cryptique

Happy Birthday, Donna!

Happy Birthday! You, Donna, and Margo Timmins! What a day!

I saw the Posies a few years ago at the Magic Stick in Detroit. I'd be surprised if there were more than twenty-five people there. There were two MAJOR shows happening in town that night (I don't recall who), so a lot of people who might have gone to this show probably got diverted to those. And this was several years after the band's heyday, so they were hardly a household name, and there had been zero advance marketing, to my knowledge. I was only there because I'm a hardcore fan of theirs. It was pretty sad ... they're such a great live band, but it's hard to overcome an empty venue.

Well, I just took the new test. I can state, categorically, that I will not make it to the next step. It was hard -- much harder than previous tests I've taken -- and I either didn't know, or completely blanked on, far too many answers. There are two more nights (I think), so if you want your chance, it's time to register!

I figure I only get two eyes in this lifetime, and even 95.4% isn't a high enough satisfaction rate when it comes to my only two eyes ... because that means a 4.6% dissatisfaction rate.

Steely Dan would be awesome. I'd tune in. Great idea!

Yeah, he did it two years ago.

Black Sabbath with Ozzy.

I used to work in the optical industry, and was even a board-certified optician for a while (though I never dispensed glasses/contacts -- I was a paper-pusher at the administrative office of an optical chain). While I was on that job, LASIK ascended to its dominant status among elective refractive surgical procedures, but the more I learned about it, the less I trusted it. Fast-forward more than a decade to today ... and the FDA may finally stir from its slumber to take a closer look (cough) at this booming industry, which is shockingly unregulated -- or poorly regulated, anyway. I hope th

In case anyone is still wondering why I think Leno is a douchebag...

The Scorpions call it quits ... eventually. Some would say 40 years too late. German rock band Scorpions to end career after more than 40 years BERLIN January 24, 2010 (AP) The Associated Press The German rock band Scorpions is bringing down the curtain on a career spanning more than four decades. The band, known for its early 1990s hit "Wind of Change" among others, said on its Web site Sunday that "we agree we have reached the end of the road." It said it would end its career with a final album — "Sting In The Tail," to be released in March — and a tour that will start in Germa

Man Who Enjoys Thing Informed He Is Wrong January 25, 2010 | Issue 46∙04 LOS ANGELES—George Himmelsbaugh, 32, was informed Tuesday that he was incorrect in enjoying a thing he had been deriving pleasure from for many years. Authorities in the field informed Himmelsbaugh that, although he believes his appreciation of the thing to be a matter of subjective personal taste, any positive feelings or satisfaction taken from this are by definition erroneous. Furthermore, sources reported, Himmelsbaugh does not in fact enjoy the thing, but has merely been convinced that he does by the influence o

It is a great song, but not the greatest song. In my opinion.

Saw Public Enemies yesterday. In terms of production design, it's a masterpiece. In terms of the script, it's a ragged, muddled, strictly amateur effort. In terms of the directing and editing, it was a mess and very difficult to follow. In terms of the acting ... it was competent on the whole, and I liked the persona that Depp projected, but that accent of his just wasn't right for a guy who grew up in Indianapolis. On top of all that, the audio mix was muddy, at least on the copy we watched. We had to back up and turn on the subtitles a couple of times just to understand what was being said

I thought Gervais was great, mostly ... there were a couple of bits that didn't work so well.

This is a pretty good description of what happened. Perhaps this is small of me, but I rather hope that a lot of A-list celebrities decline invitations to appear on Leno's show and wait for Conan to get up and running again, wherever and whenever that happens. I doubt it'll go down that way, but I can dream.

Has anyone else seen the new Kids In The Hall show, "Death Comes to Town"? I think it may only be available on CBC for now, but those of us in southeast Michigan get CBC on our cable systems, so we can watch it. I missed the first episode, but saw the second one this past Tuesday. Honestly, I wasn't all that wild about it. Instead of their familiar sketch-comedy format, this has a linear narrative to it, with each Kids member playing multiple characters in the town of Shuckton, Ontario. The mayor of the town is murdered and stuffed into his mailbox, and the cops are trying to get to the bott

I'm not expecting anything to come of this, but...

Huh. I've never particularly cared for that song. And I love the Stones.

Yes, yes, yes ... except that I was a Browne fan from the start. His first three albums are among my all-time favorites, and I'm Alive is a sadly overlooked gem (though it does have a few weak points).

Fixed.

This.

AM BT ST YHF AGIB SBS W(TA) Feel better?

1. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 2. Being There 3. Summerteeth 4. Sky Blue Sky 5. A.M. 6. A Ghost Is Born 7. Wilco (The Album) 1 & 2 swap places on occasion, as do 3 & 4. The bottom three are firm.

I hate them, and will never go to another one -- it's been ten years since my last one. I posted the lineup mostly because I was excited to see Sly Stone on the schedule.