Good Songs...

Deliciously poppy:

"Girl, Inform Me"--the Shins
"You Get What You Give"--New Radicals
"It's Only Natural"--Crowded House


Completely badass:

"Have Love, Will Travel" the Blue Van AND the Black Keys
"Seven Nation Army" the White Stripes
"Girlfriend" Matthew Sweet (counts in both catagories)

Discuss.

Classical Thunder

Overheard piano player crankin' on Ozzy's "Crazy Train" in the highest classical style on the second floor of the Atlanta Airport near the USO.

It took me awhile to figure out what it was. I recognized it, but it just wasn't...quite right. I was both impressed with myself and had a snazzy giggle after that one.

Peeling Grapes

I haven't the foggiest notion about what I'm going to write about, but I've decided to write for a few minutes. I generally try not to let myself into the blog unless I have something definite to consider or well, something to bitch about, but here I am. It seems an endless day and I intend to waste a bit of it.

Peeling grapes. I looked up at a picture of us with a cider bottle on the table. That made me think of apples, and I thought of my mom and dad, who went to Georgia's apple capital this week, Ellijay, to fetch more apples for eating, drying, storing, etc. I thought of how they'd be peeling them, and then I thought about other things that get peeled. Then I thought of how its supposed to be a sign of great honor, love, respect, etc. etc. if someone peels a grape for you--since they're little and slimy-ish--not the easiest fruit to peel.

"There's an appealing fellow...there..a-...peelin' him off the sidewalk!"

There was an amazingly powerful fall thunderstorm that took hold of the Atlanta metro area last night. We were just relaxing and suddenly noticed that the power was out, and sirens were wailing all over the place. We found batteries for a little radio Dawn had stashed and we were finally, around tired rhetoric from some conservative AM Radio talk show host, able to get a weather update.

A couple of tornado warnings, some even louder sirens, and some amazing steel blue clouds with serious lightning later, the power came back on, and temperatures fell radically as a cold front pushed through.

Ok, that's all I've got. If I think of anything else interesting, I'll come back and tell you.

As for now, consider your grape peeled.

Relaxing?

Not even close to a theater near me any time soon

I'm intrigued by the forthcoming film, Shortbus.

http://www.shortbusthemovie.com/


It was conceived, written, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, of Hedwig and the Angry Itch
fame.

Apparently, there's some sex involved.

Random Thoughts about Traffic, Baseball, and Intellectuals

First of all, if you're driving down the highway smoking, I'd ask that you please use your ashtray instead of flicking. When you flick, random sparky looking things spread across the road in front of the car behind you, and this can induce panic, especially when you just dropped $360 bucks on new tires.

I post a lot about driving, but this is random, I just finished driving, and it's what's on my mind.

Secondly, shovels are the new ladders. I've heard a couple of "shovels in the hov lane" comments on the traffic report lately.

Third, we should start barcoding individual nails, staples, tacks--anything sharp--so that I can trace it back to the source and charge them for tire repairs--twice in the past 3 months I've had to repair or replace tires.

That's enough about the whole driving thing. It's my choice to commute, but still, have some manners.

It's all a big corporate conspiracy. The automotive industry and the auto repair industry are linked up with the construction, nail, tack, and shovel industries in order to create road hazards, increase the number of repairs people have to have, and the rapidity with which people have to replace their cars.

And Sean Hannity is doing this big GM giveaway, so I'm sure that rat bastard is involved, too.

Ok, ok, enough already.

Fall weather is on its way back today. That makes me really happy. It was almost 90 yesterday, so 76 today and woo hoo! upper 40's this evening (with a trip to Six Flags for Fright Fest planned) really makes my day. I'm looking forward to cool and exhilirating night time rides and being attacked by random out of work actors dressed as zombies.

Will I eat the cockroach to get upsies in line? I'll let you know, dear readers.

I've found a new pop culture addiction. I rented the first 4 episodes of the HBO series "Rome." Wow. I only allowed myself to watch the first one, but ...wow. I'm no ancient Roman historian, but I've read a lot about the series and it lived up to my expectations in a big way. The production team worked very hard to get every color, fabric, and building to be as authentic as possible. It is all just explosive with color. So many first episodes of a show bore you with tiresome exposition--not this one--the action moves from the first moment, and the dialogue is snappy, fresh, and believeable--there's no LACK of exposition though. It's very well written and the first episode (and at least a few others) beautifully directed by Michael Apted (Coal Miner's Daughter). There's sex and violence and blood and manpipulation & intrigue. I can't wait to re-watch the first episode and move on from there.

The baseball playoffs hold little interest for me this year. It seems the teams I'd like to win are incapable of it, except maybe the Detroit Tigers. They won a great game against the Yankees yesterday to send the series to Detroit knotted at a game a piece. The Dodgers, Twins, and Padres seem incapable of beating the Mets, A's, and Cardinals respectively though. I've watched bits and pieces of games--and even though I hate the Mets I enjoyed watching former Brave Tom Glavine pitch such a wonderful game yesterday. I usually hate watching him pitch, but now that he's with the Mets he throws more strikes and he comes inside occasionally, making him a more interesting pitcher.

That's a pretty hefty paragraph about something that holds "little interest" for me, but if there were teams in I liked better or could get behind, I'd be a little more intrigued and watching a good deal more.

I've gone on and on about baseball before. My profession sometimes has a bit of snobbery about sports--and I do, too sometimes. Sports, like music or movies, is a part of our culture and popular culture. Whether or not its "good" or "bad"--it brings people together. I find it intriguing that some of the best respected artists and liberals in the world are interviewed at baseball games' or are shown on the broadcast--John Cusak loves his Cubs. Woody Allen and Spike Lee are often at Nicks games; Jack and his beloved LA Lakers, Jimmy Carter and the Braves; true well-rounded American intellectuals have an appreciation for a game well-played.

The Shape I'm In

"Out of nine lives, I spent seven
Now, how in the world do you get to Heaven?
Oh, you don't know the shape I'm in"
                -the Band

So it's fall and the Southern air is breathable again, though Indian Summer seems to be
taking hold this week, highs are thrusting back into the upper 80's again. I'm trying hard to be creative and productive at work this week.

So far,so good--so I decided to take a break to write a little something or other here,
though I'm not quite sure what.

I went for a longish walk yesterday down at the park, yep, the one with the ducks.
A long time quest to get an ipod finally came to an end earlier this year. One of the biggest factors in my getting that was inspiration to exercise more.

I forgot it yesterday when I left for my walk.

I did well, though, even without it. I pushed myself to keep doing more, and I even jogged hard through the whole last lap of my excursion. Go me. Sometimes, sweat feels good.

I entertained deep thoughts about the world yesterday, sans ipod. Looking into the water at the ducks and fish, I decided the world's creepy. Then I pulled back from that decision a little bit, and decided that the we're making the world creepy.

In a week that presented one of our most genteel communities with ugliness and death, and our most harsh political arena with, well, at least twisted and inappropriately directed perversion--it's hard to have faith in humanity.

There were lots of moms and kids out walking.

I began to think how they must grow to fear and distrust every person as a potential threat. It made me sad and less like smiling and saying hello. I hate the idea of making anyone
feel uncomfortable, and it seems like in today's society, that's just the way it's going to be. Parents must naturally distrust every stranger they come into contact with.

Then I pondered my own childhood and how safe it always felt, generally, in small town Georgia growing up.

Maybe parents and children in small town Douglasville feel that way. I hope they do, at least in most situations.

Congress. These are the people we elect, but never trust. I'm honestly not at all surprised.

The Amish. Peaceful isolation disrupted. Somehow, more scary.

Mild domestic disturbance, right outside the bedroom window this morning.

I experience brief moments where I never want to leave the house again. Order in groceries--I hear that's getting cheaper. Telecommute. Lock the doors.

S i g h.

B+ Test

The personality test I utilized can be found at:
http://www.blogthings.com/doyouhaveatypeapersonalityquiz/