I try to keep up my German reading skills by reading the news on www.stern.de - home of Stern magazine. And normally I wouldn't bother sharing from a website that others won't be able to understand, but their Week in Sports Photos section has some pretty hilarious pictures you might enjoy: (link). (Click on each photo to see the next one.)
Happy viewing!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Matt's Fall 2007 music mix
1: "War," by JJ Grey & Mofro. Heard: listening station at the Record Archive. Story: none - I just like the song.
2: "How Fast Can You Run," by Rocco DeLuca & the Burden. Heard: Pandora, then on their album I Trust You to Kill Me. Story: about a day after hearing this track on Pandora, I was in Blockbuster and happened across a documentary starring Kiefer Sutherland and this band. I rented it, thinking it was a fictional thing, but it documents their first (very small) European tour. It was only after all this that I heard "Colorful" on the radio, because I generally don't listen to the radio anymore.
3: "One Day," by KT Tunstall. Heard: Starbucks. Story: As much as I hate to admit discovering music at Starbucks, it's the truth. It's from a short album of acoustic performances.
4: "Getting Better," by Fionn Regan. Heard: MOJO magazine insert. Story: It's a cover of the Beatles song from Sargent Pepper's..., which turned 30? this year. Beatles purists will hate it, heck most people that hear it will probably not like it. But I like it.
5: "19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)," by Gorillaz. Heard: WBER a couple of years ago. Story: I finally found the album used at the Archive a few months ago. The regular version of this song is also on the album, but this remix is superior by far.
6: "Can't You See That He's Mine?" by The Bristols. Heard: online. Story: It started by listening to WBER's Spotlight Review show. The host keeps a blog where he posts his playlists, and it had a link to the blog of somebody or other in France. Her blog, in turn, had links for some French pop/rock tracks, and this is one that's just a lot of fun.
7: "Processed Beats," by Kasabian. Heard: album. Story: I first heard this band on Pandora and bought the album recently.
8: "Hey, Man!" by Nelly Furtado. Heard: several years ago at a listening station in Borders. Story: I admit it, I like Nelly Furtado! As much as she's a pop singer, she just has damn good songs, especially this first track from her album Whoa, Nelly! I re-discovered this song recently when Lisa had bought a couple of her other tracks.
9: "Henrietta," by The Fratellis. Heard: again, listening station at Borders. Story: Borders had this album cheap (a wonder in itself!), and the whole album is full of fun rockin' tunes. You would recognize the second track from their album, which was featured in one of the Apple commercials recently.
10: "Monkey Wrench," by Foo Fighters. Heard: album. Story: I found the CD used at the Archive. This is a great workout song, and I'm amazed at Grohl's extended single-breath vocal in the middle of the song. It blows my mind.
11: "Scar That Never Heals," by Jeremy Fisher. Heard: Paste Magazine sampler. Story: I bought the magazine, and most of the tracks are folk/pop kind of songs similar to this. I'm a sucker for this kind of music. Every time I hear it I think of Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" for some reason.
12: "C'mon!" by The Village Green. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story - just like their sound.
13: "The Limit to your Love," by Feist. Heard: Pandora. Story: This one may be a little subdued for a lot of people, but people who know me know that I tend to be subdued as well. Her voice is different and great, and the instrumentation and sound of this track strike me the right way.
14: "When Your Mind's Made Up," by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (from the soundtrack to the movie "Once"). Heard: movie. Story: Hansard is the singer for a band called the Frames (?), whose music I haven't bothered to listen to. He and Irglova starred in the movie "Once," which is sort of a musical but not really. Unlike a musical, they don't stupidly break into song at random moments. However, since I've always secretly wanted to be a musician, this movie had me hooked the entire time. It's well-made, and the soundtrack music is great. Definitely in my top 3 movies I've seen this year.
15: "Proof," by I Am Kloot. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story, really - Pandora kicks ass.
16: "Creep" (acoustic), by Radiohead. Heard: Pandora. Story: After mostly missing out on Radiohead for the first 10 years or so they were around, I finally heard all of The Bends earlier this year. I had one of those feelings of realizing I've been missing something awesome for a really long time, one of those feelings that makes you wonder what else you've been missing... After this track played on Pandora, I went out & got the EP for Kevin (since I know he likes them a lot) and got a copy for myself as well. Though I like the original of this track, I somehow feel like this setting is much more appropriate to the song. That, and I can finally understand all of what he's saying.
17: "Nessun dorma," sung by Luciano Pavoratti (from Puccini's (?) opera Turandot). Heard: 2004 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Story: I (for whatever reason) watched the opening ceremony of the aforementioned Olympics, and Pavoratti closed it with this song. Honestly, it gave me chills and still does every time I listen to this song. I didn't realize at the time, but that performance was pretty much his last ever public performance. A couple months before he passed away, I remembered the track and purchased it from iTunes.
2: "How Fast Can You Run," by Rocco DeLuca & the Burden. Heard: Pandora, then on their album I Trust You to Kill Me. Story: about a day after hearing this track on Pandora, I was in Blockbuster and happened across a documentary starring Kiefer Sutherland and this band. I rented it, thinking it was a fictional thing, but it documents their first (very small) European tour. It was only after all this that I heard "Colorful" on the radio, because I generally don't listen to the radio anymore.
3: "One Day," by KT Tunstall. Heard: Starbucks. Story: As much as I hate to admit discovering music at Starbucks, it's the truth. It's from a short album of acoustic performances.
4: "Getting Better," by Fionn Regan. Heard: MOJO magazine insert. Story: It's a cover of the Beatles song from Sargent Pepper's..., which turned 30? this year. Beatles purists will hate it, heck most people that hear it will probably not like it. But I like it.
5: "19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)," by Gorillaz. Heard: WBER a couple of years ago. Story: I finally found the album used at the Archive a few months ago. The regular version of this song is also on the album, but this remix is superior by far.
6: "Can't You See That He's Mine?" by The Bristols. Heard: online. Story: It started by listening to WBER's Spotlight Review show. The host keeps a blog where he posts his playlists, and it had a link to the blog of somebody or other in France. Her blog, in turn, had links for some French pop/rock tracks, and this is one that's just a lot of fun.
7: "Processed Beats," by Kasabian. Heard: album. Story: I first heard this band on Pandora and bought the album recently.
8: "Hey, Man!" by Nelly Furtado. Heard: several years ago at a listening station in Borders. Story: I admit it, I like Nelly Furtado! As much as she's a pop singer, she just has damn good songs, especially this first track from her album Whoa, Nelly! I re-discovered this song recently when Lisa had bought a couple of her other tracks.
9: "Henrietta," by The Fratellis. Heard: again, listening station at Borders. Story: Borders had this album cheap (a wonder in itself!), and the whole album is full of fun rockin' tunes. You would recognize the second track from their album, which was featured in one of the Apple commercials recently.
10: "Monkey Wrench," by Foo Fighters. Heard: album. Story: I found the CD used at the Archive. This is a great workout song, and I'm amazed at Grohl's extended single-breath vocal in the middle of the song. It blows my mind.
11: "Scar That Never Heals," by Jeremy Fisher. Heard: Paste Magazine sampler. Story: I bought the magazine, and most of the tracks are folk/pop kind of songs similar to this. I'm a sucker for this kind of music. Every time I hear it I think of Simon & Garfunkel's "Cecilia" for some reason.
12: "C'mon!" by The Village Green. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story - just like their sound.
13: "The Limit to your Love," by Feist. Heard: Pandora. Story: This one may be a little subdued for a lot of people, but people who know me know that I tend to be subdued as well. Her voice is different and great, and the instrumentation and sound of this track strike me the right way.
14: "When Your Mind's Made Up," by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (from the soundtrack to the movie "Once"). Heard: movie. Story: Hansard is the singer for a band called the Frames (?), whose music I haven't bothered to listen to. He and Irglova starred in the movie "Once," which is sort of a musical but not really. Unlike a musical, they don't stupidly break into song at random moments. However, since I've always secretly wanted to be a musician, this movie had me hooked the entire time. It's well-made, and the soundtrack music is great. Definitely in my top 3 movies I've seen this year.
15: "Proof," by I Am Kloot. Heard: Pandora. Story: no story, really - Pandora kicks ass.
16: "Creep" (acoustic), by Radiohead. Heard: Pandora. Story: After mostly missing out on Radiohead for the first 10 years or so they were around, I finally heard all of The Bends earlier this year. I had one of those feelings of realizing I've been missing something awesome for a really long time, one of those feelings that makes you wonder what else you've been missing... After this track played on Pandora, I went out & got the EP for Kevin (since I know he likes them a lot) and got a copy for myself as well. Though I like the original of this track, I somehow feel like this setting is much more appropriate to the song. That, and I can finally understand all of what he's saying.
17: "Nessun dorma," sung by Luciano Pavoratti (from Puccini's (?) opera Turandot). Heard: 2004 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Story: I (for whatever reason) watched the opening ceremony of the aforementioned Olympics, and Pavoratti closed it with this song. Honestly, it gave me chills and still does every time I listen to this song. I didn't realize at the time, but that performance was pretty much his last ever public performance. A couple months before he passed away, I remembered the track and purchased it from iTunes.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Discovered: Gnome Vigil at Java Wally's
I recently found a disc of RIT pictures, most of which I think Dan took. One series is in a folder titled "Gnomes," and anyone who visited 6GPB much may remember those jolly little fellows. Well, there was lots of fun & frivolity taking the gnomes on a photo shoot at the RIT campus, until things went horribly wrong for one of the gnomes.
Those details may be too graphic to share here, but I can share a photo of a vigil held after the tragic event. I hope you will remember this gnome fondly...
Those details may be too graphic to share here, but I can share a photo of a vigil held after the tragic event. I hope you will remember this gnome fondly...
Saturday, October 6, 2007
RIT makes the big time...
This weekend in RIT's Brick City Festival, which is exciting. I'm getting ready to head over there in a little while. In the meantime, I'm taking a few minutes to do the Yahoo Games crossword from October 4th, and strangely enough, I get the following clue:
Whoa.... strange.
Whoa.... strange.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Walking updates: 24 miles this past weekend
On Saturday, I walked 18 total miles. A 7-mile stretch, which brought me back home for lunch & water; then an 8-mile piece; then mowed the lawn, walked a mile with Lisa in Webster, and browsed around stores long enough to put together the rest.
On Sunday morning, I got up early and my right foot was hurting less than it had been Saturday after walking so much. I managed about 6.5 miles. Both days featured wonderful weather, with not too many sights along the way. I've taken to listening to a book on CD: Bill Clinton's autobiography, "My Life." The audiobook for Part 1 alone is 21 CDs! It has some interesting anecdotes and I've listened far enough for him to win his first election, as Arkansas state Attorney General in the 70s. It's fascinating to learn about the political election process - especially at the level of literally going town to town shaking hands and babies - and also to hear about all the people he knew back when that he appointed to various posts later on. (So far, my favorite is his Law School student's final paper he lost while grading them on the campaign trail, who turned to be the judge in the Paul Jones trial.)
The weekend also brought lots of fun: Friday night Lisa & I went to a newish Chinese restaurant in Penfield, Hong Wah. It was great! All the food was excellent, especially their spring rolls. And the service was great as well. Saturday evening, as I say, we shopped a little in Webster & I bought some gel insoles for my sneakers - hopefully my foot won't hurt as badly now. Sunday night, I went out to the Old Toad with Eric and Carlo to toast the passing of Beer Guy Michael Jackson. We hung around for Trivia time, then back home to get some rest to start this week.
On Sunday morning, I got up early and my right foot was hurting less than it had been Saturday after walking so much. I managed about 6.5 miles. Both days featured wonderful weather, with not too many sights along the way. I've taken to listening to a book on CD: Bill Clinton's autobiography, "My Life." The audiobook for Part 1 alone is 21 CDs! It has some interesting anecdotes and I've listened far enough for him to win his first election, as Arkansas state Attorney General in the 70s. It's fascinating to learn about the political election process - especially at the level of literally going town to town shaking hands and babies - and also to hear about all the people he knew back when that he appointed to various posts later on. (So far, my favorite is his Law School student's final paper he lost while grading them on the campaign trail, who turned to be the judge in the Paul Jones trial.)
The weekend also brought lots of fun: Friday night Lisa & I went to a newish Chinese restaurant in Penfield, Hong Wah. It was great! All the food was excellent, especially their spring rolls. And the service was great as well. Saturday evening, as I say, we shopped a little in Webster & I bought some gel insoles for my sneakers - hopefully my foot won't hurt as badly now. Sunday night, I went out to the Old Toad with Eric and Carlo to toast the passing of Beer Guy Michael Jackson. We hung around for Trivia time, then back home to get some rest to start this week.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Walking update: 15 miles yesterday
I made 15 miles & got a nice sunburn yesterday. The weather was great.
I started with a walk to the Kwik-Fill to get the Sunday paper for Lisa; then a while later, she dropped me off in the village & I walked home from there (10.5 miles or so). After a break for water & lunch, I walked the rest around the neighborhood.
Only a few more weeks...
I started with a walk to the Kwik-Fill to get the Sunday paper for Lisa; then a while later, she dropped me off in the village & I walked home from there (10.5 miles or so). After a break for water & lunch, I walked the rest around the neighborhood.
Only a few more weeks...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Just because it's about the coolest thing ever...
Do you like Peanuts? Do you like OutKast? Well, I don't care anyway. Check this out: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brpub0hTbjs).
In other news, I found out some sad news about one of the most important recent beer experts (yes, his name was Michael Jackson)... he passed away on August 30th. All readers take note: the Old Toad is doing a toast in his honor on September 30th (see also this pdf about this national event).
Finally, in totally other news, I shot my first birdie in golf tonight! I sank an 8-iron shot from about 100 yards away!!! And for those who don't know what this means or don't care, I feel sorry for you.... just kidding :)
In other news, I found out some sad news about one of the most important recent beer experts (yes, his name was Michael Jackson)... he passed away on August 30th. All readers take note: the Old Toad is doing a toast in his honor on September 30th (see also this pdf about this national event).
Finally, in totally other news, I shot my first birdie in golf tonight! I sank an 8-iron shot from about 100 yards away!!! And for those who don't know what this means or don't care, I feel sorry for you.... just kidding :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)