2006-05-31T12:15:00.000-05:00

Frontline: The Age of AIDS is a 2-part, four-hour show that will conclude tonight on PBS. (In the Twin Cities, it's on TPT-2 from 8:00-10.) I watched the first half last night, and it was excellent. They have also set up an awesome Web site that has lots of cool features- a timeline, an interactive world map, interviews- loads of information.

The US has handled the HIV/AIDS crisis so horribly. Reagan gave exactly one speech about AIDS. He first talked about compassion, tolerance, and education. Then he said he wanted all immigrants tested before being admitted to the country! In the same speech, Reagan heeded Special Assistant to the US Attorney John Robert's advice to not say that AIDS could only be spread through blood or sexual contact, since scientists had not "unequivocally" stated this. (Yes, that guy is now our Chief Justice, and yes, 99.9% of scientists were screaming that AIDS could definitely not be transmitted through saliva, mosquitoes, handshakes, coughing, etc.)

Our country continues to botch things, from refusing funding for needle-exchange programs and sexual education, to simply dropping the ball on advocacy and awareness- over 20% of Americans believe HIV can be spread by sharing a drinking glass!

While many people are under the assumption that AIDS is no longer a problem, that couldn't be further from the truth. AIDS is the leading cause of death among 25-44 year-old African Americans. Young African American women are 7 times more likely than their white counterparts to be HIV positive.

In South Africa, 5.3 million people (15.6% of the population) are living with HIV. This includes 30% of all pregnant women, while 33% of 25-29 year-olds are infected with the virus.

In the United States, 78% of the patients who need treatment are receiving drugs. In South Africa, that number is 23%.

In 2003, there were 14,000 AIDS deaths in the US, and 370,000 in South Africa.

90% of the 40 million HIV-positive people worldwide are not aware that they are infected!

Watch Frontline tonight, and check out the Web site when you get a moment. It makes me want to dedicate my life to AIDS advocacy.

Reality check

2006-05-30T14:14:00.000-05:00

I'll write more about the City by the Bay later- lots of good pictures to post. Right now, I'm just trying to make it through the day. Our plane departed San Francisco at 12:30 AM, and landed in Minneapolis at 6 AM Central time. I had time to take a quick nap, then head to the library to work until 5:00.

A cute old Russian man came up to the desk this morning, and handed me a slip of paper. "Does everything look good?" Written on the piece of paper was "Your letter was horific and wonderful." I told him I was pretty sure horrific had 2 r's, and I pulled out a dictionary to double-check. He asked what horrific meant, and wasn't happy with my response. He seemed to be looking for something with more of a positive connotation. "Sir, are you thinking of the word 'terrific?'" Bingo. What a pain in the butt it must be to learn English.

715!

2006-05-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

It would have been enough just to be sitting outdoors on a beautiful San Francisco afternoon, watching a baseball game in a beautiful park. The fact that Barry Bonds passed Babe Ruth for #2 on the list of career home runs was icing on the cake. It was a very exciting moment, and might be the only time I'll get a chance to witness baseball history in the making.

When Matt bought tickets to the game a month ago, I didn't think there was a chance we'd see the record-breaking blast. But Bonds slumped at the perfect time, hitting only one dinger between May 3 and yesterday (64 trips to the plate).

You've gotta check out a Giants game if you're ever in San Francisco. What a perfect location for a stadium. Well, it's time to catch a plane back to Mpls.

Mmmmmmmm...Twinkies

2006-05-28T12:02:00.000-05:00

Deep fried, nonetheless! If you ever make it to the Santa Cruz boardwalk, you've gotta try one.

Barry Bonds didn't hit a home run today, meaning we've got a shot to see him pass Babe Ruth on the all-time list. Regardless of whether a doped up, armored creature who might be more machine than human deserves the honor or not, the game should be exciting.

San Fran

2006-05-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

Having a blast visiting Matty & Joy in San Francisco. They've got a kick-ass, huge apartment 2 blocks from the water. The Golden Gate Bridge is to the left, and Alcatraz to the right. I can't imagine waking up in this location every morning.

We barely made our flight out here- got in line at the ticket counter 35 minutes before the flight was leaving. It's nice flying Sun Country out of the HHH terminal- no lines.

So far we've explored Alcatraz, which was really cool. It felt a little strange, though, because I already knew the layout of the island from playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 on X-Box. It has an Alcatraz level, and I had a strong urge to do some rail slides while we were walking around.

Matt and I are going to grab some bikes right now and explore Marin County. Good times...

One more thing- I noticed clips of Nationals manager Frank Robinson crying at the bar last night. I thought there might have been a death in his family or something. Nope. It was related to former Twin Matty LeCroy.

Way to go, Lisa!

2006-05-24T11:06:00.000-05:00

My good friend Lisa Stout graduated from Hamline University's law school on Saturday. Congratulations, Lisa! I am so proud of her- what an outstanding accomplishment. Jenny and I attended the commencement, and I snapped a few photos.

Here she is making sure her hair looks good:

Almost there...

The big moment...

Yippee!

How does your garden grow?

2006-05-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

Pretty good, so far.

On April 23, we planted the following:

Plants- 4 cabbage, 4 brussels sprout, 2 green leaf lettuce, 1 cilantro, 1 basil.

From seed- one row green onion, chive, carrot, radish, spinach, half row of chard & mesclun (mixed salad greens).

Critters pulled out 2 of the cabbage plants, and did some damage on the other two. The basil and cilantro haven't been too happy about the cool, rainy weather, but everything else has thrived.

This past Saturday, May 20, we made another run to the nursery. We planted a variety of 5 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants. We also laid seed for another run of carrots and radishes, as well as lima beans, pole beans, cucumbers, snap peas, cilantro, and basil.

Here's an updated picture- barring any crazy weather/pests/diseases, we should have a nice harvest in a few months. The first batch of radishes are almost ready.

Sunday Ramblings

2006-05-21T11:05:00.000-05:00

At some point I'd like to reorganize this blog a little- have a spot for links to interesting things I've come across on the Web, as well as somewhere indicating books, movies, and music I've recently checked out...but that takes work, and I'm not exactly an HTML whiz. In the meantime, I'll just throw that sort of stuff in a random blog entry.

A WHO report finds system fails the poor
This is one of those "No shit, Sherlock" kinds of things. However, in the quest for the almighty profit margin, I can't see the problem actually being addressed.

If you don't read the online comic Achewood, you probably should. I was a little disappointed with how quickly he abandandoned the story arc featuring Keith Moon's head, but maybe he'll return to it. (#1, #2, #3, #4)

I just finished reading Fantasyland, by Sam Walker. Walker's a writer for the Washington Post who went from having never played roto baseball to joining Tout Wars, considered the elite league in the nation. Walker tries to use his clubhouse access to lobby GMs on behalf of his players, dig for insider information, and give his players advice (and official team t-shirts), solely for his fantasy team's gain. It probably wouldn't be of much interest to non-baseball fans, but it's a must-read for anyone who's ever played roto baseball, especially Twins fans. Jacque Jones is featured heavily.

The MN legislature barely approved a stadium bill, which means we'll have outdoor major league baseball here in 2010. I can't friggin' wait! What wasn't very publicized is that the Hennepin County Library system snuck their way onto the bill, and will be getting revenue from the deal. (I have no idea about the specifics.) Oh yeah, the University of Minnesota got a football stadium, too. Of course, they haven't been good since the 60s...

Felize Cumpleaños a Mateo

2006-05-20T19:53:00.000-05:00

Today is the 31st birthday of my good buddy Matt DiPietro. Since he's out in San Francisco, I won't be able to celebrate with him tonight, but I'll be out there in 4 days to visit, so I guess we can just postpone the festivities.

I've been friends with Matty for 13 years, lived with him on three separate occassions, attended the Telluride Bluegrass Festival with him four times...(the list goes on, but I won't attempt to replicate Skaar's impressive stream-of-consciousness trip down memory lane.)

I miss you, pal, and I hope you're having a steak the size of Texas tonight. Sometime soon we're going to have to take on Mount Sneffels again (and win, of course). Happy birthday!

Drive-By Truckers

2006-05-18T01:46:00.000-05:00

I just got back from a Drive-By Truckers show at First Avenue. Good, solid southern rock and roll, complete with a three axe attack. The Lynyrd Skynyrd influence is definitely there, but the crunchy guitar evokes Neil Young more than any southern rock bands. The three guitarists all write songs and sing, but Patterson Hood is obviously the main creative force behind the band, and, overall, I'd guess Springsteen has influenced him more than any other musician.

DBT (which the crowd annoyingly chanted during the 2-minute break prior to the encore) songs focus on life in the south, but rarely mention anything remotely happy. Some of the song topics: incest, depression, divorce, suicide, meth addiction, forclosure- you get the picture. The song titles alone often tell the story: "Sink Hole," "Hell No, I Ain't Happy," "Your Daddy Hates Me," "Loaded Gun in the Closet." Hood does seem like the real deal, though, and I think many of his songs really are autobiographical. He sang about how rock & roll saved his life, and I believed it.

The band consisted of three guys playing guitar and singing, a pedal steel player who looked bored out of his skull most of the night (I don't think he helped his bandmates polish off the big bottle of Jack Daniels they were passing around), a bearded drummer who looked like a cross between Levon Helm and Matisyahu, and a female bass player. The bass player annoyed me for much of the night, because she had this weird, twitchy way of nodding her head to the beat- it almost looked like the was having seizures. I was also struck by how she looked a little out of place at times. The guitarists would often turn and point the necks of their instruments out over the crowd, and there was something extremely phallic/masculinely sexual about the whole thing. Rock & Roll is dominated by men, and maybe I'm just guilty of discrimination, but it always strikes me as odd when I see a female playing bass/guitar/drums in a rock band. Maybe future generations won't feel that way, since more and more little girls are growing up playing an instrument other than piano or violin. Or maybe rock & roll will always be a boys' club. Or maybe I'm just a closeted misogynist.

Parts of the show were borderline creepy, as we could hear Patterson's influences come through, clear as day, in certain songs' vocals. We heard The Boss, Tom Petty, Jeff Tweedy, Neil Young, Don Henly, Mick Jagger, and more.

The only downer was the fact that there were three young jackasses right in front of us for much of the show. They were smoking cigarettes non-stop (and security never called them on it), so we had smoke in our face all night. They kept bumping into us, and, between the three of them, took about 50 cell phone-camera pictures of the band.

Drive-By Truckers played for over two and a half hours straight, which was damn impressive. They're the kind of band that doesn't chat between songs- there was usually about 2 seconds between the end of one song and a guitar riff kicking off the next. If they come to your town, I highly recommend checking them out- well worth it- heartfealt vocals and wicked guitar solos.

Calling the Library

2006-05-16T16:38:00.000-05:00

Do me a favor, ok? When you call up the the library, looking to put a few books on hold, have your card in front of you! Is that so difficult? Do you try and buy things online without your credit card? Do you go to the liquor store without your ID? It seems like half the people that call the library act surprised when I ask them for the barcode number printed on the back of their library card.

Of course, I don't know if I have any friends who use the public library, so what do you care? I know my brother, my mom, and, of course, my librarian friends are regular users. Shannon Gahagan used to check out quite a few books from the St Paul Public Library, but I only see her about once a year nowadays. I wonder if any of my peeps in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, L.A., San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Des Moines, the Twin Cities, or D.C. even have library cards...

Hyland! Caruso! Caruso! Hyland!

2006-05-15T12:01:00.000-05:00

CSI: Miami, which is broadcast at 9 PM CDT on CBS, will feature my good buddy Mike Hyland sharing screen time with David Caruso tonight. Nice work, Mikey! (And sorry for the strange pictures- I only have access to a few at work.)

Cubicle Decorations

2006-05-11T17:32:00.000-05:00

I haven't had much to write about in recent days. I was cleaning out my work computer, and came across some pictures that I uploaded to Flickr. They make me smile whenever I see them, so I decided to post them. When I got back from my wedding (Playa del Carmen) and honeymoon (Belize) in February, this is what my desk at work looked like. Sometimes working with a ton of women has its advantages...

DVD Commentary

2006-05-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

While I don't do it very often, I really enjoy watching movies with the director (or anyone else involved in the making of the film) commenting over the video. Twice in my life I've been so captivated by a movie that, upon completion, I've immediatley started it over with director commentary (Donnie Darko & Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). The Special Edition DVD of This Is Spinal Tap (released in 2000) might have the best commentary of all time, as David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, and Derek Smalls watch the movie and make smart-ass comments throughout.

I have seven seasons of The Simpsons on DVD, and I've watched about 20 episodes or so with commentary (eventually I'll get through all of them). Matt Groening has done a great job on the DVDs. There are always 3-6 people commenting on the episode (Groening, the show's writer, director, producer, an animator or two, and one or more of the cast members). My only complaint is that the show goes by so quickly, and they often get off on a tangent. Sometimes I wish they'd pause the video, and just keep talking. You end up learning a lot about the process of creating an episode, from pitching a show idea, to writing a script, laying out a storyboard, recording the dialogue (including possible guest stars), developing an animatic (a very rough, black & white animation of the entire episode with voice-overs), to the finished product. Some of the really obscure references are explained, you hear about how much Dan Castellaneta gets into character (the "I am so smart! S-M-R-T!" was an unintended ad-lib), and Conan O'Brien even joins in on commentary for episodes he wrote.

I decided to go on a classic foreign language DVD binge recently, and started with Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon. Kurosawa's no longer living, so he obviously doesn't contribute to the commentary track. Instead, a film scholar talks over the video, pointing out an incredible amount of interesting things about the way the movie was filmed, how shots were set up, insight into the actors, script- you name it, he talks about it. For a classic, influential film like this, it makes the movie-watching experience so much more enjoyable. Since Rashomon is in Japanese, with English subtitles, you can actually listen to the commentary, and follow the dialogue at the same time! ood stuff.

Crabapple Trees Everywhere

2006-05-08T20:36:00.000-05:00

The weather was great Sunday, which was just what the doctor ordered. We had a very busy day. First we made our way over to Powderhorn Park for the annual May Day Parade. I'm ashamed to say that I've never attended this event, and we didn't have time to stick around for t0o long, but it was really cool. I managed one photo, before my camera batteries zonked out:

From now on, I want to make this festival a priority- it's a very cool community gathering. Since we were heading out to Waconia for a party at my coworker's house, Jen and I decided to stop along the way at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. I'm pretty sure my mom brought me there when I was younger, but I don't think I really appreciated it when I was a kid. It's an incredible place- simply enormous. There were an incredible variety of tulips...

...and also beautiful crab apple trees in bloom everywhere.

The smell of lilacs filled the air, and it was a neat little outing. We'll definitely be heading back later in the season, when we have an entire day to explore. While heading to the party, and on the trip back to the Cities, we noticed crab apple trees in bloom all over the place- incredible, vibrant, flowers of many colors. These trees line both sides of 47th street, half a block from our house. How come I've never noticed this before? There must not have been many in our old neighborhood, and I think they only bloom for a short while. Spring is a wonderful, albeit painfully short, season in Minnesota!

I used to be good at mini golf.

2006-05-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

Seriously- I used to be pretty darned good. We used to frequently head out to Putt Putt, right off of 494 in Bloomington, and I would usually get a few holes-in-one, and par (2 strokes) most of the rest of the holes. I remember one night in particular, where there were 5 guys and 3 girls. Somehow I got stuck with the girls, and the foursome of guys had a big bet going (this was right after graduating high school, so "big" was probably $5 apiece. Since I wasn't in their group of golfers, I wasn't allowed to participate in the bet. I proceeded to have the mini golf game of my life. I can't remember the details, but I think I aced 10 or 11 holes. It's possible I set a course record, but the ladies really didn't care all that much. They weren't taking it too seriously, and weren't even really keeping track of their own scores.

Now, I'm not positive if that's the last time I went mini golfing. It would have probably been the summer of '94, and it does seem like it's been about 12 years since the last time I stepped on a course. Well, I should have pulled a John Elway, and gone out on top. Jen and I hit Adventure Gardens Mini Golf, located in the big park in Richfield on Portland Avenue this evening. Putt Putt is long gone, and Bullseye Mini Golf closed when I was in junior high. Adventure Gardens is a 5 minute drive from our house, so we decided to try it out. Big mistake for me:

Jenny golfed pretty well. She got 7 pars and three birdies. I was simply atrocious. I beat her score on exactly one hole (#15), and tied her on 5 holes. For those of you keeping score at home, that means she won 12 holes! I ended up with 1 par and 2 birdies (and the birdies were gifts- they came on holes that really should have been labeled par 3). My total score was 70, 27 strokes over par. Why couldn't I have suggested something else for us to do? Now I have two choices: try and erase this debacle from my memory (anyone have Dr. Mierzwiak's number?), or sneak off to the mini golf course when Jen thinks I'm working, and recover my game. Ah, screw it- I'll just wait another 12 years before I get back out there.

Bike Commuting, Vikings Cheerleaders, and Cool Links

2006-05-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

The weather is perfect for bike commuting, but I haven't quite taken the plunge yet. While it used to take about 40 minutes for me to get to work, I'm afraid it's going to take more than an hour from the new place. I need to get a pump to bring on the commute, since my mini pump is shot, and getting a flat 30 minutes from home is a distinct possibility. Until I get up the gumption to pedal my arse to work, I'll keep driving the trusty '89 Dodge Caravan.

A couple interesting reference transactions in the past few days:

A big bearded fella came up to the desk, and said he wanted a printout of all the new Vikings cheerleaders for the 2006 season. I offered to show him how to do it on one of the public workstations, but he asked "Can't you just do it for me?" Absolutely. I found the page on the Vikings Website, and told him I could print out the list (headshots and first names), and that it would cost him 10 cents per page, for a grand total of $1.10. "Huh? Last year they gave it to me for free." Tough to come back from that one, but I just said "I guess that was your lucky day. We have to charge you for printouts." If this was a fifth-grader needing an encyclopedia article for a school project, I'd be willing to waive the charge, but for a list of Vikings cheerleaders? Sorry, pal. He grudgingly agreed to pay, then told me he works at the Dome, and likes to study up, so that he knows the cheerleaders by name. Sure, or maybe he's some sicko perv- what do I care? (We don't judge at the public library.) He then spent a good 10 minutes telling me about how the cheerleading tryouts work- no one is guaranteed a spot for the following season. They have open tryouts, and politics abound. Fascinating.

A woman came in yesterday, carrying a list of extremely obscure book titles, and acted shocked when the library didn't own a copy. When there are only 12 libraries in the entire country owning a book, odds are we're not one of them. One of the books she wanted was supposedly titled Castonados, written by Max Plank. When I couldn't find anything close to that, she said, "How about another Plank book? Fire from Within." When I searched that titled in WorldCat (an interlibrary loan database searching library catalogs across the country), I found a book written by Carlos Castaneda. Hmm...Also, it turns out Max Planck was a German physicist who is credited with inventing quantum theory around the turn of the century. We put in a request for Fire from Within, but she couldn't figure out what Mr. Planck's name was doing mixed in with her notes.

Finally, here are some fun links:

A live action Super Mario Brothers skit from some college in MA. Good stuff!

Mike Gordon, Phish bass player & Leo Kottke jamming partner, set up his own Web site, which, not surprisingly, is very strange. He has a link for the only music video Phish ever released, the Gordon-directed Down With Disease, which MTV largely ignored, although Beavis and Butthead did get ahold of it. It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be...

My buddy Tim got a gig writing for a new online music magazine, and they just posted his first article. Check it out!

Jamba Juice on my Brain

2006-05-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

[Quick note- while I mention The Sopranos here, no spoilers]

Does anyone else have an unexplainable desire to go to Jamba Juice today? For anyone who didn't watch The Sopranos last night, they name-dropped Jamba Juice about 10 times. The product placement has been pretty constant this season. But, wait a minute: in reference to A.J.'s new job, didn't Tony say that Blockbuster was the "first stop on the the shitbird express?" Would a company really pay to have their brand trashed like that?

Apparently, HBO doesn't accept money for product placement. The Sopranos execs claim that brand names are written into scripts solely to make the scripts more realistic. However, some Jon Fine fella says that HBO must be getting something out of it- free use of vehicles, etc. Not having to rent a vehicle for a scene certainly would lower production costs, but what about Nestle, Snapple, Jamba Juice, and the dozens (hundreds?) of other brands that have been mentioned on the show? Do these companies provide the sets with free snacks & beverages? If so, that's definitely product placement- HBO just receives goods instead of cash. But, what if these brands are written into scripts simply to make the dialogue more like real life?

I find this a very intriguing topic of discussion. The constant mention of FedEx in Cast Away drove me crazy, but I've talked to people (well, at least one person) who thought it was absolutely essential to the plot.

On the other hand, it also bugs me in movies or tv shows when people say "gimme a beer" or "I'll take a pack of smokes," and the bartender/sales clerk knows exactly which kind they want. Clerks was a great movie, but every time a customer asked for cigarettes without identifying a brand name, it bothered me. I also like it when movies/shows develop their own fake brands (Quentin Tarratino's Red Apple cigarettes, for example).

I guess when I feel like a brand name fits into the flow of dialogue, it usually doesn't bother me, even if I suspect the company paid for the mention. While I've been noticing it quite a bit recently on The Sopranos, it usually fits in fairly seamlessly. I would still like to know how many of the products just happen to be written into scripts, as opposed to the show receiving some sort of compensation, though. Anyone have connections at HBO?

On a completely unrelated noted: check out Washington's horrid new state tourism slogan: "SayWA!" I'm pretty sure it barely beat out "Wha' Happened?"

Digging in the Dirt

2006-04-28T16:11:00.000-05:00

I'm off work today, and it's been raining all day long. Good time to try and go through more boxes, and get the house arranged a little more. Hopefully by summer we'll have everything put away...

Last Sunday was absolutely beautiful in Minneapolis. The wife and I went for a walk around Lake Harriet, then spent about 5 hours in the yard. We're planning on having a nice little vegetable garden, but there was a lot of prep work First we had to pull up a ton of grass:

Then we moved a peony:

(Speaking of peonies, I've always put the emphasis on the second syllable- pe-OWN-ee. Apparently I've been mispronouncing it for years- so, it's supposed to rhyme with "pee on me?")

Finally, we turned the soil, added some peat moss/compost/soil mixture and fertilizer, and planted a few things. We picked up the following plants at the nursery: 4 cauliflower, 4 brussels sprouts, 2 green leaf lettuce, 1 basil, and 1 cilantro. We also planted some seed: spinach, lettuce mix, swiss chard, carrots, radishes, chives, and green onion. It was early to plant in MN (April 23), but it's been a very warm spring, and everything but the herbs thrive in cooler weather. In a couple weeks, I'm going to head to the Friends School plant sale, and get tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and anything else that looks good. We'll also seed some cucumbers, squash, and beans in a month or two.

Overall, the garden's looking pretty good:

We're smiling in that picture, despite the fact that our bodies are already beginning to ache. Walking was painful for many days afterward. You don't realize how much you're straining your hamstrings, lower back, triceps, shoulders, etc. while you're doing it...

We had a few nights that dropped down into the 30s, and the peony and cilantro are looking pretty sorry. I knew it was way early to plant herbs, but I just couldn't help myself. Cilantro's hard enough to grow when it's 95 and sunny every day. A few of the seeds are starting to sprout, and one of the cauliflower plants has seemingly doubled in size. I'll keep posting pictures throughout the summer.

Faith in the Library

2006-04-26T16:46:00.000-05:00

A phone call at the reference desk yesterday-

Me: R____ Library Information Desk. May I help you?

She: Yeah. Um...I'm on your Website, and I typed in the name of a book, and I'm not finding it. Um...am I doing something wrong, or is it possible that there's a book that the library doesn't have?

The book in question was a manual to help teachers develop idividualized educational plans (IEPs). There were a total of three academic libraries in the state that owned it. She elected not to do an interlibrary loan request, and instead is going to buy it. It would be pretty cool to work at a library that had all the books ever published...

Another patron asked if there was a resource that would translate a word from English to all other modern languages!!! When I mentioned how many different languages are spoken in the world (using Africa as an example), she said "I'm not worried about specific dialects- just distinctly different languages. I'm sure one language in South Africa would be sufficient, for example."

Of course, having been to South Africa, I had to respond. "Well, Afrikaans, Xhosa, and Zulu are nothing alike, not to mention the other 8 official languages of South Africa."

There are some online resources (Babel Fish, in particular), that do a decent job translating, but they'll only translate to a few major languages. We also have some english-to-foreign language dictionaries, but, again, only for the major world languages. Maybe someday we'll have some sort of electronic resource that will be capable of this type of mass translation...

Recycled Books

2006-04-25T00:25:00.000-05:00

The Portland Public Library (Maine, that is) is doing something really cool with discarded books. The fact that they're allowing the books/art to be checked out seems a little odd. They're even allowing them to be sent out through interlibrary loan. While I think it's an interesting article, the fact that Doug Beube "has been debating keeping one or two and paying the standard replacement fee of $150," and that Allan Chasanoff has elected to steal "an altered book or two" is deplorable, and Amy Sutherland should have called them to task for this.

Here's some required reading, courtesy of Howard Zinn.

This sounds like a movie I would enjoy: Blackballed, starring Rob Corddry (of "Daily Show" fame). "Caught cheating and banned for ten years, Bobby Dukes, paintball's first superstar, returns to reclaim his title and erase the memory of his tainted past." Hopefully it makes it to theaters soon.

A New Toy!

2006-04-21T12:58:00.000-05:00

My 32nd birthday was last week, and here I am with the coolest present I've gotten in a long time (since Castle Grayskull?)- yes, I'm talking about the beautiful San Francisco Giants t-shirt from Matt DiPietro. Of course, the t-shirt was nothing compared to the birthday greeting he gave me on his blog.

OK, I guess the iPod that the wife surprised me is a wee bit more exciting than a Giants shirt. I bought a 128 MB IRiver MP3 player while I was in Denver, and it's great for jogging- it's tiny, but doesn't hold much music. I've been talking about getting a large-capacity MP3 player for a long time now, and I think Jen got it for me just to shut me up. It's one of the new (5th generation) iPods, that will play video (although I don't forsee using that feature very often). It's got 30 GB of space, yet it's half the size of a pack of smokes! See below:

I'm going to have a lot of fun with this thing, once I figure out how to use it. My only major complaint so far is that all that came with the thing was a pair of headphones and a data/charging cord that connects to a USB port. If I want to charge it in a wall outlet, I've gotta buy a $30 piece of equipment! Or, if I want to run an audio line out to a stereo, view pictures/video on a television, get a strap to take it running...I'll probably be spending an additional $100+ in accessories. I guess that's just the way it goes, but it still pisses me off a little.

There's also the issue that you need to be running iTunes software on any computer that you want to transfer files from. My PC at home is using Windows 98, so that won't work, and the security settings at work won't allow me to install software on my computer.

So far here's what I have on my iPod:
Bruce Springsteen- Greeting from Asbury Park, NJ
Cloud Cult- Advice from the happy hippopotamus
The Hold Steady- Separation Sunday
Mike Doughty- Haughty Melodic
The New Pornographers- Twin cinema
Nick Lowe- Basher- (The Best of)
Patti Smith- Horses
Shout Out Louds- Howl Howl Gaff Gaff
Spoon- Gimme Fiction
Matt Votel's Punk Mix

and one video- Phish- You Enjoy Myself- 12/31/94. Phish has started offering video downloads of certain live performances for $2/song. I downloaded this just to check out the video feature of the iPod. The picture is really nice and clear, but the screen is tiny. Plus, watching video drains the battery like crazy. I don't think I'm going to be downloading many videos to my iPod.

I've still got to figure out exactly how I'm going to use my iPod- how selective I'm going to be about music that I put on the thing, etc. I'm sure my entire CD collection won't quite fit, but I might focus more on newer music, or CDs that I haven't listened to a lot, along with essential stuff.

Like I said, I probably won't be using the video playback very often, but it's pretty cool to see Trey and Mike do their trampoline thing during YEM right now!

Music Is in the Air

2006-04-21T12:19:00.000-05:00

Springtime in Minneapolis means not only blooming tulips, Twins baseball, and returning mosquitoes, but also the prospect of live music at dozens of outdoor venues. Over the past few days, there's been a flurry of concert schedules being released. Nothing spectacular so far, but definitely some stuff worth checking out.

Grand Old Day is Sunday, June 4. Should be a crazy weekend, with Jen's 30th birthday on Saturday, and Butchie's birthday on Friday! Billy's stage hasn't been announced, but Ike Reilly, The Plastic Constellations, and Birthday Suits are on Dixie's stage.

Mill City Live starts June 1. You've gotta love free outdoor music. I'd be interested in pretty much all of these shows, particularly Charlie Parr and Yawo.

Music in the Zoo kicks off in mid-June. Tickets still aren't cheap, but I'm pretty sure they've come way down from last year. The Yonder Mountain String Band and Sam Bush shows only run $25. Speaking of YMSB, apparently they recorded with a drummer for their album due out May 9. Oh, the horror! I haven't heard it yet, so I guess I should reserve judgement.

The Taste of Minnesota runs June 30-July 4. While there aren't any great bands lined up, I'd like to see Alice Cooper, Soul Asylum, the Melismatics, Cloud Cult...

The Flaming Lips might be coming to the MN State Fair! That would be an interesting experience.

"I'm the Decider."

2006-04-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

Good musical parody of our nation's fearless leader here.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2006-04-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

When I started this blog, I envisioned writing a lot about my experiences at the library's reference desk- interesting/stumper questions, wacky patrons, cool new resources. In fact, the inspiration for my first post was a guy calling and asking a reference question about an NFL from a few seasons ago. I've always been disappointed by the Dispatches From a Public Librarian, mainly because he posts so rarely.

But I haven't written too much about life at the library. The 5 hours I spent on the reference desk today provided me with some stuff to write about.

The Good

A gentleman came up to the desk at about 10:15, and was interested in getting some info about the composite wood industry- some sort of extruded wood/plastic combination, that's all the rage when building decks these days. It was a real stumper, because it's an industry that's not really classified by conventional means (SIC/NAICS codes, etc.)- it's kind of a newer combination of different manufacturing industries. The Business & Company Resource Center database, which often has articles & overviews of various industries, was no help. This fella was planning on heading down to the James J. Hill library in downtown St. Paul, but figured he'd try us first.

He did have the name of one private German company, which predictably yielded no information in any of our company directories. I finally resorted to a Google search, with the name of the company and "composite wood." This led us to the Web site of an industry magazine, Plastics Technology. We found many articles that interested the patron, particularly one that talked a little bit about sales information. He found exactly what he was looking for in the free online content from this publication. He was happy as a clam, and I ended up learning a little bit about wood-filled plastics. (You can drive a nail into them, and use them just like you'd use a piece of wood, but they're supposed to last forever. You can see why people are making decks out of them.)

The Bad

One of my biggest pet peeves in the world is when people eat while they're talking to you on the phone. I had a phone call from a woman today who was snacking non-stop, and rustling a bag of some sort. It drove me crazy! A coworker told me I should have told her to call me back after snack time was over. I probably should have asked politely for her to stop- I don't know.

The Funny

I was helping a patron perform a catalog search. He asked how he would find more books like the one he had in his hand (Family Trees for Dummies, or something along those lines), and I showed him how to access the online catalog, and suggested a subject search. He said "Should I type in Gee..Gy...Gynecology?" [pronounced Jynocology] I nearly had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out loud. I said "You should type in 'genealogy.'" And then I spelled it for him, since he was having trouble with it.

Complements are Nice

2006-04-17T23:49:00.000-05:00

Top 5 things library patrons have said to me recently:

1. You're beautiful
2. You're amazing
3. You're perfect
4. You're the man
5. You made my day

If we could only put a tip jar on the reference desk...

The other day, I'm pretty sure I talked to the real-life Grampa Simpson. I can't even remember what his question was, but he told me all about when he was an officer in the navy, and he was the only sailor who knew how to fix a diesel engine. He used to take the jeeps out for joy rides, and the ladies on shore all loved him. He talked about his wife at length. She was "smart as a whip, and had a great figure, to boot. Although she never made lot of money, she was able to save 1/4 million dollars. This went on for 20 minutes. As they say, part-time librarian, part-time bartender.

A Victory For Green Space!

2006-04-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

The Minneapolis City Council chose a park over condo or retail development along the Mississippi next to the new home of the Guthrie Theater. Yeehaw! (It's a privately funded park, so it was probably a no-brainer, but a green victory regardless.) I'm so sick of seeing condo developments on every damn corner...

Boxing Flicks

2006-04-13T17:25:00.000-05:00

We watched Cinderella Man the other night. I thought it was a very good movie, but Renee Zelwigger was simply awful! I'm definitely not joining her fan club. There were scenes in the movie that made me feel physically ill because of her "acting."

Definitely worth watching- it's a great story. I guess I'd call it my fifth-favorite boxing movie ever:

1. Raging Bull
2. Rocky
3. Diggstown
4. When We Were Kings
5. Cinderella Man
6. Don King- Only in America
7. Rocky II
8. Ali
9. Rocky III
10. Rocky IV
11. The Champ

88. Million Dollar Baby

When We Were Kings might belong on another list, since it's a documentary. I saw The Champ when I was really young, and all I really remember is that it's very sad. I haven't really seen Rocky III or IV since I was a kid, so maybe I would think they stunk if I saw them today...

Ween + Legos = Brilliant!

2006-04-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

This is awesome! A Ween fan created a homemade video for "The Mollusk," using Lego characters.

Before this, the coolest Lego thing I had seen was Bat Girl's reenactment of a Twins-White Sox brawl a couple years ago.

Killer Kitchen Tip

2006-04-10T20:39:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I understand what I'm about to write qualifies as a nerdy. That's OK with me.

One of the coolest things I've learned recently is how to keep cilantro & other herbs fresh. As soon as you get home from the store, you place them into a glass of water (just like a bouquet of flowers).

It's all very logical, but I hadn't heard this tip until very recently. It stays nice and fresh much longer than storing it in a plastic bag. You wash the cilantro, and dry it thoroughly. Then you place it into a glass or jar of water. Then, you cover it with a baggie:

Fresh cilantro for months! (OK, days.) Pretty friggin' cool, eh?

Rock and Roll Movies

2006-04-07T12:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a sad story from Mammoth Mountain ski area in California- three ski patrols died. Wouldn't you think these guys would be equipped with oxygen tanks? Isn't is pretty well-known that breathing volcanic gasses can kill you?

There's a new biopic about former Rolling Stone Brian Jones coming out soon. This guy says it's not all that great, but I'm definitely going to see it. The trailer looks pretty good to me (watch it here).

With the success of Ray and Walk the Line, I'm hoping there's going to be more musician biopics coming out. Roger Daltrey has wanted to do a Keith Moon movie for a long time, and recently Mike Myers agreed to play Moon. (I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. Moon was pretty goofy, and Myers should be able to nail his accent, so it might work out.) However, the movie's being held up because Daltrey has yet to read a script that he likes. I hope it gets resolved, because that would make for a great movie.

Spring Has Sprung

2006-04-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

It's 59 and sunny in the Twin Cities right now, which feels awesome. There's no feeling that compares with the emergence of spring in the Midwest. Walking outside in shorts or a t-shirt for the first time in six months, leaving work and enjoying an hour or two of daylight, seeing the flora start to awaken from its slumber- it's enough to make you want to write a poem or something.

Andy and Jessica Madigan had their baby on Saturday- Liam Andrew Madigan. An April Fool's Day baby- I wonder if he'll be a prankster... I haven't seen any pictures yet, but I'm sure they're coming. Actually, it's interesting to notice the difference between baby #1 and baby #2 when it comes to updating Web sites, emailing photographs, etc. The same thing happened in my family- my brothers were 2 years apart, and then I came along 5 1/2 years later. There are tons of pictures of them growing up together, but only a handful after I arrived. I guess the novelty wears off.

In honor of the nice weather, I dusted off the running shoes, and went jogging yesterday for the first time in a long time- September? It felt great to get out there, but my poor asthmatic lungs were not happy at all. I only went about a mile or so, but I was wheezing like crazy. I'll just have to ease my way back into it. In addition, my legs are sore as hell today. I got a jump start on the season last year, as I was running around Lake Calhoun in January and February. I'm guessing I won't be able to whup Dave and Mal in the Melpomene 5K this year.

Jen and I headed to Adrian's Bar & Grill on Chicago to grab a bite to eat and watch the Twins drop their opener to the Blue Jays. I was surprised to see good beer on tap: Bell's Two Hearted Ale, Guinness, and Newcastle, to name a few. "I assume you guys aren't just a 3.2 joint anymore?" I asked the waitress. "Nope" was the reply. How friggin cool is that? I used to stop by Adrian's after shifts at the Chicago Deli, and play Addams Family pinball, but I've never ordered a beer there before, since 3.2 beer tastes like crap.

They even had a special on Stella Artois- $3.25 for a 20 oz glass! Methinks we'll be hitting this neighborhood watering hole quite often. They also have Galaga machine, and the place is walking distance from home.

A Little Common Sense

2006-04-04T16:20:00.000-05:00

I guess i don't have to leave my home state in shame:

Minnesota Senate committee rejects marriage amendment

I understand that the vengeful god types feel obligated to keep fighting for "traditional" marriage, but politicians should look at the big picture, shouldn't they? (At least the politicians who live in decent-sized metropolitan areas.) In 20 years, the people fighting to deny same-sex couples equal rights will be viewed in a very, very poor light.

Move Completed!

2006-04-03T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, almost completed. We've still got a pickup truck to unload and a ton of boxes to unpack. Zulu is finally starting to feel a little more comfortable in the new digs. She likes hanging out on the futon mattress, which is on top of a chair right now. Once she adjusts to her new surroundings, she'll love it. There's a lot more room for her to explore, and there are many more windows for her to stretch out in front of.

The move went very smoothly. We were crossing our fingers that the weather forecast would be accurate- one day of dry, mild weather, amidst rainy ones. We picked the truck up around 9 AM, and it was a tad bit chilly early on- it ended up being a beautiful day, though. Tedward, Schwei, and Krengel were a big help, and it was a pretty painless experience. Hoisting the boxspring and mattress up onto the roof in order to get them into the bedroom was an interesting experience, but not very difficult- the fact that Joe is tall (6'5"?) certainly helped. We were a little concerned about getting the couch in through the front door, but it snuck right through, with about a half inch to spare on each side.

Now, the task at hand is to try and make the place feel like it's ours. We're limited in what we can do in the way of rearranging, so I'm sure most people will walk in and feel like they're at Joy & Matt's place. The life-sized Ozzy Osbourne posters I'm putting up in every room might help, though.

Paging Dr. Freud

2006-03-30T15:47:00.000-06:00

I've never really been into dream analysis, but I have had a ton of crazy ones recently! I'm sure it's all related to the fact that I'm moving this Saturday, and I've been stressed about packing and cleaning, but it's been wild- vivid, freaky dreams.

Last night I had a dream that I was a passenger in a small, two-seat airplane that my buddy Joe K was flying. We had to land in a very small clearing in the middle of a vast forest. Some friends or family members were waiting for us, and I think we may have been bringing them food. [I just realized that this is reminding me of a scene from The Constant Gardener, which I watched recently, as well as multiple flights Jen and I took in 15-seat airplanes while honeymooning in Belize.]

The area that we had to land the plane was very, very small- maybe 50 feet by 75 feet. Joe told me that it would be difficult to land in such a tight spot, but that he had done it before- I wasn't so sure. He circled around the clearing, over and over again, dropping slowly in altitude. Once we were almost brushing the tops of the trees, he brought the nose of the plane quickly up, then dove straight towards the ground. The idea was to then jerk the nose back up quickly, so that we'd land on the wheels. Right about this time, it occurred to me that a seat belt might be a good idea. I was standing in the back of the airplane, which had suddenly become a cargo plane. Right as that thought entered my head, we dove straight down, and plunged into water. [Reminiscent of Castaway?]

There was one of those strange dream moments where I was outside of my body for a few moments, as I saw Joe release his seat belt, and grab a few important belongings. I noticed a hole in the cockpit windshield, and realized I must have been thrown through the glass. I couldn't figure out where the hell my body was, though, and assumed I must be dead. Then the front of the plane raised a little bit off the sea floor, and I saw myself underneath.

At that point, my perspective changed, so that I was seeing through my own eyes again. I clutched for a few food/clothing bags, swam out from underneath the plane, and headed for the surface. We had landed in a very small lagoon on one side of the clearing, and my body was aching. When we exited the water, I first noticed a cut on my thigh. But then I saw my right foot, which was incredibly swollen, discolored, and misshapen. At this point, I knew I needed to get to a hospital, but there didn't appear to be one anywhere near us, and the plane was toast.

Then I noticed my hands, which were even worse than my foot- the fingers were twisted this way and that- absolutely disgusting. I started to panic a little, and that's when I woke up. I was on my stomach, and my hands were underneath me, half asleep. Aha! That explains the very end of the dream, I guess.

Moving Blows!

2006-03-28T16:25:00.000-06:00

Although I'm very excited to be living in a house again, moving really stinks. Packing up boxes, hauling things up and down flights of stairs- it's no fun. You also realize all the useless crap you own when you move. I suppose moving periodically is a worthwhile thing, if only to force you to get rid of some material possessions.

One of the things I'm really looking forward to in the new place is being able to garden once again. Nothing beats veggies and fruits fresh off the vine. Of course, a good garden requires a lot of work in the spring, so we'll see how motivated I actually am in a month or two...

When I look back at my schedule, I've been booked pretty much solid since before Thanksgiving. The holidays were as busy as usual, and then we had all the last-minute wedding details to work out. As soon as we got back from the honeymoon, we started preparing to move. Whew!

Once I get settled, I'd like to make a point of seeing some live music. I haven't seen anything worthwhile in quite some time. A few local bands I'd like to check out are Cloud Cult, Fort Wilson Riot, tapes 'n tapes, and Zebulon Pike (self-described "doom-laden instrumental stoner metal").

Here are some upcoming shows I might attend:

4/12 Particle- Cabooze
4/14 Big Wu- The Quest
4/15 Dark Star Orchestra- Cabooze
4/15 The Samples- 7th Street Entry
4/17 Burning Spear- First Ave
4/21 Kid Dakota- Nomad
4/29 Spaghetti Western Co.- 400 Bar
4/29 Fort Wilson Riot- Nomad
5/4 Ice Cube- First Ave
5/6 Supersuckers- Cabooze
5/7 King Wilkie- Cedar Cultural Center
5/17 Drive By Truckers- First Ave
5/20 Cloud Cult- Varsity Theater
5/26 Todd Snider- Mayslack's (in a tent?)
5/28 Ol' Yeller- Mayslack's (tent?)
6/3 Walkmen- 400 Bar
6/30 Alice Cooper- Taste of Minnesota

There's no way I'll drop $30 on Ice Cube, but I'm quite serious about Alice Cooper. Soul Asylum is supposed to be playing the Taste as well- nothing beats free music outside (especially when the crowds aren't too bad)...

Boo-urns!

2006-03-27T20:59:00.000-06:00

Did anyone else watch The Simpsons on Sunday? I was very excited to see the live-action show intro. It sounded like a creative idea for a show that has become a little stagnant (though I think the writing is still very solid).

I was quite disappointed. Couldn't they find lookalikes that actually resemble the characters? The girl playing Lisa had shoulder-length red hair! I'm going to watch it again tonight and see if i feel any differently. Initially, I thought the band teacher was the only person who actually looked like the cartoon charater.

Live-Action Simpsons Opening

2006-03-24T16:49:00.000-06:00

This Sunday, the Simpons will feature a live-action opening sequence, with human lookalikes. Hopefully they look better than the jokers pictured here.

Who's Shafting Who?

2006-03-24T11:16:00.000-06:00

My pal Hazel pointed out that there's some controversy surrounding the Issac Hayes-Chef-South Park-Scientology brouhaha. Supposedly, crazy Scientologists (that's like an anti-oxymoron) "took advantage if his infirmed condition to issue a statement claiming to be Hayes leaving the show." (Hayes had a mild stroke in January.) The whole thing is pretty crazy, regardless of what the truth is. This guy from foxnews.com claims Shaft didn't have a problem with South Park ripping into Scientology. Hayes seems like a pretty cool guy, so I guess I'll choose to believe that he's been taken advantage of, and maybe brainwashed even further by Hubbard's cult.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone wasted no time in firing back at Hayes, killing Chef off the other night. (Did anyone catch the episode? I unfortunately missed it.) They'll also be bringing Chef back, with a different voice. One of the great things about South Park is their incredibly fast turnaround time. While a Simpsons episode takes close to a year to produce, South Park is low-tech enough where they can react to things incredibly quickly.

If Hayes is really the victim here, I feel bad for the man who would risk his neck for his brother man. Shaft! I can dig it...

Chef gives South Park the Shaft

2006-03-14T15:54:00.000-06:00

Hey Isaac- don't let the doorknob get lodged in your ass on the way out, ok?

Isaac Hayes just announced that he will no longer be providing the voice of Chef on South Park. Here's what he had to say:

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins."

Really, Shaft? What line was crossed? Ohhh...they made fun of Scientology. How dare they! You had no problem with the thousands of jokes poking fun at Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Friggin hypocrite.

*Finally, the answer to the question everyone's asking: who's smarter, nuns or librarians?

Mmmmmmmm...beer

2006-03-14T01:35:00.000-06:00

If you're looking for a reason to live above a bar, here's a good one.

The Twin Cities got hit by a snow storm that reminded me of spring storms in Denver- heavy, wet snow that really tests your back while shoveling. I helped push a stuck car out of a snow bank tonight, which is always fun. That used to be a regular pasttime in Minnesnowta, but it doesn't happen very often nowadays.

Thursday Thoughts

2006-03-09T13:37:00.000-06:00

I've got plans to get together with friends for dinner and the Sopranos premier this Sunday, so I won't be able to attend Kirby Puckett's memorial service at the dome. I was there with Mike Hyland and my parents after the 1987 ALCS when the Twins returned from Detroit, and the team was blown away by the SRO crowd. I think it will be similar on Sunday, especially with people like Cal Ripken and Bob Costas supposedly showing up for it. I wrote a little about Puck over at another blog. I guess I'll just have to tape the memorial service.

I just don't understand this one bit!!! If you allow pharmacists to decide whether they want to prescribe something, where do you draw the line? Racist surgeons who refuse to operate on minorities? Medicine should be completely separate from religion! Unless they're living in Ave Maria, of course.

Library Stuff
The coursework in library school was a bit different back in thirties! I probably would have flunked this exam, and not just because it's Canuck-centric. Some of my favorite questions:

*Explain any three of the following: voucher, budget, quorum, debenture.
*Assess the scope and value of national bibliography using any one country as an illustration.
*Describe the development of printing in Italy in the fifteenth century.
* "We owe the alphabet to the Semites, the vowels to the Greeks and the letter forms as well as the transmission of the alphabet to the Romans." Discuss this statement.

Fun reference questions from the past few days:
-What does RMS on a ship mean (i.e. RMS Titanic)? Royal Mail Ship- carrying British mail
-Do you have Civil War-era journals with articles about cannons? American Periodicals Series has tons of full-text articles from 1740-1900. God bless technology!
-I need information about fishing guides' salaries.
What county is Merritt Island, FL located in? How do I get a copy of a marriage license?

Funny questions from a little while back:
-Do you have the book Reading Polite in Texas? (She was looking for Reading Lolita in Tehran)
-Do you have the book by Dorris McCullough called Prosperity- letters to children? (She was looking for Dorie McCoullough Lawson's Posterity- letters of great Americans to their children)

Oscar the Grouch

2006-03-07T00:22:00.000-06:00

I had originally planned on doing a live diary thing, Bill Simmons-style, but my foray into that field will have to wait until another day. Jen and I had people over for an Oscars party, and I was busy making naan for the first half hour or so. I didn't miss much, but I think I would have to be by myself (or at least not with a bunch of other people) to pull something like that off.

I thought Jon Stewart did a great job, and some of the fake attack ads were hilarious- especially the one sponsored by the Dames for Truth, slandering Judi Dench. However, Stewart seemed to get a lot less air time than most hosts- maybe a backlash because of all the people that didn't appreciate Chris Rock's hosting last year. I thought he did a fine job, but what do I know? Sean Penn wanted to kick his ass for making a Jude Law joke.

They start right off with the Best Supporting Actor award, to encourage people to watch the entire broadcast. I think it's a good move, but it meant the best acceptance speech occurred 15 minutes into the ceremony. Clooney, a guy who was forced to spend tons of his own money to get Good Night and Good Luck made, kept it nice and short, didn't bother thanking anyone (not even his lawyers!), and talked about how filmmakers can use the medium for noble purposes. Plus, he talked about how silly it is to rate art (not his exact words). I completely agree. I like following the Oscars, and I like that there are winners and losers (mostly so I can bitch about them routinely giving the Best Picture Oscar to the wrong movie). However, how can someone watch Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Good Night and Good Luck, and declare one of them the "best?"

Stewart's best line of the night was delivered right after the montage of "important" movies in the history of Hollywood. Jules Winfield introduced the clip show, saying movies like Philadelphia changed the world. Whoa, buddy! That wording might be a tad strong. Oh well- the message was good. Immediately after, Stewart said "And none of those issues was ever a problem again." Brilliant.

After hearing Dolly Parton's awful song from Transamerica, and being forced to avert my eyes from the artsy (the poopy kind of artsy) choreography that accompanied the song from Crash (they're moving in...slow motion!), I was definitely rooting for "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp." Another couple great Stewart lines: "I think it just got a whole lot easier to be a pimp" and "For those of you keeping score at home, Martin Scorsese: 0 Oscars. Three 6 Mafia: 1 Oscar."

Speaking of Dolly Parton, boy, is she freaky looking! I think her waist is about the same size around as my ankle, but she's still got the baggage up top. She looks like a real-life Barbie Doll. I don't know how she stays upright.

Where was Don Knotts in the montage of death? You can't tell me they didn't have time to stick in one 3-second clip from The Apple Dumpling Gang or The Private Eyes.

I haven't seen Walk the Line yet, and I'm sure Reese Witherspoon was great. But can someone explain how she just secured the biggest payday for a single movie? Seriously- she's cute, and she's a decent actress, but...

Ang Lee becomes the first non-white person to get a directing Oscar. Good stuff. You can't accuse him of making the same movie over and over: Crouching Tiger, then The Hulk, then Brokeback Mountain. What's next?

Crash is the best movie of 2005? Whatever. The spineless Academy gives Brokeback a few awards (including an important one to Mr. Lee), but wimps out on the big one. Crash was a decent movie, and featured some great acting. But suddenly it's being trumpeted as an essential work, taking on the issue of racism head-on. The plot was contrived, dependent on a "Holy shit! I can't believe that plot twist" moment. Wait a minute, that rings a bell. Ah- Paul Haggis also wrote last year's Best Picture- Million Dollar Baby. Mr. Haggis seems like a nice enough guy, but I think he needs to return to his roots- writing for The Love Boat and Diff'rent Strokes. He also created Walker Texas Ranger, so I guess he's somewhat responsible for all the Chuck Norris jokes floating around the Internet. Stick to television, pal!

The movies I enjoy the most are the ones that seem better and better the more you think about them. The ones that are so fun to talk to other people about, because they bring up things that you didn't notice. The movies that are fun to watch a second and third time. Both Crash and Million Dollar Baby are the opposite kind of movies. As each day passes, I like them less and less. When I walked out of Million Dollar Baby, I thought "Not great, but I liked the style, the acting..." After countless conversations with people about the movie, I now have almost nothing good to say about it. The premise is ridiculous, it's about as melodramatic as a story can be, and it relies one one big "shocker."

I still think Crash was a good movie (talk to me in a year, and I may say otherwise), featuring some damn fine acting performances. However, the characters were all one-dimensional, everything tied together way too nicely, it relied on many convenient plot twists, and the message, however well-intentioned, was something a 7th-grader could come up with: racism is bad, and (get ready) everyone is racist! But there are reasons they're racist, you see. Boo-urns!

I did ok in the Oscar pool. I got 11 out of 24 right, but Joe Schwei led the way with 18 correct predictions.

Sunset Pic

2006-03-03T15:12:00.000-06:00

IMG_1042
Originally uploaded by moo

I've been a bit of a slacker, it seems. I would like to post 3-5 times a week or so, but life has been fairly hectic. After getting back into the swing of work after the big destination wedding/honeymoon trip, the wife and I are now spending most of our free time packing for our April 1 move to south Minneapolis. I have two consecutive days off work this weekend, which will be wonderful! We'll be spending most of our time packing and cleaning, as well as getting through as many Sopranos episodes as possible. With the new season starting in just over a week, we need to refresh our memory- two years is a damn long time in between seasons!

I saw Brokeback Mountain a couple days ago, so I've seen all the Best Picture nominees except Munich. I won't get into my predictions, since I'm participating in a small pool. I'm hoping to keep some sort of live journal during the Oscars, similar to what Bill Simmons does for big sporting events.

I've just uploaded all of the professional pictures from our wedding to flickr. I'm still trying to figure out the ins and outs of flickr, but it seems very cool. Next up- figure out a way to compress our wedding video, and post that...

Austin City Limits

2006-02-28T11:33:00.000-06:00

There are a ton of great musicians appearing on Austin City Limits in the upcoming months: The Polyphonic Spree, Ozomatli, Wilco, Bright Eyes, Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, Trey Anastasio, Ben Folds, Spoon...it's pretty incredible. Locally, TPT (channel 2) usually airs the show a week later than what the Austin City limits Website says, but I don't see any broadcast info for upcoming shows right now.

Steve's been sending me links to Achewood, an online comic for a while. It's good humor, but just recently The Great Outdoor Fight thread has been hilarious! It started on January 25.

Prospecting for Gold

2006-02-26T11:44:00.000-06:00

Baseball Prospectus recently released their annual Top 50 Prospects list. The good news for Twins fans? Francisco Liriano is ranked #4. The bad news? He's the only Twins prospect on the list, which, including honorable mentions, totals 65. And, it looks like it might take an injury or two for Liriano to join the starting rotation this season.

Baseball America just published their Top 10 list for the Twins organization, and here's John Sickels' top 20 list. Matt Moses, Denard Span, and Trevor Plouffe are all ranked higher than I expected. Twins fans know the system is loaded with pitching, but how nice would it be to develop a third baseman?

It's easy to get excited about these lists, but then you notice some of the former Baseball America top-ranked Twins prospects: David McCarty (twice), Rich Becker, Luis Rivas, Adam Johnson...

Aaron Gleeman has been doing a feature on the top 40 Twins players of all-time, which has been fun to read. The one rule: only stats with the Twins count (it sucks looking up franchise leaders on Baseball-reference.com, and seeing Walter Johnson's name everywhere). So far, seven players have been chosen by Gleeman: Randy Bush, Scott Erickson, Eric Milton, Jimmie Hall, Dave Boswell, Steve Braun, and Matt Lawton. That leaves 33 players, and I thought it would be fun to speculate. There are some very obvious ones, like Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Jim Katt, Bob Allison, Kent Hrbek, Tony Oliva, and Bert Blyleven.

Current Twins who should make the cut: Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, and Brad Radke. Joe Mauer will undoubtedly make the list very soon, but he doesn't even have 600 ABs yet. Jacque Jones may make the cut, since he ranks #11 for career home runs. (He also ranks 6th all-time in strikeouts, despite having a fraction of the ABs of the 5 guys ahead of him in the category.)

Other possible old-school Twins include Zoilo Versailles, Earl Battey, Jim Perry, Mudcat Grant, Camilo Pascual, Cesar Tovar, and Larry Hisle.

Rick Aguilera and Eddie Guardado are the only relievers worthy of this list, although Jeff Reardon has an outside shot. He was an important part of the '87 team, but he only played three seasons in a Twins uniform.

Frankie "Sweet Music" Viola definitely belongs, and Kevin Tapani will probably finish in the top 30.

The rest of the guys I've got pencilled in are from the 80s and 90s: Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky, Chuck Knoblauch, Brian Harper, Roy Smalley, Shane Mack, Greg Gagne, and Dan Gladden. Playing on 2 World Series Champions certainly helps. Gladden stole a fair amount of bases, and was certainly an emotional leader, but he was not a very effective lead-off hitter- his career OBP for the Twins was .318, barely ahead of Ron Coomer (.315) and Denny Hocking (.310)!

That's 32 players, so I'm one short. Corey Koskie's #15 in career HRs, and had a good glove, so maybe he makes the cut, but I'm sure I'm missing deserving players from the 60s and 70s.

Best reference question ever...

2006-02-24T13:40:00.000-06:00

...shortly followed by one of the worst.

People often ask me what I do at the library. When presented with this question, I usually draw a blank, and say "Get books for people and stuff." Last summer, I tried tracking the reference questions I was asked- it lasted about 3 days. Looking back, the questions ranged from "There's a book about fitness, and it has a girl in a tanktop on the cover, and red writing" to "What was the price of an ounce of gold in 1987?"

My typical day at the library lasts from 8:30-5, with shifts on the reference desk from 10-1 and 3-5, or 1-5. When I'm off desk, most of my time is spent doing collection maintenance. I'm responsible for 900-939 in the Dewey range (geography, circulating atlases, travel, biographies, genealogy, ancient history), and will take over the 000-099 range very soon (mainly computer-related books, but also UFOs, libraries, circulating encyclopedias, the publishing industry- basically a hodge-podge). I'm also in charge of the computer lab, but that doesn't really occupy my time on a day-to-day basis.

For better or worse, the interesting part of the day is spent on the reference desk, answering patron (I mean customer) questions. (The big boss says we're supposed to be using the word "customer.") I'm a people person- I wouldn't last very long as a cataloger. I need that face-to-face (as well as phone and Web chat) interaction with the public on a daily basis. The crazies and a-holes can sap your energy, but for every one of them, there are 10 friendly folks who are genuinely grateful to be helped, and walk away with a big smile on their face.

My favorite all-time reference question, which won't likely be topped any time soon, took place in Colorado. A guy wearing dark sunglasses came in, and claimed to have an "original copy" of the United States Constitution, and wanted to know how much it was worth (he didn't have it with him, of course). I won't go into more detail, but when I found out it had "Phillip Morris Companies" and the word "bicentennial" printed on it, I assured him that this must be some sort of souvenir replication, but told him only an antiques appraiser could value the item.

And now, we move on to the point of this post (my first recovery of a half-eaten cookie!). The other day, I answered the ref desk phone, and it went like this:

Jon: R____ Library Information Desk. May I help you?

Guy: Yeah. I was hoping you could help me with a date.

Jon: OK...

Guy: It's the date of a sporting event.

Jon: Sure. What event?

Guy: I think it was in 2003, but it might have been 2002 or 2004. The Seahawks and Packers were going into overtime. Seattle won the toss, and Matt Hasselbeck said "We want the ball, and we're going to score." And Green Bay won the game.

Jon: [Shocked silence. Am I really getting paid to answer this question? Holy shit! How friggin awesome is that?] OK, I remember that game. You're just looking for the date of the game?

Guy: That's correct, sir.

Jon: [Is this one of my friends messing with me? Like when Tschida called the Chicago Deli and asked me if we had chicken breasts, then asked if they had big nipples...] I should be able to get that date for you in just a moment [searching "hasselbeck we want the ball" in Google...] OK, it looks like the date of the game was January 4, 2004.

Being the good librarian that I am, I double checked a couple of other sources, and the date was consistent (not that I didn't trust espn.com, but better safe than sorry). If I could somehow start up a full-time sports reference library...maybe Mark Cuban has money to burn?

2 days later I had an experience which left me with not quite as sweet a taste in my mouth. A woman came up to the desk, and asked if I could come listen to a PowerPoint file that a friend sent her, and identify who was singing the "incredible" song playing in the background. I said, "I can certainly give it a shot, but I may not know." She responded with "Oh, you'll know it. I'm sure. It might be Celine Dion." Of course I came back with "I wouldn't know Celine Dion if she was standing right there. I don't really listen to pop music. But I can try to jot down some lyrics, and use the Web to find out who's singing." She assured me that I would know who it is.

When I put the headphones on, I immediately cringed. It was loud, the sound was fairly muffled (probably because the volume was cranked, coming through cheap headphones), and I immediately despised the song. I had some trouble understanding the lyrics, but then caught
"Blah blah blah...I'm glad that I'm alive...You set my heart on fire...blah blah blah." Using our old pal Google, I typed in "I'm glad that I'm alive," and lo and behold, it's Celine Dion! Unfortunately, our copy of the CD was checked out, so she was going to check Borders.

Ah, the joys of being a public librarian!