So … what’s on your mind?
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What’s the deal with Pearl Jam? I was listening to “Daughter” on the radio last night, and suddenly it struck me that everything the guitarist was playing sounded like a mangled rip-off of the same jimi hendrix lick, slowed down enough that a 13 year old garage rocker could get the fingers to work it.
But, maybe it’s just me
[quote comment="44924"]
But, maybe it’s just me[/quote]
And by “me” we’re talking Michael, who is continuing to use my computer while his is down, without switching log-ins, and is making me sound much more interesting than usual…so maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. hmmm.
I have almost bought World of Warcraft about a dozen times, but I know I will get addicted and I waive off. Adulthood sucks.
is the coffee ready yet? I woke up too late.
Oh, and I’d also like to welcome all those new Windows Vista users out there! Once all those bugs are worked out, you’re going to really enjoy some of the features that we OSX users have been enjoying for the past five years.
One of my favorite bumper stickers from the 90’s comes to mind:
Windows 95 = Mac 84.
Oh, and Beta was also a superior format, if for no other reason then the fact that I always could find the new releases at The Wherehouse in beta when the VHS copies were all gone.
I wish I could somehow go back to the days of Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne at The Troubadour in L.A.- I feel like the face of music has changed and has become much less intimate and organic. I want big throw rugs, wide open musical spaces, reverence for the tiny, intimate pauses, and a sonic display of humanity.
Oh- and a sherpa.
Bill Condon is nominated as Best Director for Dreamgirls? Am I in Opposite Land?
I think it would be very cool to be able to get tattoos, but only for a year, and then they all disappear.
I think I would go nuts. Like some kind of counter-culture rebel with a fear of commitment.
Obviously, I’ve been watching the flickr pics in the sidebar.
Do you think it’s possible to form oneself into a nicer person or should I just finally embrace that I’m going to be an opinionated, quasi-compassionate (when it suits me, you understand), self-important bitch for the rest of my life?
There are pros and cons.
Cerise
Kobe. No…wait — Shaq.
Good news, Michael.
OK - I had NO idea that tattoo ink wasn’t regulated by somebody. Dear god - no wonder the blood bank has me blacklisted as a donor.
Never mind sanitation, THERE COULD BE LEAD IN MY PAINT!!!
Cerise
Yay!
1. My crutch insult right now is douchebag. I haven’t employed another insult in days, and I fling a handful each day. -pretty sure that makes me a douchebag.
2. When I’m talking to God, half the time I’m thanking Him for every blessing. The other half I’m telling Him that it’s hard to believe He exists at all.
3. I married way. way. way. up.
4. My toenails have been growing like weeds. It seems like I just cut them last summer, and poof, they’re back already.
5. Zachkq, when you get the coffee ready, I take halfn’ half, and two Splendas.
1. I’ve been using “Infant”. As in, “What is this crap you call a programmed drum part? Are you an infant?”
2. Amen.
3. Amen.
4. Gretchen remarked the other day that I was down to shaving once a week. I see that as a mark of a man who has forged the life of his own choosing. She sees that as a mark of a man who is still a lazy 13-year-old boy at heart.
5. Mmmmmmmm. Peets.
[quote comment="44941"]Oh, and I’d also like to welcome all those new Windows Vista users out there! Once all those bugs are worked out, you’re going to really enjoy some of the features that we OSX users have been enjoying for the past five years.
One of my favorite bumper stickers from the 90’s comes to mind:
Windows 95 = Mac 84.
[/quote]
Ah, Chad…come on, don’t just be a fan boy. Nobody likes automaton fan boys. Here’s a real review. By the cult of Mac no less…….
And the bumper sticker really should read Windows 3.1 = Mac 84 = Xerox Alto 73. Jobs has just done a better job convincing people that he comes up with revolutionary ideas. Nope…he just rips off and refines talented people too.
[quote comment="44965"]He just rips off and refines talented people too.[/quote]
You say that like it’s a bad thing …
[quote comment="44967"][quote comment="44965"]He just rips off and refines talented people too.[/quote]
You say that like it’s a bad thing …[/quote]
It’s not a bad thing. Just don’t selectively bash Gates and forget that Jobs is no better.
Dude,
My PC hatred is rooted in my reality. My wife made the (perhaps) mistake of replacing her Treo 600 with a new Motorola Q smartphone, which is only PC compatible. She needs to sync it, if only for backup purposes, so I roll over to my parent’s house to use my mom’s recently purchased Sony Viao as a central station.
After installing the Microsoft AutoSync program, or whatever it’s called, I spend 20 minutes trying to figure out why Norton Firewall is refusing to allow the transfer of data. The machine keeps telling me, “Follow link for more information as to how to properly set up your firewall…” and then links me to some Microsoft site which is no help whatsoever. I finally gave up and decided to help Erica hand write all her contacts out from time to time as an archive.
My PC at work (a mere days away from being replaced by a 24-in iMac) is so riddled with viruses and “quirks” that it’s barely usable.
I have said before, and Mike has recently pointed out, Macs have their problems. No consumer electronic is ever going to be perfect. But here’s the bottom line for me: I get work done on macs. I get pissed off at PCs.
As for the Xerox thing, you’re right, but I think to take away from Apple’s history of innovation is pretty unfair. I can’t think of a company that’s more impacted the way we see products of all kinds.
I’m glad they work well for you, and I actually hope Vista kicks ass, because I don’t want Mac to grow that much in %, as I really enjoy my virus free existence.
i like bacon.
Let’s count the number of times today that I have to say the following phrase:
“It’s not that I don’t understand what you were trying to do, it’s just that you did it poorly.”
Yes, my friends, my students’ first logic project is due today.
McDonalds, along with Starbucks, is trying to take over the world.
I want to hear Mike’s student’s projects.
Trust me, you really don’t.
So, this is where you get to say anything that is on your mind? (I hope so…)
Some girlfriends and I were not excited to notice that Victoria’s Secret and Frederick’s are not using mannequins so much anymore as enormous photographs where ten-foot breasts are put in our husbands’ paths. One of them said that controversial ads are the reason our Abercrombie now has black shutters all across the front of the store opening. I remember thinking in passing that store that it is poor marketing to ignore the front windows, but I had no idea that the girls in jeans and nothing else were the reason. Does anyone hipper than me know anything about this?
I suppose I could just do some googling.
(I always seem to have an afterthought…)
Don’t worry, Aly, I haven’t turned into a conservative prude!
don’t worry, Aly. I have.
[quote comment="45024"]a conservative prude![/quote]
Does “Not wanting to stroll casually through a promenade of half-naked people who use the implication of cheap sexuality to hawk consumer goods” count as being a conservative prude? Because if so, make that a table for 2.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=15bwhVxw-Bg
It’s weird that you bring up the Abercrombie/Vic’s Secret/Frederick’s thing today. At housechurch last night we were talking about sex trafficking (Ash & I are connected to Protest4…loosely). One guy said how bizarre it is for him to even consider the darkness that would have to be in someone’s soul in order for them to pay to rape a kid…because seriously, it’s a freaking kid, and kids aren’t sexy.
And I said, “Have you seen little girl clothes lately?”
Yeah, make the Conservative Prude table a reservation for three.
[quote comment="45040"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=15bwhVxw-Bg[/quote]
The camera didn’t catch the sign out front, but the pet store is actually called Big Effin’ Douchebag’s Stupid Idea-O-Rama. That was unexpectedly disturbing.
Disturbing only if you like cats.
I laughed so loudly that some students came into my office to see if I was OK.
I laughed at first and then cried in horror. How the hell could they not let him out of there??? Cruelty is not funny.
Cruelty is sometimes funny.
Hey, somebody sent me this.
http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=j_han
Cruelty is not funny only if you like cats.
I had to stop it, and I don’t like cats. I’m against anything thinking it’s about to die.
My Penance.
http://wallpapers.jurko.net/uploads/wallpaper_10452.jpg
You are funny.
What’s on my mind today is that potty-training a two-year-old is not my idea of fun. Or, more specifically, chaining myself to the homestead for days on end so that little love can wee in the pot 82 times a day does not a happy June make.
I can’t stop thinking about the Van Gogh action figure for sale at the Getty. I could so use an optional, second head…but I want mine to have both ears.
Victoria is a sicko. Hey society, if you want my boys to be reasonable, respectable men, how about not dog-piling on me and all my efforts, eh?! Oh, and thanks heaps for opening the latest kids movie with a sexy Prince song. Perfect! If I wouldn’t mind hearing it come out of their sweet mouths, I’d teach my littles to call it “Crappy Feet!”
I miss summer.
I just got parolled from a life sentence. For details, contact Chad…
Grammy, would this have anything to do with a certain wing of the house becoming vacant?
[quote comment="45176"]I just got parolled from a life sentence. For details, contact Chad…[/quote]
congratulations! Jubilation! Emancipation! something.else-ation!
June! I understand the potty training thing. My 2 year old is also potty training…sort of…when he wants to…
I really need to get my pictures off of my camera so I can post layouts from my scrapbook weekend.
I really want a Cricut but would a Wishblade be better?
[quote comment="45007"]Let’s count the number of times today that I have to say the following phrase:
“It’s not that I don’t understand what you were trying to do, it’s just that you did it poorly.”
Yes, my friends, my students’ first logic project is due today.[/quote]
AHHH yes I remember that well.
I have a question for The Dailies. What did you do to get that muffled, in a can, covered in a blanket and sat on, sound for the vocals and drums, in I believe Everything Must Go, and another one that I don’t remember right now, and can’t listen since I am in class. I love wifi
We actually recorded those vocals in a can, covered in a blanket, with our dog sitting on us.
Actually, they were all recorded at the highest fidelity we could muster at our home studio and then manipulated by the Stickman, so you’ll have to ask him.
And I love this question.
Oh, and Mike, I’ve thought and prayed about it for almost a full day now, and I’ve decided that I do, indeed, want to hear some of your student’s projects.
1. When I was in 6th grade…calling each other “douchebags” (is that really only one word?) was the highest form of insult (we’re talking 1964). I got steamed at another driver the other day and the first thing out of my mouth (alone, in the car, windows rolled up) was…”what a douchebag”. I hadn’t used that word in decades. I love that word. It totally took my road rage away!
2. As a marketer, I find it insulting and just plain sleazy when consumer goods companies use sex to sell. I don’t mean clever, slight hint of sexiness through words, lyrics or suggestion kind of advertising, but the “let’s just shove it right in their faces” type. I have worked with some very talented creatives in my day and I know how the process works. No one needs to stoop that low to sell. This approach is used because the company can’t differentiate its products any other way. There is a word for it: LAZY!
3. “No thanks, I see my friends sitting at a table right over there”
[quote comment="45323"]
Actually, they were all recorded at the highest fidelity we could muster at our home studio and then manipulated by the Stickman, so you’ll have to ask him.
[/quote]
Well, off the the top of my head, the lofi drums that slowly open up to normal is a hi-pass/lo-pass eq filter that I automated.
The lofi vocals probably have some of the same lo-pass thing going, but probably also run through AmpFarm or SansAmp to give it the distortion. If you really want the detailed scoop, I’ll pull up the ProTools session and look at it.
thanks Stick,
I love the sound and I was just curious as to how to do it because one never knows when they might need to make things sound like that. If you put up the ProTools session I’ll deffinately take a look at it, however I do not know what I would be looking at, I have used only Logic so far.
I love watermelons. A lot. But watermelon-flavored anything makes me want to vomit. Orange is the same, I love oranges as a fruit, but orange flavoring is gross. Why can’t science come up with a more realistic artificial fruit flavoring?
Oh, well, at least there’s always chocolate. Thanks for the opportunity to get this off my chest.
You know what I love about children’s programming on PBS? No ads! I like the fact that my daughter is not for sale.
Ellie (4.5) let me know as she and I were sharing a bowl of soup last night that she’d had a bad day because she had a fight with her boyfriend at school.
Yes, that was a run-on sentence just now. But I haven’t been able to function properly for the last 12 hours or so.
[quote comment="45336"]thanks Stick,
I love the sound and I was just curious as to how to do it because one never knows when they might need to make things sound like that. If you put up the ProTools session I’ll deffinately take a look at it, however I do not know what I would be looking at, I have used only Logic so far.[/quote]
No, I just mean I’ll pull it up here at my place and explain a little better if you want… and yeah, I use such effects like that on almost every mix.
Oh…that reminds me. We (my wife and my twin 9 year-old daughters) are watching a family program on TV the other day (can’t remember the channel…but it was a family show) and ads for “The L Word” come on. I realize I have pulled up a chair at “the” table, but I, too, am no prude. However, I’m here to tell you there is something definitely wrong when I have to flip channels so that my girls don’t have to see the beginning of a scene with two women going at it.
“Daddy, what were those women about to do?”
“Well sweetheart, ah…you see…some women..instead of being attracted to men are…or think they are…or find it easier to be…attracted to…er…Julie, can you help out…I just think I heard the doorbell”
[quote comment="45363"]Ellie (4.5) let me know as she and I were sharing a bowl of soup last night that she’d had a bad day because she had a fight with her boyfriend at school.[/quote]
And the worst part is her boyfriend is my 6 year old son. He’s a nice kid, though.
[quote comment="45337"]I love watermelons. A lot. But watermelon-flavored anything makes me want to vomit. Orange is the same, I love oranges as a fruit, but orange flavoring is gross. Why can’t science come up with a more realistic artificial fruit flavoring?
Oh, well, at least there’s always chocolate. Thanks for the opportunity to get this off my chest.[/quote]
May I ask for an exemption for Watermelon flavored Jolly Ranchers? I’ve always liked them. Also, for some reason, the orange flavored sparkling water that my wife gets at Trader Joe’s always does it for me. Perhaps because it’s just a hint of flavor, rather then the whole she-bang.
I will heartily say amen to all else, and I am so glad Addison has provided you with this release from your angst.
[quote comment="45365"]Oh…that reminds me. We (my wife and my twin 9 year-old daughters) are watching a family program on TV the other day (can’t remember the channel…but it was a family show) and ads for “The L Word” come on. I realize I have pulled up a chair at “the” table, but I, too, am no prude. However, I’m here to tell you there is something definitely wrong when I have to flip channels so that my girls don’t have to see the beginning of a scene with two women going at it.
“Daddy, what were those women about to do?”
“Well sweetheart, ah…you see…some women..instead of being attracted to men are…or think they are…or find it easier to be…attracted to…er…Julie, can you help out…I just think I heard the doorbell”[/quote]
Ok,
So, I’m really no prude. I mean. Really. I have a beef with MTV. I still watch it from time to time, as I am interested in pop culture. Notice I didn’t say music.
I’m a realistic kind of guy, and I know that MTV has always been exploitive in their depiction of sexuality, but what’s killing me these days are shows depicting teenagers and college types celebrating just overtly horrifying behavior towards everyone and everything. The show where parents pick two people for their child to go on a date with is the worst example. I think it’s called “Parental Control.”
So, the parents don’t like the boyfriend/girlfriend. They then get to pick from a pool of people and set their child up on two dates, one pick from each parent. The current boyfriend/girlfriend then sits with the parents while they watch and comment on the two dates. The child then chooses to stay with the current flame, or pick one of the two new ones.
It’s the dialog between the current boyfriend/girlfriend and the parents that kills me. Utter lack of respect and open hostility are celebrated on this show. I cannot comprehend grown adults (who often have 15-20 years of life experience on me, as their children are themselves young adults) who think this is a good idea. I cannot imagine a boyfriend or girlfriend of one of my children talking to me with even a hint of the disrespect that these kids show and living to tell about it.
Parenthood is a battle, without a doubt, and not to be undertaken by the faint of heart. I think the folks at MTV should have their butts kicked for celebrating and televising such relational disasters. Bring back Madonna’s cone-boobs, please. They were more polite.
[quote comment="45364"][quote comment="45336"]thanks Stick,
I love the sound and I was just curious as to how to do it because one never knows when they might need to make things sound like that. If you put up the ProTools session I’ll deffinately take a look at it, however I do not know what I would be looking at, I have used only Logic so far.[/quote]
No, I just mean I’ll pull it up here at my place and explain a little better if you want… and yeah, I use such effects like that on almost every mix.[/quote]
O ok. Well I think I would rather play with everything and make it my own. But thanks for the direction. It sounds amazing.
[quote]
May I ask for an exemption for Watermelon flavored Jolly Ranchers? I’ve always liked them. Also, for some reason, the orange flavored sparkling water that my wife gets at Trader Joe’s always does it for me. Perhaps because it’s just a hint of flavor, rather then the whole she-bang.
I will heartily say amen to all else, and I am so glad Addison has provided you with this release from your angst.[/quote]
Exemptions granted, since I’ve been known to actually enjoy orange flavored fruit2O.
I really enjoy this site. There’s so much content that lets me know “I’m not the only one!”
What Chad said.
And also, our six-year-old wants to know what happens to the laser shots (in Star Wars specifically) that don’t hit anything. Where do they go? They’re light, so……..do they just keep going and going?
I think all my potty-training efforts have succeeded only in giving little love a new hobby. He does not sense a need to relieve, he’s merely happy to do it as an activity. Siiiigh.
Is it generally a come-on when men compliment a woman on her blouse?
[quote comment="45527"]
Is it generally a come-on when men compliment a woman on her blouse?[/quote]
generally speaking, no. unless you want it be, and it’s your husband. then, yes.
you might be dealing with a garden-variety metrosexual who actually notices blouses as something more than a breast impediment. I’m in that category. but for the record, I’m a boobie fan, too. particularly those attached to my spouse. who’s a girl.
June, let me just refer you to
http://theforce.net/swtc/index.html
(the Star Wars Technical Commentaries- of course!)
some people have way too much time on their hands. But man, Nate is really smart!
Apparantly on Wkipedia they let us know that “Some critics point out that the so-called “Lasers” in Star Wars (heavier starship weapons are referred to in the Star Wars universe as “Lasers”) would not be visible in space as there is nothing to illuminate, nor would they move at such slow speeds. Fans claim this is a misconception common in science fiction- the “Lasers” are not the lasers of our world, but more powerful version of the Blasters of the Star Wars world, which operate on completely fictional principles.”
ah yes. Google is cool.
Ahhhh. I see. Gretchen, I’d bet my husband thinks very highly of you right at this moment. Thanks for the info. What can you tell me about going potty as a hobby vs. an imperative?
Corey, I’m going to be so tempted to call you BF from now on. Thanks for the info…after multiple compliments on a particular blouse, I figured it was the fabric and not, ya know, that was attracting the attention, but it’s been bugging me and making me wonder if I should wear it again. Hmmm…and as I think back, yes indeed, I think all three males were your basic garden-variety metrosexual.
Corey & Gretchen: you are my Yodas.
June.
1. Tell him the laser beams go to laser beam heaven, unless they’re naughty.
2. I’m going to, based on your advice, allow Zion to wear diapers until he’s 25.
3. I have never, ever noticed a blouse… so yes.
June, can you please tell your son that as an object approaches the speed of light, time slows down. Since photons are, by definition, traveling at the speed of light, they exist in a permanent time-frozen state; time, for them, does not pass.
Since (D)istance = (S)peed X (T)ime, and since T = 0 for photons, then
D = S x 0
D = 0
therefore, the laser blasts don’t actually travel at all.
Sheesh. Kids are so stupid.
I’m going to start praying for Sophia every single day.
[quote comment="45540"] and making me wonder if I should wear it again. [/quote]
Yeah, you should. It’s hot.
[quote comment="45547"]
Sheesh. Kids are so stupid.[/quote]
Please ignore the man behind the curtain.
What if we could become less dependent on middle eastern oil if we just glued bird seed onto special jackets?
I just don’t know what to do with all my new-found time…
[quote comment="45623"]
I just don’t know what to do with all my new-found time…[/quote]
You could spend it driving out to Burbank to babysit Sophia … just a thought.
No ads on PBSkids? Between shows, we experience McDonalds, Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Beaches Family Resort.
We thought we were good parents for staying away from the Disney Channel, but they actually have no commercials during shows either. How does that work? And has anyone seen Little Einsteins? It’s great! Nothing like Baby Einstein. If I want my kid to hear Mozart, it doesn’t have to be on a crappy synth patch.
***
What’s the deal with Oprah? First, she got every copy of every book in America an “O” sticker if she breathed its title. Then, the “O” became an actual part of the book cover. (I can just imagine a graphic designer trying to capture the essence of a novel… and leaving enough space for that little “O” that will sell millions.)
I thought that was amazing.
Now she’s on my food.
She and Bob Greene, that is. There are bestlife.com logos on my yogurt. What’s next? Oprah shampoo? Oprah frappuccinos?
[quote comment="45960"]What’s next? Oprah shampoo? Oprah frappuccinos?[/quote]
You know it would be the “Oh my god, the best shampoo ever, you have to TRY THIS SHAMPOO PEOPLE!”
You know what a great idea is? A search engine that would let you play a few bars of a melody that’s in your head and then tell you what it is. This would also help with songwriting, because no one wants to accidentally rip off “Hot for Teacher.”
I find myself torn between thinking that those BlueTooth ear thingys are really handy and wanting to throttle everyone I see wearing one.
I think the human resources departments at health insurance companies must have some kind of deal with state mental institutions, for tax breaks or something. The last few customer service reps / claims adjusters / nitwits I’ve spoken with over the phone had obviously skipped their medication.
I really like well-constructed books, books that have been planned out in advance, with a structure of some kind that helps make sense of the content. Books of this variety are too few and far between. Most non-fiction writers should stick with magazine articles or blog posts, as 1200-1500 words seems to be all they can sustain, coherence-wise.
And speaking of coherence, what’s the deal with LOST? Were the program schedulers smoking crack?
One of my mantras for the past few years has been “How is that ok?!” Put it in your brain and be amazed at how many times a day it applies in ways both miniscule and cosmic.
The BlueTooth ear thingies are way too much like the Borg for me. I especially dislike them on senior citizens.
Why is there ALWAYS baaaaad music playing when you get a massage? All I ever hear is how sharp the flute is every few bars. I’m supposed to be relaxing and I find myself flinching and thinking “Where’s my husband and his handy-dandy autotune?!” I’m taking my ipod next time.
My children are the cutest children in the world. Make that the universe.
June, I have also contemplated the music while getting a massage. Thankfully, mine was all piano, and the piano was in tune. But it was all in C Major or a minor, and really bad. To look on the bright side (how can you have a bad time getting a massage?), I just thought, “Well, as least this musician is keeping my mind empty and relaxed.”
True, true Sharolyn.
Massage therapists are uniquely giving folks. When I saw a man waiting for a massage I thought, “How is that ok?!” (That the kind and slight of physique young gal who gave me my massage would be touching him all over. yeesh.)
[quote post="1188"]You could spend it driving out to Burbank to babysit Sophia … just a thought.[/quote]
See, I WOULD do that, but I have these particularly adorable grandchildren with whom I am hopelessly enmeshed…
[quote post="1188"]And speaking of coherence, what’s the deal with LOST? Were the program schedulers smoking crack?[/quote]
Okay, now you’ve hit my hot button, Aly. WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH MAKING US WAIT ALL THIS TIME??? I am only soothed by the knowledge that both Lost AND Survivor start up again next week. Soon, very soon my gray matter will be stultifyingly transmuckified again, glazed in mindnumbing transfixion at the really big HDTV in our house…
(Was anyone else disturbed by the “Meet Promiscuous Women” good ad that just appeared above the “leave a reply” box? What kind of blog is this, anyway???)
I see by our server logs that someone from your internet address clicked on it 28 times, my dear. So, don’t get all uppity!
Kneel before Zod.
Only once, Michael, I swear. (You’re just upset that I won’t drive to Burbank to watch Sophie…)
I thought I would use this platform to let everybody know that I am returning to the teaching profession. I will be teaching English at an alternative school here in Fort Worth. It’s a wonderful opportunity, and the school has a stellar reputation in this area.
I guess I just feel like since I read about what is going on in everybody’s lives on this blog, I might as well reciprocate.