More Happy Morning Wet Flowers

Springtime Wet12
Originally uploaded by Chambo25.

These flowers were just drenched... all of CT is right now... I've uploaded another 6 pictures to flickr, and this is one.

Bad T-shirts get Bad Treatment

So, here's one for the hackery files... my brother alerted me to this recently, and I couldn't resist sharing the super-fun ridiculousness here on the old blog. Anybody heard about the Todd Goldmann scandal? Wow, if you haven't it's worth poking into for a few minutes. He's no Alberto Gonzales, certainly more lighthearted fare than that, but my take is this:

If you've ever walked past Hot Topic or one of those zillion other stores that sell 98% crap and 2% actual cleverness and you've thought to yourself, "wow, those shirts really seem like they completely stole somebody else's joke and are cashing in." Well... you were onto something, only certain folks, this guy Todd Goldmann in particular took it one step further, grabbing folks' designs, artwork, ideas, jokes, etc. and making an industry off of them.

Here are some links to read up:
Coverage on SomethingAwful.com
Coverage on MikeTyndall.com
Coverage elsewhere... check out the t-shirt picture part way down the page text starting, "I had a Joke Here..." good stuff

Ok, that's all for now!

Morning Flowers

Springtime Wet6
Originally uploaded by Chambo25.

It's been raining again in CT. If you're in New England, you're probably feeling a bit fed-up with so much rain... but it has its benefits.

This morning the sun came out over a completely drenched world. I took some photos in the front yard, and this is one of my favorite. I uploaded a handful more beyond this one... click the link to my Flickr page if you want to check them out.

Off to work!

No love for the RIAA

So... I recently read this: DNC hires RIAA shill

and then I followed up by reading this: DNC hires RIAA shill to run Public Affairs for Convention

and then I hopped onto the DNC website and sent them this:

Dear Sirs,

I'm writing to express my concern that the DNC has chosen to appoint Jenni Engebretsen to act as Deputy CEO for Public Affairs. It is also my understanding that Ms. Engebretsen is currently acting as Director of Communications for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). I have noted Ms. Engebretsen's previous credentials as having worked on Democratic campaigns, however as a lifelong Democrat, a young and concerned political observer, a contributor to Democratic candidates and a music lover I am greatly concerned at the conflict between the recent aims and actions of the RIAA (during Ms. Engebretsen's tenure) and the values of progressives and Democrats alike. On a similar note, it concerns me that our party would place someone in such a lofty position coming out of work to sell the actions of such a disreputable organization as the RIAA, especially considering what a poor job this group has done in convincing Americans to feel good about their actions in recent years.

When I heard news of this appointment, I was greatly disappointed, and would certainly appreciate a response if you feel there is any justified. However, my point more than requesting any sort of answer from you all, is to simply express my great disillusionment, yet again, with a party I believed to be progressive acting in ways that seem far from it.

Best of luck with this oddball appointment, I hope it is not a sign of the alliances and values that the party will be selling to America in 2008 and beyond.

Best,
John

I dunno...

Maybe a bit too much... but here's the thing: I know that the RIAA has been going nuts for the last few years, chasing its tail, doing ridiculous things, generally just being real dumb, but there's a bigger problem than that. The posts I link to above do a good job of presenting the fact that they've pushed eroding our liberties, and their efforts contributed to helping cover-up possible election fraud in 2004. I just don't think it's something I want to see a party I would call my party associate with.

Maybe that's why I'm never quite sure I should actually call myself a Democrat.

Either way, that's about the most developed political rant I've ever posted, so there you go.

Hope you liked it.

OH!, and here's a little more (appropriate) Vonnegut for ya:

"Thanks to TV and for the convenience of TV, you can only be one of two kinds of human beings, either a liberal or a conservative."

Vonnegut's headstone

Vonnegut's headstone
Originally uploaded by buriednexttoyou.

R.I.P. Vonnegut

I'm pretty sad today about the passing of Kurt Vonnegut, but it also gives good reason to revisit what a great thing his books have been, to me. I know that one of the highlights of my year in AmeriCorps was the fact that we were in such Rural and simple accomodations quite often that I read a lot in the course of the year (perhaps more than I have at any time since). My reading list that year included Cat's Cradle, Jailbird, Breakfast of Champions, and other great books that weren't Vonnegut's that I definitely should have read by then... but was happy to finally work my way through (Catch 22, the Alchemist, Me talk Pretty One Day...).

For a couple years now I've been wanting to go back and read Slaughterhouse 5, and I think this is probably my best excuse. I recently watched (and wrote about in a recent post) the movie Mother Night, based on one of his books, and its narrative quality reminded me of why I love his books so much. I feel a great affinity for the joyful, creative, imaginative way that Vonnegut weaves his way through a story, and I am looking forward to hopping in bed over the next few weeks and reading a few more.

So, with that, I say, wherever I might be this evening, I'll plan on raising a glass to an American original, and a great man. Rest in Peace, Mr. Vonnegut. We'll miss you.

A lovely and appropriate sketch: Vonnegut.com

Obits: Time, NYT, CNN, AP
More expansive bio: Wikipedia

A handful of good quotes:
"Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be. "

"Call me Jonah. My parents did, or nearly did. They called me John."

"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."

"Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter could be said to remedy anything. "

"What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured. "

>>EDIT: "There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I dont know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president."

"And if I should ever die, God forbid, I hope you will say, ''Kurt is up in Heaven now.'' That’s my favorite joke."~University of Wisconsin in Madison on the evening of September 22, 2003,~

Cacti (who doesn't love a little cacti)

Home Made Macros - Cacti
Originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Fun macro picture of a bunch of mini little cacti from my mom's kitchen in Philly... had a nice visit this past weekend, and I really like how this photo came out.

Things worth checking out

The I Crush Your Head group on Flickr. I only made it through the pool of pictures, viewing them on slideshow... but there is so much goodness... so many reasons to laugh. I am definitely going to take some crushing your head pictures soon. Watch out world! My fingers are coming for ya!

Home Made Macros - Rancor

Home Made Macros - Rancor
Originally uploaded by Chambo25.

One of our favorite childhood toys is just laying on his back looking pathetic these days... I took a bunch of pictures trying to get the right one, and I like this one... might try for even better next time I'm home.

Okay... maybe you're right, he doesn't look completely pathetic... he's still kinda fierce, but if you find the Rancor entry on Wikipedia, the photo there is crazy! Wow, it brought me back to how much that scene scared the crap out of my as a little kid.

Alright, random photoblogging... done.

Bush won't negotiate... with Democrats.

Here's yet another example of bipartisanship Bushie style:

From the AP:

"In essence, Bush invited the Democratic leaders of Congress to come hear the stance he has offered for weeks.

He again accused them of shirking their responsibilities."

... when substitute Whitehouse Spokesperson Dana Perino was questioned about the point of this meeting, reason why Democrats should attend a conversation that the administration has described explicitly as not a negotiation, she had the following to say:

"Perino said Democrats could benefit by accepting Bush's invitation. "Maybe they need to hear again from the president about why he thinks it is foolish to set arbitrary timetables for withdrawal," she said."

Hey, anybody seen sanity? Clearly it's lost on these folks. UGH!

WJLC Charts

Okay... so I've been wanting to do this for awhile. I'm indulging the metaphor that I've got my own radio station since I have started cramming tons of music into an ipod over the past few months. I'm up to over 2,000 songs at this point, and I like having a reason to talk about music, so periodically (maybe weekly if I can get my act together) I'm going to release something I used to compile for my college radio station, the charts. This week the charts are starting out with a pretty simple format... who's getting the most spins, and what are five relatively recent things added into rotation (either ripped from ye olde CD collection or newly discovered). Enjoy!

Top 10 (Heavy Rotation): listings show artist - album (single or singles)
1. The Shins Bluegrass Tribute - The Shins Bluegrass Tribute (New Slang, Know Your Onion!)
2. Ween - Shinola Vol. 1 (Gabrielle)
3. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree (This Year, Dance Music)
4. Josh Ritter - The Animal Years (Good Man, Lillian Egypt)
5. A.C. Newman - The Slow Wonder (On the Table)
6. Chris Mills - Wall to Wall Sessions (Escape from New York)
7. Spoon - Gimme Fiction (I Summon You, I Turn My Camera On)
8. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Sing me Spanish Techno)
9. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (Folsom Prison Blues, 25 Minutes to Go, Jackson)
10. Old Crow Medicine Show - OCMS, Big Iron World (Wagon Wheel, James River Blues)

New Adds:
1. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Dashboard, Steam Engenius)
2. Withdrawal - The Perfectionist Blacklist (Decompression, Nova Breeze)
3. Iggy Pop - Lust for Life (The Passenger, Lust for Life, Neighborhood Threat)
4. Gillian Welch - Soul Journey (Wrecking Ball, No One Knows My Name)
5. Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose (Mrs. Leroy Brown, Portland Oregon)

Quick Sloppy Writing

So, I've looked a bit at my last post, and it was very poorly written. Everybody in the movies I was talking about did, "a great job" or was really neat or cool. Granted, I was trying to get out the door, writing the post was an afterthought, and I really mostly wanted to say, "hey world... I just saw these cool movies and you should check them out too."

That all said, I thought it was worth elaborating a bit. I think that Children of Men is remarkable in a visual sense, both because of the choices to make the movie with many long takes, and lots of beautifully captured moving, fluid scenes. The whole thing feels very well composed, and the performances of Clive Owen and others are part of that composition. They fill this bleak landscape with a weariness that is pierced with hope, and that quality is something I found very powerful throughout the movie. Some scenes and events are remarkably awful, but the whole thing doesn't feel overwhelmingly doom & gloom.

As for Mother Night, again, there's an interesting mix of the comic and the tragic. Alan Arkin and Nick Nolte are truly great throughout, and John Goodman's normal schtick works remarkably well. I've seen some pretty blah (breakfast of champions) translations of Vonnegut's work for screen, and I think this one is pretty remarkably well done in keeping his odd, but enjoyable, light but world-weary narrative quality.