OMG SO ADICTIVE LOLZ!!!1

I want a dog. A chihuahua.

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream
When I get back to my small flat, I want to hear somebody bark.

Dali Only Wishes He Were This Weird

Bloody Steve

I had a dream I was eating blueberries last night. The more mundane my dreams get, the weirder they seem to me.

Today is my first day working at the Atlee branch of our library system; the previous tenant of the chair my butt is occupying retired, effective yesterday -- Hi, Susie! But in order to cover all the main libraries with sufficient hours on the reference desk until New Guy© starts on the desk, I was shuffled out of my office in Mechanicsville, and sent here. It's only 5 or 6 miles further for me: the commute is longer, and less direct, but not as bad as it could be. It also means that I will not be expected to travel from branch to branch the way I have been these past few months. I have spent most of my time on the desk in Mechanicsville, of course, but I have also logged time at Atlee and Ashland. That last one is the biggest pain: it's a heck of a drive, and unlike at the other two libraries, reference questions, even of the human library catalog, "Do you have this book?"-sort, are terribly infrequent. It's a nice library, and the area is attractive, everyone is really nice to me, and I actually enjoy the fact that the railroad passes right in front of it. But I would not want to work there full time.

I finished Christopher Moore's The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove yesterday, and am currently trying to decide what I would like to read next. Another Christopher Moore book? Should I revisit Vonnegut for the first time since high school? Should I follow up 1984 by reading Brave New World? The tenth novel I've read in a little over two months, I think: I discovered the key to my reading is to actually make time to read. That may sound self-evident, but it sort of wasn't for me. So instead of blaming my faulty brain chemistry on the fact I don't read, it was just that I wasn't reading. I never claimed to be particularly bright.

You may have noticed I'm trying to take time to write on my blog more frequently, too. I realize that the audience is minimal, but my brain has been feeling ossified and uncreative lately, and I think that the blog helps to get me thinking about things, and organizing my thoughts better. I also think that anything that gets me writing is, in a way, a good thing, barring terrorists pointing a gun at my parents' dog and demanding I blog.

Zoe says: "DON'T LET THE TERRORISTS WIN!!"

I started this monster as a way to entertain myself, so I guess nothing is lost if I keep on in that tradition.

And, to entertain you fine folks this Saturday afternoon, Flight of the Conchords:

The REAL Happening!

"C'MON, SUPER-SEXY!"

Oh, by the way, I apparently forgot that this blog is now apparently three years old, plus a month. It's somewhat mindboggling, considering how little I have actually said. But it's an anniversary nonetheless, so I give you the gift of Japanese synth-pop:

Takashi Fujii: "OH MY JULIET!"

Who the hell knows what he's saying: it's got a good beat, and you can dance to it! Here's the video:

I kinda love this song: it's my most played song on iTunes. Well, after New York Dolls' "Dance Like A Monkey". And here's the video for that:

Isn't that a thing of beauty? David Johansen's lyrics are intelligent and irreverent. I love it!

I kinda love this song, too:

Enjoy!

Things That Make Me Happy

So, as I'm sure you all know (and if you don't, well, I'm telling you), that this is my last week teaching. So, you know, I am -- how you say? -- a bit anxious. So I've been taking my happy-making things where I can.

First up, we have...

Blockade Boy.

Technically, it is a comics blog, but in reality it has sort of become an elaborate piece of continuing fiction that takes moments to laugh at the hideously dressed super-heroes (and super-zeros!) of yesteryear. It is written from the vantage point of the eponymous Blockade Boy, an unfortunate victim of The Legion of Super-Heroes need for cannon fodder in the 1960s -- or so we thought! Together with a cadre of assorted Legion also-rans -- his friends, enemies, frienemies, lovers -- he patrols the spaceways as a space-pirate aboard the H.M.S. Exquisite! He offers up new costumes for the hideously attired, and provides satirical commentary for panels from comics in the past. Oh, and he has a robot dingus. Don't ask.

Anyways, there is rarely a day that I don't at least get a chuckle from what he posts. Often, it's more like roaring laughter, or possibly girlish tittering. For a while, he had been only posting once a week, posting costume designs each Monday. Recently, though, he has gone back to posting daily, and has been concentrating on a story where Lana Lang gets superpowers thanks to her amazing 21" waist, and where Superboy takes it upon himself to be a total dick to her. Which, as BB is quick to point out, is standard Superboy behavior. Blogs in the voice of characters tend to be a sort of one-trick pony; once you sort of get the joke that Prince Namor is complaining about his Lucky Charms cereal, then that's pretty much it. But by choosing a cypher, the author of the blog can project as outrageous a personality onto him as necessary, without fear of reprisal. At the same time, with the artwork, he brings something else to the endeavor as well, in addition to his facile wit and his encyclopedic knowledge of comic history. It's possible that the audience for the blog is limited, but I find myself wondering why he doesn't have more readers. I think maybe he needs his own logo.

Reading his posts has also gotten me re-re-re-reading my Legion Archives -- which also makes me happy -- just because I remember what a crazy comic it used to be before it got rebooted umpteen times and became incredibly boring. Unfortunately, I only have volumes 1, 2, and 6-9 down here; the rest of them are still at my parents' house.

BeaucoupKevin posted a video of Pulp performing "The Fear" live, and oddly enough, that makes me happy, too.

Pulp - The Fear (live)
Uploaded by beautifulcynic

Maybe it's because this pretty much describes how I'm feeling right now. Plus, I've always loved this song: it's like a song in a horror movie, but the horror is that everyday, you're a little closer to death. From the moment we're born, we're circling the drain. Once you realize that, it's almost... liberating.

And Mrs. Eric's willingness and advocacy in trying to get me a job makes me happy. Finally, that networking thing is finally starting to pay off!

More will come as I get happier.

Monkey Joe Sez: "I Miss 'Strangers With Candy'!"

I'm in a better mood today. Who knows why? Myself, I think it might be the low-priced generic alternatives to name-brand anti-depressants. Oh, the mysteries of the human mind! So instead of posting real content, I give you more of what you know you want...

GIANT SQUIRRELS.

And Jesus Christ. And lawn jockeys. Prepare yourself for The Power and The Glory of...

PRINCIPAL BLACKMAN.

EDUCATE YOURSELF TO THIS REALITY!

The Wanderer

Holy Freaking Cow, this is amazing!

That's enough to cheer me up a bit. Although I will always prefer Blake to Wordsworth.

Sublime

Regardless of what other people might contend, YouTube's true value lies in clips like this:



I have to say, Mr. Gibb looks absolutely adorable, merely reaffirming my comments regarding blond guys with 70s hair styles. Je l'adore.


I found it via a list of Olivia Newton-John videos posted on WFMU's blog.

(Re) Born Again, Naturally

Born Again 80's is a (relatively) new blog that documents the evolution of the 12" dance mix throughout the 80s -- hence, the name. I found it yesterday through a link on WFMU, and just went hog wild with a' downloadin'. A lot of this stuff is no longer (or never was) commercially available, so the RIAA-inspired piracy guilt/fear of prosecution is kept to a minimum. Or, at least that's the hope.

Among my favorite remixes that have been posted so far are Cameo's "Word Up", Fine Young Cannibals' "Johnny Come Home", Morrissey's "Suedehead" (!), and Steven 'Tin Tin' Duffy's "Kiss Me". There are also remixes of the only two Phil Collins songs that don't send me immediately into a seizure, The Price is Right Theme, and The Timelords' "Doctorin' the Tardis". The site is certainly worth checking out, especially if, like me, you have a soft spot in your heart for the clumsy remixes of the 1980s. (Although, in the interest of full disclosure, a lot of the remixes are from the 90s or later; it's just that the original songs came out in the 80s.)

Oh, and just for shits and giggles, here's the video for "Doctorin' the Tardis".
Enjoy!

Things That Make Me Happy

To begin with, Today's Daily Puppy makes me happy. It may make me a brainwashed defender of the status quo, but puppies usually make me happy. I know, I know: I am two steps away from hanging this poster in my cubicle.

Courtesy of a post on WFMU's blog: This is a video clip of Bongwater performing a Roky Erickson song, "You Don't Love Me Yet". This is one of my favorite songs that they recorded. It starts out with Screamin' Jay Hawkins yowling towards the camera, and just gets weirder from there, what with the one Neanderthal guitarist wearing an op-art a-line skirt, and the squarest looking back-up singers swaying with professional disinterest in the background. And then anarchy asserts itself (even among the background singers!) as Ann Magnuson launches into her spoken word, performance art thang.

And then there's Conway Twitty, with the Residents dancing crypticly behind him:

Sure, the Residents don't do much, but when you are dressed up as three eyeballs and a skull, what else do you need to do? Both of these clips are from Night Music, which, we are told, "ran for a short time on NBC around 1988-89". I cannot imagine anything even remotely this cool ever airing to begin with.

Also, for those of you who are like me and think that when Fergie is going about her "lovely lady lumps", it sounds like she has breast cancer -- honestly, it is not appropriate to associate breasts with sexy lumps -- a suitably mournful version of "My Humps" by Alanis Morissette. This has been doing the rounds, so I don't feel like I'm obligated to embed it here.

Oh, and this makes me very, very happy:


All is again right with the world. Have a groove-tastic day!

Blast You, Minge!

That feisty queen tagged me! Wailey! Wailey!

Well, OK, so I'm flattered that someone cares about my opinion, but these are hard questions. "Next time make it easier for me, OK, handsome?"

Name a book that you want to share so much that you keep giving away copies:
I didn't so much give away copies as loaned everybody mine, but Sean Stewart's Mockingbird. At least three other people read the book, and it is no longer in my possession. It is well-written, and is extremely enjoyable with it's mixture of realism and fantasy.

Also: Gideon Defoe's The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists. Because it is a freaking hoot! And there have been many, many others, including Karen Joy Fowler's Jane Austen Book Club, Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, and Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell's From Hell.

Name a piece of music that changed the way you listen to music:
Um, it's not a piece of music so much as an album. I borrowed Pet Shop Boys' Discography from the guy across the hall in my dorm on the last day of my freshman year at university. Keeping in mind that I already knew some of the songs from my youth, I was just completely blown away to hear them, alongside all these brilliant songs that I had never heard before. Up to that point, I listened almost exclusively to alternative rock -- The Smiths, Pixies, REM -- but this album threw my musical tastes wide open. It proved to be a gateway music to disco, which, in itself, got me completely into 60s & 70s soul and funk. At the same time, their references to classical music got me interested in such composers as Richard Strauss and Claude Debussy. They're also at least partly responsible for my interest in Noel Coward, Stephen Sondheim, and Dusty Springfield. They molded my idea of what pop music is, and what it can accomplish, and what can be expected from it. I found a music that spoke to something fundamental in me, music that had a wider view of the world than the petty complaints of white, suburban youth. Not only that, it was music made by gay folks. So, you know, bonus. Plus it was the music that convinced me that I should dance, no matter how self-conscious I am, and no matter how stupid I looked. Pet Shop Boys are still my favorite musical group.

Although I still don't like "West End Girls" very much.

Name a film you can watch again and again without fatigue:
I have a few: Written on the Wind, Letter from an Unknown Woman, I Walked with a Zombie, There's Always Tomorrow, The Heiress, Rebecca, Smiles of a Summer Night, Hairspray. I could probably come up with a few more, but that's good enough for now. Most of these are weepies, because I've noticed that sad movies retain their emotional impact for me better than comedies do. And because I am a complete pushover for melodrama of the non-camp variety.

Name a performer for whom you suspend all disbelief:
Barbara Stanwyck. Even in her stupid movies (Cattle Queen of Montana, anybody?), she just MAKES me believe her. And even her stupid roles are acted intelligently.

Name a work of art you'd like to live with:
I could probably come up with something better if I weren't so tired, but right now, all I can think about is that I would really love if I could have one room of my apartment papered with the Cow wallpaper that Andy Warhol used to cover galleries with. That would be so, indescribably cool! Albeit difficult to coordinate my furniture with.

Name a work of fiction that has penetrated your real life:
Wow, that sounds pretty personal. Penetrated how, exactly?

The work of literary fiction that I have most often found myself idly thinking about in my every day life is Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. Mostly because it is a novel that traffics very heavily in metaphor, and I am nothing if not a metaphorophile. The problem is, by saying this, I basically make myself look like the most pretentious individual on the planet. Which, you may be thinking, almost goes without saying.

Wait, a work of fiction can also be a television show, right? Well, in that case the answer would have to be Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. Oddly, for many of the same reasons listed above. It's all a metaphor for growing up. Julie and I (and occasionally Jolie) would plan our Tuesday nights around it, and watch it together, and then discuss what we watched. And, if you really want to see me bawl, just show me the episode where Buffy's mom dies. I'm not so much into it as I was when it was on the air, but it shaped how I think about television shows since I first watched it.

Name a punch line that always makes you laugh:
This was the easiest question to answer. From Arrested Development:

Buster: "Mmmm, so watery, and yet there's a smack of ham to it!"

Comic genius, never fails to crack me up completely every time. I even start laughing when I just remember the line. To see it, click below.

I tag whoever feels like being tagged: I don't have enough faith that people read my blog to tag anyone.

Huzzah for the Interweb!

The worst thing about living in the United States of America is, of course, the lack of Pet Shop Boys videos on television. But with the expansion of the Interweb, it has become possible to view said videos, without having to emigrate to another country that happens to be Great Britain. Exhibit A: "I'm With Stupid"...

A great song is made greater by a video that only REALLY makes sense if you've seen the video for my favorite Pet Shop Boys song, "Can You Forgive Her".

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Speaking of leaving the country, of last year's AmeriCorps team, Krystie is currently teaching English in South Korea, and Brianna (AKA, "My wife, Mrs. DePorres") is currently teaching English in Peru. (That loser Dave was briefly teaching English in Honduras, but then returned to the U.S.A., just because living there was "scary" and "dangerous". Whatta pansy.) Anywho, they both have blogs that they probably won't bother maintaining for long, so I encourage you to go check in with my former teammates at your leisure -- just click on their names.

Lighter Side, On The

Because sometimes you just want to feel a little better.

I've discovered a bunch of Pizzicato Five videos on YouTube (who knew?). By and large I find them disappointing: as over-the-top and eclectic and ecstatic as their music is, I was hoping the videos would evince that same aesthetic. Instead, they seem almost boring, with Maki Nomiya lip-synching and occasionally dancing, and not much else. Surely they were successful enough in Japan to warrant bigger budgets for their videos? A cast of thousands? A choreographer? State-of-the-art computer imagery?



That said, I did like the video for "It's a Beautiful Day", with its 60s "American Bandstand" aesthetic. It isn't particularly novel -- hell, Nirvana did it for "In Bloom" -- but it fits the song, and it fits the aesthetic of the band. Besides, Maki Nomiya looks fabulous, as always, and very convincing as the 60s chanteuse, and Yasuharu Konishi (or at least I think that's him) is going loony as one of the guitarists. And those dancers in the background?? It's all so fabulous!

Continuing with the 60s theme: Belle & Sebastian's "Legal Man":



Lovely song, lovely band, lovely video.

BeaucoupKevin pointed us in the general direction of pictures of the Peanuts characters dressed up as Marvel superheroes. It features this picture, which, while not necessarily the best in terms of quality, is the one that made me laugh out loud:



And finally, a puppy named Zoe:



Have a beautiful day!