Just cuz I know you really care

It's about that time for me to review what's in the old blog playlist these days (and don't say, "A lot," smart aleck).

• "Black Cow" -- Steely Dan, Aja (1977): Quintessential '70s jazz-rock w/ some great narrative, good solos (Victor Feldman on electric piano, Tom Scott on sax)...and it's the Dan, so it must be good, right?
• "Low Down" -- Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees (1976): Funky piece by Boz to whom I was really introduced by a co-worker and now really can't go much longer than a day without taking a listen.
• "Fascinating Rhythm" -- Dave Grusin, The Gershwin Connection (1991): Grusin (probably known best, somewhat unfortunately, for the theme to St. Elsewhere) keys this Gershwin arrangement with one of my favorite drummers (Dave Weckl) and my favorite vibraphonist (Gary Burton).
• "Follow Me" -- Pat Metheny Group, Imaginary Day (1997): Just a chill instrumental with cool guitar effects and driving piano by Lyle Mays.
• "DJ Culture" -- Pet Shop Boys, Discography (1991): Why not?
• "Again and Again" -- The Bird and the Bee, The Bird and the Bee (2007): Catchy post-pop ditty (recently performed rather sketchily, IMHO, on The Tonight Show).
• "Keep Moving" -- Ivy, In the Clear (2005): Dark yet bouncy (a la Saint Etienne), rife with melancholic trumpet...genius.
• "Reelin' In the Years (Live)" -- Steely Dan, Alive in America (1995): Great re-imagining of the original Dan classic; features Cornelius Bumpus on sax and Georg Wadenius on guitar.
• "Undertow" -- Chroma Key, Dead Air for Radios (1999): Dream Theater member's side project; just because...
• "Come In Out of the Rain" -- Engineers, Engineers (2005): Hailed by many in the Brit press for being at the vanguard of that nation's new music movement.
• "Soul Circus" -- Victor Wooten, Soul Circus (2005): Flecktone bass deity goes to town and adds some (more) soul.
• "Check the Rhime" -- A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (1991): Killer track from seminal collective's debut album.
• "Green Earrings" -- Steely Dan, The Royal Scam (1976): For a long time, my favorite Steely track; great bass and guitar work, especially in the bridge.
• "Opening" -- Philip Glass, Glassworks (1990): Sparse piano provides insights into the minimalist mind of Glass.
• "The Night Belongs to Mona" -- Donald Fagen, Morph the Cat (2006): Post-9.11 paranoia takes hold of a formerly bubbly Manhattanite, but Fagen makes it fun (sort of).
• "The Hook" -- Stephen Malkmus, Stephen Malkmus (2001): Fun narrative piece by the former Pavement front man.
• "Political Science" -- Randy Newman, The Randy Newman Songbook, Vol. 1 (2003): Even though it was written in the '70s, this song (this version is only Newman and his piano).
• "Back In the Day" -- Christina Aguilera, Back to Basics (2006): Xtina's paean to those who came before.
• "Almost Gothic" -- Steely Dan, Two Against Nature (2000): My favorite song from Becker and Fagen's Grammy-winning comeback.
• "Nothing Personal" -- Stefon Harris & Blackout, Evolution (2004): Driving, vibraphone-driven combo jam.
• "3 Sides" -- W. Ellington Felton, Outrospective: Me Then, Me Now: DC-based conscious artist who DJs (at least, until recently he did) during Belgian Beer Happy Hour at Bohemian Caverns.
• "Pixeleen" -- Steely Dan, Everything Must Go (2003): The Dan turn gamers (or is it indie auteurs) and manipulate an impressionable and attractive youth.
• "Everywhen" -- Massive Attack, 100th Window (2003): These trip-hop pioneers go at it again in this really dark (but mesmerizing) piece.
• "The Hollow" -- A Perfect Circle, Mer de Noms (2000): I can't believe this Tool frontman "side project" album is seven years old.
• "Premonition" -- Manic (2006 [?]): Downloaded from Amie Street; a good counterpoint to "Everywhen."
• "Down In the Bottom" -- Walter Becker, 11 Tracks of Whack (1994): First track off of the long-silent other Dan-ite's debut solo album.
• "That Door" -- Grow (2006 [?]): See "Premonition"; sounds like the Max Weinberg 7 dropped a little of the swing and added some funk (and vocals).
• "Sal Mineo" -- Doxy, Doxy Demos (2006 [?]): See "That Door"; hard-driving track that I like, but I must admit that any band that uses the name of a relatively long-forgotten movie star/murder victim will win my vote any day.
• "Jet Lag" -- Joss Stone, Mind, Body & Soul (2004): Bluesy pop from the apparent reigning queen of that idiom.
• "Sleepless" -- Marconi Union, Distance (2006): Don't try any lifting and don't operate heavy machinery after listening to this coma-inducing sonicscape.
• "Coming Back to Life" -- Pink Floyd, The Division Bell (1994): All the things one likes about more recent Floyd (i.e., strong Gilmour guitar, intros that last for three minutes, no Roger Waters muckin' about).
• "Dr. Wu" -- Steely Dan, Katy Lied (1975): Phil Woods' sax solo is but one piece of this masterful musical puzzle.
• "We R in Need of a Musical Revolution" -- Esthero, Wikked Lil' Grrrls (2005): The title says it all.

If you'd like more information on any of these tracks, let me know; I just don't particularly feel like doing a bunch of links, etc., right now. Sorry.

The 100th post: Should I or shouldn't I...

...try oysters?

"Why is he asking this?" you may be wondering. Well, last Sunday (1.15.07), I stopped in to the local Legal Seafoods and contemplated trying an oyster or two from their raw bar. I did not at that time, but since then:

• I saw an episode of Good Eats (starring my favorite Food Network personality, Alton Brown) in which oysters were the featured ingredient;
• I read "The Five-Minute Guide to Oysters" in the February issue of Esquire; and
• One of the first books I saw on display during a visit to the Crystal City Olsson's was Mark Kurlansky's The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell.

I'm not a big believer in fate, destiny, etc., but I think something's trying to tell me something...

Ancient Chinese secret, huh?

Shockingly, this is not a post about Calgon ("...take me away!") -- it's about a very unique cold retardant/remedy discussed in Time's "The China Blog."

Almost sounds good ("almost" being the operative term).

My word of the day

Panglossian

Pronunciation: pan-'glä-sE-&n, pa[ng]-, -'glo-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Pangloss, optimistic tutor in Voltaire's Candide (1759)
: marked by the view that all is for the best in this best of possible worlds : excessively optimistic

From Wikipedia:

The term "panglossianism" describes baseless optimism of the sort exemplified by Pangloss's beliefs, which are the opposite of his fellow traveller Martin's pessimism and emphasis on free will. The phrase "panglossian pessimism" has been used to describe the pessimistic position that, since this is the best of all possible worlds, it is impossible for anything to get any better.

The panglossian paradigm is a term coined by Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin to refer to the notion that everything has specifically adapted to suit specific purposes. Instead, they argue, accidents and exaptation (the use of old features for new purposes) play an important role in the process of evolution.

As used in a paragraph:

Solar still has one big economic problem: It costs roughly twice as much per kilowatt-hour as power from the grid. But an unusual confluence of events is changing that calculus and making even jaded investors wonder if there isn't something more to solar than hype. First, of course, are rising petroleum prices. True, they're off their highs, but you'd have to be a Panglossian optimist to look at the Middle East and believe oil and natural gas will really become cheap again. ("Let the Sun Shine," Fast Company, February 2007)

Christmas thoughts from WaPo

In my day-to-day work, I often decry the editorial pages of The Washington Post, but today, they got it right.

Please read on and here's to you and yours having a nice Christmas Day.

Christmas
A story of hope, as needed as ever
Monday, December 25, 2006; Page A28

"AND IT CAME to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed." So begins the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke. There's some historical dispute about whether such a decree was issued around that time, but let that pass, too. It's an important part of the story now, a story not just of divinity, as it's seen by Christians, but of humanity -- and for all of us.

The Augustan Age of ancient Rome is generally regarded as a glorious period, a time when the empire was well-ruled, prosperous and full of creative activity. But, as ever, a lot depended on where you were and what your station was. In the eastern reaches, people could be displaced and driven about by great impersonal forces, made to answer to the whims of distant governors. A vast, efficient, civilizing empire that was also marked by cruelty and cold indifference ruled over a volatile part of the world riven by religious fanaticism and hatreds, tribal contention, and other conflicts.

The universal appeal of the Christmas story lies in its portrayal of a universal experience -- childbirth -- overcoming the most distressful of circumstances and bringing forth new life and new hope. It is a story of warmth, light and love. As he grew, Jesus of Nazareth conveyed a message that was to set a difficult path for those who believed deeply: to give up everything they owned and loved to follow him. But another part of his message has, like the Bethlehem story, inspired and comforted people of many faiths and was not much different from what has been preached there and in many other places: of the transforming power of love, the importance of humility, forgiveness, generosity and tolerance. The message of peace.

Today our own country, while never untroubled, is enjoying itself on an Augustan scale. But there is, of course, no peace. A good many of our noblest -- the Roman allusion is merited here -- are in difficult and dangerous conditions in that same faraway part of the world where the story of this day was set. And today a good number of them, whether religious or not, will take needed comfort in the old tale and in the atmosphere of the day and the greetings from home -- most now carried instantaneously on a glowing screen, which is the new light of Christmas and bearer of good tidings. Keep it shining this day, long and often.

Merry Christmas to all...

...and to all a good night.

Gumming up the works

Just thought I'd let everyone know that the new Orbit Lemon-Lime gum (not mentioned on the link) is pretty tasty and quite potent tang-wise (not to be confused with what the Apollo astronauts sipped or the T'ang Dynasty or the Wu-Tang Clan -- the latter [well, two members thereof {the RZA and the GZA}] being part of one of my all-time favorite short sketches from Chappelle's Show).

Word o' the week

Courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and the lovely folks at Wikipedia:

sinecure (n.)
('sI-ni-"kyur, 'si-) [From the Medieval Latin sine cura without cure (of souls)] 1 archaic : an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls; 2 : an office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income

As used in a sentence: "They can't imagine why Lieberman would accept an appointment that is likely to last for only two years when he can simply stay in the six-year sinecure that he worked so hard to keep." ("The Lieberman Maneuver," Salon.com, December 15, 2006 [which offers a "way out" in terms of senatorial power for the GOP/GWB even if Sen. Johnson of South Dakota makes a full recovery]).

Merry Christmas, MST3K style

Got this in an e-mail and found it on the web at Satellite News (links added by yours truly following my rather lengthy absence from the blogosphere):

A Child's Christmas in Space
By Tom Servo

Tom: It's quiet in the cold of our own little orbit, starless and bible black. And as I look down on the big blue bean we would call home I think it so near, yet... oh, I wish on that star and I hope that in a little snow-covered house with a warm hearth and a loving family, maybe some kid is looking up tonight and wishing upon us. Oh, and how I hope sweet Santa will fly by tonight, because if he does I'm gonna reach right out and hug that big guy. Oh, for the sound of hooves against the steel hull of the ship. Oh, to see the rosy face of Santa in the porthole, offering me a Coke and a smile... (gradually becoming upset) ...of course, his cheeks WOULD be rosy because it's a VACUUM out there! I mean, Santa's HEART would explode! (becoming hysterical) But HE wouldn't feel it because the capillaries in his brain would pop like little firecrackers (Joel tries to calm him down) due to the blood boiling away in his face like pudding in a copper...OH THE HUMANITY!! (Now both Joel and Crow are trying to calm him down.) And his jolly old belly would start bubbling like a roasted marshmallow, eyes bulging and popping out... AND THE REINDEER--OH THE REINDEER!!!--keep floating like holiday floats and in turn exploding in a hail of blood and entrails! Prancer--BOOM! Dancer--BOOM!...
Joel: HEY!
Crow: Tom!
Joel: Tom, take it easy! Santa's gonna be okay, buddy.
Tom: You sure?
Joel: Yeah, give him a little credit, okay?
Tom: Phew, what a relief!

* * * * *

Yes, Virginia, I am a nerd.

"TSSB": The discussion rages on...

If you're interested -- and I know you are -- in a follow-up to my last post, here's a list of all of the folks who have performed "TSSB" at the Super Bowl. If only the one Charlie's Angel (not an original, mind you, but a long-standing crime-fighting cutie) and the citrus spokeswoman-cum-anti-gay loudmouth had performed together.

Also, it's mildly ironic (or is it coincidence?) to note that the Dixie Chicks sang the national anthem before Super Bowl XXXVII (even though I have a pretty good grasp on Roman numerals, I just wish they'd write "Super Bowl 37"), just 43 days before they incurred the wrath of red-state America (and their all-too-eager [and none-too-charming, IMHO {I usually avoid Internet abbreviations/slang, but for this blog entry and for you, dear readers, I'll make an exception}] champion, Toby Keith).

Am I unpatriotic?

On Frozen Blog addresses one of my pet peeves in attending sporting events in the DC area; in fact, it's my biggest pet peeve after knowing full well that 90 percent of the people around here don't care two whits about any team other than the Redskins. (Hello, people...the team is 4-9 with Joe Gibbs, Gregg Williams, Al Saunders, the ghosts of George Allen père [that's two posts today referencing that family -- hope I don't have some sort of Allen-o-philia] and Vince Lombardi, and Santa Claus on the coaching staff, so they ain't goin' nowhere this year -- or, with any luck and some blessings from the football deities, next season either.)

I'm very open about the fact that I think "The Star-Spangled Banner" (I will abbreviate hereafter as "TSSB") is a terrible national anthem. "Why?" you ask.

1. It's about a flag, not a country.
2. Speaking more to that point, can most Americans honestly say they know how the song/poem came to be? If not, it loses even more meaning.
   
3. Unless you're a fairly competent vocalist, it's hard to sing.
   
4. Given (3), if a large-enough crowd attempts to sing it -- and if you're at a sporting event, a good number of folks have probably been a bit over-served already, so to speak -- it just sounds bad.
5. Of course, if they are over-served, it fits right in, considering that "To Anacreon in Heaven," the tune to which the Key poem was set, was, more or less, a drinking song.
   

As such, I'd be very amenable to changing our national anthem to "America the Beautiful" (this is the U.S. Navy Band [with the Sea Chanters], pre-Randy or Deech) or "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" (the Coast Guard Band here) -- even with their theistic references, which I am leery of using in this nation that purports to celebrate separation of church and state -- because they speak to the history, beauty, and wonder of the United States and not to a bombed-out Free State flag.

All that being said, however, for the time being, show some respect for "TSSB" (gotta love Hendrix, who was, of course, a parachute infantryman with the 101^st Airborne) as well as for the men and women who have fought and died defending the very flag about which we sing (albeit poorly more often than not) and protecting rights like criticizing the validity of our national "song."

* * * * *

On a related note, does anyone know where one might find audio and/or video clips of James Earl Jones reciting "TTSB" before last night's (12.13.06) Wizards-Nuggets tilt at the Phone Booth? If so, let me know.

* * * * *

If you're wondering, the flag above is the 32-star model in use from 7.4.1858 to 7.3.1859 -- the 32^nd state being Minnesota, of course. (I apologize for using the Rouser as the clip as it's not the state song, but it's peppier and I actually know the words to it.)

Happiness is...redux

Yesterday (11.27.06), everybody's favorite NHL owner, Ted Leonsis, blogged on the "five traits of happiness" ("Not much different than what has made me happy recently," MCW said, rolling his eyes) after seeing "another study on happiness." Leonsis argues that the happiest people he knows all share:

1. Being connected to multiple communities of interest in an active way. The more people on your buddy list the happier you are;

2. Giving back through volunteerism and sharing with others. (YouTube, MySpace and other social networks prove this point on the importance of sharing);

3. Pursuing the higher calling in all of your major efforts, by doing what is right in the right way.

4. Self expression. Having a good third place to exchange ideas, be creative and have your voice be heard (why do you think there are 54 million blogs out there?)

5. Showing gratitude by being thankful and optimistic.

From what I've heard about Ted, he sounds like a pretty "good" guy, but then again, if you take a look of the things he's done over the course of his life (through January of '06) and how much he's achieved and earned, it's pretty difficult to not be happy (IMHO, at least). However, when I just Googled him, both his Wikipedia entry and a posting on ESPN's Page 2 referenced surviving a 1983 plane crash, after which, according to the latter, he made the list of things he wanted to accomplish, which tempers my cynicism about his happiness quite a bit; getting through 70% of them in 50 years of life is pretty impressive.

Sign of the apocalypse, number 583

And I thought I had no social life.

Pause "Snowbound" as to avoid an unpleasant audio experience.

I realize I am coming to this Internet phenomenon a bit late, but having seen it last night on Mythbusters (who, according to Skeptic may be "inspiring the next generation of scientists"), I had to make sure that all have seen it.

"The persistence of memory," Micsrosoft style

Last night, while up late post-nap (one must nap post-roast butternut squash soup with walnut chantilly; sage-crusted filet of beer with honey-glazed carrots and bleu cheese potato gratin [with a merlot reduction, of course]; one slice each of chocolate truffle torte and lemon macadamia cheesecake; one glass each of pinot grigio and pinor noir; several glasses of water; and four glasses of port [the last at bin1700, the bulk at 15 ria {and no, I didn't base my choices of venues on whether the establishments were e.e. cummings-like in their names}]), I read a fascinating article in Fast Company about a Microsoft bigwig (Gordon Bell) who, for the past seven years, has been electronically documenting every iota of his being, thus creating, for all intents and purposes, a "perfect memory" over that time span. In fact, he's even gone so far as to scan in documents, pictures, etc., as far back as a photo of his mother shortly after her birth in 1900. In other words, the MyLifeBits project is fairly comprehensive in mapping Bell's entire life (i.e., from birth through this, his 73^rd year on this spinning orb).

This article raises many questions about what memory is, how it works, its importance, etc. Being a person who is known for having a somewhat vast capacity for storing useless bits of trivia within those three pounds of whatever it is that lies within my cranium), the idea of a "perfect memory" is very alluring, but I suggest you take a look at the article to make up your own mind (pun only partially intended).

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To learn more about the painting above, click here.

My non-Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving

If you don't fully understand that reference, click here.

Just in case you're horrendously bored, here's the menu from which I shall be dining tomorrow for my Thanksgiving feast.

As far as the day's football games go (NFL, that is):

• Miami over Detroit 20-10;
• Dallas over Tampa 24-7; and
• Denver over Kansas City 17-14.

The crime of the century

43 years ago today, a bright fall day in Texas turned to tragedy. I have to admit that, for many a year now, I have had a gruesome fascination with American political assassinations -- from the well-known and über-discussed (JFK and Lincoln) to those barely registering anymore in the historical memory (Garfield and McKinley). For example:

• In consecutive quarters (or perhaps it was trimesters) in 11th grade U.S. history (i.e., 15 years ago [or thereabouts]), I did extensive research and writing on the Lincoln and JFK murders.
• I own both the original cast and revival cast recordings of Stephen Sondheim's Assassins -- and saw the latter (a Tony winner for the Roundabout Theatre Company) at Studio 54 (yes, that Studio 54) in 2004.

My curiosity for the morbid has now broadened into one for the generally darkly criminal (e.g., The Devil in the White City, which I just finished yesterday and recommend highly for anyone with like interests or just plain history buffs [e.g., the Ferris Wheel and Juicy Fruit gum both made their debuts at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition]).

---

On a lighter note, I hope you and yours have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Happiness is...

...and no, I'm not going to go all Peanuts on you.

Of late, my favorite things are:

• my customized Liverpool long-sleeved home shirt (thanks to Randy for the groomsman gift card that enabled this purchase); and
• Starbucks' Vanilla Latte (and yes, I just endorsed a mega-corporation's product - again).

RIP, Robert Altman (updated)

Film director Robert Altman has passed away at 81. My favorite Altman movies:

• Gosford Park (my favorite);
• Kansas City;
• The Player; and
• Cookie's Fortune.

I've never seen many of his most important films (e.g., M*A*S*H, Nashville, etc.), so my list is far from bearing great insight into the auteur's career.

An interesting coincidence: I got The Long Goodbye from Netflix late last week and it's still sitting on top of my DVD player, yet to be viewed.

FYI: "RIP" is often taken to stand for "rest in peace," but, in fact, it originally stood for requiescat in pace, which is Latin for - what else - "rest in peace."

**UPDATE**
I moved the slide show previously at the top of this blog to a post by itself.

**UPDATE**
Thanks to Richard Wall, via Lew Rockwell.com, for the photo above. The article to which that links is a very interesting take on Altman's films, by the way.

Sign of the apocalypse, number 582

Apparently, in the land of The Lord of the Rings and Lucy Lawless, kids don't actually have to use fully-formed words to pass national exams. Sometimes, technology really messes up the way(s) in which people communicate.

One more for the road

A million years ago, it seems, my mom and I were playing the original Trivial Pursuit and the answer to one of the questions was "Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy." We laughed heartily at that answer and it became a running joke as a default answer when we didn't have a real one.

Anyhow, a decade plus has passed since then. A recent Discovery Health program documented the medical conditions of "sideshow freaks" and first up was said Dog-Faced Boy. Turns out he had severe hypertrichosis.



Don't know why I posted on this, but it's just interesting (if not a little creepy, in all honesty).