The Sound Of Failure

I found these albums to be thoroughly disappointing in 2006:

5. Calexico
   Garden Ruin

   I always get a little apprehensive about an album when the first track is also the first single. It's like a movie whose trailer can show all the best scenes in 30 seconds.




4. The Flaming Lips
   At War With The Mystics

   The Flaming Lips are a musically inventive band who put on a great live show. But, there is nothing of note on this failed follow-up to Yoshimi...




3. The Raconteurs
   Broken Boy Soldiers

   I would have figured that Jack White could make a good record with my Mom. Put him with Brendan Benson and hey, magical, right? Not so much. On the album cover the band is photographed bruised and bloodied as if they've each been beaten about the head. They must have all banged their heads repeatedly into a wall trying to rid their minds of songs like "Call It A Day."




2. Lupe Fiasco
   Food & Liquor

   I really wanted to like this record: because it was so hyped, because Lupe is a local boy and has a unique persona, because "Kick, Push" is not just a great song, it's an anthem, because so many people think it's a great record. But it's not. There's nothing worth my attention beyond track 4.




1. TV On The Radio
   Return to Cookie Mountain

   Another over-hyped album. This one is especially disappointing because "Wolf Like Me" is my favorite song of the year. But ultimately, TV On The Radio is a band that is powerful yet incoherent. Sort of like the Mike Tyson of Rock.

In The Music

I've updated my best albums of 2005 list to include a couple of releases that I had missed last year and to reflect my current sensibilities:

1. Sufjan Stevens
   Illinoise


2. The New Pornographers
   Twin Cinema


3. Common
   Be


4. The White Stripes
   Get Behind Me Satan


5. Low
   The Great Destroyer


6. Andrew Bird
   The Mysterious Production of Eggs


7. The Decemberists
   Picaresque


8. Wilco
   A Ghost Is Born


9. Little Brother
   The Minstrel Show


10. Swords
    Metropolis

I'm having some difficulty with the 2006 list. Nothing really stands out. But, I've still got a little time to find a star. So help me out. What 2006 recordings stand out for you?

Dead President

He was delicious!

Get Behind Me, Santa!

I did all of my Christmas shopping yesterday--all of it. I also went to mass, made holiday candy and recorded a podcast episode. I'm tired.
Is it just me or did yesterday feel like a Tuesday? My "what day is it?" gyroscope has been really wacky lately.

If you didn't receive a Christmas card from me, it is likely because this year, as with all previous years, I did not send any Christmas cards. Just for the record, it doesn't mean I don't love you. Although, I might not.

Merry Secularmas!

To all my Hebrew brothers out there:



Happy Chanukah!

Ballad of a Comeback Kid

Every once in a while, I peruse this blog's archives and I become nostalgic for some imaginary golden age of alpha charlie bravo whose point in history is constantly shifting. For example, I think 2005 was a good year. 2006 seems to have been all sports and Doctor Who. Speaking of which: I just received the Special Edition Doctor Who Season 2 DVD box set; and is it just me, or has Jeff Garcia become noticeably less lispy?

I've also noticed that I tend to stop writing in November and December. But, I always come back. So be heartened my friends, there is more to come.

(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes

The fashion page of December's issue of Playboy magazine features a pair of shoes whose price is listed as $1330. Hold on, $1,330. It looks more expensive with the comma.
So, I went looking for the most expensive pair of shoes I could find. I went to a place on teh intarwebs from which I had purchased shoes myself.

I found these:

Here are some customer comments regarding these shoes:

"Perhaps the best shoe ever made! This shoe is simply stunning - it will leave you breathless. No other shoe even comes close - you just float in these. Get rid of all your other shoes, and keep just this one[sic]."

"Great price, a must have!! This shoe is awesome. It feels like your[sic] walking bare foot[sic] through a garden."

Would you care to take a guess as to the price of these shoes?
Let's do it Price is Right style--the closest without going over.

For the hell of it, I'm picking these games against the spread.

Buffalo	(+12)at	Indianapolis
Baltimore	(-7) at	Tennessee
Cleveland	(+8) at	Atlanta
Green Bay	(+5 1/2) at	Minnesota
Kansas City	(-1) at	Miami
San Francisco	(+6) at	Detroit
Houston	(+10 1/2) at	Jacksonville
N.Y.Jets	(+10 1/2) at	New England
San Diego	(-1) at	Cincinnati
Washington	(+7) at	Philadelphia
Denver	(-9) at	Oakland
St.Louis	(+4) at	Seattle
New Orleans	(+4) at	Pittsburgh
Dallas	(-7) at	Arizona
Chicago	(+3) at	N.Y. Giants
Tampa Bay	(+9 1/2) at	Carolina

Game Theory

I really enjoy a good national election with its exit polls and intrigue. I enjoy the anticipation that comes with election day. Waiting for results, witnessing the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat. Politics is so much more successful as a sport or a strategy game. Or simply the reality Tv show it so desperately wants to be, rather than that which ultimately decides the fate of millions.
Episode 3 is now available.

World Spins Madly On

I'm not entirely sure why, but at some point early on in calendar year 2006, I started rolling back my age by a few months. Thus, trimming one digit from the overall number. I really didn't intend to continue this dissemblance into perpetuity. However now, in order to remain consistent, I am a full year younger to some people than I actually am. But, only a year.

For those eagerly awaiting; Episode 2 of the podcast is coming soon... probably.

What's that?
It's 2006 you say?
Oh well, nevermind.

The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts

I need a better microphone... and a pop filter... and a thought:

the podcast

I think, I'll get better as I go along.

When the Day Is Short

"I, Richard M. Daley, proclaim today to be 'Diddy Day in the City of Chicago."

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Easy There, Steady Now

I got this in my email.
What do you think the subject line was?

Atoms for Peace

North Korea is such an attention whore.

And It Rained All Night

I love thunderstorms. The rain, the thunder, the lighting, the dark and stormy; it suits me. So as I'm preparing to leave work last night, I am aware that it is pouring. I see flashes of lightning. The flourescents in the office flicker. People scamper past me in the parking lot, jackets over heads, to the dry sanctuary of their cars. I stroll. I don't run from water. It's a long walk through the parking lot to my vehicle. I'm going to get wet and that's fine.

I'm watching the news now at 6:00 am. There's a car stranded in standing water up to it's roof on 95th and Harlem. I was on that street seven hours ago. On 95th street last night from LaGrange to Pulaski there were no street lights, no traffic lights. There were fallen tree branches justting out into the street. There was standing water and emergency vehicles everywhere. It was a fun drive.

Hmm... I can't find my sonic screwdriver.

I manage to get along, day by day, without experiencing some sort of psychotic convulsing fit, not by ignoring the external world, but by being "passively engaged" in it. I survive by watching the Daily Show, listening to Steve Earle albums and standing and applauding when someone like Keith Olbermann says everything that needs to be said.

RX Coup

The next time I publicly call for a world leader to resign, he better damn well resign. Just look what happened.

I never understood why a population would tolerate or endorse a military coup. Wouldn't any elected government, even one that is corrupt or inept be preferable to military rule? However, it seems I acquired a more nuanced view of this around five years ago. I can see now that some may view a government, elected though it may be, to be so disastrous that it cannot continue.

You Think It's Like This, But Really It's Like This

"Imagine what it's like to be a young person living in a country that is not moving toward reform. You're 21 years old, and while your peers in other parts of the world are casting their ballots for the first time, you are powerless to change the course of your government.
While your peers in other parts of the world have received educations that prepare them for the opportunities of a global economy, you have been fed propaganda and conspiracy theories that blame others for your country's shortcomings.
And everywhere you turn, you hear extremists who tell you that you can escape your misery and regain your dignity through violence..."

-The Decider
Address to the U.N. General Assembly
September 19, 2006

Yeah, I know what that's like. It sucks the political mop.

Do you know how I know Oprah is evil? James Frey's A Million Little Pieces has sold over 3.5 million copies.

Shooting an Elephant

I hadn't seen the President's speech until last night. It's amazing how George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four acheives verisimilitude as time goes on. I cannot begin, in this compendium, to refute the false premises and logical fallacies contained within his statements, especially considering that his statements contain only false premises and logical fallacies (with some nouns, a few verbs and some sparkling modifiers thrown in to cause the mixture to congeal).

But I will say this: the President says, "This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization."

Anyone who believes that our country and our people are so feeble, our hold on national sovereignty so tenous that a few hundred or a few thousand crazed Wahhabis with explosives can drive our nation into perdition, must have a vile contempt for the American people.

Only Americans have the power to destroy this country. So, it is clear that there are those who hate America and have the power to destroy it--and we know who they are.

Momento Mori

Who was it that said "As we are all solipsists, and all die, the world dies with us?"

9/11 is a great human tragedy. But, it is not the greatest human tragedy. On an historical scale, the deaths of 3000 innocent people is relatively small. As Americans, we regard each of those deaths personally. They belong to us. But what of those that belong to "others." I find, for example, that I lack the capacity to grieve for the estimated 40,000 Iraqi civillians killed since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the same depth as the victims of 9/11. So, I have to remind myself that every victim is a world destroyed. It can be overwhelming. Perhaps that is why we lack the same empathy for all victims of human violence. Or, perhaps it is simply solipsism--our victims are the only "true" victims.

The Tears of a Clown

Every year, when the Labor Day telethon is broadcast on WGN and I see that cariacature of Jerry Lewis that appears on the telethon logo, I think of what may be the world's most infamous film. A film so awful, so distasteful, that only a handful of people have ever seen it.

Once again, I give you: Jerry Lewis' The Day the Clown Cried

"With most of these kinds of things, you find that the anticipation, or the concept, is better than the thing itself. But seeing this film was really awe-inspiring, in that you are rarely in the presence of a perfect object. This was a perfect object. This movie is so drastically wrong, its pathos and its comedy are so wildly misplaced, that you could not, in your fantasy of what it might be like, improve on what it really is. "Oh My God!"—that's all you can say."

-Harry Shearer

Wolf Like Me

Is it just me, or has 2006 been a lackluster year for music thus far? At this point, I expect two albums I haven't even heard yet to compete for number one on my personal best list. Those albums being The Roots' "Game Theory" and Tv on the Radio's "Return to Cookie Mountain." Anyway, I've compiled a list of some of the best songs I have from 2005, which would make a good gift to... well, me I suppose. You know, I'm the gift that keeps on giving... to myself.

Hail To Purple

When did America Jump the Shark?
Vote for one:

1. Never Jumped
2. NAFTA
3. Asian Financial Crisis
4. 2000 Presidential Election
5. 9/11
6. Dept. of Homeland Security
7. Invasion of Afghanistan
8. Invasion of Iraq
9. Gitmo
10. Abu Ghraib
11. NSA Wiretaps
12. Other

Do you know how I know Oprah is evil?
Because she has unleashed her spawn Dr. Phil upon earth.

And what rough beast its hour come round at last
Slouches toward Harpo to be born

Here it Goes Again

Well, I suppose if you're going to take the time to pay me a visit here on teh intarwebs--it's a series of tubes, you know--I ought to supply some content.
So, here's a video:

That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate

I attended the Pitchfork Music Festival yesterday.

Mostly I went to see Mission of Burma, but I was pleased that I arrived just in time to see Jens Lekman perform.

I was happy to hear Mission of Burma play some of the 'ol favorites like Academy Fight Song and That's When I Reach for My Revolver. Although I seemed to be the only audience member singing along to the new stuff.

I only stayed long enough to see the top of Glenn Kotche's head as he accompanied himself on a drum kit with loops and feedback. Also, I think he scratched a wire across a microphone to make noises, but I'm not entirely sure since, as I mentioned, I could only see the top of his head.

The Avalanche

I Googled someone I shouldn't have Googled.

It made me think of all the friendships that lapsed due to my carelessness. I sincerely hope all those people have either forgotten me, or never loved me at all. It is an unpleasant feeling when someone you care for is needlessly absent from your life. I hope I have never caused anyone such discomfort. If so, I hope I am forgiven or forgotten.

I suffer from a condition I like to refer to as "Gatsby's Syndrome."
It's the misguided desire for transformation: to create an ostensibly greater self. Jay Gatz and I believe that one must go away and acheive a kind of apotheosis. Although important things are left behind when this journey is embarked upon, our hope is that success will cast a net large enough to ensnare the past. But the past can be neither captured nor reconstructed in the present. So, the Great Gatsby is wealthy, but his life is empty. While I; well, I'm not even rich.

But I can see now what lies ahead of me. So I fill my days with love and work and fun: the palliatives of solitude. And I enjoy the strange pleasures of being myself. I enjoy the things about me that should never change.

Hi there!

Strategic Grill Locations

I hate the 4th of July.

For weeks prior neighborhood kids are setting off firecrackers.
Last night, there were still explosions going off at 1:00 in the morning.

I blame the state of Indiana.
What do those fireworks warehouses do the rest of the year? Do they only operate during the summer?

I can't believe I have to work today.
No, actually I believe it, I'm just living in denial.

Love and Monsters

This is the last Doctor Who post, I promise.

Sci-fi channel is running a Doctor Who "mini-marathon." Please ignore it, if you weren't already planning to do so.

The Doctor Who Series 1 DVD will be available on July 4. I know you didn't ask, but yes it is available on Netflix.

So far, Series 2 is far superior to Series 1. Maybe I'm overstating it a bit.
But you can see for yourself:

What a disappointment.




I'm done with the World Cup now.

The Parting of the Ways

Episode 13

Well here we are: An old enemy, a fateful decision, a deus ex machina, an end (of sorts) and a new beginning.

If you've been wating all this time to see "bad wolf" revealed... Um well, sorry. It's sort of lame. Actually, the entire conflict resolution portion of this episode is a disapointment. But, the denouement is good. I'm always up for a good denouement.

Also, I think the Doctor makes the wrong choice at the end. In spite of the moral implications, there were legitimate reasons for him to do what he was prepared to do. But, when the stroke of a Tv writer's pen can save the day, moral dilemmas become so easy to avoid.

Bad Wolf

Episode 12

"My masters, they fear the Doctor."

So, we've been here before. 100 years after the events of The Long Game, Satelite 5 has become the Game Station. But there's more to this story than a couple of reality tv show parodies. Everything in the first season has been leading up to this two-part finale.

Why is my blogger interface in Français?
Anyway, there's more to life than Doctor Who but little of it is worth mentioning.
So, here's a video of Pat Robertson proving that he's more powerful than Jeebus.

Boom Town

Episode 11

"Playing with so many lives, you might as well be a god."

Well, these adventures are soon coming to an end. But first, there are some issues left to be considered. The Doctor likes to think that he comes and goes, rights wrongs when necessary and leaves behind no trace. But, the only survivor of the Slitheen plot from the episodes Aliens of London/World War Three knows better. Her family is dead and she finds herself stranded on Earth. "From what I've seen your happy go-lucky life leaves devestation in its wake," she tells the Doctor. This idea and the episode in which it is contained is a thematic prelude to the upcoming two part season finale: Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways.

A side note, it seems to me one of the worst things you can do as a writer is invoke a Deus ex Machina to resolve a plot. It's even worse to do it twice. But I suppose if you're going to use it, alerting the audience to its existence in one episode makes it easier to swallow in another.

The project to build a nuclear power plant in Cardiff is named "Blaidd Drwg," which is Welsh for "Bad Wolf." The Doctor and Rose finally notice that those words have been following them, but the Doctor dismisses it as a coincidence.

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

Episode 9/Episode 10

"Are you my mommy?"

A mysterious object falls to earth during the London blitz and the streets are haunted by "an unearthly child."

This episode combined with its second part is often considered the best of the series. It's as good an episode to watch for non-fans as any other.

It has long been understood in television and cinema that there is something eerie about a child with supernatural powers. Especially when that child has a malicious intent. Here we have a child who wants only one thing: his mommy. But, as The Doctor tells us in part 2 of this episode, "There isn't a child alive who wouldn't tear the world apart to save his mother... and this one can."

alpha charlie bravo is on the clock...

Father's Day

Original BBC Webpage: Episode 8

"Be careful what you wish for."

Hey! Remember the eighties?
The Doctor takes Rose to 1987 to see her father, "the most wonderful man in the world," before he dies. But Pete Tyler isn't quite the man Rose imagined him to be. But, then again who is. Sometimes the people we love don't live up to our expectations or even their own. Sometimes they let us down. But we love them anyway. Because of this, it is not impossible for an ordinary man of little consequence to summon, for the sake of that love, the personal courage required to save the world.

The Long Game

Original BBC Webpage: Episode 7

"Trouble?"
"Oh, yeah."

The Doctor, Rose and Adam travel to the year 200,000 to visit the "Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire." But, something is wrong. Someone behind the scenes is using the media to control mankind.

This is one of my personal favorites. I particularly enjoy character of The Editor. This episode turns out to be directly related to the season finale. If you think you know who controls Satelite 5, you're wrong.
Bad Wolf, bitches.

I want Dick Cheney's tax refund.

Happy Easter!

"...and bite my wrinkly ball sack!"

Dalek

"Exterminate."

When the BBC launched this new Doctor Who series, it was uncertain until production began whether the estate of Terry Nation would consent to the use of the Daleks in the new series. That coupled with Britain's previous infatuation with the creatures made this the most anticipated episode of the new series. It also happens to be one of the best.

Britain during the 60s and 70s experienced something called "Dalek mania." These classic Doctor Who villains created by Terry Nation were so popular that two Doctor Who movies were made to showcase them. So what's the big deal? One might imagine that forty years ago a dalek may have looked like a sophisticated futuristic robot. But, today it just looks like a giant salt shaker with a plunger sticking out of it. I think what made the Daleks compelling for me was their indefatigable single-mindedness. A Dalek wants to kill you. It's that simple. It's smarter than you and it wants to kill you.

There are two major accomplishments in this episode. One is reintroducing the Dalek creature and making it menacing. It is an unstoppable killing machine that mocks the humans who try to stop it. The other is the performance of Christopher Eccleston. We see the Doctor at various points laid bare. Fear, rage, despair revealed and unfettered in a manner that is uncommon for this character. The events of this episode create a personal crisis for the Doctor and ultimately alter him in meaningful ways.

Crash

It's funny how the mind works. 80 percent of the time, I go right through yellow lights. For various reasons, on Monday on my way to work, I stopped. As I looked in my rear view mirror, even before the impact, I thought of a Dane Cook comedy routine.

He does a bit on car accidents in which he says even if the accident isn't your fault, the other driver gets out of his car and looks at you as if it were your fault: "Why did you stop at a red light and let me hit you! Why?"

***

This post has a lot of tangetial subjects, so I'm just going to abandon the car accident story and follow the stream of my consciousness.

When I "blog" I actually do a fair amount of research. It probably doesn't show. But anyway, I was looking at Dane Cook's myspace page a few minutes ago and that man has over 1 million myspace stalkers. In fact, according to wikipedia it was his myspace page that gave him a much needed career boost.
I just find that interesting/frightening/sleazy.

Additionally yet completely unrelated, do you suppose that the success of the 2005 Academy Award nominated film "Crash" will accidentally lead people to discover the very different 1997 David Cronenberg movie of the same name? A movie that contains what is in my opinion the creepiest performance ever recorded on film?

***

Well, the door of my trunk is smashed in which is the only damage that was sustained in the accident.

World War Three

Original BBC Webpage: Episode 5

Some people like the cliffhanger endings. I personally, could do without them.
This is one of the better episodes. In fact, I'd consider it a solid "good" episode. There's a wacky alien chase through Downing Street and a not too subtle parody of contemporary politics.

I thought I'd have more to say about this one, but I don't. If you want to know more go here. At this point, I'm just biding my time until Episode 6. It's all about Episode 6.

And now...
It's time for another alpha charlie bravo random political diatribe:

Thaksin Shinawatra:
Dude, resign already! It's over. It's over.


This has been an alpha charlie bravo random political diatribe.

Thunderstruck

Baseball is a game of history. The importance of the historical context of individual and team acheivements is what sets baseball apart from other sports. So let's look at some history:
In 1961, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in a single season.
From 1962 to 1994, only three times did a player hit 50 or more home runs in a season: Willie Mays in 1965, George Foster in 1977 and Cecil Fielder in 1990.
From 1995 to 2002, at least one major league player hit 50 home runs or more in each season during that period. Four times during that those eight seasons a player hit 60 or more and twice a player hit 70 or more. Hmmm... isn't that odd?

Aliens of London

Original BBC Website: Episode 4

"900 years in time and space and I've never been slapped by someone's mother!"

The kids: They love the scatalogical humor.
Well, it turns out that when you leave your family, friends, life and planet behind to go adventuring in time and space, things change at home while you're away. Family and friends are affected, sometimes profoundly.

The next episode, World War Three, is, in my judgement, slightly superior to this one. But these two episodes together with episode 6 constitute a key character development.

You can't miss the "Bad Wolf" reference in this episode. A neighborhood kid graffitis the words on the side of the Tardis.

I'm confused. I'm trying to observe the prohibition against the consumption of meat on Fridays during the Lenten season. Accordingly, on a Friday night it is not uncommon for me to pick-up a spincach pizza from Giordano's on my way home from work. But, by the time I get home and am prepared to eat it, it's after midnight.

Here's the quandry: Should I get the pizza instead on Thursday night and eat whatever I want on Friday, assuming that a Lenten Friday extends from midnight to midnight, or should I presume that Lent corresponds to my own Friday which is typically from 10am to 4am the next day?
Perhaps I should send an email to Cardinal George and ask him this question.

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times

"They say I got brains, but they ain't doin' me no good."

Have I mentioned that I'm a genius? Oh, yes indeed. Although admittedly, only as a function of my complete ignorance of human intellectual acheivement. I should provide some examples.

At the age of 19, I invented rationalist metaphysics. Of course, that was before I had read Spinoza who beat me to it by more than 400 years. I must concede, however, that Spinoza did it better. I wrestled fruitlessly for days with the problem of reconciling free will with materialism until an early morning class lecture made everything so clear.

Another time, I predicted the end of philosophy. Eventually, all areas of philosophy may, in fact, should be made obsolete by empirical study. Even the social sciences, of which we have so little practical knowledge now, will become empiricized and philosophy will occupy less and less space in human thought. This idea is basically an extension of my metaphysics. It also bears a striking resemblance to the positivist movement of the early 19th century. Oops.

Most recently, I came up with the concept of Quantum Immortality. I created it and saw that it was good. Then I saw this Wiki article. Foiled again.

Some people are born ahead of their time. They are forced into conflict with the established ideas and practices of their day as they try to forge a new path of greatness for mankind. People like Copernicus, Galileo, umm... Al Gore.
I, on the other hand was born too late. Hundreds and hundreds of years too late to make an impact on the world.

I'm surprised I don't know more famous people. Or really, any famous people. I just watched this movie. Well, not so much watched as skimmed through on fast forward. The actor who plays "Michael" in that movie is a guy I know from North Occidental. I was in a play with him, actually.

At the time there were a handful of creative types about whom various expectations of success and fame were purported. Now one expects some hits and some misses. But all misses and no hits? That comes as a bit of shock to the version of me from ten years ago that still dwells unaltered in the medial temporal lobe of my brain.

You know, it's strange to look around in there--in the MTL. There's all these other versions of me in there, each with a different view of the mirco-social world.

The Unquiet Dead

Original BBC Website: Episode 3

"Pity the Gelth."

In episode 1 Clive tells Rose that the Doctor has one constant companion: death. It's not a coincidence. If there is a line between saving the world and destroying it, that line is razor thin. Sometimes things go wrong. One of the ideas being conveyed in this series is that actions have consequences. Unintended consequences can be especially dire. Fortunately, in this episode, Charles Dickens is around to save the day.

Rose

Original BBC Website: Episode 1

"Nice to meet you. Run for your life!"

This isn't the best episode of the series. In fact, it may be the least best episode. But, it successfully introduces the characters and tells you as much as you need to know to get started.
The plot is kind of tacked on and the enemy is a 1970's retread. If your attitude toward this first expository episode is "meh," episode 2 is probably a better exemplar of the show.

One last observation: If your boyfriend is replaced by a talking mannequin and you don't notice, it may be time to find a new boyfriend.

The End of the World

Original BBC Webpage: Episode 2

"Burn, baby. Burn."

The Doctor takes Rose to an exclusive affair. The rich and powerful have gathered to pay their last respects to Earth as it is destroyed by the expansion of the sun.

Doctor Who writer/producer Russell T. Davies wrote Queer as Folk among other shows. His vision for the series is for it to be character driven. This episode is more about the development of the Doctor as a character and establishing his relationship with Rose than the adventure on Platform One.
But, it does give the audience what it wants: people in alien costumes.

By the way, the phrase "Bad Wolf" appears in some form in every episode. It's an augury of episodes 12 and 13, but I'll come to that later.

Torchwood

I thought about making a blog for my Doctor Who predilection. But, I'm just going to do it here since I already have four other blogspot pages I don't use.

The thing is, I suppose most of the people in this country who want to see the new Doctor Who have already seen it. I have the DVD boxset and have watched each episode four or five times. I'm not sure how much of an audience there is out there for the Sci-Fi channel broadcasts. I don't know if a new audience will embrace the show.

In any case, in this space every Friday for the next 12 weeks, I'll have something to say about the episode to be broadcast on Sci-Fi that evening. Synopses, hot links, character points, history and backstory, etc.

Now, don't misunderstand. My enthusiasm is not directly proportional to the show's quality. It's not great television, but at times it is quite good and I enjoy it immensely.
"...Which is the only thing that matters in the end."

As a gentleman of refined tastes, who appreciates the fine arts on their own merits, I've never really identified with the coarse sensibilities that inspire the kind of attention that individuals such as Mr. Skin and his ilk give to female nudity in cinema.

Recently, I've been studying the films of Sam Peckinpah. I watched The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs¹ and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. I was, for some reason, surprised to find nudity in all three. It wasn't gratuitous. It wasn't inappropriate in any way. I just didn't expect it and it caused surprised at each screening.

As a result of this, I developed a list of things that Sam Peckinpah, as evidenced in his work, likes:

1. Justice


2. Heroic Criminals


3. Slow Motion Violence


4. Mexico


5. Boobies

But then, I watched Ride the High Country and The Getaway. There was no nudity in either of those films.
I was surprised to find myself genuinely disappointed at this.
So, what now have I become? I'm like a Peckinpah character whose circumstances have caused him to change into a different kind of man.

Now, if only I had a gun and an insatiable lust for justice (and not boobies), some things could get done around here.

¹I would like to point out, that I strongly disagree with Ebert's take on Straw Dogs. It is a brilliant and often misunderstood film.

Yesterday, during the course of my official duties, I ripped my pants. At the seams. Practically, from stem to stern. Which is not all that interesting, really. I mean, I don't wear good clothes to work because I know that they'll get destroyed. But later I noticed that my fly was open and it wasn't because I had forgotten to zip myself, it was because my zipper was broken.
I spend five hours on my feet and I wasn't trying to hide. So someone must have noticed something. But, no one mentioned it. That's what was really strange.

Apparently, I had a leak in one of my tires and it needed constant filling with air. It seems that at some point last week, while I was on my way to work, I ran over a small child and that child was very pointy.

Anyway, there's a Walmart that opened not too long ago near 95th and Western, outside the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of Chicago. Now, you may correctly guess that I am one of those opposed to Walmart's business practices. But, it seems to me there is little harm in servicing my vehicle there. However, much to my surprise, their auto service facillity was staffed entirely by Chinese baby slaves. But hey, what a bargain!

Overheard (In Chicago)

"That's why I was always such a bitch--because my pants were too tight."

I can't imagine that I'll post again this week. So savor these posts like a fine wine or down them like a Jagerbomb. I don't really care.
Have fun!

I believe I commented recently in a public setting (public for me meaning that someone other than myself was in the room at the time) that my employer did not provide me with basic office supplies. Well, a funny thing happened yesterday. We got clipboards.

Not just any clipboards, mind you. These were a lovely white molded plastic with the corporate logo emblazoned on the top. They have important phone numbers, pay codes and various other useful--actually, mostly useless information printed on front and back and an embedded calculator. They actually made me sign for it before I could get one.

New fancy clipboard hotness.




Bitches.

If I were the Vice President and I shot a guy in the face (accidentally of course), immediately after the ambulance that hovers within 100 feet of me at all times speeds away with the victim of my carelessness, I put in a call to the office and I say, "Umm... you're going to need to put out a press release." What I wouldn't do is pretend like nothing happened and make indifference toward a simple accident look like a deliberate cover-up of a nefarious deed.

But hey, I'm not the shadowy overlord of the empire, so I guess my point of view is just a little different.

What's even stranger is the way the VP's office has stonewalled the White House. I actually feel sympathy for Scott McClellan. He's been thrown under the bus by the guy who's supposed to be a subordinate to his boss.

Choose your weapon:

The Gay Games are coming to Chicago in July. But, considering that the Winter Olympics are going on right now, the Gay Games just seem... I don't know, redundant. After all, the winter olympics brings us such sports as the two man luge:



and men's figure skating:


I ask you, what could be more gay?

Of course, Johnny Weir did look stunning in that sequined evening gown last night. But, nevertheless I do find figure skating, men's or women's, to be problematic.

Now, I'm an aesthete from way back and a great skating performance is beautiful to watch, but that's exactly the problem. It's a performance. A performance with overt feats of athleticism attempted at irregular intervals in order to give the impression that a sporting event is taking place.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not one to say that figure skating should be driven into the sea. But, why do we pay so much attention to it when we could indulge ourselves in art that is overtly art. Or otherwise, sport that is overtly sport, rather than this bastardization of both. Put a ballet on once in a while. Give Bill T. Jones a network Tv special.

Oh well. It's still amusing when they fall.

I refuse to recognize the present Olympics. Henceforth, no Olympic Games will be official unless the opening ceremonies feature an appearance by Björk.



Um...
Did Michelle Kwan die or something? What the hell is going on?

First Impressions/Día a Día

Well, I'm waiting for The Strokes to finish downloading and my Ruben Blades cd to import into iTunes and then I'm going to play my creaky MacOS9 version of Master of Orion II while listening to Ruben Blades and The Strokes.
What? Hey, I'm only 50% weird.

Since I'm within proximity of the topic, rarely do I have the opportunity to discuss this, Ruben Blades is something of a hero of mine. In these present times when I'm facing a new kind of existential crisis with respect to my career, namely, if I don't want this then what do I want--I am reminded that what I really want in life, after all, is to be like Ruben Blades.

"Día a día la nostalgia me impulsa a continuar
Día a día la distancia me aconseja olvidar"

Qué verdád, Ruben, qué verdád.

Coretta Scott King Remembered in Six-Hour Funeral

When I die, and I'm not sure exactly to whom I'm addressing this message, but let's keep the memorial service to a maximum of 120 minutes. Just enough time for 3 acts, a restorative conclusion and perhaps a denoument. Oh, and find a way to work Mahler's 9th Symphony into the soundtrack.

You Are 50% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird... But too damn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

Alright, so here's my prediction for Super Bowl Sunday. Get a pen, you're going to want to make a note of this.

I predict: 4 hours of inane pregame coverage.

Oh, You're So Silent [acb]

Maybe I am, maybe I am.

Maybe I need to rebuild this blog; make it the blog it really should be:
A chocolate blog!