Celebrating 300 with a soundtrack!

Probably almost 20 years ago... long before I had a blog... long before I had a radio show (man I wish I still had one)... long before I was even 4 feet tall, my brother and I started an adventure by sitting on the edge of our beds and recording songs off the radio to create a mixtape.

The first of our mixtape adventures were titled Total Silliness and I think there was a follow-up, Total Silliness II. Someday I'll uncover these tapes somewhere in my mom's house. In the years that followed, I have created untold numbers of music mixes for friends. In college I had a show that basically created a weekly mixtape over the air on the campus radio station. Now, in celebration of The Best Way's 300th post, I bring you a mix, presented in a new format:

http://ice9.muxtape.com/

The website Muxtape.com allows people to create mixes by uploading mp3s. Once they're up, anyone can listen to them (that means you!)... and if you like the music, you can hop over to Amazon.com and buy at least some of it on mp3 (or CD, if you like). The link above should take you to a page that looks like a tracklist... but if you click on any song it should start playing. As of when I'm posting, in my experience, muxtapes tend to play best on either a mac or on internet explorer, not on firefox. I hate to say that, as I love Firefox, and it's what I'm using to post right now... but it's true.

Announcement: SOMETHING NEW

Red Handed, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

The Best Way To Have a Good Idea is about to turn 300... 300 posts, that is. I've had the blog up for a little over a year and a half (start was in August/September 06) and I feel like I've recently hit a bit of a stride in terms of posting content at least every few days... often multiple times a day. Still, I've had the feeling like it could be something more dynamic, more fun, even more random than what I alone can generate. For awhile now I've considered taking the step I'm about to describe so...

Today, in the 299th post ever, after a weekend marked by theft, running, driving, and omelets on-the-go, I want to mark the beginning of something special and NEW (and exciting) in the world of this blog!

That new thing is the introduction of the first two official non-John contributors to the blog. I'm pleased to officially add SenorChomp and Teknojo (you may know them by different names) to our contributing crew of randomness seekers, oddness posters, lovers of the strange, the unusual, the beautiful, the sublime. The exact nature of when, what, and how they'll be posting is still to be determined... but what I can say is this:

Other contributors are welcome. I've thought through some people to invite, but if you would like to be a part of the action. If you have ideas that could be part of the "lots," then drop me a line. You can start by commenting on this post, if you don't have other means to contact me and we can take it from there. This is a completely new idea, and may snowball into other bigger changes down the line... but for now, that's what I've got.

So, while I wanted to use this picture along side a post about someone being caught "red handed" I think it works in this regard:

I look into the future of The Best Way and I see more randomness, more voices, more interesting stuff and hopefully more readers, more fun, and a more dynamic conversation!

Here here! 300, here we come!

UPDATE:

VeniceJazz aka DJ Copernicus, a founding member of Silent K and former co-host and master of the bait-and-switch at Live Sex on the Radio... will also join the team, occasionally contributing his random reflections, tidbits, and the hilarity he finds on the internets. He'll do this whenever, of course, he has free time, which is next-to-never, but that's cool.

Out of Touch

I saw a bit about this posted on Americablog, and I couldn't resist posting about it myself. So, recently Obama talked about how people in many parts of the US, Pennsylvania, Indiana, etc. are bitter about economic conditions and the fact that politicians don't seem interested in doing much to help them out. It seems like a pretty straightforward idea, and not something even all that unusual, unless you're looking to sink your teeth in, I guess. Anyway, Clinton and McCain have both attacked Obama for these statements, saying that he's out of touch. CNN covered their responses below. Then, below that you can see Obama's response, which is yet another spot of brilliance in responding to somewhat ridiculous attacks.



Here's what Obama had to say:

DC Weekend Fully Documented

Orange Wall Cherry Blossoms, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

So I've completed my project to edit and upload all the pictures I really like from my recent visit to Washington DC. This is one of my favorites, and one out of the last batch, which went up on Flickr this evening.

You can check out the whole set as a slideshow here.

The picture above was snapped out front of a pet shop in Georgetown, and I loved the combination of the cherry blossoms and the brilliant orange wall. The combination made me think of Japanese paintings, and I'm very pleased with how this picture came out.

This last handful had a bunch of favorites so I'll toss up a few more in the next day or two.

I'm pleased by completing this goal... maybe I can start following through on other slightly more ambitious art/photo projects!

Million $ Minute

Isn't that a fascinating idea... one that people are trying to make happen for Obama. Read more here.

Gas

Gas, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

More pictures are up in my folder documenting last month's trip to DC. This is one I took very randomly and now love quite a bit. The color of the whole thing is much nicer that I would have necessarily from the bright yellow of the cap mixd with the rust colors around it to the specks of stone in the sidewalk pavement. Beyodn that there are more fun places for the eye to linger... on the fascinating finger print that adorns the top of the screw to the right end of the cap... on the concrete that surrounds this screw (does the cap not come off ever?)

Anyway, it's random and I like it... hope you do too! Meanwhile, I'm into the second day's worth of pictures to explore with many more still to post. I edited bunches last night, and continue to plow through systematically. I'm hoping to stick with this and make my DC trip the first of recent times where I've actually edited and uploaded all the pictures I like.


Busy busy busy week... but beautiful outside!

Take that, real news

The Colbert Bump is Real. I have to assume that the guy who designed this study is awesome, and somehow I have a feeling we'll be seeing him on a comedy news show someday soon... maybe that one that comes on after Jon Stewart.

A Monday Gallery of Randomness

Well, here are a handful of fun things to start off the week... also, I titled this a Monday post, but looking at the time it we have officially skidded into Tuesday. Oops!

Here's some fun for your April:

Go to Barack Obama Is Your New Bicycle, and click on the text, then click again, then again... revel in the wonder of randomness. So fun, so random. This has got to be the most simple and fun website I've been sent in awhile (thanks Corinne!)

Fun thing about snipers, not only do they inspire cool movies, carry and occasionally use impressive weapons, and have important jobs like protecting oh... Presidents and the like. They also get to poop on rooftops.

Finally, this is less fun, unless you put it in the category of fun and inspiring things that make you consider what's possible. Turns out, if you're voting in Italy's upcoming senate campaigns you can choose from 14 political parties. Now, if you ever feel like 2 isn't quite enough... you know, we could do things differently. Check it out. One thing I like about the post I just linked to is that it talks about some ways that choice doesn't fix everything. Food for thought.

Need to Clean Up

Old Mess, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Wow... life has been flying along lately... weeks pass, time flies, and I have to be honest, I can't really complain.

That said, I have been noticing lately that the superfast pace leads to more and more and more clutter until someday soon I'll eventually just have to go back into cleanup mode. That's ok.

Until then, I've been happily buzzing along. This weekend I was up in Boston, for a fun and all-too-brief visit (but aren't they all?). This coming weekend I don't know if I'll lay low in New Haven or hatch some other plan... but we'll see. Meanwhile, I need to finish taxes, find local doctors (overdue on that task) and generally do some... tidying... wait! That's where I started.

Baaaaahhhh... well, anyway, above is a fun picture of a paint mess long dried... another fun snippit from my recent trip to DC.

From the Dept. of Things Worth Remembering

Fourty years ago tonight Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave an address that ended as follows. The next day he would be taken from us all.



Many many thanks to Americablog.com for posting this, and for the reminder of this date. I think any day is a good day to remember with pride the great strides America has taken, thanks to the hard work and determination of people like Dr. King. I also find inspiration here to believe that we can and should continue fighting for a more just and equitable world, and I hope you do too.

Both Please

Both Please, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

Some folks just can't make up their minds. If you're going to be indecisive, you might as well toss in a chunky little frog and some daffodils. I've been wanting to doctor up and post this picture for a few days now. Don't get me wrong, I actually am one of those people who isn't exactly sure a joint ticket would be a good idea. Still, the sentiment of a yard, a home, a family or a group that supports both made me smile. The fun composition of their yard takes that charming sentiment and raises it up to something else.

I think I might be rambling. Oh well!

More from DC

Central Safe, originally uploaded by Chambo25.

I've got a ton, a TON of pictures still to edit from my DC wanderings but I'm making progress. 40some are up on Flickr already in a slideshow, and this is one of my favorites to date. There's something about the combination of sign falling apart and "safe" that makes me smile. I snapped 5 or so shots to get soem different angles on the e-n peeling out off the sign.

Anyway, it's a beautiful day in Connecticut. I've had an avalanche week of work where tasks, to-dos, requests, phone calls and all sorts of other bizarre stuff just keep tumbling in, but I've got dinner plans with friends and I'll see my brother and his wife on Friday! YEAH! Also, there's a new 3am add from Hillary that I think is kinda Hillarious... perhaps I'll toss it up here later.

All in all, life is good!

Hope folks out there are feeling the goodness wherever you are and whatever you're up to!