I’ve talked before about The Cardigans and how I love their Long Gone Before Daylight cd. Well, if I love that cd, then their new one has me positively obsessed. Super Extra Gravity hasn’t been released in the US of yet, but I’ve gotten my hands on a copy of the UK disc and it is positively wonderful. Another great mix of slow and fast, nicely balanced throughout. It is definitely more upbeat than the last outing, but there are still lots of melancholy tunes here. Standouts are Godspell, Give Me Your Eyes and Good Morning Joan. Both of the last two Cardigans cd’s have been growers for me, so if you do decide to check them out make sure to give them a few spins if you aren’t wowed on the first listen.

I wish I had link with sound samples for you to check out, but the lack of a US release makes it look like the marketing campaign hasn’t really started rolling yet.

Did my errand running this morning, and finally made my long needed and long avoided purchase of a new vacuum. This one:

It sucks. And seeing how that is it’s job, that is a very good thing. Perhaps it is because the one I’ve been using is so crappy, but I’m really quite stunned with the performance of this little dynamo. I bought one that uses bags, because when I’ve used the “no mess” bagless versions before it always seemed like they made more of a mess when emptying than just tossing the bag. It is kind of small, but in my house that isn’t really an issue, and the compact size is actually quite nice for stairs and also for storage.

I can’t believe I’m excited about this. Pity me.

OK, now for the bad.

I had to go downtown this morning to do a solid for my boss. You see, he had changed the Administrator password on our web server to add some security. Then he promptly forgot that new password. So I was pressed into service to go down and reset the password with a little Linux utility. I prepared myself by making sure I had the latest copy of the utility, because it is a Server 2003 box and I figured the old version of the utility might not work. I got downtown where the server was located, fired up the utility, reset the password and rebooted. No change.

Now, I’ve used this utility several times and have never had a problem so I was rather perplexed. I scratched my head and tried it a couple more times just to be sure, with no success. Well, I finally shrugged my shoulders, pulled the server out of the rack, put it under my arm and headed for the car. Which I had parked on the street. With 30 minutes in the meter.

Crap.

This all dawns on me as I’m heading up the stairs, so as I exit the building and head toward my car, I begin to look for the ticket. Sure enough, there it was. Let me tell you, if there is one civic worker who never fails to do their job, it is the traffic cop. I was really more irritated with myself for forgetting about the meter than anything, so I wasn’t really that upset. Plus it was only an $11 ticket, so not the end of the world. An aside though, if it isn’t paid within a week it jumps to $41.50. Someone explain to me again why they are raising my taxes, because they have to be generating an incredible amount of income from traffic tickets alone.

And for the icing on the cake, when I got back to the office, I decided to give my old version of the utility a try. And it worked without a problem. So I basically out-thought myself which is pretty remarkable considering that I set out to do this job with only one cup of coffee in me.

The moral of the story? I’m out 11 bucks. Bah.

Some things are going well today.

Some things are not.

The Good: Got a “new to me” video card for the PC at home. Just one more step closer to Oblivion.

The bad to come later when I have more time to devote to the bitching.

Sheryl Swoopes came out today.

*yawn*

I just don’t see this as a big deal. Most average Joe’s assume that women athletes are lesbians anyway, and nobody cares about the WNBA, so I just don’t see this as having a big impact. ESPN.com will have it on their front page (especially since she came out in their magazine), some mainstream press will pick up the story, and by next week no one will remember or care. Homosexuality in the sports world is only ever going to matter when a man comes out. I’m not saying this is right or this is wrong, I’m just saying that it is.

Someday in the near future, I think a man will come out. And there is one surefire way for him to be accepted: be really good. That’s it. As long as this hypothetical player is valuable to whatever team he is on, it is going to be a non-issue. Sure, the fans will heckle him on the road and there will be the obligatory death threat letters from whatever kind of impotent coward writes such things. But for the most part, I just think that our culture has progressed to the point where it is not going to be a Jackie Robinson type feat of courage and strength.

Am I ridiculously naive about this?

Are american TV networks actually smart enough to greenlight a Muppet reality show spoof? ABC is considering a show called America’s Next Muppet which will spoof American Idol and other shows of that ilk.

I keep hoping that somehow the Muppets will be able to recapture their brilliance, but I’m afraid that the brains and charm behind them passed along with Jim. There have been occasional bright spots since, like The Muppet Christmas Carol and some of the Muppets Tonight episodes, but there have been far more missteps. Like the Statler & Waldorf internet movie reviews, which are terrible.

This could actually be really good. If they do it right. That is a big if.

Going to bed at 12:30am – good.

Going to bed at 12:30am and still being awake at 3:30am – bad.

I am occasionally an insomniac. Insomniacs suck. Blah.

The animal stuck inside the wall at my office. I’ve spent all day listening to sporadic flailing and scratching. Hey little buddy, you found your way in there, now find your way out already!

Lets see just how out of touch I am from the “popular” music that is charting these days:

1. Gold Digger, Kanye West Featuring Jamie Foxx – I know it, but I’m not a fan.
2. My Humps, The Black Eyed Peas – I know it, and I’m a little bit embarrassed by that fact. This is one incredibly ridiculous song. After reading about Fergie’s accident, perhaps they could sing “My Huggies?”
3. Photograph, Nickelback – Don’t know it, but I’m sure it sounds just like all other Nickelback songs, so I guess I kinda do know it.
4. Because Of You, Kelly Clarkson – I think it is one of the ballads on her CD that I always skip over.
5. Wake Me Up When September Ends, Green Day – Don’t know it.
6. Shake It Off, Mariah Carey – Don’t know it.
7. Run It!, Chris Brown – Don’t know it, don’t know who performs it. Never heard of him, unless it is the Chris Brown that used to play 3rd base for the Giants about 15 or 20 years ago.
8. Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down, Fall Out Boy – Don’t know it.
9. Beverly Hills, Weezer – Know it, and it stinks. Weezer needs to make another album with a color for the title, because they are the only ones I end up liking.
10. Like You, Bow Wow – Don’t know it. If it is on the Roll Bounce soundtrack I guess I’ll hear it when I end up watching that on cable in a couple of years.
11. Don’t Cha, The Pussycat Dolls – Know it. Hate it. Do kind of like the fact that the singer from Eden’s Crush landed (kinda) on her feet.
12. You And Me, Lifehouse – Don’t know it. Thankfully.
13. Your Body, Pretty Ricky – Don’t know it, don’t know who. If I judge by the name “Pretty Ricky”, I’m guessing that this is a spot on the charts that SHOULD be taken up by Craig David.
14. Lose Control, Missy Elliott – Know it, lukewarm feelings toward it. It’s ok, but not great.
15. Feel Good Inc, Gorillaz – Know it, LOVE it. My feelings on all things Gorillaz have been made clear already.

So that makes less than half of the top-15 that I know. I don’t know whether to be sad or proud. Probably a little of both. D-Piddy and I have been on a cross-country music exchange program for the last few weeks, add that to my iPod and podcasts and it equals me not listening to the radio at all.

So I didn’t win the $340 million Powerball drawing last night.

Crap.

I was SO not going to come into work today. I guess this is why I only play the lottery once a decade or so. I just can’t handle the disappointment.

Who out there is brave enough to take the Jones Soda Halloween Cans challenge? The flavors consist of: Candy Corn, Strawberry Slime, Scary Berry Lemonade, and Caramel Apple. I’m really curious as to just how disgusting the Candy Corn and Caramel Apple flavors are, but I’m too chicken to go and find out for myself.

Someone else do it, then report back here. Internet reviews don’t count–I want first hand taste test results.

Is the new Franz Ferdinand cd worth seeking out? I see it getting big reviews and praise everywhere I turn it seems. I am familiar with the “Take Me Out” single, which was ok, but beyond that I am pretty clueless.

For the record, things I’m listening to these days include:

Ladytron – Witching Hour
Atmosphere – You Can’t Imagine
The Cardigans – Super Extra Gravity
Coheed and Cambria – IV
Depeche Mode – Playing the Angel
Dangerdoom – The Mouse in the Mask

And as always, you can peek into my listening habits by checking out my last.fm page.

Anyone else having allergy pains? I guess it is just that time of year for daily headaches, constant runny and / or stuffy nose and feeling like my eyes are on fire.

Yay allergies.

Finally, my butt has a place to call home.

After literally months of waiting, my couch is getting delivered tomorrow. I simply cannot wait to take my first nap on it. Delivery time is scheduled for sometime between 10am and 2pm, so that should be just about naptime.

Photos to follow, assuming the delivery people are not liars and actually show up.

I’m a little irritated at my local WB affiliate. The station is just a couple of blocks away from my office, and they have a nice big billboard that sits on the highway. I pass this billboard every day on the drive home. For months, it has had an ad for the Gilmore Girls on it. Just today, I noticed that they have traded that for a Supernatural ad.

Look, I’m sure that Jared Padacakalakiwhacki guy is swell and all, but he just doesn’t have the same effect on my mood as does the lovely Lauren Graham. It was amazing the calming effect her smiling face had on my driving. Her beauty is so great, that it completely overshadowed the other characters that she shared the billboard with. And you have to really be something to distract me from my raging hatred of Alexis Bledel. Ask me about my Rory Gilmore rant sometime. But I digress. My road rage was typically diminished by approximately 37% or so due solely to the Lauren Effect. Without that calming influence, I’m sure to have an incident in the near future. I would probably do well to keep all firearms and tire irons out of arms reach while I’m in the vehicle. At least until they change that billboard again. I’ve got my fingers crossed for Kristin Kreuk.

I saw this picture in a post over at uncrate:

Who dressed this idiot? The first person I see walking down the street in this ensemble gets a punch to the forehead.

It’s mine, all mine! But I’m happy to loan it out in order to convert the non-believers. Don’t forget, that I’ve issued you all a challenge, feel free to take me up on it.

Ug. Sick.

Jerry Falwell was in town last night. I felt dirty just for being in the same vicinity as that jackass. While it would take me most of the day to document all the stupidity that fell out of his mouth, here was something I found especially ridiculous. The following is quoted from the Chattanoogan:

This from a guy that supports the death penalty and even wants the process expediated. Well, at least he is consistan–wait a minute!