tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14648872894364182372024-03-05T06:07:36.361-05:00Cubsicle"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was (sometimes)accessed."Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.comBlogger350125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-16546973608015766562011-02-27T09:02:00.004-05:002011-02-27T09:27:39.007-05:00Big Yellow Taxi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4r28N2l8GGNvWB0J8ugTHB_u8a9s7j5pGp8tOimqPhTNDOG49RQoSOWrbxImTceqgBgIz6Lgl8v9nJi1RZAc2qo039e02QsNrn-BmF6ykK0SoVN7KKzV5zsRpMlFqctq3suQ9ms4BH0/s1600/Joni-Mitchell.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4r28N2l8GGNvWB0J8ugTHB_u8a9s7j5pGp8tOimqPhTNDOG49RQoSOWrbxImTceqgBgIz6Lgl8v9nJi1RZAc2qo039e02QsNrn-BmF6ykK0SoVN7KKzV5zsRpMlFqctq3suQ9ms4BH0/s320/Joni-Mitchell.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578369644650299378" /></a><br />My ignorance of popular music recorded before 1990 has brought me here to apologize to Joni Mitchell. Much like the many years I spent thinking the Black Crowes were actually capable of writing a hit song like <a href="http://cubsicle.blogspot.com/2010/05/hard-to-handle.html">Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle,"</a> I have for a long time believed that the hit song "Big Yellow Taxi" was a song written and recorded by the Counting Crows and sometimes sung with Vanessa Carlton. Wrong. This song was written by Joni Mitchell in 1970, but has been covered by many artists (<a href="http://listen.grooveshark.com/s/Big+Yellow+Taxi/3uxno0?src=5">including Bob Dylan</a>) in the time since her original recording and did not become a bona fide hit again until the Counting Crows version came out in 2002. <br /><br />Normally this is where I'd post an audio version of the original song, to pay homage to Joni Mitchell for the many years I've spent not giving her credit, but instead this is where I'll post my favorite cover version of the song since hers is not the best in my opinion. The first time I actually heard "Big Yellow Taxi," it was by Billie Joe Armstrong's other, non-Green Day band called Pinhead Gunpowder. It was recorded in 1994, but I probably didn't hear it until 1999 when Napster made it possible for a 14 year old kid with no money to listen to something other than what the radio or Mtv wanted me to hear.<br /><br /><center><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23402711&style=metal&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23402711&style=metal&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object></center>Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-27703980862964551532011-02-25T21:35:00.002-05:002011-02-26T11:55:39.249-05:00American Idiot on Broadway<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9J_kjz28KXuboeuVpnX2cS0UXvrD8_Ja4OX4DNKAnffl4jk8SyMMviXDmre6UDUpqxuaT6s2jHAxmdOF9vH2CEAnD23eVGCtn6O-tXhSrGr7Z0xLLcroboif4UdTM8hGHX4kccBIMLY/s1600/ui-logo-american_idiot-1.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9J_kjz28KXuboeuVpnX2cS0UXvrD8_Ja4OX4DNKAnffl4jk8SyMMviXDmre6UDUpqxuaT6s2jHAxmdOF9vH2CEAnD23eVGCtn6O-tXhSrGr7Z0xLLcroboif4UdTM8hGHX4kccBIMLY/s320/ui-logo-american_idiot-1.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578028106987019346" /></a><br />Ever since I was the one and only blogger in America to <a href="http://cubsicle.blogspot.com/2009/09/american-idiot.html">break the news</a> that <span style="font-style:italic;">American Idiot</span> would be on Broadway, I felt compelled to see the show and praise the world with my opinion. So here it is.<br /><br />First and foremost, I want to confirm what most people are probably thinking. There is absolutely no legitimate reason why this show needs to exist. For me, the only true purpose it serves is providing Green Day fans the surreal but awkward moment that occurs when they first realize their hero <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Joe_Armstrong">Billie Joe</a> is actually <span style="font-style:italic;">acting</span>. And I don't just mean acting as in "playing a character," I mean the full fledged over-the-top acting common to musicals. I mean the kind of stage acting that includes having fake background conversations and silly choreographed jumping around. Once this initial jolt wears off, you realize his presence is not so far fetched. In fact, he plays a character called "Jesus of Suburbia," an anarchist drug dealer who appears on stage for maybe 20% of the show and has very little dialogue. You get the impression this was not much of a stretch for a guy who regularly plays 2 hour concerts in sold out stadiums. This spectacle is the 20% of the show I would recommend to anyone. The rest of the show...well, have you seen the film <span style="font-style:italic;">Across the Universe</span>? If so, you know that it was a 2 hour cliche'd farce about some kids having some identity trouble in post-Watergate, Vietnam-era America. Along the way they sing Beatles songs that contain a word or phrase relevant to the manufactured plot, but not at all relevant to the intent of the songwriter. Here's an example: The main character's name was Jude so that it would make sense to sing "Hey Jude." The whole thing begs the question, "am I watching this story because I like the songs? or do I like the songs because they compliment the plot?" If given a chance to think about it, 9 of 10 people would choose option 1. I think I saw this film on opening night though, so my audience is as much a reason for the films existence as the songs themselves. Such is American Idiot.<br /><br />The non-Bille Joe Armstrong 80% of Broadway's American Idiot is <span style="font-style:italic;">Across the Universe</span> set in post 9/11 America and containing worse music. It is for the hardcore fan of the <span style="font-style:italic;">American Idiot</span> album and fans of stubborn attempts to create a plot out of songs that while written with a common theme in mind, were not written as a cohesive storyline. It is about 3 kids who play in a band together. Then one gets a girl pregnant and has to quit the band, another goes to Iraq and loses his leg, and the third--the primary character--falls into a deep, drug-fueled, depression. Every couple of scenes, Billie Joe's character stops by to be a bad influence and sell some drugs. The story is told by each of the three men through the lyrics of songs from both the American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown albums, and the acting and musicianship is generally very good throughout the show. If the play is not amazing, it is not for lack of decent acting. But the plot... As if the thematic parallels to <span style="font-style:italic;">Across the Universe</span>--which we've established was an awful exploit of good music--were not enough, one scene in the play is a complete ripoff of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPONiqBwHRU">THIS</a> scene from the film. And that's really all I can say. In 2004 I listened to the American Idiot album exactly one million times and not once did I hear a story about a kid going to Iraq and having his leg blown off. But that's art, right?<br /><br />Overall, though I'm sure this post has seemed overly negative, my only issue is with the plot. And since I'm convinced American Idiot was not written with Broadway in mind, I can forgive it. This is not high art, nor do I believe it was meant to be. I am not breaking any new ground by criticizing this, and my having gone to see it despite knowing it would lack a story illustrates the very reason it exists. The point is that this show does not NEED to exist on any artistic level, but I am glad that it does if only because I am a fan of Green Day, and I don't know if I would ever have gone to Broadway without its existence. The set is fantastic, the theatre very nice, and the overall atmosphere is very self-aware. It is not as if the producers of the show do not know that the plot rarely makes sense and is not important. <br /><br />So will you like it? If you liked the album, yes. If you didn't like the album but would pay $75+ to see Billie Joe act, yes. If you are a fan of Broadway musicals like Rent, but have no idea who Green Day is, no.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-59511476176673875542011-02-14T23:11:00.003-05:002011-02-14T23:42:29.182-05:00You Know You're Right<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONxm-yll0WbRgYh6z0i4HahIbB55TapFi2ql6KfPlDoPx7y6B4LRvPCv1opjMJ5gOIIoST0DbFBPVCdAlziOLEh7UHuWuxXh9d_zckf92Acljf6aLAvg8GDL2ByWCViBWtvPv-9wh5uw/s1600/cd-cover.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONxm-yll0WbRgYh6z0i4HahIbB55TapFi2ql6KfPlDoPx7y6B4LRvPCv1opjMJ5gOIIoST0DbFBPVCdAlziOLEh7UHuWuxXh9d_zckf92Acljf6aLAvg8GDL2ByWCViBWtvPv-9wh5uw/s320/cd-cover.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573764237995707570" /></a><br />We can agree that all musicians probably leave behind a veritable trove of unpublished, unpolished recordings. It's in the nature of being a recording artist to try, and eventually scrap, failed attempts at new music. As such, rarely will an artists' work receive a posthumous release, unless said artist is someone whose legacy demands it, or whose legacy includes a crazy bitch-wife trying to make a buck.<br /><br />The two examples of gigantic posthumous recordings I can best remember were both created as ways to sell larger boxsets or compilations. Those are the Beatles' "Free as a Bird" from the 1995 <span style="font-style:italic;">Anthology</span> release which included the late John Lennon's vocals, and later Nirvana's "You Know Your'e Right" from their 2002 self-titled Best of compilation which included lyrics sung and written by Kurt Cobain. <br /><br />Of the two, I have to admit I like the Nirvana song much better. But both songs have their own wikipedia pages revealing the story behind how the recordings came to be, and both are worth looking over. <br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_As_A_Bird">Free as a Bird</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Know_You're_Right">You Know You're Right</a><br /><br /><center><object width="250" height="400"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/widget.swf" /><br /><param name="wmode" value="window" /><br /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><br /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=21864042&style=metal&p=0" /><br /><embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/widget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="200"<br />flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=21864042&style=metal&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /><br /></object></center>Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-46734479414379397562011-02-13T16:39:00.004-05:002011-02-13T16:54:59.797-05:00The Bens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7t06niHrZ4fHgcI0gzUr_5SnBZCzc7GrVHddLmYUGaoYC-LpIXSPP2S3-26SDQDaOh7Yukupr9_QzDH-qsWfiGzBYbkVVFVKENa42tPM20lkqWVs-4TTnd6po5pcrTQZhse2pApMk-zI/s1600/0000487491_350.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7t06niHrZ4fHgcI0gzUr_5SnBZCzc7GrVHddLmYUGaoYC-LpIXSPP2S3-26SDQDaOh7Yukupr9_QzDH-qsWfiGzBYbkVVFVKENa42tPM20lkqWVs-4TTnd6po5pcrTQZhse2pApMk-zI/s320/0000487491_350.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573292686778238882" /></a><br />In 2003, piano pop stalwart Ben Folds put together an 8 show tour through Australia in which he asked up and comers Ben Kweller and Ben Lee to support. Together as supergroup "The Bens," the trio recorded a 4 song EP to be sold exclusively on the tour, all 3500 pressings of which sold out. The album was later given an internet store release. So were The Bens any good? Critics <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/r677299">thought so</a>, but then again the group never recoded together again. <br /><br /><center><object width="250" height="200"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/widget.swf" /><br /><param name="wmode" value="window" /><br /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><br /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=997220&style=metal&p=0" /><br /><embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/widget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="200"<br />flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&songIDs=997220&style=metal&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /><br /></object></center>Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-22513516693619301032011-01-29T14:10:00.003-05:002011-02-09T21:55:04.768-05:00Who is Harry Nilsson?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpz-CxvMaf90lD_wD_OqOfVNI6TB8y-go_v1kCKhY3SZ_w6V4B77Edfmdxzn2DJ6_riHqJmGQGdDbAKwTusIWpFJ5-iqm3-jGNbUq46bfs-1_KZPlmgYRyEKKqSl2Lot_lsS8feb5wJ0/s1600/nilsson-a.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpz-CxvMaf90lD_wD_OqOfVNI6TB8y-go_v1kCKhY3SZ_w6V4B77Edfmdxzn2DJ6_riHqJmGQGdDbAKwTusIWpFJ5-iqm3-jGNbUq46bfs-1_KZPlmgYRyEKKqSl2Lot_lsS8feb5wJ0/s320/nilsson-a.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567687505711620498" /></a><br />The title of this documentary might imply that the name Harry Nilsson is one that pops up a lot in popular culture but is not widely known. This was exactly my experience with Nilsson prior to watching this documentary. Fun Fact: The only reason I knew the name was because I once googled "The Puppy Song" after watching You've Got Mail. I only became aware of this film when my dad asked me "find it" for him. It's available for free streaming if you've got a Netflix account. <br /><br />I had no intention of actually watching it too, but I couldn't stop. This isn't a puff piece about some genius musician that was under-appreciated. While it is true Harry Nilsson wrote many hits from the 70s you've heard of and like, this is a vivid portrait of a very complex man with a documented history of alcoholism and self-destructive behavior which is contrasted with his being a loving father, husband, and activist. In other words, my favorite kind of documentary.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-47990733876315251002011-01-23T16:44:00.005-05:002011-01-23T20:39:03.887-05:00Good Will Hunting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg_9FQk6UnA"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8zJ0cPbIFEhRAKK_20PcBQYhxsvYdA5zGxeNCOqks3ANsj2GHXnaUgCqa1DbU0tOi2cbiLDpOgXXpGMXzUEgvGATG83KjoewF59Y_JjlyBso0bEnUgZoy5LycMVPLEGZC37B7akFNbps/s320/Screen+shot+2011-01-23+at+4.44.04+PM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565559826024102642" /></a><br />One of the many reasons <span style="font-style:italic;">Good Will Hunting</span> is among my favorite films of all time is the brilliant performance by the otherwise off-the-wall Robin Williams, also known for such films as <span style="font-style:italic;">RV</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Old Dogs</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Flubber</span>.<br /><br />But even Matt Damon and Ben Affleck couldn't fully contain Robin's over-the-top twitch. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg_9FQk6UnA">THIS SCENE</a> starts off innocently enough, but watch Williams as he briefly abandons just about everything we know about his character up until this point and replaces it with his animated schtick.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-87887050768415068102011-01-23T15:24:00.003-05:002011-01-23T16:12:07.259-05:00Beyond the Lighted Stage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU-xETn1xjipwnfNXwYNrV4PU1ckIXICOnwR1jALCG3l_xhrCXCTJ0Eazcfue9R1ei_N_OJuIfJIdMZXDOdkhYAtIiGmhvfTSx0Nb6Wb0lVPhfbOMx1Fp5JvQLh7wScsZTc8dMf8BfUc/s1600/1276650390rushwebposter2.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU-xETn1xjipwnfNXwYNrV4PU1ckIXICOnwR1jALCG3l_xhrCXCTJ0Eazcfue9R1ei_N_OJuIfJIdMZXDOdkhYAtIiGmhvfTSx0Nb6Wb0lVPhfbOMx1Fp5JvQLh7wScsZTc8dMf8BfUc/s320/1276650390rushwebposter2.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565492076092351490" /></a><br />If the mark of a good documentary is its ability to hold one's attention despite a lack of interest in the subject matter, then the Rush documentary <span style="font-style:italic;">Beyond the Lighted Stage</span> deserves a spot in documentary pantheon of any music enthusiast, especially anti-Rush music enthusiasts. <br /><br />I was never the biggest Rush fan. I've consumed less than a quarter of their entire collection and mostly stick with the hits. I had never been exposed to the geek culture associated with the band and I'd never really done any thoughtful analysis of their literary lyrical content. From afar I've simply admired the sound they can produce with just 3 members. To be honest, I have always assumed that their talent must be accompanied by an obscene amount of Canadian pretentiousness. And yet, every time Palladia runs this film I watch it. I can't help it, these guys are cool.<br /><br />The truth, as this documentary points out, is far from my assumption and yours. Specifically worthy of your attention is the career arch and mind of Neil Peart, arguably the world's greatest drummer. The guy is absolutely fascinating. Despite his fame he is a fiercely guarded and infinitely neurotic person scared to death of the spotlight and social interactions, a true anti-hero of the rock and roll world you might be used to hearing about.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-51239999418884186502010-07-31T13:05:00.004-04:002010-07-31T15:17:53.554-04:00Hello Again, Old Friends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKxBIrLen_FZ64nhoLzMTT4auWgr3f3tlBfdYH5Q79pUKmvFlLDP7wzJdamYrEH92BGWSO8PA0UPxMkd1Gs7BxhE8acZHtSI9Wwkj73DhBse3dfd8m8zBAlRT1-2ILIEgKDgdLvdAmjM/s1600/t-shirt-not-now-im-busy-705334.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKxBIrLen_FZ64nhoLzMTT4auWgr3f3tlBfdYH5Q79pUKmvFlLDP7wzJdamYrEH92BGWSO8PA0UPxMkd1Gs7BxhE8acZHtSI9Wwkj73DhBse3dfd8m8zBAlRT1-2ILIEgKDgdLvdAmjM/s320/t-shirt-not-now-im-busy-705334.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500117589546248946" /></a><br />Most days I'd like nothing more than to write blog posts with the relative frequency I was once afforded. Because you see there are things, strage things, unimaginable stories, thoughts, and pop culture insights floating around in my brain that I'd love nothing more than to sit down for two free minutes and share with the world. But while I'd sit there for five minutes thinking of how to stop starting blog post sentences with prepositions or using the word 'however' 8 more fucking times, people are moving up in the world. So I've devoted 2010 to "doing it." Doing what? I don't know. Being better, I suppose. Moving up. Moving on. So, where am I?<br /><br />1. I'm working. A lot. Somehow, an upside of working in the financial industry at this time is that nobody knows what the hell is going on. One minute we couldn't be more busy, the next we're all doomed and heading for a crash. With that in mind, our company took the conservative route by not hiring enough people and letting a lot of people move on to other departments. In turn, the market did well enough for us to become busy, and bam. Overworked. It's okay though, with being overloaded comes unlimited overtime, and with unlimited overtime comes more money. As an outcome, no more credit card debt. Also, company softball.<br /><br />2. I'm being proactive. I'm learning to cook and to eat more economically and responsibly. I'm working out harder and smarter than I ever have before, seeing a chiropractor once or twice a week to fix the severely incorrect curve of my neck that's troubled me since middle school, and trying out recipes that reinforce all the other good habits I'm trying to keep. I'm finding that doing this all requires discipline and time, two things I'm working on making more of for myself.<br /><br />3. I've moved! Sort of. I'm at an apartment in "downtown" Marlton, NJ with Ashley, and it's fantastic. Living on my own, I mean. The being so far away from work part has made my daily commute a living hell, but I've tempered that by staying at my parents house twice a week. Once because I need to play hockey near their house, and another just to save on gas,tolls, and sanity. Living on my own again for the first time since college is...just like college, only with way less drinking and much more responsibility. We're in a low rent situation, get-out-of-it-if-we-want-to situation, which is perfect for us. Only occasionally have Ash and I looked at each other with "now what?" look on our faces, and for the most part our living together has been an outrageous success full of shared responsibility and sacrifice for the overall greater good of our relationship.<br /><br />4. I'm writing and researching. Not for blog posts or livejournal entries, but an honest to God business plan for what will one day be a bakery called Beachy Cakes. The ownership details are still hazy, and the implementation of such a plan is probably years off, but it WILL happen. If I need to own it in order to get Ashley's dreams off the ground, so be it. But I plan to make no money off of this venture until it makes sense that I be making any money other than the money I invested. I certainly am not the talent when it comes to cake making. Instead, and yes this is presumptuous, I consider myself the business and strategy specialist, at least of the two of us. Will it be a proprietorship? Partnership? LLC? All of this has yet to be decided. A store front? If so, where? How about a home-based business? To be decided, as well. The research takes time, but it seems like a worthy and efficient way to launch the career of my best friend, and the one of us who has any tangible marketable talent.<br /><br />So, there's that. In lieu of long-winded, semi-researched blog postings, your'e most likely to find my ramblings boiled down into tweets and facebook status updates. Unless business slows down, although I think I'd rather it never slow down. <br /><br />Let's DO IT, everyone. Let's all be better people in 2010 and beyond.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-56146925946563001292010-06-29T22:30:00.002-04:002010-06-29T23:28:50.939-04:00The Dana Carvey Show<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkxIoQ5tAkycTuGZ-Egnj1HMCHms8t6g1Fdw4EgpjRE2qF6xsxGLhHo0wK7RRFDnER0u-9ASF6Jx5hLhKY81ks6WWUDIHbVBA4GsFk1gIeBwmnIvzY3A6K5L-dvFY7Usv-rcQKNzmvD8/s1600/danacarvey_w288.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkxIoQ5tAkycTuGZ-Egnj1HMCHms8t6g1Fdw4EgpjRE2qF6xsxGLhHo0wK7RRFDnER0u-9ASF6Jx5hLhKY81ks6WWUDIHbVBA4GsFk1gIeBwmnIvzY3A6K5L-dvFY7Usv-rcQKNzmvD8/s320/danacarvey_w288.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488388890086540818" /></a> By now we're all well aware that the internet is the only place the following can happen in a 10 minute period:<br /> - Read AV Club's <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/louis-ck,42621/">interview with Louie CK</a>, where you learn CK wrote for a sketch show you'd long forgotten, The Dana Carvey Show.<br /> -Immediately Google "Dana Carvey Show"<br /> -Confirm via wikipedia that he was, in fact, lead writer for the show, but also discover that entire first and only season exists for free on Hulu now. <br /> -Halt productivity.<br /><br />The Dana Carvey Show was a sketch comedy on abc that ran for only 7 tenths of a season in 1996, and it was hilarious. How do I know it was hilarious? I was 11 when it aired and I have fond memories of it. That's enough, right? Also, I specifically remember feeling uncomfortable watching it with my mom around which means that I toughed it out through the awkwardness (because it was funny) and she toughed it out through the jokes that were inappropriate for an 11 year old at 9pm on a Tuesday because she understood that I'd one day have an affinity for inconsequential pop culture. <br /><br />Though Carvey himself left his stamp on the show with his trademark impressions like the Church Lady and Paul McCartney, the real talent resided in the rest of the credits, where people like CK, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Robert Smigel were creating some of the funniest, subversive sketch comedy that couldn't have been seen anywhere else on tv at the time. Possibly too subversive, though, as sponsors began running away from act 1 scene 1 as Carvey's Bill Clinton breast fed babies and animals (hard to explain).<br /><br />Every episode, including the unaired, are available in full on Hulu. Definitely worth checking out, if only to see the careers of Carrell and Colbert launch.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-55550899050574186942010-06-21T21:59:00.001-04:002010-06-21T22:00:29.283-04:00Dropkick Murphys - Barroom Hero<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H8Q0-ro3r94&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H8Q0-ro3r94&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />"Face down in the gutter won't admit defeat though his clothes are soiled and black, he's a big strong man with a child's mind, DON'T YOU TAKE HIS BOOZE AWAY..."Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-31400735663495968802010-06-21T21:55:00.003-04:002010-06-21T21:57:32.818-04:00Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pDwlGbEcJ6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pDwlGbEcJ6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-51154741886937385192010-06-21T21:55:00.001-04:002010-06-21T21:55:53.613-04:00Flogging Molly - Seven Deadly Sins<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/plfVQV-klZo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/plfVQV-klZo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-64189486265565068922010-06-21T21:54:00.001-04:002010-06-21T21:54:32.716-04:00Tossers - Siobhan<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kv8bjByqqco&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kv8bjByqqco&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-39667641114704413352010-06-21T21:52:00.000-04:002010-06-21T21:53:08.682-04:00Tossers - Goodmorning Da<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xV_L6T6mhRo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xV_L6T6mhRo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-14938192293205071152010-06-21T21:11:00.004-04:002010-06-21T21:50:56.671-04:00The Irony in this Post Will Be Astounding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFrOGcznytHTkFu3NeARVGVHj3Ttr2vPSlFGFuYzIeE2GTXqj7AdUdSYB5z0g2DRxpnv5zMZxMxDv9Xprzz51n5VNhtVvumba_Z70LpYTFQx7j9Yl5QNZXxK2Pkao5MgY0JH76wpIPYE/s1600/floggingmollperfect.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNFrOGcznytHTkFu3NeARVGVHj3Ttr2vPSlFGFuYzIeE2GTXqj7AdUdSYB5z0g2DRxpnv5zMZxMxDv9Xprzz51n5VNhtVvumba_Z70LpYTFQx7j9Yl5QNZXxK2Pkao5MgY0JH76wpIPYE/s320/floggingmollperfect.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485399958140017154" /></a> You know the guy you grew up with who co-opted his heritage as the bulk of his identity? He had the t-shirts, ate the food, knew some words, knew every player on the national soccer team, and listened to the music, all as if some test was coming where he'd have to prove how loyal to his ancestors he'd been. My Irish buddies were just as guilty as the Italians. <br /><br />Now, we should all be so lucky on this planet as to have something such as that to make us feel interesting and happy. But if I could go back to high school and college to send one message to the people who fit that description, it would be this: Pick more interesting music. This goes to the Irish punks especially. There are literally a thousand or more punk bands claiming the irish ethos as their own. You don't have to listen to them all! They aren't all good! So, if you must listen to music about drinking and fighting, go for the Jameson, not the Black Velvet. First, if you haven't done so already, check out the Pogues, and then at this point you might as well listen to Dropkick Murphys. Got that? I think you're ready for some other gems too.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-51414983235812350982010-06-17T16:29:00.002-04:002010-06-17T17:45:44.585-04:00Mystery Team<a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/60a3/MysteryTeam.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 450px; height: 253px;" src="http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/60a3/MysteryTeam.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>For my final rental from Blockbuster, I'm enjoying <em>Mystery Team</em>, <a href="http://www.derrickcomedy.com/videos/">Derrick's Comedy</a>'s 2009 movie about 3 high school seniors who've never outgrown their childhood hobby of solving kiddie mysteries. In attempting to regain their lost favor, they take on a murder case. Hilarity, I assume, ensues. I'm about a quarter of the way through, but so far, so good. <br /><br />In my opinion, Derrick Comedy is the new Lonely Island, Donald Glover is the new Andy Samberg, and <em>Mystery Team</em> is their <em>Hot Rod</em>. <br /><br />Also, did you know there was a Betty-White-SNL-esque facebook (and other social network) campaign to get Donald Glover an audition to be the next Spider Man? Well, there is. And I approve. And <a href="http://splashpage.mtv.com/2010/06/09/stan-lee-donald-glover-spider-man-casting-campaign/">so does Stan Lee</a>.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-81593781628369970462010-06-16T21:27:00.007-04:002010-06-16T21:57:05.185-04:00Espionage<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NcrwY1OTL23rO7yPaws2_gQw2jo4uKjH0a7ctvyj_mOZ7eQMLJHtB_ozUPU8MglpPXVcJPlj9IFddSiDuTabqn9F6pIQY2UT7D_yBWEhyJgrVWCQqA5krYWDBcqfHQZf_Yr9PHFOUo4/s1600/missionimpossible.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NcrwY1OTL23rO7yPaws2_gQw2jo4uKjH0a7ctvyj_mOZ7eQMLJHtB_ozUPU8MglpPXVcJPlj9IFddSiDuTabqn9F6pIQY2UT7D_yBWEhyJgrVWCQqA5krYWDBcqfHQZf_Yr9PHFOUo4/s320/missionimpossible.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483548485515308962" /></a> According to my iPod I have 8,345 songs available to me at any moment. So I consider it a severe improbability that the Shuffle function would ever play the 3 instrumental tracks out of a possible maybe 20 instrumental tracks I might have in a matter of twenty minutes. And yet it happened today. Okay, okay, I get it. Shuffle works in mysterious ways. But it just so happens all three would be perfect for urgent, aggressive, espionage scenes.
<br />
<br />First up, Green Day's "Espionage," complete with surf guitar and just the right amount of horns. This was apparently recorded for one of the A<span style="font-style:italic;">ustin Powers'</span> movies, but you can also find it on the B-Side album <span style="font-style:italic;">Shenanigans</span>. <div align="center"><style type="text/css"> @import url(http://skreemr.org/styles/embed.css);</style><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><TR> <TD WIDTH="16" CLASS="sk-topleft"><IMG style="padding:0;border:0;" SRC="http://skreemr.org/images/corner-topleft.gif"/></TD> <TD CLASS="sk-toprow">Green Day - Espionage</TD> <TD WIDTH="16" CLASS="sk-topright"><IMG style="padding:0;border:0;" SRC="http://skreemr.org/images/corner-topright.gif"/></TD></tr><TR VALIGN="MIDDLE"> <TD WIDTH="16" CLASS="sk-lightleft3"/> <TD CLASS="sk-lightback3"> <embed class="SkreemRPlayer" wmode="transparent" style="height:24px;width:290px;" src="http://skreemr.org/audio/player.swf" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="290" height="24" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="playerID=1&bg=0xCDDFF3&leftbg=0x357DCE&lefticon=0xF2F2F2&rightbg=0xF06A51&rightbghover=0xAF2910&righticon=0xF2F2F2&righticonhover=0xFFFFFF&text=0x357DCE&slider=0x357DCE&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0xFFFFFF&loader=0xAF2910&soundFile=http://dreammedia.ru/music/Green_Day/Shenanigans/Green_Day%20-%20Espionage.mp3"></embed> <img style="padding:0;border:0;vertical-align:bottom" src="http://skreemr.org/images/skreemr_logo_small_name_only.png"/> </td> <TD WIDTH="16" CLASS="sk-lightright3"/></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="16"><IMG style="padding:0;border:0;" SRC="http://skreemr.org/images/corner-bottomleft.gif"></TD><TD CLASS="sk-bottomrow">Found at <a href="http://skreemr.org/link.jsp?id=625E4A5D575A6110&source=embed">skreemr.org</a></TD><TD WIDTH="16"><IMG style="padding:0;border:0;" SRC="http://skreemr.org/images/corner-bottomright.gif"></TD></TR></table></div>
<br />Then there's MxPx, with "The Theme Fiasco," which I'm positive was written with spies in mind. Heavy on the bass.
<br />(I could only find the live album version, but it's good) <object width="300" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=21542412&style=metal&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=21542412&style=metal&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /> </object>
<br />
<br />And finally, Everclear's "El Distorto de Melodica," which, I'll admit, was probably not written with spy movies in mind. But, if you imagine Jason Bourne bum rushing a terrorist compound while listening to this track nothing will seem out of place.
<br /><object width="300" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=21542432&style=metal&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="300" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=21542432&style=metal&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /> </object>
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<br />Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-15927172889150704992010-06-16T20:57:00.004-04:002010-06-16T21:25:00.810-04:00RIP Blockbuster<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGimoTBAcIJ0P5hXVJ6Bqitw1TZzHk97TAJb5mx6X2pkWD2Tr0XtgQz65mp3g40yiNl3yZwnDQ_-zIg1HYtbjmQ6cqjU85G8zbTYjXzFt7u4tMGni3BRzJkSLO7mCxxfylWk2OsC0KmQ8/s1600/blockbuster.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGimoTBAcIJ0P5hXVJ6Bqitw1TZzHk97TAJb5mx6X2pkWD2Tr0XtgQz65mp3g40yiNl3yZwnDQ_-zIg1HYtbjmQ6cqjU85G8zbTYjXzFt7u4tMGni3BRzJkSLO7mCxxfylWk2OsC0KmQ8/s320/blockbuster.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483540670463207042" /></a><br />The Wall Street Journal announced this week that Blockbuster Video is <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/06/15/pull-the-curtains-on-blockbuster.aspx">attempting to secure debtor-in-processing financing</a>, which is the final step a company takes before filing for bankruptcy. For some this will come as a surprise, but not to those of us in Philadelphia's outer suburbs where Blockbuster locations have been disappearing seemingly overnight for a while, and especially not for me.<br /><br />Here in Blockbuster's final days it would seem I represent the only demographic hanging on to hope that the company survives, and here's why: I am a member of Blockbuster Total Access and self-admitted gamer. The advantage BTA has had over Netflix is that it gives members the ability to exchange their mailed movies for in-store movies for free and without it counting as a rental. My particular plan has allowed me to rent and subsequently exchange 3 movies a month PLUS a free video game rental every month. In total, I was getting a game and six movies by only spending $10.59 a month for services that would otherwise have cost me around $35. My costs were covered even if I only watched one movie and rented one video game.<br /><br />For a while at college it seemed a small price to pay to drive to the next town for my rentals after the local store closed up shop. Then I graduated and moved back home where I had my pick of Blockbuster stores to exchange in and rent games. The first real store closing that affected me at home came more than 2 years later when the Blockbuster near Ashley's house at the Berlin Circle in New Jersey closed. It was a common spot for us to rent movies while at her place. I thought nothing of it. Several months later they came for my local PA Blockbuster in Springfield, a sure sign that I'd soon be migrating to Netflix, but not quite yet. There was still the Blockbuster on Route 3 which was convenient to visit on my commutes to and from work. Until this week, that is. Now my closest option is in an out of the way neighborhood I'd rather not go to, but even that I'm sure is on its way out. So long, Blockbuster!<br /><br />Is this the last we've seen of Blockbuster? I doubt it. Rumor is they'll be back with a kiosk style business plan similar to the Red Box, but by then Netflix will own the bulk of the market. It's a shame, too, Blockbuster's inability to stay afloat and dynamic in the technologically changing rental market, because regardless of their lack of leadership the name "Blockbuster" will always be seen as a pioneer.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-25781548581935052992010-06-16T10:45:00.003-04:002010-06-16T10:52:47.260-04:00Best Ramones Songs?<a href="http://johnnyramone.wikispaces.com/file/view/ramones_logo%5B1%5D.jpg/50229669/ramones_logo%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://johnnyramone.wikispaces.com/file/view/ramones_logo%5B1%5D.jpg/50229669/ramones_logo%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Paste attempts the impossible by listing the <a href="http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/06/the-10-best-ramones-songs-of-all-time.html">10 Best Ramones Songs of All Time</a>. <br /><br />To me this is more a list of the most important songs to hear if you're new to the Ramones. Besides, without Dee Dee's "Warthog" it can't be a "Best Of" list. A nice attempt nonetheless.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-67111689370036349032010-05-07T20:40:00.001-04:002010-05-07T20:41:57.979-04:00Rambocky<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mJqr6Nzl-b8MuWEPysEjQJ3VZLbvKF7ufpUNkvcuo4hjS8zwrcqCoL3LIs3_AqRvSl6rO98CW2HBzg1Ew72g7S6cPmyfazfZ2MQdf_qE6dpPf0tvCorxiAQuCGgJ-BhtQ8rjrZfPUMs/s1600/Picture+4.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2mJqr6Nzl-b8MuWEPysEjQJ3VZLbvKF7ufpUNkvcuo4hjS8zwrcqCoL3LIs3_AqRvSl6rO98CW2HBzg1Ew72g7S6cPmyfazfZ2MQdf_qE6dpPf0tvCorxiAQuCGgJ-BhtQ8rjrZfPUMs/s320/Picture+4.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468692718276064306" /></a>Wawa Records and Filmed Entertainment presents Rambocky, starring Philly Boy Roy and Patton Oswalt. <br /><br />See it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRzW6b_67Mw">HERE</a>.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-23129381590104106762010-05-07T20:13:00.005-04:002010-05-07T20:19:18.659-04:00Rojo Johnson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsvnJZ9aNGKBhNP7ywxiLpjd8e9NSBRLMUP6NgR4zkSOdRqZhbtA5rOMRa0RTQEzKgPROen9arTzlAw4RKGXko6YW-JihrVsykv5hHiYvq_LM4ODie9nEYdjJ4S5LgaO7OH9NwE7sw7c/s1600/Picture+2.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsvnJZ9aNGKBhNP7ywxiLpjd8e9NSBRLMUP6NgR4zkSOdRqZhbtA5rOMRa0RTQEzKgPROen9arTzlAw4RKGXko6YW-JihrVsykv5hHiYvq_LM4ODie9nEYdjJ4S5LgaO7OH9NwE7sw7c/s320/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468685824949672418" /></a>Earlier in the week: <blockquote>"The Round Rock Express have acquired Billy Ray "Rojo" Johnson... Johnson, who was born in East Texas but was raised in Venezuela, recently had his prison sentence commuted. He served time for running a smuggling ring that imported rare and illegal species of reptiles into the United States from South America during the mid-to-late 1990s." </blockquote>Pitcher Rojo Johnson made his minor league debut for the Round Rock Express last night. Astonishingly, he threw only one pitch before being chased out of the ballpark. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHlFA_bDkI&feature=player_embedded">Just watch</a>.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-22945845704310367512010-05-07T20:01:00.003-04:002010-05-07T20:07:12.010-04:00'Nem Tasers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPAfDqgYBfwbXuQF9paDUahscSZipoASML6tlmUibE8AKrrXNn2d_lX560lOQ_1Vb-aXhKfEqbw0UrRxcRMt1KG0eGOHje-U68h1xFOxAzg6uZQ6Sb2rmLP_ImFFPMtb6hQUb29WHfCE/s1600/phillyboyroy275.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEPAfDqgYBfwbXuQF9paDUahscSZipoASML6tlmUibE8AKrrXNn2d_lX560lOQ_1Vb-aXhKfEqbw0UrRxcRMt1KG0eGOHje-U68h1xFOxAzg6uZQ6Sb2rmLP_ImFFPMtb6hQUb29WHfCE/s320/phillyboyroy275.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468683050118994722" /></a> On this week's Best Show on WFMU, "Philly Boy" Roy Ziegler had a chance to react publicly to the week's news about his son running around Citizens Bank Park and eventually being tasered into submission. <br /><br />TO hear it, click <a href="http://www.wfmu.org/flashplayer.php?version=2&show=35666&archive=60554">HERE</a>, and skip to 22:15.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-48603373682411953722010-05-03T21:34:00.003-04:002010-05-03T21:43:07.590-04:00WDW Lines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusrO4QcuK8QsmOuaOvn5fUr9jb13wVDgkzmHu6P0GB1y9NP6m1urKjJfLnn-axysYe_4i0WaOyfLc-sKP1Y781OQ8hMkc1zuFtD9NxjT6rVU8CciRp6EZnDHvrJlYJfS0OQIo0MvGeE4/s1600/34177-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusrO4QcuK8QsmOuaOvn5fUr9jb13wVDgkzmHu6P0GB1y9NP6m1urKjJfLnn-axysYe_4i0WaOyfLc-sKP1Y781OQ8hMkc1zuFtD9NxjT6rVU8CciRp6EZnDHvrJlYJfS0OQIo0MvGeE4/s320/34177-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467222587520015810" /></a> Another option for wait time application, assuming you think you need one (and I do), is WDW Lines by touringplans.com. This program is different than Ride Hopper because it accepts user-submitted wait times, but encourages people not to use them. Instead, their primary attraction wait time program was built using thousands of statistical data points and models, using over 10 years of park history. This program is specific to Disney World while Ride Hopper is not, and also includes suggestions for parks to avoid on any given day. I assume this will be the more accurate application.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-66069026835014302532010-05-03T21:16:00.003-04:002010-05-03T21:28:11.174-04:00Ride Hopper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM7YRfrefZ9IZoMLwziVRxSwZUvhC0gPbQyDMFqhjNtVm6luZERaJHXJY5gx6PSwhNZxGw-ntNxvSM640Bb1naapWpB0Cv0de5i8SuH9EjqoXes66b11cCIDTvQU06LavgbWHJSYuY5U/s1600/1649917600225988310_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM7YRfrefZ9IZoMLwziVRxSwZUvhC0gPbQyDMFqhjNtVm6luZERaJHXJY5gx6PSwhNZxGw-ntNxvSM640Bb1naapWpB0Cv0de5i8SuH9EjqoXes66b11cCIDTvQU06LavgbWHJSYuY5U/s320/1649917600225988310_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467218333972700370" /></a> Ride Hopper is an Android app I intend on trying out in Disney World next week. It's a multi-park tool that allows people touring those parks to submit wait times for rides. To prevent anyone from submitting false times from their couch at home, the program uses your phone's GPS to verify that you are in the same zip code as the park you're submitting a time for. <br /><br />Seems useful, but I'm thinking that user-submitted data may be too small a cross section to really be accurate. We'll see.Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1464887289436418237.post-60696298676447611032010-05-02T16:33:00.005-04:002010-05-02T16:42:13.814-04:00Hard to Handle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVaXZUJnKN-8eFsHKaqulRM1pquY8TtkY0nMEmDxXAwbqIY4NsXqxVh-stYWXZ3ndlUveOl-YCjFtfXLk5FIhXKSxYXOQV4omCl-YE7Z9H8aBidwXFJUJJnxzy0N5jr1qsA5WnIjiCpw/s1600/FRONT.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfVaXZUJnKN-8eFsHKaqulRM1pquY8TtkY0nMEmDxXAwbqIY4NsXqxVh-stYWXZ3ndlUveOl-YCjFtfXLk5FIhXKSxYXOQV4omCl-YE7Z9H8aBidwXFJUJJnxzy0N5jr1qsA5WnIjiCpw/s320/FRONT.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466773765316349266" /></a>I heard Otis Redding's original version of the song "Hard to Handle" on XPN a few days ago and ignorantly thought to myself, "this is such a great cover of the Black Crowes' song." It was an ignorant thing to think for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Redding has been dead since 1967. So to honor the man, let's all listen to the song that sparked this post and make a pact to be music snobs together and point out to anyone listening to the Black Crowes that arguably their biggest and only hit is the one they didn't write.
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<br />Tim Killeen http://www.blogger.com/profile/09306683829056426370noreply@blogger.com0