Puree II

More this 'n' that ...

I'm starting to get more of a handle on pre-chilli eastern spicing. I may have been too dismissive of black pepper. Still no source with a definative answer, though. Anyone who makes the claim anything can be found on the 'net has apparently not tried to find this. Or a source for imported Japanese energy drinks. I've found some, but can't be more than scraping the surface.

Doing hit tracking on this blog is fun! Just need hits from Austrailia and Africa and I have all 6 regularly inhabited continents.

One of my future posts will be a commentary track to all my previous entries.

The oft-mentioned oft-delayed 'Passions (not the soap opera)' entry is yet again delayed. For reasons that will be apparent two criteria have to be fulfilled: 1) I should already be in a bad mood so as to not ruin a good one and 2) it should be a Wednesday.

By this time next week I should have 'Thunk 1:Sharky's Day' up. Thunk: I think and I think until finally I've thunk. An umbrella for the thinking about the big issues I earlier claimed not to do too much. For a head start on what this could possibly be about watch Home of the Brave.

Five tons of flax!

Bride of Son of 30 Songs from the 80s: Day 3 (1-10)

10 - "Country Death Song" - Violent Femmes

This song is scary. Also closest thing to 'traditional' American music on any of these lists.

9 - "Robert DeNiros Waiting (Talking Italian)" - Bananrama

This song is also scary, if you know the storyline.

8 - "The Message" - Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

A far better 'slice of life' look at a poor Black community than 'gangsta' rappers have ever managed to present. If memory serves, this is another Night Flight introduction.

7 - "Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats

But not the extended version, which begins with spelling the word 'safety'. The version used as a single (and in the video) is better.

6 - "Institutionalized" - Suicidal Tendencies

Hasn't everyone had days where they could identify with these lyrics?

I'm not crazy
You're the one who's crazy
You're driving me crazy

5 - "Genius of Love" - Tom Tom Club

From this point on, all songs are ones that I am surprised I haven't mentioned until now. No commentary - you need to run out and hear these songs RIGHT NOW.

4 - "Because the Night" - Patti Smith

3 - "Melt WithYou" - Modern English

2 - "I Don't Like Mondays" - Boomtown Rats

1 - "Poison Arrow" - ABC

Bride of Son of 30 Songs from the 80s: Day 2 (11-20)

20 - "Take Me Home Tonight" - Eddie Money

Just like Ronnie say ...

19- "Radio Radio" - Elvis Costello

Even better on SNL. He wasn't supposed to play this. He did anyway.

18 - "New Song" - Howard Jones

Somehow this got airplay on MTV before it was included on an album.

17 - "Goody Two Shoes" - Adam and the Ants

Ever notice the physical resemblance between Adam Ant and Billy Crystal? SOMEBODY has to think about this stuff.

16 - "Mexican Radio" - Wall of Voodoo

One of the cool things about the eighties is that material like this was considered commercially viable.

15 - "Sexcrime (1984)" - The Eurythymics

Another track from a movie soundtrack.

14 - "Holy Diver" - Dio

My favorite fact about Ronnie (different Ronnie than in #20 up there) is that he used to front a band called Elf. Be funnier if the band was called Hobbit or something, but it is still pretty funny.

13 - "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby

Science!

12 - "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" - Icicle Works

Originally titled "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)", but the record company that released it felt that was too confusing and reversed it.

11 - "Goodbye To You" - Scandal

Patty Smith (no, not Patti. Different person) has a really nice voice.

And with that we say goodbye to day two ...

Bride of Son of 30 Songs From the 80s: Day 1 (21-30)

30 - "Surf Or Die" - Surf MCs

When I'd go to shows at First Avenue, they would show videos on a screen at the front of the room before the bands on the bill played. This was video was part of that, even though the surf/rap mix was usually out of step with the bands actually performing. I have this on vinyl!

29 - "Love On Your Side" - Thompson Twins

Not twins. And there were three in the band. This song is before they got all love-songy.

28 - "My Beach" - Surf Punks

Up there we had surf/rap, this is surf/punk (thus the name of the band). Actually, surf had plenty of influence on punk, musically. Witness the guitar intro to "Holiday In Cambodia".

27 - "We Don't Need Another Hero" - Tina Turner

Aaaagh! Mental whiplash going from 28 to 27! Theme song from Mad Max 3: Beyond Thunderdome. Unlike "St Elmo's Fire", the movie's title actually fits in the song.

26 - "Jeanny" - Falco

Urrgh! Falco on my list! Next thing you know Taco will show up ...

25 - "Puttin' On The

Just kidding.

25 - "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" - Beastie Boys

So how do three white guys become one of the most highly regarded hip-hop acts? By writing songs like this.

24 - "The Glamorous Life" - Shiela E

Did I mention I listened to a lot of Prince releated stuff?

23 - "Ghost In You" - Psychedelic Furs

This is a great make-out song.

22 - "Sun City" - Artists United Against Apartheid

Get the album if you can find it. BOTH edits of "Sun City", a jazz session, Gil Scott Heron, and a version of "Silver and Gold" FAR superior to the one U2 put on Rattle and Hum.

21 - "Cars" - Gary Numan

Used in the bumpers on VH1 80s retrospectives. One of those songs people don't know they know, but they know it.

puree

.... in which Dave surfs the net and finds various and sundry things, throws them all in a blender, and makes a blog entry from the resulting slurry.

If there is a common theme here it is food.

Historical Cookbooks

A great selection of historical cookbooks has been placed online by MSU. Actually, it appears to have been online for some ime. I spent many an hour pouring over the summaries of these books. Some of them I actually skimmed the book! (Today's obsession: corn bread/pone/cakes/etc.) Most of the books date from the turn of the century (19th to 20th). This is a great historical resource. It will take some work to actually use many of the recipes, but sounds like a fun little project. Also note the role cookery played in sufferage and other social movements. Since this is primary source material no one is spelling this out, but lots to think about while browsing these cookbooks.

Hitler and Vegetarianism

Anyone who talks about the history of vegetarianism has probably had this experience: Mention that Gandhi or Shaw or Killer Kowalski was a vegetarian and be met with the response "but so was Hitler". Two points:

1) and? So? This is a common form of argument known as reductio ad Hitlerium.

and ...

2) was he? See the here and here. The second one goes into why this seems so important to many meat-eaters. Also see links on animal protectionism in Nazi Germany (sorry, that one is in German) and vegetarian societies in Germany.

But again, I really have a "so what even if he was" attitude here. Hitler was a non-smoker. Go bug the Lung Association people about Hitler and their pet cause. Me? I don't need to hear any more.

History of Chop Suey

I've always thought the story about Chop Suey being created for a conference with Chinese and American attendees was truth. Turns out that is not how it happened.

Before Chile

This is what I was looking for at the start of all this surfing around. I'm curious: many cuisines rely on chile peppers, but that is a new world ingredient and thus not available pre-1500s. What occupied the spot in, say Ethiopian cuisine, that chile does today? I'd imagine in some cases black peppercorns, but there has to be more than that. Oh well. Quest for an answer continues.

And no, this is not the weightier post mentioned yesterday. And I got the boabab tree thing wrong - it is not the oldest. On the other hand that was in parentheses, and such parenthetical musings can be disregarded.

Dave reads books III: Crops

Two more books I've read recently, both viewable online. You can read them too!

Lost Crops of Africa
Lost Crops of the Incas

The topics should be obvious from the titles. Neither is exactly light reading, but I found both enjoyable, even if my eyes did glaze over when they got to talking about nutritional compositions.

Each is an overview of domesticated plants used as food crops, but only used regionally if at all today. This is not entirely true, as some more commonly available crops are included, especially in the Africa book (I would hardly consider okara or longbeans lost. I could purchase both in the mainstream supermarket I frequent!)

Both books suggest possibilities for increased use of the foods covered. I was more interested in the descriptions of the products and how they are used. I'm a cook, not an agronomist.

Books like this are great for trivia hounds. Did you know the leaves of the Boab tree (oldest known living organism) are edible and are in fact used as food?

Overall, these books left me with a strong urge to rent a garden plot and grow little known South American root crops.

But it seems silly to review books one could read simply by following a link. If hints at new culinary adventures sound appealing these books are well worth taking a look.

Kaiju

Hey! Another list. Something a little wightier is in the works, so I'm keping things light and happy now.

And what could be more light and happy than giant monsters from Japan. Here are my top 5:

5: Space Godzilla

Gets on the list because in a world of cheese, SG ha the cheesiest origin. See, cells from Godzilla made there way into space (via either Mothra or Biolante), fell into a black hole, and out of the white hole (?) it was connected to emerged Space Godzilla. Huh?

4: Gamera

He's a turtle, he flies, and flame comes out of his ... leg holes. Is it really necessary to say more?

3: King Ghidora

Imagine a chimera, only with two heads that just kind of flop around while the third actually moves 'realistically'. He flies too, but relies on wings rather than flaming legholes like Gamera.

2: Mothra

Pretty good for a bug, huh? I like Mothra's power of flight: wings that beat,oh, 10 times a minute and still the bug zips around like an F15.

1: Godzilla

The first, the greatest, just not in the AWFUL TriStar picture.

Rankings are based on how much I like each creature, not something fannish like who could beat who in a fight. What do I look like, some kind of geek?

Annoyances II

Watched The Buddy Holly Story yesterday. One part of this film annoys me to no end.

There is an establishing shot of the location of Holly's last show. The sign on the venue says Clear Lake Auditorium.

Taint no such beast. The venue was the Surf Ballroom. Changing the name served no discernable purpose. The film has the same inaccuracies as any biopic (why let truth get in the way of the story), but this detail screams out "this is fiction!" and was easily avoidable.

A related annoyance is that the plane Holly was in is always said to have crashed 'near Clear Lake Iowa'. And it did. But look at a map. Closer to Fertile, innit?

The crash site is considered to be in Clear Lake proper, even though I would say it is in the country, around Fertile. I guess 'near Clear Lake' is just easier to say.

Son of 30 songs from the 80s: Day 3 (1-10)

10 - "Fade to Black" - Metallica

Do I owe someone money for saying that?

9 - "Johnny Are You Queer?" - Josie Cotton

Well, are you? Anti-pop crusaders made much of the fact that if you slow this down, it sounds like a man singing. Uhh... the same holds true of Debbie Boone records, Try it.

8 - "Whip It" - Devo

Pretty much decade-defining. That it came so early in the decade says alot about the hair metal infested later portion of the 80s.

7 - "Pleasure and Pain" - Divinals

I swear there is a 'y' some place in that group name. Divynals? Dyvinals? Divinyls? I think the last one.

The lead singer fondles furniture. (see "I Touch My Shelf")

That is the equivalent of the audio daily double. Only makes sense if you listen.

6 - "Stray Cat Strut" - Stray Cats

What year is it again?

5 - "They Don't Know About Us" - Tracy Ullman

Repeat last comment. The Simpsons aren't the only good thing to come from Ullman's 15 minutes of American fame.

4 - "Sample and Hold" - Neil Young

When I was young I must have watched Neil Young in Berlin 2-3 times a week for several months. Back then HBO engaged in a lot of repitition to fill up the schedule.

3 - "Minor Threat" - Minor Threat

I don't have anything to say here, really. Speaks for itself.

2 - "The Stand" - The Alarm

'Poor man's U2' my butt.

1 - "I Ran" - Flock of Seagulls

Hair-wise, an eternal symbol of the decade.

Son of 30 songs from the 80s: Day 2 (11-20)

20 - "Nasty Girl" -Vanity 6

From the album Vanity 6. Probably disowned now by Vanity (she's not nasty any more.) Vanity 6 is on the whole a more listenable album than Appolonia 6, even though I prefer Appolonia as a vocalist.

19 - "O Superman (For Massinet)" - Laurie Anderson

I love Laurie Anderson as a performer, but this really generates the question "how did this end up charting?" Must have been the light-up mouth piece. One of several songs on this list I was first exposed to on Night Flight.

18 - "Laws Of Success" - Willpower

Another slot, another performance artist, another song I first saw on Night Flight.

17 - "People Who Died" - Jim Carrol Band

I can't remember if I actually was aware of this song in the 80s proper, but here it is.

16 - "Come On Eileen" - Dexy's Midnight Runners

Great song, but does it have to be on seemingly EVERY 80s hit compilation?

15 - "Method To Our Madness" - Lords of the New Church

This band did a great, sloppy cover of "Like A Virgin". Maybe that version is the reason the cover in Moulin Rouge actually causes me physical pain.

14 - "Monster" - Fred Schneider

Again, Night Flight is to blame.

13 - "This Is Radio Clash" - The Clash

My favorite Clash song, which is saying a lot given the competition. 20 or so years, and I'm still not sure exactly where this saw first release.

12 - "Nemesis" - Shriekback

Parthenogenesis. And the scansion of the lyrics is maintained!

11 - "Man In Motion (St Elmo's Fire)" - John Parr

Means a lotmore to me now than it did back then. Have I mentioned my affection for brat pack movie soundtracks? This sounds like a song Parr had going, and someone said "sounds great John, couild you just add the name of the movie?"

Tomorrow: we strut, run, sample, fade, and reveal our threat level.

Son of 30 songs from the 80s day 1 (21-30)

30- "Eat It" - 'Weird' Al Yankovich

I have a sense of humor. So sue me.

29 - "Life Is Life" - Laibach

70s light rock standard transformed into a Wagnerian ... uh ... opus.

28 - "Salt in my Tears" -

This was a top 10 hit, so why was it out of print last I looked?

27 - "You Spin Me Round" - Dead Or Alive

I almost won soda for knowing this. "Brand New Lover" is a better song, but not nearly as identified with the 80s.

26 - "Run Run Away" - Slade

Last gasp from these British rockers known for creative spelling. Gee, sounded like Casey Kasem there. No long distance dedication today, though. Actually, Casey would have said "see chameleon, laying there in the sun" as if was a HEAVY lyric and dripping withdeep meaning.

25 - "Words" - Missing Persons

Vocalist Dale Bozzio designed all her own costumes, well demonstrating the wisdom of choosing music rather than fashion as a career path.

24 - "River Run Dry" - The Family

Another Prince project.

23 - "Manic Monday" - The Bangles

I like this one better in German, but I only heard it on a trip to Germany.

22 - "True Men Don't Kill Coyotes" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

From the days before they discovered if they did ballady type stuff, they would sell more records.

21 - "Take Off" - Bob and Doug McKenzie

This one has Geddy Lee on it. Probably one of the greatest novelty songs ... EVER. Had to be there, maybe. Hoser.

Tomorrow: nasty girls, monsters, men in motion, and the only song to ever use 'parthenogenesis' in the lyrics.

Annoyances

Sushi and sashimi are not synonyms.

Soy sauce amd tamari are not synonyms. (A little complicated, this one, since shoyu is sometimes marketed as tamari.)

The word 'utilize' serves no useful purpose. Notice I said *useful* purpose. What extra shade of meaning do the extra two syllables provide?

Why do some cars honk their horns when you close the door after turning the ignition off?

One sentence: shut up and drive.

No one wants to hear your half of a phone conversation while you are out in public.

When writing SF or fantasy, you are not given license to have things happen for no good reason. If strangeness ensues, it should follow from whatever ground rules have been set out.

It is OK to write as if you are text messaging when you are text messaging. Otherwise, don't.

They're called capitals and punctuation. Use as needed.

Vegetarians, BY DEFINITION, do not eat chicken. Or fish.

Just a few of my pet peeves. Nothing that keeps me awake at night worrying, but still annoying.

The lost song

Not lost so much as violated my self-imposed rules for 30 songs from the 80s. Namely, no repeating of artists.

It is "Another Brick In The Wall part III" by Pink Floyd. This isn't the one probably most familiar. This one is the 2nd to last song on record 1 (assuming the double LP).

When I get a little down this song helps. Not that it is uplifting at all - more a burst of angry isolationism.

And good to wreck stuff to. (Virtually, of course.)

Been going through my head lately. Part of my internal soundtrack.

I want my cartoons!

Hey Fox! I want my cartoons!

The usual Sunday night animation lineup is preempted tonight for this season's premiere of 24. Now, I know 24 is critically acclaimed and all that, and from what I've seen (don't regularly watch it) it is indeed some fine TV work.

But on Sunday night I enjoy watching often crudely drawn animation. Not 24, no matter how well done it is.

So knock it off, Fox. Give me my cartoons!

Adventures in typography

I've been making DVDs from AVIs folkshave lent me. And with DVDs, you need menus.

To create these menus Iam using the Gimp. Menus naturally have text for progam titles and such, which up until now I have been rendering in a nice sans serif font I already had installed. For my current project I wanted something a little different. This is turning out to be MUCH more work than I anticipated.

First problem: I am using Gimp 1 (could have sworn I had upgraded, but no). For text in this app I need Type1 fonts. The majority of fonts I have are TrueType. The Type 1 fonts I have don't fit what I envision.

Second problem: the net is littered with free TrueType fonts. Type 1 are proving much harder to find.

Solution: found a little app to convert TrueType to Type 1. If this works it solves most of my problem

Anf then I have to install the font. There are programs out there to minimize the fiddling around required to generate the definition files needed by the system, but I'm doing much of that manually. Pushing a button that says "do it" just doesn't provide the depth of understanding that doing it by hand does.

Which is a big part of my philosophy towards stuff like this. DIY. Do It Yourself. DIY has practical aspects, too. Say you're making CDs from source material on vinyl. If you can 'clean' things yourself in an audio editor - reduce pops, that sort of thing - that level of knowledge and skill will get you better results than using a one-button 'remove pop' program.

The first requires artstry, the second requires far less than that. Results are proportional.

ArchEnemy

Watched Metal: A Headbanger's Journey today. It is a documentary about (guess it!) heavy metal. Nice to see subgenres discussed as such, even if (like always) specifics are up for argument.

One bit I found especially intriguing was that on Arch Enemy, a death metal band with all the expected trappings thereof, and, uh, a female vocalist. Growly, gruff, and everything. I was intrigued enough to search the net for stuff on the band. What is strange is where the results led me. First one, VH1.com. Hardly the forefront of metal fandom there. Second one, the Wall Street Journal. And yes, both links were relevant to the search.

This is just weird.

30 sontgs from the 80s Day 3 (1-10)

10 - "Centerfold" - J Geils Band

See if you can spot then MTV veejay Martha Quinn in the video.

9 - "Rapture" - Blondie

For many mid-American white kids, this was the first exposure to rap. Has the filthiest lyric to never get censored on top 40 radio. Guess they figure no one notices, since it is buried in the ethereal first verses.

8 - "I Know What Boys Like" - The Waitresses

Not in the same class historically as the other top 10 songs, but has the only lyric that still makes me laugh after over 20 years ("teeheehee .... sucker")

7 - "Our Lips Are Sealed" - Go-Gos

Known in Australia as "Alex the Seal". That's what they heard down under, anyway.

6 - "Don't You Want Me" - Human League

For many mid-American kids, this was their first exposure to synthpop. The Human League are one of the few retro-80s bands probably better now than back in the days.

5 - "Kids In America" - Kim Wilde

My little brother was impressed that I knew this song when it was featured in the Jimmy Neutron movie.

4 - "New Day Rising" - Husker Du

This is my Ramones. The best wake-up song EVER. Don't bother with the alarm - if this doesn't rouse you, nothing will.

3 - "Walk Together Rock Together" - 7 Seconds

Title track from the first 7 Seconds album I ever purchased. Ain't nothing wrong with another unity song.

2 - "I Love Rock and Roll" - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Those first two chords ...

1 - "When Doves Cry" - Prince and the Revolution

A funk song. With NO BASSLINE! Absolutely bloody amazing.

30 songs from the 80s Day 2 (11-20)

20 - "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - U2

Specifically the live version recrded at Red Rocks.

19 - "Sex (I'm A)" - Berlin

"The Metro" is a better song, but this one really grabbed me in my early teen years.

18 - "Atomic Dog" - George Clinton

An anthemic selection for everyone looking for the mothership.

17 - "Jungle Love" - The Time

Got lots of airplay due to its Purple Rain connection, but stands up well on its own.

Three songs in a row pretty much about sex. I'll be seeing my analyist now :)

16 - "My Sharona" - The Knack

Two words: skinny ties.

15 - "If You Leave" - OMD

The 80s experience is not complete without brat pack movies, and those wouldn't be complete without their soundtracks.

14 - "Video Killed the Radio Star" - The Buggles

If a soundtrack for the 80s was made, this would be the main theme. For those of us that remember MTV being mostly music ....

13 - "Turning Japanese" - The Vapors

More skinny-tie induced goodness.

12 - "Our House" - Madness

If their house really was in the middle of their street, wouldn't it get hit by cars?

11 - "Don't You Forget About Me" - Simple Minds

Brat pack movies again. I was 16 when The Breakfast Club hit cable, and 3 of the 5 characters were, to an extent, me. And no, Claire was not one. It should be noted THERE IS NO SHERMER ILLINOIS. Thank you.

Tomorrow: Nothing but classics. Well, except for the Waitresses.

30 songs from the 80s: Day 1 (21-30)

This isn't a top 30 greatest list or anything. It isn't even necessarily songs between 1/1/1980-12/31/1989. Just 30 songs that meant something to me when they came out, in the 80s as I experienced them. I started a list of other songs of note, but it rapidly grew larger than the list itself.

30 - "Empty Spaces" - Pink Floyd

Up to the late 80s I was a HUGE Floyd fan. This is my favorite song off the album that introduced me to them - The Wall.

29 - "Mandinka" - Sinead O'Conner

Before SNL, before "Nothing Compares To U", this is where I learned gee, that bald Irish lassie has some great pipes.

28 - "Time After Time" - Cyndi Lauper

Remember the Rock 'N' Wrestling connection? Anyway, great ballad here. And Cyndi's got great pipes too.

27 - "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Bonnie Tyler

Epic. Haunting. Even without the children of the damned running around the video. And Bonnie's got ... well, she can sing. Raspy voice one doesn't expect from a female artist.

26 - "Super Freak" - Rick James

You would not believe how traumatising I found it hearing that immediately identifiable opening bit only to have it followed by "can't touch this..."

25 - "Hell is for Children" - Pat Benetar

Not one of her big hits, but quite a powerful performance. And Pat's got ... yeah, the pipes thing again.

24 - "She's A Beauty" - The Tubes

Boy, did I apply this to the wrong girls in my early teens.

23 - "Fine Fine Day" - Tony Carey

Tony gets much respect from me, because like Stevie or Prince, he does most everything himself. I probably listened to Planet P Project more, but he was kind of 'behind the curtain' there.

22 - "Like A Prayer" - Madonna

Confession: I'm a closet Madonna fan. Could have picked "Like A Virgin" and stuck with the early/mid 80s bent of most of this list, but I ... uh ... like "Like A Prayer" more.

21 - "Hungry Like The Wolf" - Duran Duran

OK, closet Duranie too. Plus, they took their name from a character in Barberella How cool is that?

Tomorrow: 11-20. Sex, dogs, blood, and video.

The owls are not what they seem

Thanks to those who have expressed concern for me after 'Ice capades'. Don't worry. I do my own stunts.

I probably overemphasize things like me vs. ice here. I like a good story and kvetching. 'Nothing unusual happened today' just doesn't cut it. Plus, after the fact, some of this is really kind of funny. Like a good pratfall bit.

Over the next three days: 30 songs from the 80s. Spend your weekend reading yet another ordered list. Actually, if it takes your entire weekend, read other stuff too. You need the practice.

Ice capades

If there was any doubt, know ye this: winter can stink when you have mobility issues.

The other day was warm (upper 30s, almost 15 degrees above average!). The day before it had snowed, pretty much encasing my car in the white stuff. While I was at work that snow melted, and it refroze before it was time to go home. So I get out to my car after work and it is surrounded by a circle of ice. Had I been looking to skate or something it would have been beautiful ice - glossy, flat. But I didn't want to skate - I wanted to get in my car. Wound up skating after a fashion anyway.

I started off OK. Got my walker mostly in the back seat. Then it happened. I began what was quite possibly the longest slip-on-the-ice I've ever experienced. Had total control the entire time, except for remaining vertcal. Wound up sitting on the ground by my car. No injuries - like I said, total control. But now I was BESIDE my car when I really wanted to be INSIDE it. 20-30 minutes of struggle followed, where I learned just how slick that ice was.

I did manage to get in my car, though, and was able to return home. I THOUGHT I'd escaped without injury, but apparently I used muscles I don't ordinarily use while crawling/sliding, because today my left leg just doesn't want me to put weight on it. Or maybe it has nothing to do with playing figure skater. I called in to work so I can rest it. It stinks - ready and willing to go to work this morning, just a little matter of not being able to get around! If I could just teleport in ala-Bewitched I would, 'cause this is D-U-L-L.

At least if I were more traditionally sick, I'd feel better about missing a day of work.

Lists

Lists are fun. They are good conversation starters and best when you think they are ALMOST correct, if only they would have put this entry higher, included that entry ....

Generally, lists of 'most attractive female celebs' tend to be questionable (ignoring the issue of whether possible at all). askmen.com is collecting votes in 3 catagories - actress, model, and singer. I was impressed that 2-3 Bollywood celebs and a similar number of asian (mostlly HK) celebs are available to vote for. Often lists like this are entirely caucasian Americans and Brits with a few Aussies or whatever. A half dozen that reflect the fact that not everyone follows Western celebs is a small but welcome number. Personally, my vote would go to Ashawarya Rai, a Bollywood actress/model whose first name I probably mangled.

'Greatest song' lists are easier to make an argument for actually having a shot at relevance. I ran across a list of '200 Greatest Songs of the 60s' at pitchfork.com. In some ways a mixed bag. Definate trying for 'hipness', and a tendancy to include songs based on future accomplishments of the singer. Yes, the Jackson 5 included a member who helped define pop music ... eventually ... but did they really do the 2nd greatest song of the 60s? Glad to see on the list:

"96 Tears"
"I Fought The Law"
"I Wanna Be Your Dog"
"Miserlou"

to pick a few often left off such lists. Among the things I would have included:

"Downtown"
"Pipeline"
"Wipeout"
"Gloria"
"House of the Rising Sun" (Animals)
"Remember (Walking In The Sand)"
SOMETHING hot rod

See what I mean about lists starting conversations? I could go on and on tweaking ...