Soccer Breakdown

I pieced this together from a clip on the Dan Patrick Show. This is Gary Miller from ESPN back in the day with "Soccer Breakdown." Some of the funniest audio I know of. Check it out...

Funny Story Involving a Monster

So, as Aiden is approaching is 2nd birthday, his imagination is growing and growing. The last week he's been convinced that a monster lives under the bed (and that it has a basketball...I think he's a point guard).

I've been playing along a little and rustling the sheets and he is both in love with and afraid of this monster. He frequently requests "More Monster!" when we're upstairs playing but sometimes he looks at me and says "Scary!"

Last night, Lindsay's cat Nax (aka - spawn of satan) decided to pay us a visit in the middle of the night. He's been quarantined in Lindsay's room because he's got an infection from a catfight he got in and isn't supposed to be around Aiden for a while. He pushed the door open and jumped up on my nightstand, but unbeknowst the him the nightstand was full of alarm clock, white noise machine, cell phone, and various baby hygiene products. With nowhere to land, he shot himself right onto by back and arm, scratching me quite a bit and in the process tumbling items onto the floor. The combination of noise and pain roused me very quickly and there may have been a couple of non-choice words directed towards the cat - which woke Aiden up and in his mind the only possibility for this occurance must be "BIG MONSTER, BIG MONSTER, BIG MONSTER!"

It's very funny today, not as much last night though...

Summer Dance Jams

I'm not sure what it is about the summer, but this time of year the only way I feel comfortable doing chores or barbecuing in the back yard is with some serious dance jams on in the background. Here are three of my recent favorite albums for movin' and groovin', guaranteed to make you forget you're scrubbing the toilet or mowing the lawn.

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

The first track, Lisztomania, is such sweet sunshiny goodness, I heard when Kevin Bacon heard it, he stopped what he was doing, kicked his car and just broke out dancing right there in the middle of a field...wait...that was, nevermind.

Anyway, it starts there keeps on going until track 4, Love Like a Sunset (Parts I & II), where it slows down a little bit, giving you some time to catch your breath. Lasso follows that though, and brings the bpm back up and continues through the final song.

Matt & Kim - Grand

I met Matt & Kim at the Doug Fir a couple of years ago when they were opening for somebody (Whoever it was couldn't have been that good, cuz I remember Matt & Kim, but not them). They're a super energetic duo with Kim rocking (and I mean rocking) the drums and Matt on the keyboard and running some digital loops.

I'd forgotten about them for a while until the other night I was watching tv and caught a voice I recognized on a Bacardi commercial. Sure enough, it was Matt of Matt & Kim. The song was Daylight, and it's track 1 on their new album. This might be a little too experimental for some folks out there, but I promise if you give it a chance, you'll be glad you did.

PS - they'll be playing the Hawthorn Theater on September 2nd and I'm definitely going to put my dancing shoes on and check it out (a sight not too be missed, I assure you).

Discovery - LP

The keyboardist from Vampire Weekend and a guy who plays something in Ra Ra Riot put together a sound that's a mix between techno, today's R & B hits and something else I can't really figure out. I like it! It's like if the Postal Service added T-Pain (of "I'm on a Boat" fame, for all of you non hip-hop peeps out there) to the production crew.

If Matt & Kim was a little too much discovery for you, Discovery will be way too much...but c'mon folks, let's get outside of our comfort zones a little here and get our groove on!!!

Blog on Blogs

Adam introduced me to an extremely funny blog called Tremendous News and I wanted to share it with you all (you all being my wife and potentially one other person who was really looking for Justin Timberlake's blog), then I realized I would be blogging about a blog...but seeing as how much of each day is spent on these various time-wasting sites and activities, that's all I really have to share about today anyway, unless you'd like to hear about the current international container drayage rates in the Pacific Northwest...

Movie Review - Coraline 3D

Brooke & I went to see Coraline in 3D on Saturday and I give it a BE- (Best Ever Minus). The Rating Breakdown system is listed down at the bottom so you can have some context.

Coraline is based upon a novella by Neil Gaiman who, if you're unfamiliar with his work, is the king of weird. About once every 15 minutes of the film I found myself asking, "Where does he come up with this stuff?" Although the film adaptation isn't completely true to the text, much of the plot and all but one of the characters do come from the original work.

If you pride yourself on being an independent person (especially of the female persuasion), you'll identify immediately with the title character as she explores and smart-allecks her way into the beginning of the story. Anyone who ever felt (or feels) like their parents weren't any fun, or always had to work and pretty much that world was against you on any given day, will find a kindred spirit in Coraline.

After moving into a new apartment in Ashland, OR with her parents, Coraline begins exploring and meeting all of the peculiar residents, including a former Russian gymnast-turned circus mouse trainer and two ancient and slightly senile stars of the silver screen. She also discovers a doorway that leads to an alter-universe that's very similar to her own, but fun and cool in all the ways that her other world is dull and boring.

This is the first full-length film by Laika, a new Portland based studio owned by Phil Knight...but I won't hold that against them:) The 3D version was amazingly beautiful and if you're up for paying the extra $3, I'd highly recommend it. The film is definitely scarier than I would have thought though, so I'd say any sensitive kids under 10 years old might get a little freaked out at times. I know I was squeezing my popcorn bag pretty tightly at some points...

All in all, give it a spin.

HDWE- (Hands Down Worst Ever Minus) eg. Spice Girls the Movie
HDWE (Hands Down Worst Ever) eg. Battlefield Earth
HDWE+ (Hands Down Worst Ever Plus) eg. Urban Legends 2
WE- (Worst Ever Minus) - eg. Boat Trip
WE (Worst Ever) - eg. Water World
WE+ (Worst Ever +) - eg. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
OK- (Okay Minus) - eg. Pearl Harbor
OK (Okay) - eg. 50 First Dates
OK+ (Okay Plus) - eg. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
BE- (Best Ever Minus) - eg. The Matrix
BE (Best Ever) - eg. Oceans Eleven
BE+ (Best Ever Plus) - eg. Amelie
HDBE- (Hands Down Best Ever Minus) - eg. High Fidelity
HDBE (Hands Down Best Ever) - eg. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
HDBE+ (Hands Down Best Ever Plus) - eg. Fight Club

Things to do before I die

I was working on my list of 100 pieces of classical literature I need to read, and I can across a very motivated person who had that list as a sub-list of his "Things to do before I die". I thought that was extremely ambitious, and seeing as how I like to think of myself as an ambitious person, here's my list (in no particular order).

Finish reading my top 100 pieces of literature
Run (and finish) the Boston Marathon
Coach my sons/daughters little league/pee wee football/basketball team
Hike a large portion of the Pacific Crest Trail
Get a Masters Degree (in something, I don't really care what:)
Climb Mt Hood
Relive our Panamanian Honeymoon
See a Tottenham vs Arsenal game at White Hart Lane
Be at a Cubs World Series Game (I really have no control over this one though, so if it doesn't happen, it's not my fault...blame the goat)
Roast a whole pig
Visit Ireland

If there's anything you think should be on my list that's glaringly missing, feel free to share.

Top 100 (and 5) 90s Alternative Rock Tracks

Here it is, in no particular order. I put these together to make a playlist for myself, and Ian Taylor said it was worth putting out there for everyone else to see. Feel free to share any of your favorites that may be missing...I did limit the number of tracks from any one artist to five, so I wasn't listening to the same band too much on the list.

Man, those were good years!

Song		Artist
Smells Like Teen Spirit		Nirvana
Creep		Radiohead
Under The Bridge		Red Hot Chili Peppers
Wonderwall		Oasis
Plush		Stone Temple Pilots
Black Hole Sun		Soundgarden
Heart Shaped Box		Nirvana
Say it Ain't So		Weezer
Lightning Crashes		Live
Everlong		Foo Fighters
Good		Better Than Ezra
Low		Cracker
Lithium		Nirvana
Even Flow		Pearl Jam
Possum Kingdom		The Toadies
Today		Smashing Pumpkins
Santa Monica		Everclear
Monkey Wrench		Foo Fighters
I Stay Away		Alice in Chains
Loser		Beck
Song 2		Blur
She Shines		Gren
Everythings Zen		Bush
December		Collective Soul
Stickshifts and Safetybelts		Cake
Lump		Presidents of the United States
She		Green Day
Jane Says		Janes Addiction
Karma Police		Radiohead
My Friends		Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tomorrow		Silverchair
Landslide		Smashing Pumpkins
Creep		Stone Temple Pilots
Plowed		Sponge
Hagfish		Stamp
Undone		Weezer
Glycerine		Bush
Far Behind		Candlebox
Mr Jones		Counting Crows
Teen Angst		Cracker
Novocaine for the Soul		Eels
Stutter		Elastica
Stars		HUM
Champagne Supernova		Oasis
Come as you are		Nirvana
Better Man		Pearl Jam
Disarm		Smashing Pumpkins
Interstate Love Song		Stone Temple Pilots
Sucked Out		Superdrag
Bittersweet Symphony		The Verve
One Headlight		The Wallflowers
Zombie		The Cranberries
Away		The Toadies
Hunger Strike		Temple of the Dog
Where It's At		Beck
The Distance		Cake
Long December		Counting Crows
I Got a Girl		Daisy Tripping
Numb		U2
Buddy Holly		Weezer
Tonight, Tonight		Smashing Pumpkins
Popular		Nada Surf
Name		Goo Goo Dolls
Basket Case		Green Day
Been Caught Stealin'		Janes Addiction
No Excuses		Alice in Chains
Brick		Ben Folds Five
Nine Inch Nails		Closer
Hey Jealousy		Gin Blossoms
Pixies		Here Comes Your Man
Alive		Pearl Jam
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand		Primitive Radio Gods
High & Dry		Radiohead
Spoonman		Soundgarden
In the Meantime		Spacehog
What I Got		Sublime
If you could only see		Tonic
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me		U2
Seether		Veruca Salt
Counting Blue Cars		Dishwalla
Jeremy		Pearl Jam
Don't Look Back in Anger		Oasis
Bullet with Butterfly Wings		Smashing Pumpkins
El Scorcho		Weezer
Hero		Foo Fighters
Special		Garbage
Bohemian Like You		Dandy Warhols
Shine		Collective Soul
Pepper		Butthole Surfers
No Rain		Blind Melon
Machinehead		Bush
I Alone		Live
In Bloom		Nirvana
Misery		Soul Asylum
Found out about you		Gin Blossoms
Molly		Sponge
Iris		Goo Goo Dolls
Carnival		Natalie Merchant
You		Candlebox
Peaches		Presidents of the United States
Pets		Porno for Pyros
Linger		The Cranberries
The Middle		Jimmy Eat World
Tubthumping		Chumbawamba
Fly		Sugar Ray
I'd Walk		Proclaimers