My realtor lady can’t seem to get her email problems straightened out, which means I have to actually try and call her when I have a question or request. Nothing I have to talk to her about it so urgent that I need immediate assistance, so I really enjoy the convenience of dropping an email and letting her get back to me at her leisure. But that just isn’t working for us right now. So instead of sending her a nice formatted list of houses I want to look at, I have to deal with actual human contact and call her with a long list, and it is a big pain in my ass.

I’m already a stressed out mess about this homeowner stuff, and I haven’t even looked inside of a house yet. Alg, start preparing to admit me to the loony bin. Another month or two of this and I might go willingly.

New new new!!! Tonight!!!

It has been a while (five weeks) since the last new episode, so I am salivating at the prospect of the storylines moving forward, especially after the reappearance of someone close to Veronica in the last ep. I haven’t read anything about this ep, as I’m trying to stay spoiler-free for the rest of the season. I’m content to just have the crazy gang from Neptune take me along for the ride.

I’m so excited, I may just have to stay up until 3am to watch instead of waiting until tomorrow.

Yes, the loverly A.J. Langer (aka Rayanne Graff) is back on my TV. “Eyes” premiers Wednesday night at 10pm on ABC. It looks kinda bad, but I’m hopeful that it stays on the air for a little while, if only to give me the opportunity to gaze upon her for 5 minutes or so every week. Chances seem slim for a long run however. I’m not sure building a show around Tim Daly is the best idea since he doesn’t have exactly have the best track record over the last 10 years or so. Wings was a long, long time ago Timmy my boy.

Oh, and since I’m on the subject of ABC, I unfortunately saw promos for the newest “Bachelor” Charlie O’Connell. The ABC website bills him as a financially secure jack of all trades. And here I thought his claim to fame was being the brother of the fat kid in Stand by Me.

I’ve upgraded to WordPress 1.5. Yay me.

Not sure what this means, other than the new default layout. I’ll probably start experimenting with different themes soon. So don’t freak out when the site looks different every day you visit. I’ll settle on one sooner or later.

OK–you are all my witnesses.

If I, at any point, enter a persistive vegetative state with no hope of recovery,

DIE.

Got that? Grab the plug with both hands and pull like the dickens. We clear? Good. That is all.

- For my money, there is no one creepier than Larry King.

- I miss Veronica Mars. It has been far too long since we had a new episode. Thankfully, there is a new installment next week, so the wait is almost over.

- This rainy weather is bringing me over man.

- March Madness / College basketball tournament: I couldn’t care less.

- Baseball / Spring Training: I saw my first televised game over the weekend. It was definitely the turning point in making it feel like spring. That and the 70 degree days we had the last two weekends.

- The new WGN baseball announce team is bad. Real bad. Not “Hawk” Harrelson White Sox crew bad, but still…

- Did anyone understand that last bullet point?

- I think I need to pick up the new Ani Difranco CD. I saw her on Leno and whatever that show is that follows Letterman these days. Different songs, both good. Links to performance videos here.

- Worked on the production floor of a machine shop this afternoon. Got nice and dirty. Took me back to the days at the GFS warehouse. Ahh the good old days of working a 7pm – 6am shift in a regulated 40 degree environment.

There is this guy standing in our lobby right now wasting my coworker’s time with pointless question after pointless question. It is this guy, the cellphone guy that I have already ranted about once before. I’d feel sorry for my colleague that has to sit and pacify him, but I’m too overwhelmed with joy that I didn’t have to talk to him. As I have had to do many times before.

He is one of those guys. “Your boss is a Sevvie and I’m and important Sevvie and you should do whatever I want whenever I want because I do all of this important work for the lord and your time is no concern of mine and I used to work with Del Delker and you should help the lord by helping me and I don’t care if it normally takes two weeks for a warranty swap I need it Monday because I have some important ministering to do overseas and I had to leave my shift at the mall early to get this done because of the burden the lord has put on my heart to do his work which is really my work that I stick the lord’s name in front of so I seem important. And it should all be free.” Yeah, one of those guys.

If you have never had to deal with one of these self-important, self-deluded assholes, consider yourself lucky. They seem to be as numerous as NYC cockroaches around here. And personally, I’d rather have the cockroaches. If I had a dollar for every “I go to church with your boss, but he isn’t here right now, so I’ll feel free to waste your time for the next 20 minutes and I shouldn’t have to pay because I go to church every Saturday” introduction I’ve heard, I’d be retired by now.

Geek toys, that is.

AMD was nice enough to send me a motherboard for free as a reward for doing some sort of online training, so all I had to do was buy a CPU. Which I did. And my Athlon 64 processor is due to arrive tomorrow. That means I have to swap out hardware from my main machine, move it to my Media Center box, get both sets of hardware configured in their new homes, install a 64-bit version of Linux (probably Fedora), and other assorted tasks.

In other words, play with my toys. I’ve got a feeling tomorrow is going to be a late night…

After a several weeks of being very busy at work, things have come to a screeching halt. I have done zero tech work for two days now. What is extra annoying is that there are several jobs in the queue, but I am either waiting for the customers to actually be home or for a part.

As nice as it might sometimes sound to sit at work and do nothing, it really isn’t pleasant. Time creeps along, making the days feel like they last forever. And the not making any money part isn’t any fun either.

So c’mon people, break your computers already! Or at least chat me up so I have something to do…

New content for the MP3 player:

Natasha Beddingfield – Unwritten
The best Brit-Pop artist since, well, her brother Daniel I guess. Embarrassingly bad lyrics but catchy. Her and Daniel did a really engaging performance of Ain’t Nobody at the Brit awards that made me seek out this CD. Seriously, this was the best award show performance I’ve seen since Ricky Martin’s La Copa de la Vida at the 1999 Grammys. Yes, that IS a compliment.
Bob Dylan – Good as I Been to You
CD of folk song covers. Some really wonderful songs here: Canadee-i-o, Hard Times, etc. And yes, that is Froggie Went A-Courtin’ closing out the album. Tremendous. I also have a warm spot in my heart for this CD because it is the one he was touring off of when I first saw him live for the first time.
The Roots – Tipping Point
Pretty good effort from The Roots. I like all of their CD’s pretty well, but I think it would be really fun to see them perform live sometime. This album is uneven, but some good stuff on here for sure.
The Refreshments – The Bottle and Fresh Horses
A band that dissolved before its time, they only had two albums before they broke up. I am a big fan of both CD’s, there are some really catchy songs and clever lyrics. Sadly, their legacy will probably be the theme song for King of the Hill.
Big Punisher – Capitol Punishment
Favorite of mine from my late-90′s hip-hop indoctrination. The only good CD he ever released since he died a couple of years later. I always enjoyed watching him and Fat Joe together. I’m sure it made Joe feel better about himself since he was about 1/2 the size of Big Pun.
Bad Religion – Recipe for Hate
Probably my favorite band. I’m making my way through their discography. This is the second album of their’s that I ever bought.
Lost Boyz – LB IV Life
Their last CD as one of their members was shot and killed. Another of my late-90′s hip-hop discoveries. Plug Me In and Ghetto Jiggy are standout singles.
A playlist of free iTunes downloads
Nothing exciting here, but I do enjoy using JHymn to strip off the DRM and turn them into regular MP3′s.

Feel free to comment or poke fun.

I hopped on my elliptical machine yesterday and turned on the TV to watch 30 Minute Meals with the lovely Rachael Ray. A weird juxtaposition of entertainment and activity I know, but what else am I going to watch at 6pm? The title of yesterday’s show was “Guilty Pleasure” and the main attraction was a fondue. I wasn’t really that interested and began zoning out a little until she mentioned that it was a German Cheddar and Beer Fondue. Ok, things are definitely looking up. I look at her platter of dippings, and see the typical chunked bread, some cauliflower, and some pickled veggies. I’m still thinking pass, until I hear her say, “now we need to brown up the bratwurst and come cocktail party franks.” Wait wait wait–so there is a big pot of cheese, and she intends to dip bread and greasy meats into it? Awww yeah…

To quote Eddie Money, “I’ve got two tickets to paradise.” Wait, that doesn’t sound right. Oh yeah, “I think I’m in love. Everlasting love.” THAT’S the quote I’m looking for.

Rachael, I love you.

I’ve been taking medication for the last month or so to help, I don’t know, keep me from dying or something. I had to go for a blood test a couple weeks ago to make sure that my liver wasn’t melting or falling out of me because of the meds I’m taking. Two days later they call me. At 7:30am. I of course, was not yet awake, but I got the message shortly afterwords. It kind of made me nervous that they called so early, because much like “nothing good happens after midnight”, no good news comes via telephone before 9am. I returned the call, and of course had to leave a message because the nurse was no longer available. Several hours later, she called me back. Why did she call at 7:30am? To tell me that the results were good and the medicine was working and things were just coming up roses. And to schedule another appointment to see the doctor. Um, OK. The medicine is doing it’s job, there are no side effects, and I’m feeling great. So I need to see the doctor again. Yes, that makes sense–almost.

So this morning, I go to my appointment. The following is a close approximation of our conversation:
(DDL=Doctor, AB=AngryB)
DDL – So, why are you here today?
AB – Um, you tell me…
DDL – Are you feeling good?
AB – Yes, I’m feeling wonderful.
DDL – Your test results looked great.
AB – So I hear.
DDL – (Looking puzzled) Are you just here for a follow-up?
AB – I guess so.
DDL – Oh. OK. Well, let’s keep you on the medicine that is doing its job. I’d like to see you again in about four months.
AB – OK.

I’m getting suspicious that they just wanted to squeeze an extra visit out of me and my insurance company. A doctor’s office would never do that sort of thing, would they?

#1 Album in the country:

Omarion – O

#1 Movie in the country:

The Pacifier

Weekly Nielson ratings:

#1 Academy Awards Show
#2 Oscar Countdown Show
#3 CSI
#4 American Idol
#5 American Idol

What the hell is wrong with people? Omarion? You mean the goofy looking one from B2K (I can’t believe that I know who B2k is…) The Pacifier? That was a great movie–when it was called Kindergarden Cop 15 years ago. And when it didn’t have the idiot brother from Raymond in a wrestling singlet. That image from the trailer is burned into my mind and causes me to shudder with disgust at random intervals. Bleech. The Oscar Countdown show? Sans Maria Menounous as host, I just don’t see the point. And American Idol. I’m at a complete loss as to why this show is popular. Aside from Simon being mean (which I like), I just don’t see the appeal. And he isn’t nearly mean enough. I’d have those kids in tears. At least. And maybe that would lead to them getting the therapy that they so desperately need. But what is American Idol really? A bunch of kids doing karaoke. Seriously, that it. We used to do that when I was a kid in Grand Rapids. We called it “A night at Village Inn Pizza.”

Since I’m on the subject of TV, I noticed that there was an “Oprah Presents” movie on last night. How do I know this? Because of the advertising saturation during my Wednesday night J.J. Abrams-fest. I swear, it seemed like that promo ran three times during every ad break. I’m using a 30-second skip to fast forward through commercials, and I STILL saw that damn ad like 50 times. Halle Berry or no Halle Berry, I’m not watching. And with all the FCC restrictions on network TV, can’t we restrict Oprah to daytime TV only? If that thing is in the top 10 next week, I might have an an aneurysm.

It is becoming obvious that the idiots are multiplying faster than their stupidity can kill them off.

I’ve been on a big “good old days” kick of late when it comes to music–and I think it is due to fuzzy memory. I remember crappy music from the 90′s, but just as kind of a lump and nothing specific. So I decided to breakdown some Billboard charts to give myself a dose of reality. Here are the top 10 singles from 10 years ago:

March 11, 1995
1 Take A Bow, Madonna – Mediocre ballad, but nothing too offensive. I think I remember her looking kind of hot in the video.
2 Creep, TLC – Aw yeah, this is the good stuff. And I KNOW that these ladies were looking hot in their video. MmmMMMmmm, Chilli.
3 Candy Rain, Soul For Real – I have NO recollection of this song. At all.
4 Baby, Brandy – An OK R&B-ish song. I might be biased though, as I am the guy with a Moesha poster in his office…
5 You Gotta Be, Des’ree – If this isn’t Oprah’s theme music, it should be. That is NOT a compliment.
6 Another Night, Real McCoy – YES, this is what I miss. That pseudo techno that was ever so popular in the mid-90′s. Tremendous.
7 On Bended Knee, Boyz II Men – Eh, it’s no Motown Philly. Now THAT was the jam.
8 If You Love Me, Brownstone – No idea–I don’t remember this one either.
9 Strong Enough, Sheryl Crow – Terrible. Awful. Blah.
10 Hold My Hand, Hootie & The Blowfish – Hey, have you seen that new BK commercial with Hootie? Good to see that he landed on his feet. As for the song, yuk. Hootie was the Creed of their day–making common music for common folks.

What about 15 years ago?

March 11, 1990
1 Escapade, Janet Jackson – Not my favorite single off the Rhythm Nation CD, but considering she released the whole bloody thing as singles, there were plenty others to choose from. Still pretty good though.
2 Black Velvet, Alannah Myles – I like this song, and I don’t know why.
3 Roam, The B-52 s – Good fun pop music. Solid.
4 Love Will Lead You Back, Taylor Dayne – I remember Taylor Dayne, but not this song. Maybe if I heard it…nah, I’m just not that curious.
5 Price Of Love, Bad English – Bad English was some record company’s way of fooling the US into listening to John Waite. I guess it worked. Those cruel, devilish bastards!
6 I Go To Extremes, Billy Joel – I love me some old school Billy Joel, but he was running on fumes by this point. Scotch or whiskey fumes I believe…
7 No More Lies, Michel le – LOVE this song. It is sitting in my MP3 folder right now.
8 I Wish It Would Rain Down, Phil Collins – Was this off a soundtrack or something? I don’t remember this one either. Mercifully I might add.
9 Just A Friend, Biz Markie – If you don’t like this song, you have got problems.
10 C Mon And Get My Love, D-Mob With Cathy Dennis – I have an unhealthy obsession with Cathy Dennis. Remember when she sang at the prom on 90210? You don’t? Well…it was great. Hey, quit mocking me. Shut up.

Well, both charts are definitely hit and miss. So I guess it lends credibility to my theory. I had remembered the 90′s pop music as being pretty good, but it looks like it was only OK. Of course, this was only one week in time, I may have to conduct further experiments in the future.

I’m a little late with my Oscar commentary, mostly because I hardly saw any movies last year, and didn’t watch ANY of the ceremony. So I’m not really commenting at all. Let me tell you what I do have some commentary on–Hilary Swank.

Hilary Swank has some big teeth. The word big doesn’t really do them justice in fact. Huge? Freakin’ huge? Colossal? Ginormous? I mean, look at these things:
If they ever fall out of her head they could be used to build another Stonehenge. If they were hollowed out and had lights installed they could be used to guide ships away from rocky shores. You could project her own movies on them for crying out loud.

The other thing that bugs me is that whenever someone wants to take a dig at her, they bring up “The Next Karate Kid” as the skeleton in her closet. Granted, that is a heck of a skeleton. I however, think back to her putrid stint on 90210 as single mother Carly, love interest to one of the all time great TV characters of all-time, Steve Sanders. Steve Sanders was the main reason that I watched that show for so many years, and Hilary Swank ruined nearly every one of his normally brilliant scenes. Now in the interests of full disclosure, I must admit that I have never seen one of her “good” movies, one that she won an award or critical acclaim for. But her acting was SO atrocious on 90210, that it is hard for me to believe that she is actually a good actress. Think about what I just said for a minute. On a show that starred Brian Austin Green, Luke Perry, Shanon Doherty, Jason Priestly, and Tori Spelling, I just singled out Hilary Swank as the worst actor of the bunch.

Hey Oscar, something smells good in Stinkville.