This is a post from the Wii!

 
Sup, dudes!
As you can see, or at least infer, I am writing this from the Wii!
Pretty awesome, no?
A useless function to be sure, but it sure does make me feel special!

Happy New Year! See you all in '07.

Real Quick, Guys

Here's a real fast update from your embedded reporter out here in the great state of Indiana.

Right now, I feel like a zepplin in hot pants. All the eating that has ensued over the past couple of days has swelled my mid section. One would have thought - or rather, ardently hoped that tall the Wii-ing would have counter-acted this situation.
Sadly, this is not the case. I think I am going to have to do some push-ups, or something, as soon as I get back to Ann Arbor.

The Wii is pretty fantastic, I will be honest. I have mostly been playing Wii-sports, but the Zelda game is also great and I cannot wait to explore the other possibilities. Im with my cousin Phil, the P-Man himself, and his homie Brain along with Phil's main squeeze Susie-poo. I mention this because we were in the Midst of a Wii-party, until me and Suse left for food and the guys tried to connect the Wii to the internet.
This was a mistake. The Wii has been doing some kind of software update for the better part of two hours.
Another note about the Wii. It has the ability to bring people who are completely un-interested in gaming into a video game. My cousin Paul, and his brother Matthew (who is also my cousin) played a great amount of Wii themselves in the past few days. This is surprising to say the least. Kudos, Nintendo!

Im trucking back to MI tomorrow. Hopefully, on the early side of the day.

Lots more to say, but it will all become a non-sensical babble.
Oh! We passed 100 posts to this blog not long ago! Hoo-ray! I did not think that I would maintain a continued interest in this whole blogging thing when I began all this!

Merry XMas, Kids.

Here's a short poem from all of us here in CHRISTMAS LAND.

Guess who got a Wii?
It was not you!
But it was me!

Merry Christmas to Mii.


---

Things are well here in the house of Eddy. Me and the Geschwesters are all having a blast on our various electronic entertainment devices. Hope the holidays are treating everyone well!
Tomorrow we begin the journey southward to the great state of Indiana - which is as much a state of the union as it is a state of being. Bucephalus will accompany me on this trip, and I will be retunring no later than the 29th.
If you are in the Ann Arbor area come that time, look mii up for some GOOD NINTENDO TIMES.

(Oh man, the new Black Keys album is awesome)

In the Spirit of the Season

Im doing this for two reasons:

1. There was some interest in my Zoroastrianism paper. Some people did, in fact, want to read it! Those poor deluded fools.

2. I want to try out some of the new features of google, and blogger's integration with said features.

In the spirit of giving:

Yezers and Mainyus

The Reports Are In - I am Still Fantastic

I don't care if I was going around being all "oh man oh man I am going to fail oh man goodbye gradschool, hello panhandling oh man oh man," I knew I was gravy. I was just trying to throw off the odds so I could make a tremendous profit with my bookie. Here's the breakdown:

ACABS 393 - Zoroastrianism - A
I guess my 10-page paper turned out alright!

ENG 223 - Creative Writing - A
Oh man, maybe I am not a totally terrible writer!

ENG 305 - Intro to Modern English - B
DO YOU SEE THIS? THIS IS THE UP-SET OF THE CENTURY. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO FAIL THIS CLASS.

ENG 383 - Jew Lit - ???
Im a little nervous here. I did very well on the first exam and alright on the first paper. The second exam was very stressful, but the second paper was alright. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how I did here.

HIST 318 - Europe 1870 - 1945 - P
P for PASS because I AM AMAZING. It was as very good class, and I did very (very) well on both exams, so I feel like a fool for taking it pass/fail.

Here's to hoping I get the classes I want for next semester!

Im Done!

Here's what I am learning from having sat on this couch and watched the SPIKE channel for 5 hours.

1. Star Trek Voyager is a very over-wrought show. The characters are one-dimensional, the plots are predictable, and the actors go about their job with the same subtlety of a man on fire wielding a sledgehammer.

2. Star Trek Voyager is a very entertaining show. I would say second only to DS9, which I remember fondly, though it was probably pretty terrible.

3. CSI is good for exactly 10 minutes. Possibly 15 minutes. However long it takes them to locate, dig up, and do the lab work on the corpse - that is exactly how long the entertainment of CSI lasts for. The rest is complete crap.

4. The music in CSI is trying so hard to be hip, and with it.

5. I want to kill the sound-track editor on CSI.

---

I finished all my exams yesterday. Today, I turned in my Zoroastrianism paper. I don't know how the tests went, I don't know what to think about my paper. I'm hopeful, that is for sure!

I've been enjoying the blogs of the internet as of late, and I figure that I should try to get more regular with my updates. We'll just see how that goes.

See? I am getting better!

Free Audio Book!

iTunes required for download. It's the full 6-hour abridged version of John Hodgman's book, "The Areas of my Expertiese."

John Hodgman sound familiar? Here, we can do some priming to get the correct response out of you.

"Hi, I'm a Mac."

"And I'm a __________"

(John Hodgman, portrayer of the PC on Television, noted author, humorist and blogger)

HEY!

You'll notice that some things are missing from the blog site, namely the cool stuff that I added to the sidebar. That was done in the old Blogger. The old blogger is dead, long live the new blogger.

I'm trying out the new interface that blogger has. Looks good so far. I really like the ease of editing, and what appears to be some kind of tagging system. I'd like to see more integration with Journler - my blogging app of choice, though I suppose that is up to the developer.

It's also interesting that Blogger is still resisting the Social Networking thang. If I want to read a blogger blog regularly, I have to go to it often or check it in my RSS FeedReeder (NetNewsWire Lite (I am cheap)). It's probably a good move on their part, as it does differentiate them from 'the pack,' as it were, and give Blogger a some kind of "legitimacy" which LiveJournal lacks.

He's Still Not Done?

Max! Max! Are you back to normal yet?

What? No. Leave me alone, Im writing about ancient Jews.

But it's Christmas!

Is it? Crap. Well, I still have to finish writing about these 3000 year old Iranians.

I thought you said they were Jews.

Look, 2006 Year-End Resolution #14 was "Stop talking to myself so much." So take a hike, jack.

---

Things are almost done. Really, almost. I finished two exams today (two hours each, solid block from 1:30 - 6), and the paper is now due tomorrow (thank God!), so I'm really, really, almost there.

I'll be glad when this semester is over.

Anyway, here's some things that I have been meaning to blog about for a while now. Since I am taking a short break before going back to looking up things in the Encyclopedia Judaica.

The Uncle Tuepelo Shop - This is basically for Mike, I guess.

And here's a video that was completely un-like the movies I saw at this years Lightworks - the student film festival, in that this movie is not awful.

WILL IT BLEND!?

That is the question!

Will-it-blend-dot-com

Things are generally improving. The semester is officially over, but I have two more exams and one very long paper yet to do. And the Gargoyle - can't ever forget the Gargoyle.

More updates as soon as I don't feel guilty about not working on school-related things.

Hello Hello Hello!

Well, here's what happened. I got pretty dang sick when I got back from Indiana - this really set me back in my school work. I've been trying to catch up for somet time, and I am just starting to get back on top of things.

Re: XMAS: Please, someone buy me This
Re: PRIZES: They'll be sent out soon! Hopefully, before the Holidays!
Re: GARGOYLE: The 2nd issue is done, and the third issue should be finished up by early January.

Hopefully I'll be able to start making more regular posts.

In the meantime, enjoy this awesome video that my main man KEITH made while driving back to DC.

Submitted For Your Approval: CLAIRE

Here's the lady of moment CLAIRE BARKER!

Please enjoy, she is quite lovely. I like her.

People have asked me if Claire has found this whole exercise creepy. The answer is, 'hopefully not.'

Announcing the Nobel Prize for Awesome!

ATTENTION ATTENTION!

After taking Claire out to see popular film Borat this evening, the winners were finalized!

First and foremost, thank you everyone for participating. It was a lot of fun for me, especially since I figured that no one would enter at all!

And let me say again that it was not at all easy to make this call. I have agonized over it for several days (in between agonizing over homework things) but they're playing my song and I have to face the music.

Now, here's the entrants.

Each was fantastic in its own way. But at the end of the day, the winner is:

PHILLIP EDDY

Phillip chose a solid route with Laura Croft, but was able to present it in a truly unique way. Not only that, his well-worded witicisms pushed him over the edge and into the winner's circle. Sir, we salute you.

Phillip will receive his choice of grand prize! Either a Viking Stikfas action figure, or a bead and wire maze.

The four runners up are listed below, in no particular order.

1. Rob Eddy's "Claire Chicago : Girl of Danger" - With his first entry, Rob was a heavy contender and cinched it with his second. Rob, I am having a beauty mark attached as soon as I can.

2. Mary Everett's "Ah - ROMA!" - A latecomer, but surely a strong one. Combining elements of fast food and classical archaeology, Mary's work reveals the true great divider: the shovel

3. Julie Gillikin's "Max & Lady" - The first entrant to the contest set the bar very, very high. She brings the funk with some serious ol' skool flava.

4. Barbara Ratner's "Maxine" - In what I think to be Post-Modernism, Barbara's submission stood on it's own as something truly awesome.

And in a stunning upset the two Eddy Children will receive special "Judge's Choice" awards. These two broke away from the competition and captured the true essence of the competition. Miles created the only 100% computer-generated submission, in the true tradition of his brother, with MS-Paint. Julia's was the only completely hand-drawn real media submission, setting her (like her brother) into a separate category. Kudos, you two! Shine on, you crazy diamonds!

The Runners up will receive an Ikea rat and octopus - ADORABLE!
In addition to that, the two Judges Choice winners will receive special judges choice awards!

Thank you all for participating! The next contest will involve Allen Ginsberg and Norm Abrams in someway!

ATTENTION ATTENTION!
Stay tuned for pictures of the REAL Claire come Wednesday!

Awesome Sins!

In what I hope to make a regular feature on this blogmachine, I present to you my first recorded AWESOME SIN.

Last night, my friends and I planned to go to the movies. A Shot In The Dark was playing at the Michigan Theatre and I knew that I would be hungry by the end of the movie. I stopped in at the White Market and grabbed some vittles - I was out of food anyway.

Now, one of my (many) secret shames is a particular fondness for canned, jellied, cranberry sauce. At some point in my youth, it ceased to be just a seasonal indulgence. With the knowledge that it was available all year round, I occasionally bought (and consumed) whole cans at all odd times of the year. As a child, it was difficult to finish an entire can - I often got sick of it after half a can.

Cut to 10 years later, and me standing in the White Market. I know that I will want a snack to take with me. I know I'll be breaking the rules - so I might as well go all out.

We arrive a few minutes late for the movie (thankfully, before the opening animation). As soon as the musical titles begin, I whip out my can opener. I've got the thing open before the producers are listed. Even though I've brought three clean spoons, my friends are disgusted by the idea of eating it straight out of the can. I dine alone, but very satisfied.

Biblical Sins: Gluttony
Societal Sins: Taking "outside food" to the theatre
Absolution: Recycled the can

STATUS: ABSOLVED

While You Wait

The deliberations continue. It really is a lot harder than I expected, and I appreciated your continued interest as the contest enters it's final stage. In the meantime, please enjoy this movie I made last year.

I took the NASA animation and added some music and sound effects to make it a little more palitable. It's not funny or really imaginative, I just like space ships.

THE CONTEST IS OVER

Ok, so I missed announcing the end of the contest, but that is just because I am so postmodern. Also, because I got about 5 submissions after the end of the contest.

So, it's over now.

But when will the winner be announced!? The plebeians are clamoring at the gates and demand an answer! Well, here's how it's going to work. Claire and I will review all of the submissions based on the single criteria of "AWESOME. "

The official winners will be announced no later than Tuesday. Everything gets done on Tuesday.

When we began this great and noble project I initially thought that it would be incredibly easy to pick the winner(s). But, now that we're nearing the end, I have no idea (honestly!) who the winner will be.

It's been a lot of fun doing this and I hope you will all wait with baited breath for the WINNERS.

Contest Enters Final Week!

Yesterday marked the beginning of the last week of the Design Max's Girlfriend competition. The competition is rough, and making a decision will be no easy task.

If you have been aching to enter this contest but have, for whatever personal reason, remained a FENCE SITTER than I beg you, in the words of a great American, "Mr. Gorbochev, tear down this [fence]."

Also the Gargoyle is done! My first entirely original issue as editor came back on-time and under-budget today at 6am! We're also making some money, we still need about $1,200 to break even, but that is a lot better than where we were last year.

Unrelatedly, I'm coming home to Troy tomorrow to vote. If you are in the TROY AREA, feel free to pursue me.

Design Contest Update

Hell, folks!
Well, we have a little under two weeks left for the DESIGN MAX'S GIRLFRIEND CONTEST and already 4 submissions are in. They're all looking great and I am pleasently surprised to see so many!

I'd like to point out that the contest is not just for my family members, but anyone that so feels inclined to participate.

In other news, I am sending the Gargoyle off to the printers tonight. Oh boy!

Keep the submissions rolling!

DESIGN MAX'S GIRLFRIEND CONTEST

In celebration of the raging speculation as to the identity of my lady-friend, I am declaring a contest.

It's the first annual "DESIGN MAX'S GIRLFRIEND CONTEST!"

Using your (yes, even you!) abilities of MS Paint, PhotoShop, Google, satire, literature or even gardening, create what you believe to the visage of the girl I am dating.

SUBMIT to me, through email or otherwise, your creation.
CREATIONS must be received on or before 11:59:59 pm on NOVEMBER 13, 2006.

One winner will receive a FABULOUS PRIZE (for real!)
Four runners up will receive PRIZES OF LESSER VALUE (but equally awesome)
EVERYONE will get a hug.

Here is the only information you are given:

1. Her name is "CLAIRE"
2. She is an ARCHAEOLOGIST
3. She lives in CHICAGO

That's it.
No design is too outlandish, no feelings will be hurt - no matter what! I swear!
NOW GO - GO AND MAKE FOR ME THE PERFECT WOMAN.

Water Damage - OH NO!

I got pretty freaked when I found some of my books wet today. They had been in the shelf, under the plants, next to the window, so I guess it was only a matter of time. No serious damage seems to have occurred, though some ink did run on a very handsome drawing and I am pretty bummed about that.
The problem is solved now, I moved everything to other shelves. But the balance of my room is all whacked now - I think the Chi in here is messed up royal now. I better suspend a red plant, facing east, in the north corner of my room's root chakra.

Classes are finally settling in, thought it might just be the post-midterm lull. I am hoping this is not the case, but I am open to the possibility. The magazine is what has really got me bummed right now. I am workin' pretty hard on it, but I am not sure that I will be able to make the deadline I had planned on. Changes may have to be made. I've also lost the support of some people within the Gargoyle - had some quittages. This is troubling not just for deadlines, but I am starting to worry about the WORKING DYNAMIC within the magazine itself. Again, changes may have to be made.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Today was the first day in a long time when I felt like I was really on top of things. Furthermore, I seem to have done pretty well in my classes so far. Here's the lineup:

Eng 305 - Intro to Modern English: Test Monday. Felt pretty good about it.
Eng 223 - Creative Writing: No exam. Poetry portfolio turned in last Wednesday.
Eng 383 - Jewish Literature: Paper last week, felt OK about it. Exam Nov. 8
Hist 318 - Euro History 1870-1945: Test and Paper over the past few weeks. Felt OK.
ACABS 393 - Zoroastrianism: Good grades on both quizzes.

Hopefully this trend will improve.
I also made spaghetti last night.
And I am involved with a very nice girl named Claire.

Yeah, things are pretty good.

They're Wrong

"They" say that you learn more about English grammar from taking a foreign language.
"They" are wrong.
I am doing the reading for my English class right now, and I am learning more about the grammar of my language than I did from 11-odd years of German.

HW Bush All At Sea

They named a giant chunk of impenetrable steel after him. How appropriate.

Update From The Land Down-Under Michigan

Hi ho, children of the internet.

I’m cooling my heels in Phil’s most fantastic apartment, drinking Dr. Pepper (prune flavored) froma 32oz plastic mug and watching his cat run laps back and forth like the dang little thing was on fire.

But what I want to say is that the concert was amazing. And it was.
However, the show featuring “America’s most exciting live rock band” (eg. Wilco) was marred by sadness and perhaps a little unease. It was reported to day in the Purdue Exponent that Jeff Tweedy’s mother passed away a few days before tonight’s concert – the beginning of their tour. After the worst opening band I have ever seen (6 guitar players doing some kind of spaced-out, cheap, irritating impression of The Sonic Youth, as heard through a coffee can, across a freeway) a black clad Tweedy took the stage.
Determined to carry the show, Tweedy plowed through several standards (and a few new tunes) with nary a word to the audience. When he finally spoke his distress was clear, his usual banter with the audience being marked with a kind of bitter sarcasm. Yet the show kicked into an even high gear right after, with the band launching into some of their most intricate songs.

The show featured several new songs, one of which was a debut (or a ‘de-butt’) for the band. These songs marked a notable departure from the almost avant-garde approach that the band has taken in recent years. A more rootsy, rocky element has entered their music proving that this band is far from stagnation. Indeed, each album seems to evolve and grow into a totally novel direction.

Despite the efforts of the opening band, and the obvious grief on stage, the show was amazing. Though Tweedy’s effervescent stage presence was muted, a real energy was exuded into the audience. Rarely can a band make me not regret standing for over two hours. This time, I could have stood and cheered all night.


I also got to see Mike totally rocking out. Phillip’s special lady friend, who had only heard two Wilco songs in her life, declared that the show was “filled with romanticism, but that may be because I was being held by [my huggly bear]” I can confirm the holding. We all felt a great appreciation, that in the face of such a tremendous personal loss the show was not only a spectacular success, but that it went on at all.

Monitor Update and Games

I went down the Gargoyle office with the hopes of hooking up my new monitor there but alas! the computers we have are too new!
In other bad news, I have been blocked by the University from having the Garg-Cart on the Diag. This is particularly unfortunate because the Gargoyle is a pretty weighty publication. We'll struggle onward. We're also having trouble getting our CandySale program (aka. Project "CashCow") off the ground. Again, due to pesky permits.

However, there has been some good news! Tomorrow I travel to Indiana for much merriment with Mike, Phil and Susan. Also, I have been able to pull far enough ahead in my homework to take 30min to myself and read Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl.' It's pretty awesome, I must say.

But, like the title says, I have been looking at Video Games again. Nanostray looks like a fun little number. A reworking on your classic 2D space shooter, which has been a favorite genre of mine.
Also interesting looking is Final Fantasy : Reverant Wings. This will be the first original FF title to come to the DS, and will be based around aerial combat! Man, that sounds interesting. You know me, Al. I have a thing for airships.

Phil, Mike, Susan - See you tomorrow. You too, Jeff.

Aluminum Foiled Again!

Well, their going to blow up the Frieze building. And you know what? I really don't care. What I do care about is the fact that Property Disposition, the liquidators of old University equipment was on the scene selling everything that wasn't actually bolted to the building (and a few things that were).
There were hatracks, reel-to-reel tap recorders, hundreds of shelves and sofas and even a quad-set of plastic chairs in a row. You know, the kind you see at subway stations or something.
There was also a very handsome looking Apple Studio Display. Now, my keen fan-boy eye immediately pegged it for not a recent model (2001), but it is a nice looking display none the less.
So, after four separate visits (once to case the joint, another to buy new sofas, another to move new sofas, etc.) I caved and bought it. Only $10! True, it has a teasing "DEAD MONITOR? - BOTTOM IS DARKER THAN TOP" sticker on it, I feel like it's at least worth investigating.
HOWEVER!
After I brought it home, I was puzzled at my inability to connect it to me PowerBook. A few searches on the internet and a browse through MacTracker sussed out the problem: Around 2000 or so, Apple introduced the ADC cable. The idea was that this sucker could power small USB devices, the monitor and carry all of the video data to the monitor itself! Ingenious! But, like many of Apple's proprietary hardware standards, this fell by the way-side and the universal DVI standard was eventually adopted.
The PowerBook that I run, naturally, has no ADC jack. And because of the unique configurations of the ADC cords, a $100 adapter ($50 on eBay) would be necessary to render it useful for me.

So what am I going to do?
Well, if someone can get me a cut-rate solution, I'd be willing to pay. However, I think it's much more likely that I'll take this sucker down to the Garg office and set up one of our G4 Towers as a dual-monitor station. It'd actually be useful there - provided that it's even usable!

Am I upset? No. The thing cost less than most meals in Ann Arbor (dorm food: $8 per meal). But I was very, very close to achieving true dorkdom by duel monitoring!

Ga-Ga Ga-Ga Ga-Ga

Here's something pretty nifty that we covered in my Intro To Modern English class.
It's called the McGurk affect, and it demonstrates the link betwen observation and hearing.
Here's what to do.

1. Watch the Movie
2. Note what sounds the man is saying (it should sound like da-da)
3. Watch the movie again, but this time close your eyes.
4. You should now hear him saying Ba-Ba.

WHY?
In reality the man was mouthing the sounds "ga-ga," but that was overdubbed with a recording of "ba-ba." The result of viewing 'ga-ga' and hearing 'ba-ba' is that your brain has to make some interpretations, resulting in you perceiving 'da-da.'
Remember! We don't really see, or hear things as they actually are!

Fantastic!

I just want everyone to know that I just had a fantastic night's sleep, and a wonderful morning.
How is this possible?!
Maybe four days of exhaustion was just what I needed!

I Am Going To Indiana

Here's the plan: after my Modern English Discussion class tomorrow, I will head back to Troy where I will bid a tearful adieu to Bucephalus. Hopefully, we will be reunited soon. 
From there Me, Dad, Miles and Julia will trek south-westard toward W. Lafayette.
There we shall feast in the halls of our ancestors. 
And then come back for the first Gargoyle meeting of the year on Sunday! Whew! What a trip!

So, moving in was no real hassle at all. True, there are a million stairs in this place, and all of my boxes were outlandishly heavy but nothing was damaged in the move.
And then I started classes.

So, you might be wondering then, where have I been. I know you all are. I know everyone one of you hang on my every dang word and that you poop yourselves in terror every time I disappear for a few days.
No, I know I am living a lie - well, more like living a dream, really. Someday, I hope to BE a Fandom.

Anyway.

The first thing we noticed when we moved in was the lack of internet. It would take several days - nearly a week - to get this rectified. And even after we had all the necessary ambiguous black boxes (with esoteric lights) installed in the house, it took us a further two days to get access to said internets, and to get the wireless router working.
Such is life!

It would be an exaggeration to say that we had no internet. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the unsecured wireless network "[expletive deleted] Clown."
So I am back on the internets, and I will be back to the important task of wasting my time with blogs. Hurrah!

Now, maybe I should consider doing some of the 100+ pages of reading. Three days in and I am already behind in class - YES!

Steve Irwin was a pretty awesome dude.

Baby's First Issue

Despite my screw up in the timing, the issue is done and doesn't look half bad. 
We'll be getting it back on the 3rd or the 5th, so I can rest easy for a little while.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a celebratory dance to attend to.

Update: Bob Dylan Is Still Awesome

Watch the iPod + iTunes + Bob ad here
I like this ad a lot better than that INFAMOUS Victoria's Secret ad from way back when. Bras + Angels + Strobes + Bob was just too much for me.

The album comes out today, if I am not mistaken. Huzzar!

Bob Dylan is the Man

A few people have heard me muttering about the alleged new Dylan album that "should be coming out any minute now..."
Well, I finally saw in print that this puppy will be hitting shelves next Tuesday - that day being the 31st of August.
See? I am not crazy!
I'll probably be trying to pick this up at one of Ann Arbor's small and independantly operated music stores, but I am going on the record as saying that I will do anything and everything to get this album.
He's also (back?) on tour. Last time I checked, the tour never ended. He'll allegedly be in Michigan come Nov.2
I don't know if I will be there for that show, but I do know that I will be in Lafayette on Oct. 4 for the Wilco show!

The First Max Eddy

Last week my Grandfather, Evan Max Eddy (Max, to the world) died in West Lafayette Indiana.
He was a quiet man of good humor who took great pride in his family. He will be sorely missed.

The Man On The Lamb

Looks like the Feds are hot on my trail. They finally figured out that it was actually me that shot that man in Reno, just to watch him die. I'm hoppin' a south-bound train, and with any luck I'll be able to befriend the hobos therein. It's much easier to have them like me, as opposed to taking them all out at once. If they stay alive, they can be eaten later.

THE LAST POST EVER

The last post (from the University Towers Apartments) EVER.
Stay Tuned. I am disconnecting the Cable NOW!

Lollapalooza Photos!

DIG EM'

B-b-b-b-b-band Camp!

Sup, dudes? 
There's going to be a bit of a delay on the whole LOLLAPALOOZA RETROSPECTIVE thing while I slink off to go work at my old high school's band camp for a week.
And after that I move out and do....what? 
I think I'll go to Indiana for a bit, or something. 

ATTN: PEOPLE WHO EMAIL ME

For a long time, a big mystery of my Computer has been the PHANTOM 10 GIGS. I never could account for about 10 gigs of space on my computer and it drove me nuts.
Today, I found where it was.
Apparently, because I use the Apple Mail Client and because my school uses IMAP mail (no idea what that is, really) my computer has been creating copies of all of my emails! 11gbs worth! 
What to do?
Well, I just deleted nearly everything from the creation of my Umich email to Aug 7, 2005. One year of emails is still over 3000, but I trashed 4, 500+ files. It felt good. 
So, I am sorry if I just deleted something really important. Please bear with me while I attempt to run my email better.

-The Management

I Have Returned!

Ladies, gentle-man, I have returned from my majestic Sojourn to Chicago!
Nathan, Chelsea, Hyatt and I had some truly amazing adventures out at Lollapalooza much of which will be shared with you all out there on the Ether. My plan on the best way to impart it all is in a 4-Part retrospective entitled "Making Enemies On The Train : A Lollapalooza Retrospetive." I feel it gets the point across.

Tonight, to wet your appetite for things to come, I will simply list all the acts that I saw perform this past weekend. These are the acts that I actually went to see, in reality I saw a great many more in passing. Also, several of these bands are utter musical attrocities (and therefore Hilarious). You'll have to wait to find out who was good, and who wasn't.

FRIDAY - AUG 4
1. Ghostland Observatory
2. Cameron McGill and What Army
3. eels
4. Lady Sovereign
5. Iron and Wine
6. The Raconteurs
7. Ween

SATURDAY - AUG 5
1. Cold War Kids
2. Lanz
3. Wolfmother
4. Particle
5. Sonic Youth
6. The Flaming Lips

SUNDAY - AUG 6
1. Catfish Haven
2. The Hold Steady
3. Nickel Creek
4. Reverend Horton Heat
5. Wilco
6. Read Hot Chili Peppers

Stay tuned, kids!

I am leaving for Lollapalooza in mere moments. I have decided to not bring the Computer, given the little time I will have to myself along the way. Hopefully, I can drop a few hints as to what is going on.
Back online come Monday!

It's Early Yet

Gotta hurry up and get to work!
I am celebrating my next trip by posting pictures from the old one (finally!).

http://picasaweb.google.com/Elecray7k

Enjoy!

Scientific Discovery Of The Millenium!

Amazing direct correlation discovered between my amount of swearing and the amount of water spontaneously dumped out of my air conditioner onto me!

I hate this apartment more and more everyday. No more AC tonight, I guess.

Air Conditioning and ONE MORE THING!

I felt pretty bad at failing to be Al Gore, so I turned off the AC last night and awoke in a puddle of sweat (and tears). So I flipped 2/3 window units back on and have been basking in it ever since. At work, I received a lot of support on this so I don't feel as bad. It is murderously hot. Someone should go check and make sure that my cousin Phil is still alive.
Oh, and I am going to Lollapalooza.
Have I mentioned that?

These are the jokes, folks.

Yes, it seems that the day has come. Tomorrow, I catch the train down to the Windy City and the day after I will be rocking out hardcore. Perhaps, with so much rocking from the crowds, we'll be able to actually create a tidal wave large enough and finally destroy Wisconsin. THIS IS WHAT YOU GET, WISCONSIN! THE UPPER PENINSULA IS OURS! >:{

For those who are interested, I will probably be seeing the Eels first and foremost (2:30-3:30, Friday). Think of me, think of me in mid-rockout, with the Eels at about that time.
Another fun fact: I will probably be seeing Nickel Creek (and be astounded at their lack of murder-death ballads) at my birth-time. Maybe I can encourage them to become a little more real but it's best not to try to force these things.

Anywho, I am not sure how much internet time I will have while sleeping on Keith's floor so wish me luck! I'll be back on Monday!

ps.
If someone could get me a Newton very quickly, I could probably blog from Lolla...

pps.
I am just kidding. I will have a great time!

Today, I was tested by the forces that be.
For is it not written, "Lo, let the pony-tailed one feel the heat of our mighty exhaled breaths that he might get all sweaty and never feel clean.
And it was so.
And the pony-tailed one did swelter, and did feel most un-clean, and it did make his apartment a very uncomfortable place to dwell.
And the Great Deceiver did appear before the pony-tailed on and did say, 'yea, do I show unto thee the great Air Conditioner. Touch of it's dial, and yee will be cool as cucumbers.'
And the pony-tailed one did reject the Great Deceiver, for he doth knew that Air Coniditoners contain manifold curses toward Mother Earth.
'Are yee so certain?' Asked the deceiver, a second time. 'Twas nearly 100º today, and you are doth sweaty and tired from your job...'
And so did the ponytailed one give in and turn on his Air Conditioner."

Basically, it got too hot to think, so I switched on the A.C. I guess I can't be the next Al Gore now.

Lost Dr. Tv Sketch Released!

Jason has opened the Dr. TV vault (which conatains more than a few strange things, many pertaining to launch codes and a barley-based breakfast named, "goodmorning!") and released the famous Hey Diddle Diddle sketch!
See it here! See it now!



Um, I was actually kind of serious about the Newton, by the way.

HERE IS A BIRTHDAY GIFT SUGGESTION!

Will someone please buy me a Newton?

This article sold me.

I Want This Game

But I am going to have to get a PS2 to play it? Sadness.

THE CLIPS

I Am Basically Al Gore

Today, I returned over 200 bottles, cans, and babies even though I was only paid for about half of them! How altruisitic is that!?

Phil, my beloved cousin, was just here this past weekend and what few pictures his promotional agent allowed me to take of him I will post soon enough. He brought me a large case for my comic books that he made with his own two hands. I will treasure it forever.

My Blog: Now 25% Harder To Use!

So, I started getting a whole lot of Spam comments. Ideally, this should be happening because the popularity of this little site has skyrocketed and everyone worth their weight is jumping on this band wagon which should lead them straight to the gravy train (after a brief layoever in the Caramel Caverns).
Anyway, spam is irritating so I have enacted Word Confirmation to try to curb some of the spam-commenting.

Sorry for the perceived inconvenience!

Death Water

I hope that I do not get cholera from this possibly toxic shower I am about to take.


(If you are confused, see the previous post)

Storms and Elevators

Last night it stormed something awful. I didn't hear any thunder, but I saw some lightning flashes that lit up the sky from one end to the other like a sickly green dawn in a flash-bulb. Last night, I had two concerns. Firstly, that a tornado would come and kill me while I slept. Secondly, that because I would have to sleep with the window closed (the wind was wrecking my fashionable drop-ceiling) I would have a very uncomfortable night.
When I woke up in the morning, the world looked wet but stable. The first thing that threw me was the elevator. The call light was on, and hot to the touch. Thus, indicating that the elevator had been called since sometime in the night and had yet to arrive.
After negotiating my bike down the 6 flights of stairs, I saw that the lobby was dark and the elevators sitting lit and inviting, yet vacant.
Upon my return after work, I found the lobby in the same mess it was hours before except now with signs declaring the building closed due to lack of electricity and water.
After ascending the stairs (again, with my bike) I assessed my apartment. The water was off, but the internet and power worked fine. This was 3 hours ago, and we now sort of have water. It's got bad pressure and smells kind of like old cheese and butter which has been left under your porch all season and discovered on a wet fall day.
It's not really so bad. At least I could flush down a poo.
Tonight, I am eating out.
For anyone interested, tomorrow marks the beginning of the Ann Arbor art fair. I've never been, so it should at least prove to be distracting in some way.
The late great Phillip Eddy will be joining me here in my humble, waterless, abode come this weekend. Hopefully, things will be a little more together by then!

LIVE from Chicago

Supp Doggs? I am coming to you from the Apple store in Chicago on a brand new MacBook (the BLACK one)!
I made it here safely, save for a hiccup that took me into the Southside last night. But that's all done and I am chillin' with the Keith Roshangar man. He's awesome.

Back soon, hope y'all are doin' awesome.

He's Out Of Control!

Step off it, Jackson! Max is coming to town and he is hot to TROT!

Hot on the heels on my tour of Georgia, I am taking a short trip over to Chicago (Evanston) to see a turtle race and throw Northwestern University's entire Journalism department into Lake Michigan. Pictures/Cries of help to follow.

Some have been concerned regarding the weather where I am headed. Rest assured that the map was checked AND animated before blast off. It's all clear.

I am traveling light with only one bag, one book. I have to keep it small since the bed of my truck is filled with oil lamps, hay bails, and a certain famous Illinois bovine from 100 years ago.

Hello, Ladies!

Hey all. I am really behind in just about everything, so here is a really neat video that I saw on the internet today.

Mini Georgia Update

It was another jam-packed day in Atlanta! I have a bit of down time to catch up on emails and all that useless stuff, so hopefully I will be able to get my pictures organized and uploaded. For the time being here is a video of WHALE SHARKS!

Atlanta : The First Days

My first few days in Atlanta have been spectacular. The Southerners are holding their entrenchmants around the city, but todays skirmishes thine their numbers significantly. We recaptured our signal house, and held Legett Hill valiantly. We are within five miles of the city that Jefferson Davis has called the "heart of confederacy," and it is only a matter of time before it and it's vital factories and trainyards are flying Old Glory once again.

Hail Lincoln!

{Getting to Georgia was remarkably easy. The hardest part was finding my way out of the Big Blue Lot at Metro Airport. I wandered around the subterranean bowls of the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport until aunt Barbara appeared out of the crowd and whisked me off! }

{It's dang hot here, but not unbearable in the least. As long as you remain laid-back and walk easy, life's a dream. Everything is vibrantly alive down here, trees and flowers shooting out new growth and blooms left and right. Strange varieties of familiar plants are everywhere. No Black Widows yet, but I remain ever vigilant in my never-ending search!}

{Today was pretty awesome. Gary started us off right with wonderful meat-filled pastries from a local Brazilian Bakery. Little fried things that taste like hush-puppies but are filled with delicious bbq'ed chicken! Huzzah!}

{After a stroll with wonder dog RUDY through Piedmont Park, we set off to the Cyclorama. Yes. THE CYCLORAMA. No, it is nothing like a Roller Derby. It is at least 7,000 times more amazing then that. Im it's essence, a Cyclorama is a gigantic circular oil painting, usually depicting a landscape. Back in the old days, before talking picture shows and horseless radios, folks would go down to the Cycloramas and walk around within a circular chamber marveling at the tremendous panoramic landscapes. Atlanta's Cyclorama is based around the events of July 22, 1864 at the Battle of Atlanta. Is totally awesome, and I think everyone should see it. There are only three Cycloramas left in the United States and only 19 worldwide.}

{Tomorrow we see Whale Sharks!}

This Is A Very, Very Long Post

It's been quite a busy time lately, but not because I have actually been doing anything. No, my job just sorta takes it out of me at the end of the day. But! Here's a few things which have come to my attention in the past week or so, hopefully you all can follow up on them and become enlightened yourselves.

An Inconvenient Truth - Initially, I found the premise of this film interesting. Yet I did not expect to be entertained in the least. I figured it would be all doom and gloom with the same vagaries that are included at the end of any PBS-like environmental awareness TV special. "Gee Captain Planet, what can I do to save the world?" Says the doe-eyed blonde girl. A smiling, angular and azure Captain Planet responds, "Recycle!" A dolphin appears, enthusiastically applauding. The earth is saved.
No, this was not what I saw.
An Inconvenient Truth is a snappy, minimalist film that presents it's points clearly and concisely. It deftly lays out the facts, almost effortlessly debunks and destroys opposing arguments to the reality and the dangers of global warming, and will convince you utterly of the urgency of the situation. On top of that, it goes so far as to break down the solution. For the first time, I personally felt that my species was not completely doomed. Yes, Al Gore will save us.
That last bit is said with just a slight note of facetiousness because it is Al Gore that is really the lynch-pin of the entire film. He is the well spoken, well educated spokesman but his history will likely color the opinions of some viewers and drive others away entirely. He both makes and breaks the movie, which is a shame.
An interesting side effect of seeing this was my re-evaluation of the 2000AD Election Debacle. At the time, I bought into the prevailing opinion that Al Gore was a whiney sore looser. From that point on, I faulted Al Gore for pressing the issue. Yet, I was being snow-jobed. The man is just incredibly driven. He wanted to win, he felt that he was the man for the job, and felt that he was in the right. So he did what we want every American hero to do. He fought for what he thought was right, and went above and beyond. How could I have faulted him for this 6 years ago? I am ashamed.
The movie is good - excellent even. I would hope that everyone, despite their politics or their personal feeling to the Good Gore and, sees this movie because what it has to say makes sense.
It's that simple.

The Blind Pig - I have written before about my opinion on the local Ann Arbor alternative music venue, The Blind Pig. For the most part, my opinion remains unchanged. It attracts bad acts, it has a very bad sounds system run by incompetent idiots that haven't learned to not destroy music by maxing out all the levels.
It is, for the most part, an amusing anachronism of Music's long forgotten rebel past.
And yet, it is still a place to see good music. Mason Proper, is of course one example which is near and dear to my heart (I love you, Matt Thom(p)son). But here are two new acts that caught my eye:
Friends Of The Family - These guys are producing some truly amazing grooves for such a young group. Clearly, they are not yet cohesive and yet they are still worth seeing. Each one of this band's members is positively oozing, bursting with talent. Keep an eye on them. With any luck, the band will be grooving their way onto an album soon, and you can all see what I am talking about.
(http://www.myspace.com/friendsofthefamilymusic)
The Student Loans - These guys are the most exciting thing in Bluegrass to come out of Ohio since Mark Eddy. I kid you not. As a band they mesh very well, and have a unified well balanced sound. They do seem inexperienced, but that feeling creeps around the edges of their music. Like a good bluegrass group, you feel like you know the songs and that the words are just on the tip of your tongue. You will want to jump around a bit. They also have their bases well covered. Leading the pack is a truly astounding Mandolin player much in the vein of Sam Bush. Backed up by a miraculous stand-up bass player and a female leader singer/guitar/fiddler and a mighty fine banjo player, and you got yourselves a band. Their only misstep was forgetting to include a murder/death ballad on their set list of the night. Ah well, they've got time to learn.
(http://www.myspace.com/thestudentloan)

Comic Books - Are still amazing. I know! Aren't you shocked?! The past few weeks and months have seen a burgeoning growth to my comic book collection, which is no small part due to my wonderful job at the University. They pay me so well. It also has a lot to do with my proximity to what amounts to pretty much the greatest comic books store in the Universe. I love those guys. The list of current reads will not surprise Phil and Sarah, but hopefully the rest of you can pick up some of these books.
Fables - The long running, multi-Eisner winning series is just fantastic. The story will seem very familiar, legends of fairy tales living among us in New York, but it's the twists that keep you intrigued. The first trade paperback will introduce to the characters and their own wonderful personalities. You'll also be treated to a well executed noir story-line, with a healthy wash of humor over all of this. The artist and writing team understands the function of Fairy Tales - to entertain! They are equally disturbing and hilarious. Also notable is the truly wonderful layout of every page. Each panel is arranged artistically, making each page like an illuminated monastic bible.
Maybe I'm taking this too far. The characters are great, the stories are wonderful and engaging, read it.
Usagi Yojimbo - Remember those mid-sixties Kurosawa samurai flicks? Me neither. Go watch one, like Yojimbo (1961), and then start reading this book. Take Kurosawa's pacing and storytelling with the Samurai Saga tradition, then cross it with the light-hearted swooping and loopy comic-art style of Phil Frank and you have Usagi Yojimbo. Unique stories that pull you in, delivered in a fun and original way will delight you. Unlike the more main-stream manga which deal with the same kind of stories, Usagi Yojimbo keeps the pacing established by Kurosawa and his contemporaries. It's an artistic and accessible adventure story that is just dang good.
The Flaming Carrot - I'm buying the new single issues as they come out, but it's worth pointing out that the CLASSIC CARROT COMICS are being reprinted in Trade Paperback form. Now you can see the Carrot in his hey-day. Revel in it.
The Winter Men - Set in modern day Russia, the story follows the burned out cast offs of one of the Soviet super-weapon projects. Simultaneously revealing the strange USSR of the Cold War and the, perhaps, even stranger Russia of today. The art style of this comic, while distinctive, can be troubling at sometimes. At first, I thought the whole thing was done using photographs and PhotoShop filters. But after 2 or 3 issues of the series, I see how well it fits the fuzzy and out of focus Russian world. Graphic and well written, this series is really on to something.

Atlanta Plans

Here are my plans, such as they are, for my sojurn to Atlanta.

 - Friday, June 30th - 
12:58 - Leave for Atlanta
8pm - Screening of popular samurai move, "KILL!"

 - Saturday, July 1 -
2pm - Burn city, continue Sherman's March to the Sea

 - Sunday July 2 - 
Noon - Whalesharks!
1pm - Behind the scenes aquarium tour!

 - Monday July 3 - 
6pm - Participate in the annual Black Widow Eating contest

 - Tuesday July 4 - 
4:22pm - Get on plane bound for home
4:23 - Realize im on the wrong plane
4:26 - Realize this plane is bound for Hawaii
4:30 - Sleep, quit job.

June - August 2006 : THE SUMMER OF MAX

You may wish to consider this the MAX TRAVEL POST, since that is what these little paragraphs will be concerning themselves with.

In the immediate sense, I am going to be heading back to Troy for the weekend. I just don't know what part of the weekend. Either Sat/Sun or just Sunday for Father's Day. I love you dad!
I am also toying with the idea of driving to Chicago on Saturday (tomorrow) to see Keith and try to catch the Black Keys at the Taste of Randolph Street celebration. It's not a very realistic idea, though.
At some point between the 30th of June and the 4th of July, I will be in Atlanta visiting my aunt Barbara and my uncle Gary. This trip has nothing to do with WHALE SHARKS. No really, nothing at all.
Ok, maybe just a bit. (I will post pictures)
The rest of July will be pretty low key. I'll be in Ann Arbor most of the time, trying to get some work done for the Gargoyle's first printing of the new school year in late august.
August will be THE month, as far as being busy is concerned. As I have said before, I am going to Lollapalooza. Right now, the plan is to leave sometime in the evening of the third, and come back sometime on the sixth/seventh. Still not 100% on this, because Lolla has yet to post it's actual schedule, so that is kind of throwing things a bit. That will be a real blast, I am sure.
On the 12th of August, I will be returning to my position as a marching band instructor for the Troy Schools. As you recall I marched three years in that band, and was asked last year to come back and teach. This year I am reprising the role, perhaps for the last time, and will hopefully will have as good a time as I did last year. I'll be coming back on the 18th, and doing any last-minute move out things to my apartment on the 19th.
In the far-far future, I will be homeless from August 20th until the beginning of September. Considering that besides the concerns of housing, I will also be liberated from the constraints of employment (eg. I am quitting) so what am I to do? The logical thing would be to stay at home and focus on the important things. Like cars, finances, oil mines, gold wells, shipping and real-estate. The dumb thing would be to do a road-trip. Guess which I want to try to do! (hint: it is the one that requires the least amount of RESPONSIBILITY)

Dinner!

Tonight was a big night! A night of tremendous, nay Biblical, gastronomical importance.
Tonight was the night that I made a dinner that actually filled me up. Can you believe it? Do I need to repeat it for your dumbfounded ears? How about I just do it again, for the sake of dramatics:

I MADE DINNER AND I AM FULL.

It’s crazy!
Tonight’s menu was pretty straightforward. Try to guess the theme!
Appetizer : Fried Rice
Main Course : Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Dessert : Sweat Tea

I’m still stunned in disbelief. I even did all the freaking dishes!

Of course, with every announcement of ecstatic joy, there must be a sorrowful footnote. First is that this dinner has a dark and sordid past. Tuesday night I made “Parsley Rice,” and while the cookbook used such phrases as ‘tasty’ I have to report that my experiences were quite different. I can’t say that it tasted bad, not at all, it just didn’t taste like anything at all. The plain rice actually seemed tastier. All I have to show for that meal is over 3lbs of leftover cooked rice and a great deal of crap fused to my baking pan.
It was an unmitigated disaster.
But from those ashes arose Tonight’s Fried Rice (reminder: awesome).
I also burned my thumb really badly on the +350º dish that the Macaroni was in.
It hurts, but my pain is outweighed by the joyous pain from within – the joyous pain of having stuffed my self in a fit of gluttony.

(Hint: the dinner theme was, “TASTY CARBS.”)

Another E-Distraction

I swear I will get back to actually talking about what I am DOING and FEELING (eventually).
But right now, you should really take a look at this DeLorean.

By the way, I am going to Atlanta this summer.

"Jacques Cousteau only saw two of these [whale sharks] in his lifetime," Marcus said, referring to the legendary ocean explorer. "Here in Atlanta, we have four."

I am smiling. I am going to Atlanta to see the Whale Sharks.

I Look Good In Green

Someone took a picture of me and the rest of the Inglis House grounds crew in our rain gear before we trucked over to Mary Sue Coleman (The President of the University)'s house to trim her hedges.

(Hint: I am not in yellow)

90º

It's at least 90 degrees outside, and about 83 inside. Saints preserve us, it's hot! It's the hottest day of 2006, and I am adamently hoping that this is going to be the hottest that it ever gets, but I know that's foolhardy at best.
I went and saw Art School Confidential yesterday. I knew only two things about the movie going into it. 1. That its made by the same guy that directed Ghost World, and based off a comic by the same guy that did Ghost World. 2. I've heard that the comic is a pretty accurate depiction of real art school life.
In general, the film was alright. It took the standard teen-movie formula and gave it an interesting twist. However, I have a few complaints. First, the movie seemed to drag after it's initial opening. Secondly, I had little or no connection with the characters. The love interest was just too distant for me to be attached, and the main character too dumb for me to even believe. Now, I think I have some idea of where these problems are springing from. This is usually the case when a long work is adapted for a single two-hour film.
That's my quick and dirty assessment of the flick.
I must go now, and eat shrimp.

No Train!

I am heading back to Troy for the long weekend, so keep an eye out for me!
I will be wearing a roast beef sandwich and eating a small eastern European country.

Also, Ed Love of WDET seems to be on verge of having his show cancled(?!?!).
This cannot be! Internet, help WDET and save them from themselves! Let them know that we want REGULAR programming, not a station that changes itself around every 6 months either because of money or fiber deficiencies.

Dumb Yet Intriguing!

There is a game out.
It's called The Wings of Mercury, brought to you by the letter "K" and A-OK! Software.
I haven't played this game - nor do I intend to. But I have to say that I love it. It's the ultimate niche game, a game that will appeal to about 200 people world-wide. These people will ardently love the game, and play it whenever possible.
What's the game about?
It's an ultra-realistic, obviously paintstakingly researched, orbital flight simulator for the Mercury space program. I love it. It does ONE THING, and it apparently does it really well.

Kudos for A-OK! Software for deciding to create this game.
I really mean it.

Lollapalooza!

Last year it didn't work but, ladies and gentleman, this is the year that I go to Lollapalooza!

I am so certain of this that I have already purchased the ticket!
Are you excited? Oh lord, yes, I am!
The venue is running from August 4-6th at Grant Park in Chicago.
I will admit that a lot of this has to do with seeing Wilco on my birthday - how self-indulgent can you get? - but there are a lot of other really exciting acts that I am hoping to see during the three day festival.
As of right now, I will be traveling with my ol' friend Nathan Judge and staying with the legendary Keith Roshangar. If we are lucky, Keith will treat us to his world-famous acapella Cure covers! Sadly, Mr. Kim Deal Roshangar will be unable to join us for the concerts themselves, but I hope to rock hardcore around the great city of Chicago with him as our guide.
I am also eagerly hoping that C.K. Trull and Michael "Hyatt Michaels" Hyatt will be joinging us as well, the more the merrier. Anyone else interested in coming? Tickets are pretty cheap right now, but going up all the time!

I Got Them Bi-Cycle Blues

If I had posted this last week as I had intended, you would have heard me shmoozing on and on about my totally awesome new bike that I got for free! Yes, that is right! I solved my transportation problem the old-fashioned way: by doing nothing and waiting for a solution to present itself! Hot diggity, check this baby out:

Yeah, she's a beaut that's for sure. But here's the bad news: after a mere week of use, the front tire blew out. It must have been a slow leak or something, because it wasn't completely flat until I left work. Either that or I just didn't notice. I wound up walking back with it slung up and over my shoulder.

New tire tomorrow!

I am kind of excited about the new Apple Store in New York

His Steveness actually stopped by this new store that Apple built, it seems.
It's kind of creepy on account of the fact that he looks exactly like an evil supervillain examining his terrible new weapon.

Flickr

My Little Brother Is A Dang Good Actor

I have seen (and been in) a fair amount of grade school performances. In general, they are not so good. But man oh man, Roeper knows how to do a good show and Miles pretty much tore the roof of the sucker!
I mean, really. He was right on with his lines and did a great job with all of the jokes. And his singing was great to boot!

See the Pictures!

What? Still not satisfied? Well good, because here are some short video clips of Miles' solos!
Stay, We Must Not Loose Our Senses
A Paradox

Location Oration

After 4hrs of Mary Sue Coleman's Garden Work I will be hopping on a train and coming back to Troy for the weekend.

These are scanned images of some of Sarah W. Eddy's artwork. She died one year ago today.

BeatleBox

I don't normally do this, but this was pretty funny. A great send up of Apple computer's recent legal troubles with Apple records, and all that copyright garbage about the iPod.
The best part is the actor that plays John - he's spookily good at it.

How To Spend A Lot Of Money On Free Comic Book Day

Me and Kris wandered on down to the greatest comic book store on the planet (Now that Dave's is gone, the title passes on) for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
How can this be, you might be asking. Well, in order to draw folks to the word and picture books, comic publishers have artists or collections of artists assemble a FREE COMIC to be given on the happiest day of the year - MAY 6th.

See www.freecomicbookday.com for more details. Though, it's a bit late now.
Vault limited me to only four of the over one dozen free comics available, but given my interests four was enough. The others really didn't do much for me at all. I picked up the Fanatgraphics Funny Book, The preposterous Voyages of IronHide Tom by Joel Priddy, Owly : Breakin' The Ice by Andy Runton, and Free Scott Pilgrim by Ryan Lee O'Malley. In a surprising turn, IronHide Tom and the Fantagraphics collection of short pieces beat out the other two, which is odd because I already like Scott Pilgrim. Whatever the reason, that's my feeling on it. And Owly was, of course, adorable.
Of course, after getting my freebies, I had to root around for something to spend my money on. I had, after all, just completed my first week of work. Spending money was a prerequisite. Inspired by Sarah's loan, I picked up the first two trade paperbacks of Fables. I've read the first one, and I'm really looking forward to the second.
While checking for new Shuck comics (no dice, not yet) I happened across Super Bad James Dynomite, from 5-D comics. It features the jive talkin', alligator shoe wearin' blackploitation superhero of the hood Super Bad James Dynomite, who's got an afro the size of a Hippo calf, and his adventures on the block. While the concept or a blackploitation satire is not really all that original (see the film Im Gonna Get You Sucka), I figured that this would at least prove amusing. It's alright, I suppose. I might actually get the second issue to see where it goes, but so far I am pretty cold towards it. The art is really bothering me because of it's heavy use of photographs and CG images. The final affect makes it look like something off of a Wendy's Kid's Meal bag, and that's not really a good thing. It's also $4 for a single issue, which is a little more that obnoxious.
Being that they didn't have the issues of Usagi Yojimbo that I wanted, I decided to close off my trip to Vault by ambling over to where the smaller scale indie publications are. I've found some real gems here, and Free Comic Book Day was no exception. I grabbed Mouse Guard : Belly Of The Beast by David Peterson. I've seen it around a few times, and for $3.50 its a steal. It's a short fantasy story, probably geared toward younger readers, laid out in story book form (it's square, not a rectangular). It tells the story of the the warrior mice that guard the roads from predators so that regular mice might go about their business. It's silly, I know, but quite good. With a medieval feel, it's really quite a charming story and I'll probably have grab the second issue. Mouse Guard Link
The real winner of this trip also came from the indy racks. The short Tell Me Something by Jason is nothing short of brilliant. In just 217 panels (PANELS not PAGES) Jason uses his stock anthropomorphic characters to tell the funny and tragic story of two star-crossed lovers. I don't want to give away too much, but the books arranged wonderfully making it one of the most literary comics I've ever read, even though "Jason" has kept the dialogue to an absolute minimum (about six, silent-film styled title cards). This short work surpasses his other book that I have, the more humorous Meow, Baby!, simply by its story telling. Meow, Baby! is great - hilarious - and a good introduction to Jason's style. But Tell Me Something looks like his masterwork.
That was all for Vault, but Free Comic Book Day was still young! I had to stop by Borders and ended up grabbing Catcher in the Rye (which I have been meaning to buy for ages), the last of the full-size Nausicaä reprints and new collection I have never seen before. The Push Man and other stories (1969) is a collection of Japanese counter-culture comics from artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi. While nearly 40 years old, it looks and reads as fresh and new as anything off the indy racks. The soft cartooned characters, the minimalist dialogue, and single color styling have all become trademarks of the independent comics and it's simply shocking to see them all here years before the emergence of alternative comics in America. The stories are gritty and dirty, exposing some of the very worst of humanity. To think that this book was released alongside light-hearted manga or Tezuka's work is a real shock. It's a great collection, with the promise of more to come.

Free Comic Book Day!

Today is (hooray!) FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
You know where I will be!

(ans: the comic book store!)

First Week - O - Work

Im coming up on completing my first week of work, and it's been quite a time.
Oh, that's right: Im employed. Workin' 40 hour weeks at the historic Inglis house. It's a really awesome looking place built by the cash-through-the-nose Inglis' in the 1920's, modeled after a British manor house, and then given to the University of Michigan in more modern times.
The works is great. A lot less strenuous than my last grounskeeping job, and a lot more involved. For example, I spent most of my time at Avon Hills digging holes. At Inglis, I have spent most of my time (so far) doing real groundswork. Raking, cultivating, weeding and the like. It's been quite a learning experience! The work crew and the two ladies in charge are great and it's shaping up to be a dandy looking job.
The only downside is the hours, I have to be on the job at 7am, and its about a 25min walk, so I'm usually up at 6am.
I'll try to get some pictures posted because the grounds are beautiful! There are even some pretty rare wildflowers in some spots of the property (white trillium, plains trillium,  etc.) besides the place just looking generally fantastic.
Even though I have only worked there 3 days, I have already managed to get injured on the job. At some point yesterday my ear got scratched or stung or something and now it is all swollen. It was still bad today, so at my boss' behest I went in to the Hospital. The doctor-lady believes it to be an infection and not a reaction, but just to be safe she gave me Benodril (aka. all nighter in a can (eg. it makes you real sleepy)) and some kind of antibiotic. Hopefully it will clear up soon because it's kinda touchy and hideous to behold!

Sup, James?

Met with the family today for a tasty dinner after having slept for 11 hours.
Later that night, Phillip and I procured milk and cream from the Payless. You gotta love grocery stores in the middle of the night, you meet the best people in there.
While I was purchasing a quarter's worth of Skittles from a small-time candy machine by the door, a cadre of hippy types strolled in. They were all varrying shades of brown, in the hair and clothing. Which was odd, because I don't believe that Tie-Dye shirts start out that color.
They walked in and said a location and a time. I repeated it back to them, and they excitedly told me another locaitona and a different time, assuring me that both would be awesome. Somone is going to have to hang around Slater hill for all of Saturday, because I forgot what time they told me.
When we exited to the parking lot, we guessed that their car was the Short Bus with the puppies and the girls inside and the stenciled visage of Ronald McDonald on the back.

Im coming back to Troy tomorrow, and will shove off for Ann Arbor the next day.

Day One In Indiana

I made it here without any problems, thanks to my Dad's directions and the google maps easy to read directions. God bless the internet! I made good time, leaving at around 9:30am or so, and arriving at 2:15pm. Nothing really to report along the way, except a small black pick-up truck with the word "JESUS" in giant red letters on it. It was hard to miss on account of the fact that I was behind him for 40 minutes or so.
Coming here to Indiana is always a treat. My grandfolks welcomed me so warmly, and within minutes I had food in my mouth (and I like food!).
I also spent a few hours talking my Grandpa Eddy, which is something I rarely have the chance to do. It was really a great time.
My cousin and his totally awesome lady-friend Susan swung by. We picked up this other dude Brian and proceeded to consume vast quantities of Dairy Queen. I must admit this was difficult for me, I couldn't down the brownie and nut chunks as fast as the other guys. I guess I am out of shape.
The only downside was loosing Susan's keys in the dark intermural sports fields. We probably spent about an hour looking for them, walking back and forth with heads bent like a line of pentient monks.
No dice on the keys though. We got the spare, and were able to get back. So all's well that ends well.
See, Phil? I did blog it, because I am a dork.

Sup Dogs

Yo.
I'm in Troy, but only briefly. I'm leaving for Indiana at some point come morning. It's a six hour drive, and there is some fear (at least in my mind) that I will not be able to make it. I've never been very good with directions, but I figure that I have been a passanger on this trip for nearly 20 years. I figure I should be able to handle it by now. I've done it before by my lonesome, but this is the first time I have tried taking this more direct route. Sadly, this way down to my Grandfolks will not take me past the totally awesome Vietnam Vets commune on 26. At least that's what I think it was...it was pretty wiggy either way.
Grades are starting to come in. Poetry yielded an A-, which I consider a victory considering some of the crap that I have been putting on my Prof. I'm sitting pretty with a B+ in botany, and this I suppose I really can't complain too much about. It was an easy class and I didn't really put a lot of work into the exam portion of the class (my plants are doing quite well though, thank you!). Im still waiting to hear about SciFi and German. I think at least a B will be coming from SciFi, and I am hoping the same for German, but I am a little nervous. Here's to hopin'.
The only interesting thing to report from my train ride to Troy was the arrival of a Bishop. Though I never saw the man, I did see his reception party which came in the form of two late middle-aged ladies with imobile hair and some kind of twead thing going on. One of them was talking about the Singles program available at her church to an older dude who said he hadn't had any religion in his life. It seems funny to me that we have come so far from Bishops arriving in embossed carriages with an entire enclave in their wake. Forget deliverence from divine retribution - our church offers very fulfilling programs for people who ain't got no spoouse.
Is this a bad thing? I'm not sure. Probably not. It's just kind of funny to me, a Bishop arriving by Amtrak. Reminds me of Mohammad arriving (finally) by cab. Or maybe one of them Seguay thingies.
I am traveling computer less and note-book less. The later simply because of forgetfulness. I'll be in contact, just email if you need anything.
See you in Lafayette!

I Am Going To Indiana

Sup, dogs.
I am going to Indiana to visit the extended family. Tomorrow, I will hopefully help in the shooting of the Dr. TV II sketch, "Ice Cream Parlor." But that all depends on what train I am taking to Troy.
At Troy I will relax in the loving glow of my immediate family. From there, I will procure my auto-mobile and drive the six or so hours to Indiana.
I'll be down there from Thursday to Saturday, it's short but I'd like to see my family before I start work on the first.
Which, after todays paperwork, I am completely hired for. It starts before 7am (guh...) monday monring. I better start getting more sleep...and a bike.

Betty Boop and Other Banned Cartoons

I have never really been one for Betty Boop cartoons, but some of these from the 1930's are really great. They have three things going for them, at least in my mind:
1. The animation is fantastic. It's fluid and amazingly consistent.
2. The cartoons are really, really weird.
3. Cab Calloway.

How can you possibly go wrong!? A quick search for Betty Boop (or Popeye, or any other old cartoon) will turn up some great stuff on YouTube.com
Here's a video google clip of one of the best ones, you can see the whole thing here.

The Final Throws

Right now I am wrapping up my last Sci-Fi paper, which has been an interesting experience to write. I've never done half as much drafting on anything before. This one has three complete drafts now, and I am feeling pretty good about it. Scared, yes, but feeling pretty good.
As a reflection of my interests, my Poetry class has a paper double the length and still only half done. Don't freak, because I wrote 4 solid well thought out pages in no time flat on sunday. So, Im not too worried.
Tomorrow is my last class, Scif Fi, and then that is it for this year. All in all, it was a good year. It had its shares of ups, and the downs were pretty intense I have to say. But here I am, still standing. I'm a little wobbly, but that's not too unusual.
The good news is that I have a line on a really good job. Basically I'll be doing what I did last year, but for the same pay. So, I really cannot complain, and I really hope this goes through.
Here's some fun stuff in the meantime, while I wait for classes to end:

Kid - A - Littles : A really bad-looking Jim Henson knock off. I don't think there is much else to say. It's wretched.

Ducklings : Adorable with their elusive smiles.

I just finished downloading every episode of The Prisoner, and I am nearly done with every episode of Twin Peaks. This is going to be a great summer!

Octopus Eats Shark! Homph!

This is just something else.

Metamorphosis

You must now address me as "Mr. Max Eddy - Major Of English."



(I will destroy you)

Cheap School?

My tuition seems remarkably lower!

More Plants and ANGER!

I have so many new plants!

Two mint plants that have been here a while, two banzai plants (im not sure what they are, but i think one of them is Mytle) some moss, a living stone, an aloe, a hanging basket of Bridal Veils, and two ptoato plants.
Exciting! But I am running out of room for them...that's the only downside.
Oh, except that through my professor's infinite wisdom, a great many of my plants are infested. He thought it would be good to bring a plate full of soil from his yard and dump water on it - to demonstrate how it was contanimated.
BRILLIANT!
Now there are bugs all over the green house. I have grubs in a few of the pots - Im told that they are called Fungus Gnats, and I found an aphid on one of my potatoes today.
Im told that the best way to kill fungus gnats is to put chunks of potatoes in them, that's why the pots have chunks in them. Apparently the larva will crawl inside them and die.
Here's to hopin!

Golden Apple and Registration

I saw my Sci-Fi teacher, Eric S. Rabkin, give a most excellent lecture today. He was awarded the Golden Apple award, which entitles him to some cash and school wide recognition, but the real prize is being able to give "your ideal last lecture" to a gathered audience in the historic Rackham auditorium. 
The man is a genius, a simple google search will confirm that for you. His talk was equally fascinating. A Rabkin lecture is always difficult to try to explain to someone who was not there, but I will do my best because it was truly something special.
His primary thesis was that words can create meaning and affect the meaning of other words. (At least, I think that is what he was driving at. Believe me, at the time it all made sense) He took, as an example, two words and related them together. Such as Cranberries and Discombobulated. To eat cranberries, we must discombobulat them, was what a member of the audience (at Rabkin's behest) concluded. This now gives us a new meaning to the term discombobulated without violating the meaning of the word or anything of the sort.
Some really amazing stuff happened in between, and then we arrived at CUVWEBS. From a massive list of things he sought to do to improve his life and himself, he honed it down to 7 items.This is Rabkin's basic recpie for living better, and it goes like this:

C - Choose Goals
U - Use Time
V - Value People
W - Work Zestfully
E - Enjoy Life
B - Be Direct
S - Sleep Sufficiently

That is the amazing thing about Rabkin, he can speak for a great length of time about something very technical - in this case, linguistics - and then come back with something so personal, spiritual, and humanisitic that you are just struck dumb and end up wondering just what in the hell happened!
The second part to this story is registering for my classes. That happens in about 5 hours and some change. I declare my major next week - if everything, godwilling, goes right. 

It's Still Not Done!

Man, I am starting to feel really worn out. 
Over the weekend, I spent an awful lot of time at the Gargoyle offices. I mean, a lot of time. I think I got about 10hrs of sleep total from Saturday morning to Monday morning. That's pretty not cool.
It wouldn't be so bad but we are still not done! What is up with this!? I am very serious about sending this issue off but MAN, it can be so frustrating! 
But I am sure we will make it alright. We're the Gargoyle and this is what we do.
I've been having some trouble sleeping lately. The Sleep Paralysis is back, but the inability to fall asleep thing is new and annoying. I fell asleep for 2hours or so today in the Office and that helped a bit. Hopefully I'm all reset now.
Professor Eric Rabkin won the Golden Apple Award and will be giving his "Ideal Last Lecture" today! Im really excited to hear it. I have no idea what the topic is, only that at some point in it's creation it included Irish folk music. Exciting!
Ok, sleep time now.

Gargoyle Production Is Going To Kill Me

Oh, we gain an hour.
How quaint.
I was very much up until nearly 5am this morning, and now I am awake again.
Gotta get breakfast, then go back to sleep.
We percevere.

Asterix and the Vikings

OH MAN!
ASTERIX AND THE VIKINGS!
It's in french but it still looks totally awesome! 

Oh, and the Gargoyle budget got approved. Game set and match.

What Exactly Are You Up To, Mr. Eddy?

Im not really doing much - all in all. My life ain't one bit a laugh a minute riot or a series of whirlwind adventures.The big things going down is the Gargoyle and the normal rush for classes late in the year.

In terms of classes I have another big paper for Sci-Fi due soon, and a presentation/paper for my crappy poetry class about the same time. For Poetry I choose a poem about a man who staggers out drunk from his own party and vomits on an apple tree, then his dog pukes on his puke, and then he goes inside. ZOUNDS!! I think I'll co-op some of what Prof. Rabkin (Sci-Fi) had to say about Eden symbols, throw in some stuff about purification and BAM! that's a paper.
And in Botany I am working on a presentation about Bananas. Huzzah. The lab for that class is so much more intersting than the subsiquent(sic) 3hrs of Discussion/Lecture. Ah well. Such is life.

Regarding the Gargoyle, there is a lot going on. The big news is that I will be the Editor in Chief next year, hopefully I will do well. I've learned an awful lot this year, but I am still really nervous of actually being in charge of the magazine. Wish me luck.
Because of this asscention(probably also SIC) I've spent a good deal of the last few days working out the Budget for the magazine. Cut out a lot of stuff - but we shouldn't feel any kind of squeeze.

Anyway, let us round things off by checking if this three year old picture of Phil Spector is still funny:



Yep, still good.

Gargoyle On the Radio?!

I just got back from rapping with my dude over at popular colleged FM station WCBN. The dude over yon tells me that if we, with his help, put together a good enough demo tape, the Gargoyle could have not only a comedy magazine, but a weekly show as well!
It's an exciting thought, to be sure. I must admit that I am kind of balking at the idea of an hour a week of content, but I must first focus on the demo tape.

Any suggestions from the internet? There can be music too, of course.

Purgatory Pasta: The Redux

My second attempt was much more successful.

1 Yellow Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Green Onion
2 TBSP Cheap Olive Oil
1/2 Whole Tomato
A large Supply of Spinach leaves
A Fair Amount of Spaghetti

Cut the onion, garlic, green onion and tomato into pieces.
Saute Spinach in olive oil with Garlic, Onion, Green Onion and some Basil.

Boil and drain pasta. Add sauteed stuff, top with tomatoes. Serve with chicken prepared however you please.

THIS TIME, WE DISCOVERED "FLAVOR"

Dr. TV

Here are some FUN FUN clips of Dr. TV!


Be sure to download the full episode - you'll need bittorrent of course. If you'd like a read DVD, just contact me and I can hook you up.

I Am Famous On The Internet

It's called being eFamous!
So here's the deal. Im sitting here, filling out job applications and I needed the address of the CoOp where I used to work as a maintenance dude.
Well, I stumbled across this, and there I WAS!
Second row, on the right. The guy with the mop.
Strange!
DIG IT

Back In The Penthouse

Well, I'm back in Ann Arbor midway up a large building near a road.
Its a little on the lonely side here, but its still dang comfy. Can't say I missed it all that much, but still.
It should be noted that this is the first time, at least in my short stay in Ann Arbor, that I have seen so many parking spaces. Huzzah!
I think I'd like a pet of some kind. My lovely plants will have to do for now.

Coming Home

If only briefly.
The Max will be back in Troyland starting today until sometime in the evening on Tuesday. He's going to be measuring and plotting out his yard and retrieving some tax-related materials.
His train will leave ANN AHBA at about 1:30, lets hope he doesn't miss it!

Purgatory Pasta

3 Cloves of Garlic
3 Chicken Breasts
1 Green Pepper
2 Yellow Onions
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
Dried Basil


Take three chicken breasts and rub with salt, pepper, and dried basil. Cut into chunks and set aside.
Slice up two yellow onions, and dice three cloves of garlic and the whole dang green pepper.
Start 1/2 cup of olive oil simmering in a frying pan.
Add onions, and garlic.
Simmer, and smell the delicious flavoring. Add basil and pepper.
Enjoy the aroma, because it's all you are going to get.
Add chicken. Then get paranoid and add more oil.
Simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Then cook for longer because you are paranoid.
Remember the pepper and chuck that in.
Cook for longer.
Notice that you can no longer smell anything at all from the pan.
Serve over meijer egg noodles.
Eat and taste nothing.
Flavor with your bitter tears of failure.

Gargoyle Launches EAT THIS ISSUE Issue!

Well, it was a tough one, but the issue is complete!
The story is harrowing one. After taking a long break to get ourselves in top-notch writing shape, we made what we considered to be the best issue to date. The articles were great, we had tried out some new ideas in terms of content and had some truly incredible artwork. It was PDF'ed and sent out to the printers with nary a hitch.
And then, we got the issues back.
Oh man.
Firstly, it was printed on the wrong paper. At some point, we got confused with the proper weight of paper and told the printers 5lb lower than what we normally use. Now, that may not seem like a lot, but here's a handy comparison. Take a sheet of normal printer paper. Look at its sheen, and its pure whiteness expressing the infinite possibilities of what could be made with it.
Now get a paper bag, and put it on your head. Try looking at the paper.
Truth be told, its not that bad. It sure is a bugger though.
The worst of the news was that the color pages were misaligned when we laid out the issue. Meaning that 4 of the 8 color pages were printed in black and white.
After a marathon of phone calls and a mighty stressful weekend, we get word that a reprint will be impossible.
(Explative.)
There was only one solution: print 15,000 amusing inserts making light of the errors and staple them to the inside of the issues, on every faulty page.
Then, we affixed cabbage leaves to each issue and encouraged patrons to "Eat this comedy magazine!"
I'd like to take all the credit for the idea, but we stole it from the "Burn This Issue" from eons back in the Gargoyle past. That was, incidentally, the best selling Gargoyle in history. It also resulted in large piles of burning magazines on the Diag.
Here's our contribution to Garg-History: EAT THIS ISSUE.

Many thanks to Andy Romeo, Nichol _______?, and Di (Indecipherable), for their assistance today!

Ink Monsters - A Preview!

These are some THINGS I have been working on for the Gargoyle, which should be done by the end of this weekend. Right now they are, as Kris calls them, "LOLHUUUUUUGE." So, just wait a while and I will have much smaller, better looking ones.
The idea for these lil' guys is to be imp creatures that are tearing around our fair magazine, making a mess of it. Pulling up letters, laying over articles and the like.
Im not really sure where the idea came from, possibly from my memories of old Mad Magazines. But the idea was put into reality when I was poking around the Gargoyle office. Usually, this is a dangerous thing to do. You are equally as likely to find some amazing artifact as you are to contract typhus. However, this search did not end up with me bleeding. In the ancient and long disused art desk I discovered several pens and bottles of India ink. Further digging yielded an ink well, and I was off and running.

Here they are!

Bad Pig!

Once again, I walked out of The Blind Pig (local club and concert venue) with my ears ringing and vowing never to return.
The only reason I was there in the first place was to support long-time Gargoyle writer Matt Thompson who plays all sorts of wonderful devices in local band Mason Proper. They're pretty good, and worth looking at for sure.
Now, their set was pretty awesome. Since the last time I saw them, late last year, they have really filled out their sound and are a much tighter group than before. Compared to most local bands, these guys have a wide repertoire, and have fuller more professional sounding songs. Unfortunately, to get to these budding rock stars, I (we) had to sit through three of the worst bands that I have ever seen.
First up was some crappy, weaky-achey sounding semi-emo crapfest. They were immediately followed by a marginally more entertaining group. I say marginally, which might make you think I enjoyed them. This would be untrue. The second band played way too loud for so small a club, and also sounded confused. The vocals were never together and the performers seemed more focused on nifty stage-shinanigans than actually PLAYING music. They reminded me a lot of the bands I saw in high school, at the Troy High "Battle of the Bands." This is not a compliment, its a hint. And the hint is that I thought they were childish.
The last, and the worst, of the non-Mason Proper bands was supposed to have been the best. Matt Thompson said, "they're bigger than we are, I don't know why they're playing before us..." Matt Thompson, they're playing before you because they are the worst band in the history of music. Whoever survives/sticks around is worthy of hearing your oh-so-indie pop-rock. They took the stage with the largest set up, and looked quite promising! One performer even had a trumpet! Cake has trumpets! This will be good! No.
They were so loud, you could hear the Pig's oversized sound system buckling under the pressure. They were so loud that my good friend Kris had to cover her ears, and that's saying something considering that she's into metal. They were so loud, that the trumpet player was blowing at full force into a microphone and still could not be heard. This is probably my biggest complaint about these guys; had they perhaps turned down the volume to something a little less mind-shattering, I would have been okay with them.
Nay.
Three of the six band members would not stop with their stupid Jagger impressions. The lead singer was terrible, constantly gyrating about the stage like some kind of MTV rooster. The most laughable of this foolish cadre was the trumpeter/tambourine player. His soul function was to blast the trumpet on occasion and then to feebly smash a tambourine amidst the raucous noise they created. Think of an even more useless and ridiculous Stevie Nix, and then change the gender. You'd have it.
This band, like the previous, also carried out a series of disgustingly rehearsed stage antics which I found to be completely obnoxious considering that they sounded so bad. Please, I beg of you young aspiring rockers, fix your dang music before you practice your amp-jumping.
So the morale of the story is to buy Mason Proper's new album. Its cheap and sounds really great.
The implied morale is that the Blind Pig sucks, and that every time you think of going there you should go to the Fleetwood and get an omelet instead.