(Look, it's fucking gorgeous out and I'm sitting inside calorie-bombing myself and procrastinating in the worst way. I've been unemployed for less than three weeks and sweet mother how quickly the mighty fall.)

So last night someone contacted me for inclusion in a blog network focusing on twentysomething careers. I suspect this is because I pimped so damn hard for Twentysomething Alltop (I'll admit it was mostly fueled by festering bitterness at the mommy brigade - clearly I'm willing to out myself on that because I haven't received any amusing hate mail whatsoever lately), or perhaps they just Googled "twentysomething fuck up school career relationships" and I came up, who knows. Anyway, I responded that I really never blog abt my "career" - considering I don't actually have one - but as long as they let me continue to swear like a rhino just horned his way through my garage door and ate my fucking car, I'm in.

I haven't heard back. Maybe I should have sworn in the actual email itself?

(I would definitely have a beer right now - What? It's Friday! - but then fighting will be even more miserable than it already is with a bunch of higher belts kicking the everbreathing shit outta me.)

I had big plans for today. Big ones. There was going to be hours and hours of studying and reading for school. There was going to be bathing. God there was even going to be writing. Instead I am sidetracked. (And when Matt sees that this is how I spent my day instead of following through with my big plans? Ooh, I'm gonna pay, and not in the good way where we wrestle around and then end up doing embarassing things in front of the sliding glass door for all the neighbors to accidentally see which we don't realize until we put our clothes back on and tell ourselves we really have to quit doing that for them.)

This is just one long post where I go on and on abt nothing, or haven't you noticed yet? My brain fucking fell out like, the month before last, hand to god. I have nothing interesting, smart, or funny to say anymore, EVER. So I'm gonna go and lie on the porch in the sun and think abt how not to be fucking dumb.

(If you made it this far, thanks. I can't promise it will get any better tomorrow or next week or by 2009. Yes, I'm looking for pills for this.)

Og nå har jeg tenkt meg på kino med Maria. Så Maria DU MÅ SVARE PÅ MELDINGER, det er du utrolig dårlig til.

Kort blog, men jeg har rett og slett ikke tid til mer i dag. Og imorgen drar jeg på hytta så det blir værtfall ikke før søndag kveld, kanskje mandag.

byebye stay cute

Spent the week while not working looking for loops, audio tracks, stingers, and the like for podcasting.  Yeah, I get kinda focused when I find something new.  Sorry.  I'd LOVE to buy Apple's "Logic Studio", not so much for the software but for the 15,000 or so audio tracks in the box.  It's the $500 price tag which dissuades me at this point.

99% of the tracks in the Logic studio would more than likely be useless crap (like a piano hitting a "c" key) but I find that when I get into a hobby, I start collecting.  Whether it's firearms, D&D, castle building, or whatever.  It's the reason that hobbies for me are usually financially deadly pastimes.

Anyway...  The next problem I face about podcasting is having anything to talk about (sorta like this blog post, huh?)..   What I've found by listening to other podcasts for inspiration is that they're either structured like a meeting (they have an agenda), or they're free-form talking about a specific subject between two or more people.

Since I don't have a " 'cast mate ", that leaves me with writing scripts or talking points, and frankly I feel the need to focus on something.  I just don't know what...  movies?  riding? Days of our Lives?  The ideas are endless, the ability to decide is not.

Then again, honestly, I could just do three separate podcasts, one on each subject that interests me and tie them together as part of "the SegWayne Radio Network" like a local, non-syndicated DJ on the radio here does.   That however would quickly turn a fun brain exercise into more like work.  Since I'm a member of the world's oldest profession, meaning that I'm a capitalist, working for free is hardly appealing.

If anyone listening knows of a good source of audio tracks (mostly intros, stingers, and the like), please chime in and let me know.  Otherwise, I'd also accept the kindly donation of Apple Logic Studio if you happen to be an extremely bored millionaire who gets your jollies from granting wishes to talentless hacks with desire to be something different.  :-)

Enjoy your weekend.

Anyway, had a lot of fun (Kristi, Sirle, Mihkel and I had our laughing moments back in the beginning of August during prep training in Salzburg, NOT in Austria, by the way), but also some time to actually remind myself that I have to work with kids... Or teenagers... Or whatever age (WLYT has youth between 3-25 I think). This is serious. I mean, I have been working with Estonians aged 15-18 in work&leisure youth camps for two years now, but still... This is different, sort of. But then again, when have I ever worried MUCH. I'll just watch and learn and if needed, worry. :)

So basically that's all. Tomorrow I'll have quite a sad and thrilling day as my departure party in Viljandi is held. Bring me a bucket, I just might start to cry.

p.s - coming back from Tallinn today was interesting. The bus was packed with loads of Irish men. At least one of the was Spanish too and I think one Scottish as well. Dunno why I didn't ask, but I did understand almost everything they said (when I wasn't sleeping). I even ride to the center with them so I could help if they needed directions or anything, but they didn't. Bollocks again!

Current music: Brolum (yep, its Scottish!)

2 days back,before my mom departed to kedah,i was trying to hook up my lappy to the internet..but then,it failed to connect..i thought,it got something to do with my wireless system..so,i investigated the router..nay,no problem..next,i checked my lappy n modem..uhuh..they were perfectly operated!still,obviously no sign of internet..huhu..where r u internet?r u having a break now...please not!!tell u what,i have done everything to sort things out nevertheless it never succeeded..suddenly,something rings me a bell..oops,maybe it is due to the unpaid bill?instantly, i asked my mom n she said,yeah it was..gosh..it cracked me up! umi: owh, i never have a time to pay..i'm too busy..I'll pay soon i get home,ok? me: cannot-laa..later,i'll fell into a state of acute boredoms.. umi: ok-la,u go ahead n pay by yourself..i'll give the money.. i was like yatta!

i went to the tmnet at 9 oclock n i needed to withdraw the money first bcause my mom only gave me her atm..when i arrived there the atm room was not yet opened ..weirdly, the bank was already operated..i already have the gut feeling saying that this wasn't right..bunch of peoples were waiting outside the atm complaining about the unsystematic management of the bank..can u imagine..i have to wait for almost 45 mins before the atms were available..it was obscenely annoying! soon it opened,i withdrawn the money and stepped out from the atm room immediately..i cannot tolerate this anymore..it was such a NIGHTMARE....yes,somehow i managed to cool down n got into the normal state...the payment of the bill went well n i asked the tmnet person to restore my internet connection..huhu..miraculously,when i reached home..the internet was perfectly connected..yosh..i'm relieved~

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finally.my lappy has its new desktop background..huhu...n yeah it was my own masterpiece *BRAGS*...i am really satisfied with this one because it looks superbly appealing on my lappy {exaggerate#}

so,how does it looks like..ahah..here u go~

see people..its yuto..huhu..it looks gewd-neh?..to make it clear, it is actually my second time designing a wallpaper..n note that,i'm still new in photoshop..i just learned it for the last 2 weeks...at first,i really dont understand the navigations,tools, and buttons..yeah i gave up!!but then,slowly i digested everything n there u go,my artsy work..considering my amaturely skills,this is kinda *doozy* huhu..lot more to learn i guess...

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out of a sudden, i want to make this statement..read carefully..INTERNET is a DISEASE...yeah..it will not cause u physical harms..that was obvious..but then u will suffer from a mentally unstable state in which u will get addicted n u cannot run away from it..the urge toward the internet is always there...huhu..that is what happening to me now..so sickening..can someone please prescribe me a medication to cure this disease..if u have it,a noble price is then a GUARANTEE!

one of my friends said that my english has turned into a fangirl english..somehow,its not the english,its the way of writing..baka me..haha..thats true..yeah..it does transform in some way..huhu..wanna know why?bcause,whenever i get connected to the internet,i will be stalking some of the fangirls bloggies,admiring their writing..huhu..

uups..exam are obediently waiting for me after the short break..maybe its time for me to hit the books...which is rarely done by me....

enough for babbling..till then..jaa~

And that's all I have, folks! I have to take a break to prepare for work when September starts, and I will be taking a few days off of posting. I will likely fall back into my infrequent mode of posting as I have done in the past, since my work absorbs most of my time.

But it was enjoyable, and your response in terms of comments and hits to my site have been, in terms of my own experience, tremendous. Since I have started this series in the last week of July, I received more hits than in all of the months since February when I started my blog.

We're only down to a few crappy album covers, which I either felt little inspiration to comment on, or were just pushed aside in the search for an album cover that suited the theme of the day. That is not to say that these are obsucre. Some are, but others have remained as common fodder by crappy album cover web pages all over the net, just as was the case in previous posts.

But it has variously been called a "Queer stag" album, and other things. Nearly all of the credits are pseudonyms, and one name stands out: Rodney Dangerfield. That doesn't sound like a pseudonym.The rest, it is claimed, are famous people, but being the mid-60s, no-one would reveal their names publically.

However, Doyle is doubtful that it is the same Rodney Dangerfield as that fellow Crappy Album Cover maker that got "No Respect". Jose Angel's album "Madre Soy Cristiano Homosexual" translates (I think) to "Mother, I am a Christian Homosexual." The date of release is unknown. Here is an MP3 of the title track.By all accounts, this is a story of a man who comes out to his mother, that he is a gay Christian. Imagine this confession takes place today. Of course the mother probably flips out. Not over being gay, but over being one of them "Christians". With all those "Christian Right" people ruining the United States, how dare he come into the house and disgrace the family that he now cavorts with a band of greed-obsessed Jesus freaks?

This photo was taken after Mother disowned him from the family inheritance, and told him he is no longer welcome in their house until he kicks this Christian habit. Maybe living on his own would be good for him. This is another Jackdaw. I have nowhere else to place the retro Swedish group Larz Kristerz (this link is in Swedish only). So, they are in this post for lack of a better place.It would appear that all of their albums are called "Stuffparty", their titles differing only by the sequel number.

They seem to have the 70s kitsch mastered. Probably a little too well, right down to the tasteless hairdos.

I tried to get Google to translate "Stuffparty", from Swedish, but to no avail. ]]> http://strider01.wordpress.com/?p=727 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:31:45 +0000 strider http://strider01.wordpress.com/?p=727 Evel Knievel (1938 - 2007) needs no introduction. Motorcycle daredevil and religious convert, Robert Craig Knievel was also a reader of Napoleon Hill, a fellow crappy album maker, mentioned in an earlier posting. Wikipedia cites Hill's book, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude as one of Knievel's influences through life.

No daredevil has suffered more broken bones than Evel. The Guiness Book of World Records says that he had suffered 433 broken bones in his lifetime. He was a man who truly suffered for his art so that we may be entertained.

So, what the f**k was he doing making records? "Oh yeah, and before I jump, I'd like to sing you a song off my new album". That would have raised ticket prices.

Muhammad Ali, originally Cassius Marcellus Clay, also needs no introduction from me. And here is Mr. Ali fighting Mr. Tooth Decay (with two album designs).

Now I only know one way to fight Mr. Tooth Decay that involves boxing, usually involving the loss of said Mr. Teeth. And I am sure that Mr. Ali has set a good example for us all by brushing his teeth and flossing.

There are some bars that try to kick out their clients near closing time by totally annoying them. But of course it backfires when the bartender discovers that everyone seems to know the Bird Dance, and it only increases the partying atmosphere. Did you ever wonder where they got that recording?

Well, wonder no more. This 1981 recording by the Polka players extraordinaire, The Emeralds, was a common example of what was chosen. And it was on the K-Tel label, so you know you have the guarantee of cheesiness of the highest standard possible. And the public thought so too. This version of the bird dance is the one that is most popular and recognizable in bars and pubs in North America. It has sold several million copies since it was first released in '81. There are 139 other versions of this song (according to Wikipedia) that had not fared so well. Even versions by Walt Disney Records have flopped. But not so for K-Tel. This album cover has the standard lack of thought and artlessness that we expect from K-Tel. But don't be fooled: this album was a goldmine, and K-Tel gets the last laugh.

** means I will be watching, maybe just an episode, but watching sometime

TONIGHT - America’s Toughest Jobs (NBC) Aug. 25
TONIGHT - Apprentice U.K. (CNBC) Aug. 25
TONIGHT - Deal Or No Deal (NBC) Aug. 25 (and they swear someone wins the million soon)
TONIGHT - My Super Sweet 16: Exile (MTV) Aug. 25
TOMORROW - Gavin & Stacey (BBCA) Aug. 26
TOMORROW - Greek (ABC Family) Aug. 26
TOMORROW - Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency (Oxygen) Aug. 26
NextWorld (Discovery) Aug. 27
Grizzly Man Diaries (Animal Planet) Aug. 29
Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO) Aug. 29
Gossip Girl (CW) Sept. 1
One Tree Hill (CW) Sept. 1
Prison Break (Fox) Sept. 1
Raising The Bar (TNT) Sept. 1
***90210 (CW) Sept. 2
Shield (FX) Sept. 2
***America’s Next Top Model (CW) Sept. 3
Bones (Fox) Sept. 3
Destination Truth (SciFi) Sept. 3
Ghost Hunters (SciFi) Sept. 3
Sons of Anarchy (FX) Sept. 3
Top Design (Bravo) Sept. 3
***LOVE***Kitchen Nightmares (Fox) Sept. 4
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (Fox) Sept. 5
Samurai Girl (ABC Family) Sept. 5
America’s Most Wanted (Fox) Sept. 6
Cops (Fox) Sept. 6
John Edward Cross Country (WE) Sept. 6
Locater (WE) Sept. 6
Amazing Wedding Cakes (WE) Sept. 7
Entourage (HBO) Sept. 7
Life & Times of Tim (HBO) Sept. 7
Sandhogs (History) Sept. 7
True Blood (HBO) Sept. 7
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox) Sept. 8
***Fringe (Fox) Sept. 9
Hole in the Wall (Fox) Sept. 9
Jail (Fox) Sept. 9
Privileged (CW) Sept. 9
Rachel Zoe Project (Bravo) Sept. 9
Street Patrol (MyNetwork) Sept. 9
Do Not Disturb (Fox) Sept. 10
Til Death (Fox) Sept. 10
Comics Without Borders (Showtime) Sept. 11
Don’t Forget The Lyrics (Fox) Sept. 12
MadTV (Fox) Sept. 13
Saturday Night Live (NBC) Sept. 13
Biggest Loser (NBC) Sept. 16
***House (Fox) Sept. 16
Lincoln Heights (ABC Family) Sept. 16
Manswers (Spike) Sept. 17
Ultimate Fighter (Spike) Sept. 17
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX) Sept. 18
Smallville (CW) Sept. 18
Supernatural (CW) Sept. 18
Survivor (CBS) Sept. 18
20/20 (ABC) Sept. 19
Primeval (BBCA) Sept. 20
Easy Money (CW) Sept. 21
In Harm’s Way (CW) Sept. 21
Valentine (CW) Sept. 21
Boston Legal (ABC) Sept. 22
Big Bang Theory (CBS) Sept. 22
CSI Miami (CBS) Sept. 22
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) Sept. 22
***I hear good things people***Heroes (NBC) Sept. 22
How I Met Your Mother (CBS) Sept. 22
Two And A Half Men (CBS) Sept. 22
Worst Week (CBS) Sept. 22
Dancing With The Stars (ABC) Sept. 23
Law & Order (NBC) Sept. 23
The Mentalist (CBS) Sept. 23
NCIS (CBS) Sept. 23
Opportunity Knocks (ABC) Sept. 23
Without A Trace (CBS) Sept. 23
Criminal Minds (CBS) Sept. 24
CSI: NY (CBS) Sept. 24
Gary Unmarried (CBS) Sept. 24
Knight Rider (NBC) Sept. 24
Lipstick Jungle (NBC) Sept. 24
New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) Sept. 24
ER (NBC) Sept. 25
***Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Sept. 25
My Name Is Earl (NBC) Sept. 25
Office (NBC) Sept. 25
Ugly Betty (ABC) Sept. 25
48 Hours Mystery (CBS) Sept. 27
**MAYBE**Amazing Race (CBS) Sept. 28
American Dad (Fox) Sept. 28
Brothers & Sisters (ABC) Sept. 28
Californication (Showtime) Sept. 28
Cold Case (CBS) Sept. 28
Desperate Housewives (ABC) Sept. 28
Dexter (Showtime) Sept. 28
Extreme Makeover (ABC) Sept. 28
Family Guy (Fox) Sept. 28
King of the Hill (Fox) Sept. 28
Little Britain USA (HBO) Sept. 28
Simpsons (Fox) Sept. 28
60 Minutes (CBS) Sept. 28
Unit (CBS) Sept. 28
***LOVE***Chuck (NBC) Sept. 29
***Life (NBC) Sept. 29
Scare Tactics (SciFi) Sept. 30
***LOVE***Dirty Sexy Money (ABC) Oct. 1
Friday Night Lights (DirecTV 101) Oct. 1
Private Practice (ABC) Oct. 1
Pushing Daisies (ABC) Oct. 1
Tim Gunn’s Guide To Style (Bravo) Oct. 2
Everybody Hates Chris (CW) Oct. 3
Ex List (CBS) Oct. 3
Game (CW) Oct. 3
Ghost Whisperer (CBS) Oct. 3
Numb3rs (CBS) Oct. 3
Sanctuary (SciFi) Oct. 3
Supernanny (ABC) Oct. 3
Wife Swap (ABC) Oct. 3
WWE Smackdown (MyNetwork) Oct. 3
America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC) Oct. 5
Breaking The Magicians Code (MyNetwork) Oct. 6
Celebrity Expose (MyNetwork) Oct. 6
Samantha Who? (ABC) Oct. 6
Funniest Moments (MyNetwork) Oct. 8
TV Land Myths & Legends (TV Land) Oct. 8
Tony Rock Project (MyNetwork) Oct. 8
Under One Roof (MyNetwork) Oct. 8
***although doubtful***CSI (CBS) Oct. 9
***Eleventh Hour (CBS) Oct. 9
Kath & Kim (NBC) Oct. 9
Life On Mars (ABC) Oct. 9
SNL Weekend Update Thursday (NBC) Oct. 9
Testees (FX) Oct. 9
Starter Wife (USA) Oct. 10
Gimme My Reality Show (Fox Reality) Oct. 11
My Own Worst Enemy (NBC) Oct. 13
***Eli Stone (ABC) Oct. 14
Chocolate News (CC) Oct. 15
South Park (CC) Oct. 15
Crash (Starz) Oct. 17
Crusoe (NBC) Oct. 17
Frank TV (TBS) Oct. 21
Stylista (CW) Oct. 22
30 Rock (NBC) Oct. 30
Surviving Suburbia (CW) Nov. 2
My Bare Lady (Fox Reality) Nov. 8
Summer Heights High (HBO) Nov. 9

Now you shouldn't miss anything unless someone pushes or changes their schedule!! Good Luck

let me list down my to-do stuffs for last week:

• EAP outline submission
• EAP presentation
• UNGS's mid term
• Genetic Quizzes - 2 chapters
• Genetic lab report

Wow, thats a lot..really..i was so stressed-out..especially for the eap part..yeah..i have to search for more info in the internet before i hand in the outline..and another thing would be the presentation..i'm not so worried about what to say bcause i love to talk and present in front of people..only on how to impress my lecturer kept me uneasy all the time..but i tried my best..thanks to the internet because it extremely helped me a lot with the abundance of infos pertaining my topic...actually both eap presentation & ungs midterm were on the same day..to tell you the truth, i didnt study ungs at all..only with the help from maisa, i managed to read everything within 1 hour..hahah ;p

i can say that waiting for the eap presentation was so nerve-wracking..i jokingly said to maisa - "the feel is worst than delivering a baby"..before the presentation started, we practiced in front of each other..i practiced most with maisa and once with didi..thanx to them for their attention..next, we went into the hall quite early to rehearse our presentation..i like the ambiance of the hall..once i held the microphone, i started to talk unstoppable and i can say that all ideas flowed easily..the class supposedly started at 2.30pm..nevertheless, it only began at 3 pm because of the tardiness of our lecturer {oops!}..i bet she was not in good condition...instantly, we started the presentation with maira and i will come in next...soon, when maira done, i went to the laptop to get prepared.but i cannot locate my powerpoint file..i dont know..maybe the nervousness failed me..luckily,my friends showed me the file..and yeah thats how my presentation began..somehow, i managed to amuse the audience through my words..n i can see that my lecturer laughed as well..i continued explaining my slides until the end n within 6 minutes, i ended up my presentation..fuuh..i was so relieved..n all the 2 hours were occupied with the presentations from 9 of us {everybody did a good job}..finally, the moments we were waiting for approached....yeah,the comments from our lecturer...we totally expected that she will give us bad impressions ...miraculously,something unexpected came out from her mouth..guess what? she expressed her delights and happiness towards our presentations and she said that she was proud of us...what??this was so shocking.UNBELIEVABLE......but anyway..we were so grateful...to captivate her attention was so imposible and yeah we successfully accomplished it~ yatta!

as for the ungs midterm and genetic quizzes,there is nothing to remark since i just did my best to answer them..i dont care about the results anyway..i just want to finish everything asap...

on sunday, we also had our animal culture class..but the class went well because all the burdens were released..i dunt have to worry about anything since everything was completed in a perfect manner...after the class,some of my friends asked me to join them to Taman pertanian..they claimed that there will be free durians offered..i agreed to follow but soon we arrived there, no more durian left ;( ..we only got a small portion of durian..but the taste was not that good..so we decided to buy anything available...we bought keropok,karipap,fried mushroom,fried bananas and some fruits and we gathered at one place eating together,chit-chatting happily..n i can say that it was so much fun...

next, me,maisa n dd went to megamall in our first attempt to play bowling...unfortunately, the bowling centre was fully occupied with people due to the match between organization i guess....we are so disappointed..moreover, i was so annoyed with the person in charge because the way he entertained us was so insincere..like he was underestimating us..i was like,hello dont u think that i cannot play bowling?yeah..it was my first time but please dont look down on us!nevertheless, we went to eat kfc n did some shopping...i bought a box of novels consisted of three of them...all the stories are true story and inspirational..i'm currently reading the 'UGLY' one, n i found it so interesting! {mayb i should write a review soon when i'm finished}

i think thats all for now.. ;) i did write a lot...so till then..jaaa~

But alas, there is no help in this album about living with your resident Swede. Jimmy Jenson is a singer who has had a number of albums in English.

Problem is, his English is apparently not very good. "You're" has a misplaced apostrophe. In addition, even if it were corrected, the contracted "you're" expands to "you are", making the title into "Understand You Are Swede". I think Jimbo meant to title it "Understand Your Swede." It would appear as though he sings folk tunes, and has sung enough of them to produce three "Greatest Hits" compilations.

Napoleon Hill, this time, really was a self-help expert from way back, in the same league as Andrew Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale.

When I was growing up, I have seen more of these little statuettes in more bathrooms of more homes than I care to mention. All variations of these statues invariably had some smart-alecky message carved into the bottom part. Such as: "Near this point is where the most important decisions are made." or the poem that begins "Here I sit broken-hearted ...".

Nowadays we are suspcious of these kinds of records. And since no one really believes you can become anything you can conceive of, nowadays we attach it to mysticism and call it "The Secret", and blame our bad luck on bad thoughts which bring on bad energy. And once they start bringing in String Theory and theories on atomic energy, you know it is time to find something else to read (or watch if you got the DVD).

Now how do you like this...? Stop smoking without using your willpower...? It is a misinterpretation of the concept of willpower.

We need a will to live. There must be at least that. It is records like these that have contributed to a consciousness among the public that we can overcome any obstacle without the need for concentrated effort or mental exertion. This "easy way out" mentality has ruined a lot of lives and have contributed to increasing hopelessness and despair among people who sincerely wish to stop smoking, or to just give up bad habits in general.

All bad habits require determination and effort to break. Even the modern solution of "going on the patch" is only 7% effective without an accompanying willpower after you stop using the patch.

He preaches. He sings. Oh, does he sing! To date he has released 78 full-length albums of his singing.

Pardon the pun, but I find the cover kind of, ..., well, ... trippy. It plays with your mind, in a way.

It also looks like he's falling. I hardly feel the impression of being "saved" or being "in God's presence." I don't know if it was one of those '70s attempts to bring God and religion into the Space Age.

Allmusic.com does not list a single one of his 80 or so albums, and does not mention anything about him. Surely, this is because of  the work of Satan.

Tripp still goes on tour around the Southeastern US, and has his own television program on various religious networks and affiliates.

This album is closer to the 1973 listing of the personnel playing in the Jazz group The Stellar Unit. This is either their website, or a fan's shrine page. I can't tell.

I think the story kind of goes like this: They were playing in local pizza parlours in Houston, when some guy said, "they sure sound like a stellar unit".

Curtis Eugene Keen is depicted here with his two marionettes -- oh, no, hold on -- they're for real. They are Joe Stroud and Neil Hecht. Their latest lineup adds a female -- Peggy Kaye, playing the banjo.

So, we have a trumpet, keyboard, fiddle, trombone, banjo as possible instruments, along with two vocalists (Keen also sings). They play various jazz standardsin the southern US. I am not aware of them being played elsewhere. In fact, I am not aware of any other albums by them.

This 8x10 autographed photo of The Stellar Unit was listed on E-Bay for $3.99. "Shipping and Handling" (whatever that means for an autographed photo) brings the cost up to 10 bucks. I think the seller just wants ten bucks.

I would suppose that they are not sufficiently obscure enough for their paraphanelia to garner high prices.

.

.

This next offering is from a supposed Elton John imitator named Dwayne Smith.

It is hard to get the feeling that you are going to make this album the cornerstone of your dance party with a title like "Get Directly Down".

It is not known who he is or what he does these days. He could get confused with Jazz bassist Dwayne "Smitty" Smith, until you compare the photos.

Dwayne will play weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.

I had a really good conversation with Troy about business and the state of the tuning industry. He has always given me solid advice and tried to help me with my struggles in entrepreneurship. Hopefully I can repay the favor somehow one day.

Not bad for a point and shoot.

I tried to get one of Peter, but he proves to be a man of mystery.

I wish it is that easy as it sounds, not for me I guess, been trying for the past 8 years.   I think I should go umrah again, like the last time I conceived my firstborn was right after a month I came back from umrah.  Hmmm...maybe I didn't try hard enough or didn't sacrifice hard enough, I don't know.

I would love to have a baby girl thou *secret out!*  then I can dress her up, groom her...brush her silky soft hair.

I would like her to look like them!!!

Suri Cruise & Shiloh Jolie-Pitt

As if I married an Ang Moh! Pffttt!! naaah, I married an honest, caring, responsible Malay man!

Then would love her to look as cute as this pretty baby!

Auni @ 4 months *courtesy of IzadnHana*

As my biological clock ticking at a very slow rate, I am just happy to have a healthy baby, that's all I ask for, be it a girl or a boy. :-)

Yes, I know that it contains the requisite semi-nude female required by marketers, yes the lights are low and it looks intimate. However, there is a problem here in that there is nothing really distinctive about the album. The best I can say is that, for the most part, it is inoffensive. When you want to get to know what makes someone tick, like say, your wife or husband, for instance ... I don't think that you mean that you will skin them alive and cut out their guts.

But I take it that this is an educational record. John Burstein plays Slim Goodbody, the Superhero of health. He appears to be a Children's educator and entertainer. He would tour around New York City, probably scaring kids with his costume. But he was given a contract by PBS to host the program "Inside Story" in the early 1980s, which this LP is named after. He currently tours and runs his own website. Happy Louie, Julcia and the Boys put out this album called "Lots of Love and Peace".

I have to say that while Love and Peace are universal and should not be hoarded and be the social message for only certain groups, it still looks dumb, since it is strongly identified with the hippie generation of the 60s and early 70s.

Anything is likely, but all things being equal, do you see, even mentally, any of these people smoking pot? Are they the type that would tune in, turn on and drop out? Now we are going from phony to insular. It is nice that the Murk Family will provide themselves to society as the model for a "Love for All Seasons".

It is difficult to write about families pulling together and providing a network of love and support. Most attempts I have listened to seem to always come out forced and hollow. But I think that is what they're getting at. ]]> http://apboss79.wordpress.com/?p=120 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:58:47 +0000 apboss79 http://apboss79.wordpress.com/?p=120 When I was still living in Japan, I didn't have internet or TIVO at my apartment. Just a 19" TV. Sometimes, especially in the beginning when I didn't really understand all that much Japanese, there wouldn't be anything that really interested me on TV. Especially on NHK. The station basically sucks. The equivalent to watching PBS. But at night, they would have shows to teach you another language. The thing is, they would usually have a really attractive girl on there teaching along with some idiot. There used to be a show called 新感覚キーワードで英会話(Shinkankaku Keyword de Eikaiwa). The host on there was a girl named 安良城紅 (Arashiro Beni). As well as speaking impeccable English, she is a model and a singer. I would watch this show almost every time it was on.

Alright I know this is sounding pretty geeky already, but man, she is hot. And it was the only show that I had any idea what they were talking about. Plus I would work backwards from them teaching English. They would say the Japanese word or phrase, then repeat it in English. Pretty soon you start understanding. So thanks Beni, for being hot and teaching me Japanese.

Marry me.

After James Brown, I flip the radio from channel to channel trying to orchestrate the perfect soundtrack for the rest of our ten minute drive home. First, it's a story about Julio down by the school yard, but then Dylan is singing "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now." Bob gets it right every time. I listen to him croon while the sun roof is open to just let in the moon on me and my family -- And I think of how I'm remiss to start school when there are nights like these to be had-- But I'm so much younger now than I was in June, so it's time to get in line for another go-around.

So, I'll see you in just about a hundred hours.

I'm nothing short of goddamn excessive.

It's not much of a secret that I hate change. I try very hard to have a mature attitude abt the whole thing, like Oh, change is inevitable and it's a part of life and this is the essence of the circle of being and I am a crystal and the world is shellfish and whatnot but it never ever works because halfway through that whole psychotic monologue I end up telling myself to shut the fuck up because again, I'm bitchy, plus I don't even know what most of that stuff means.

You'd think I'd have the class - if not the grace - to be gracious and generous and loving towards my friends and family, since they really are the only people on earth who not only put up with me but still speak to me at all, but no, instead I make dumbass comments that make me feel monstrous and try the patience of some of the most patient and lovely people I know.

(Seriously, if you've understood that I'm talking to you, you have my full permission to tell me to fucking can it. I will cry but I deserve it and it will make you feel better, trust me, my pet; when have I steered you wrong?)

As a writer, I put more stock in the ugly pockmarked truth than the glittery lie. But I can't honestly pass my bitchitude off as truth or anything close to it: the fact is, I'm hot because it's fucking August, things are so completely NOT under control, and I? I am just not dealing well.

As the day progressed I went from okay, to hostile, back to okay, and then to feeling great. So, what happened? I woke up, later than I wanted to. Generally when that happens I'm in a pretty poopy mood. Then I got to work, and for the majority of the night, I noticed alot of rage building up within me. No idea where it came from exactly, I just wanted to explode on somebody.

Then me brain got ticking, it only took.. 7 hours for me to fully wake up and regain a fully functional mind, but we finally got there. So I started assessing my situation. What could be the cause for all my anger tonight.. I had a fairly good weekend, so I don't think that was it. Hmm.. could it be work? Nah, whatever dismay I hold toward my place of work is quickly thwarted when I get home. Plus it's payday today :D

So.. if none of those, whats left? Women? Pft. Roommates? Nope, just as obnoxious as always.

"Eureka!" I said, in my mind of course. I promise I didn't stand up in the middle of my office area and shout eureka!

I'm mad at myself. Explanation is due, of course. I'm happy with my life, and the way things are going. I'm finally back on track with my finances, I'm able to have all the cool widgets I'd like, I finally got rid of that nagging cut on the roof of my mouth we like to call "Jackie"... for good. *knock on wood*

"So.. with things finally starting to look up.. why on earth would hostility be a consequence of it Bob?"

Good question. I thought about that a lot.. and I have deduced the following response. I'm hostile towards myself because I am now generally okay with being alone. Here is a sample of the steps my thought process went through during this 20 minute "ish" period. Ahem..

• I'm rather enjoying being alone, only having to answer to myself really. I see what the people around me have to put up with, and think how on earth could I have ever let myself fall to that level.
• If I enjoy being alone like this, why would I ever give it up? Furthermore, the odds of finding the companion I'm looking for are slim to nil. Why bother?
• I've proven to myself, that I don't need a companion. I'm doing just fine, if not better than I ever have.
• If I don't need a companion, and I do better for myself without one, then what do I need friends for?
• Is what I've gone through in my life going to cause me to become a selfish prick, who thinks the world revolves around him.. much like my father (Oooh, yeah.. I used the F word)

Damn, this formatting after the bullets wont fix itself. Oh well, thats what was going through my mind for twenty or so minutes. Alot of selfish thoughts, I'm not quite sure yet if all of that was a good or a bad thing. But, one thing I do know for certain is... I want to be selfish right now. I want to bask myself in riches and gifts, and do all the things that I have wanted to do, but couldn't because I've spent a good portion of the past 6 years putting everyone else before myself.

Of course.. going to the extreme that my mind processed earlier, would be a bad thing. I think I may have possibly earned a bit of the right to be selfish for even just a little bit?

So... from all that I have come to a conclusion. I have lost touch of who Bob is over these years. How could I let this happen? In my eyes I was a very different person before I joined the army. In alot of ways the changes that I've went through have been good, but many bad as well.

Hrmm.. I think it's time to change that. So thats exactly what I'm going to do over the next,... however long it takes.

The first steps I have already taken, without even fully realizing it. I want to "re-connect" with my love of computers. I've been seriously slacking in that department for many, many years. I have so much to re-learn, re-build, and re-do, among tons of new things to learn and do. I now am running twin monitors on my rig, and my word.. it makes life so much better having this much screen real estate.

From that, I've concluded that I've lost touch with just how much of a total nerd I really am. It's actually gotten me into a lot of trouble, putting aside my nerdom like I have. The real Bob wouldn't care about what kind of car he drives, or even really what random strangers think about him. So fuck it. Certainly I can't just get rid of my cars, but I can do something about the whole strangers thing.

I don't know what it is that has me thinking this way, I do know, however, that I have lost who I really am. Now is the time to reclaim that, in all the epic glory that is the true nerd, Bob.

Step 2 of reclaiming myself. Grow an epic beard. Yes.. I said it, I'm doing it. I've always wanted a beard that Moradin himself (Dwarven god, for you.. non-D&D nerdo's) would be proud of. Huzzah! Fuck all you naysayers ;) At the very least, I have to grow it, and if it turns out that I'm not a dwarf (NO FUCKING WAY, DWARVES AREN'T REAL?? *rolleyes*) and a beard doesn't suit me. Well... then I will make friends with the razor again.

I has plans... plans I'm looking forward to, as well as many other things I'm looking forward to. Maybe sometime down the road, I'll find someone who has many similarities to me, or can accept me for who I really am, and then live happily ever after.. or some such. I'm not even thinking about that right now, I only have visions of me in the future at this point, and I don't care if thats selfish of me or not. I've earned it :P