29: Spring Break summary

As you may know (or don't know, I'm not really sure if anyone's reading this), I was recently out of town during Spring Break. It wasn't to go hang out at the beach or anything like that, although with that many drunk women in attendance, scoring for me would not really be a problem. No, I decided to go down to Mississippi to visit my father's aunt, who was going through cancer treatments. I am optimistic as to the outcome, but I knew it might be prudent to visit. She's a wonderful and sociable person for the many years I have known her. Also, I got to explore a lot of the state's capital, Jackson. Outside of the hills and huge-ass trees, it's a lot like Fresno, my hometown. I barely got home in time to catch up on my sleep (road trips aren't condusive to rest) before going back to the same 'ol rat race.

The time out has recharged me a bit. Considering how busy my summer will be, its nice to get some time away from it all.

For the moment, I'm feeling gloomy...

28: Stu's Favorite Songs of All Time, Part 3

It's been some time since I continued my list of favorite tunes, so without further ado:

Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here: Before this band went on to mega success with Dark Side of The Moon, their lead singer Syd Barrett disappeared into a haze of paranoid schizofrenia, and recently died of natural causes. With this 1975 title track, the sense of Barrett's loss couldn't be more obvious. Boasting some of the best lyrics I've ever heard, this stands as a quiet and stunning tribute to a fallen comrade. Some critics suggest the band never got past this loss (elements of paranoia and insanity filled the band's latter works, including The Wall), but its a great song nevertheless.

Bob Dylan, Knockin' On Heaven's Door: This little ditty came from a rarely seen Western (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid) from Wild Bunch director Sam Peckinpah that Dylan appeared in. But this tune managed to inspire several covers from Eric Clapton to Guns N' Roses. However, nothing beats the original.

The Psychedelic Furs, Heartbreak Beat: Nice eighties pop, epic and grandiose in scope. And I dig the dirty saxophone too.

New Order, Bizarre Love Triangle: Nice and cool syntheizer music. Gets me in the groove every time.

Massive Attack, Unfinished Sympathy: One of the first really good trip-hop tunes ever. And the album it comes from (Blue Lines) isn't bad either.

The Ramones, Blitzkrieg Bop: Two minutes of high-speed classic punk rock that refuses to slow down in case you feel like its about to run you over. It's just not done like this anymore.

Marc Bolan and T. Rex, (Bang-A-Gong) Get It On: A solid rock tune from the seventies that only hinted at what could have been if its lead singer didn't die tragically.

To be continued another time...

(There's a lot of dead people on this list. A bit depressing. Next time I need to show favorites from artists still breathing...)

27: current stimuli for March 23, 2007

MOVIES: "Casino Royale": If I had any trepidations about a new Bond, I lost it three minutes in. And the women aren't half bad either. I ♥ Eva Green.
"Rocky Balboa": I'm a sucker for sentementiality, and this one got me.
"Re-Animator": One of the most goriest and funniest movies about bringing back dead people ever. Just got a new special edition on DVD, and enjoying every ludicrous moment of it.
TV: "South Park": Ohhhh, "naggers"... oh boy... And yes, putting a friend's penis in your mouth does make you gay. As does giving the thumbs up and taking pictures of it.
"Battlestar Galactica": Man, everyone on this show is going stir crazy. And some are hearing music. And the Cylons are coming. If it's one thing about season finales, they sure know how to pile the pressure on.
MUSIC: Modest Mouse, "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank"; Bob Dylan, "The Best of..."; Mogwai, "Mr. Beast"
"How's your lamb?"
"Skewered. One sympathizes."
--a wonderful exchange from "Casino Royale"

26: Just A Minor Complaint

Well, I promised a new blog, and it is ready for mass consumption. So, just head over to justaminorcomplaint.blogspot.com to start the horror. My first minor complaint is on blondes. Not the smart ones, but the dumb ones. As in the dumb, drunk, borderline psychotic celebrity blondes. Enjoy the hate. I'll be back later...much later...

25: Spring Break, Research and Development

Well, I'm heading down South for Spring Break next week (I mean the Southern United States, chuckleheads!), and hopefully things will be good. I'm hoping to get some more posts out of the way before that, including...a new blog! Yes, I know...why would I need to do something like that? Don't I have enough useless junk to talk about already? Well, you'd be wrong, mister. It's an opinion blog, which means if you want to really know my viewpoint on the decline of society, you'll be able to soon enough. Details on the way...

In the meantime...

ALL HAIL THE RONNIE MONSTER!!!!

24: current stimuli for March 5, 2007

MOVIES: “The Prestige”: magicians and bizarre contraptions, oh my!

“Infernal Affairs Trilogy”: The inspiration for “The Departed”. Complex and surprising stuff. Not for those who like subtitles, because that requires reading. For some people, it interferes with their watching.

TV: “24”: What would you do if you had to torture your two-faced brother, threaten to kill him, and then find out your dad’s even worse? If “kill lots of terrorists to relieve the pain” was your answer…
“Battlestar Galactica”: WTFF? Just when I thought one character wasn’t going to buy the farm, they did. I’m still a bit shocked. I’ll need a drink later.
MUSIC: “Talk Is Cheap, Vols. 1-3, Henry Rollins”: This answers the question: “Did he do anything else besides that album that had the song that had the video where he was painted red and jumping up and down?” Yeah, he was Black Flag too, wisearse.
BOOKS: “Civil War”: Moral and political statement about the need for secret identities and where public safety falls in. Plus, superheroes beat the living piss out of each other. So if you don’t like politics, there’s that.
“newuniversal”: You remember many a moons ago when Marvel tried to create a “new universe” of reality based heroes? I don’t remember it too well myself. But, the first few issues are interesting, especially with the writer of Transmetropolitan and Planetary at the helm.
“DMZ”: A gritty book where New York is a hot zone between two forces in another U.S. civil war. No superheroes beating the living piss out of each other, though.
“Spartans, enjoy your breakfast, for tonight, WE DINE IN HELL!!!”

--a wonderful little gem from the upcoming “300”