I forgot my iPod today, so I created a quick 4th of July Playlist that I thought I would share with everyone. Even Picklez should be happy in that the list is composed mostly by recent songs...
I hope that everyone is doing great. I should be back soon to post some pictures from all of travels from the past few months.
Have a safe Holiday!
It's been a little while since I last checked in, so I thought it was time for a quick update. As usual, things have been really busy for Jodi and myself. April is always painful for us as we deal with each other's birthdays, income taxes, car tags and taxes, and the start of our "karate season".
I have been in a really good mood as of late. Even getting punched in the face, during sparring a week or so ago, did nothing to lower my spirits. My job is going well at the moment. I'm finally becoming immersed in the newer .NET technology. That's kind of a double edged sword for me. I'm motivated and inspired, but it requires more time for me to produce any meaningful code -- thus more hours at work.
The "Mudcats"
Jodi and I recently visited the crew in Preston and was able to attend one of Jamie's T-Ball games. It was a blast and I should have some pictures up soon. After the game, Jack took me to Wolf Creek for my first golf outing of the year. I did pretty respectable for our 9-hole golfing excursion. Jamie and I shared a golf cart which means that I'm always in for a good time with Jamie trying to drive.
WYKKO Traditional Tournament
We survived the traditional Karate Tournament that our class hosts each year. As usual, I found the event to be fun after it was over. It takes a lot of time and effort to host this event every year and Mr. G does a great job organizing the entire tournament. I'm not sure that all the students in the class really appreciate the work that goes into our WYKKO events, but that's a rant for another day.
For someone that has not been training, I had a somewhat respectable performance at the tournament. In an impromptu self-defense routine, Mr G. and I took 3rd place. Considering the amazing and talented people that were competing, third place was a great finish. The real credit goes to Mr. G, who was able to stage the whole defense routine in about two minutes and naturally does most of the work in the routine.
I also received third place in weapons kata and a DNF (Did Not Finish) for open-hand kata. Not much to say other than I really need to practice more.
Jodi did well in the tournament capturing first place in point-sparring, second place in open-hand kata, and third in weapons kata.
As always, we really enjoyed the time spent with the other Yoshukai Black Belts and Students after the tournament. It's always a great time with good laughs and even some life lessons thrown-in.
GTA IV
Yep, I picked up the game the day it was released; however, I have not played that much as of yet. So far, my expectations have been exceeded.
Iron Man (the movie)
By now you have probably seen the reviews of this mega-revenue generating movie. I caught the movie as a matinee on Sunday. A very good action film in my opinion. The plot of the movie makes sense and the characters are believable. Overall, I give it a B+.
Based on the phenomenal response of the film, Marvel has already announced a sequel, a Captain America movie, a Thor movie, and an Avengers movie. Geeks Rejoice!
A quick primer with those that are not quite up-to-date in the world of geekdom as it exist on the intraweb. A "RickRoll" occurs when you intentionally redirect or misdirect someone to an online video of Rick Astley's "Never Going To Give You Up". The user expects to see one thing and instead they get the 80s one-hit wonder Rick Astley. RickRoll was started on one of the video gaming websites; however, no one is exactly sure which specific site.
In honor of April Fools Day, I give you the best of the RickRolls that I encountered.
TikiBarTV
As most of you are aware, I'm a big fan of TikiBarTV. Review some of my past posts and see for yourself. If you've never visited the TikiBar go now... I'll wait on you.
A few days ago, Dr. Tiki posted a SFW, yet provocative, picture of Lala on Flickr and then posted the link at Digg. As one would imagine the picture was very popular with the Digg crew.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drtiki/2365162225/
So, a few days later comes the TikiBar Video of the "photo shoot". View below:
The Muppets:
David Letterman's Top Ten List of reasons to watch this season's Battlestar Galatica with the cast of the show. Kind of funny, thought I would share...
My antiquated television went kaput about five months ago. So then I purchased the complete package - big HDTV, digital cable, HDTV package, HDTV DVR, etc. What happens next? The writers strike...
You can tell that the broadcasters are getting worried. The big three (plus Fox) lose viewers everyday to other content - the Internet, Cable Channels (Fx, Comedy Central, SciFi, USA, etc.), Premium Channels (HBO, Showtime, etc.), and *gasp* real life. The brutal truth is it was bad before, but now there is nothing decent on TV. And before you answer with "What about American Idol or Dancing With The Stars?", I will let you in on a little secret.... Reality shows suck.
With all that said, there appears to be some good news on the horizon. TV Guide has an article "After the Strike: When Your Favorites Will Return!", which lists the status of most television shows from ABC, NBC, and CBS.
For me the big news is:
- The return of Life next fall
- New episodes of the Thursday Night NBC comedy shows in April
- The last season of Battlestar Galatica begins in April.
- Burn Notice could return in June
The next gen version of one of the greatest multi-person console games will be available very soon. Mario Kart for the Wii is going to be released on April 27. GTA IV is still scheduled for an April 29 release. As Picklez has stated many times already, there is too much already scheduled for this time of year to fully enjoy video games. Our karate tournament is scheduled for the first weekend in May.
Oh well... once the tournament wraps up, it looks like I'm going to have some quality time in Liberty City and perhaps maybe... just maybe... I can coax Picklez out of his Mario Kart retirement for a couple more laps around the track.
BTW: I think that I will be unstoppable with the new Wii Wheel. UNSTOPPABLE, I say! Que evil laugh
Update: It appears that "snaking" has been removed from the game. Speed boosts will be determined by how long you can hold a powerslide, not how quickly you can waggle from left to right. More bad news for Picklez.... If he decides to return to the track and race me.
Links:
This is a post that is late in coming. As I have touched on this topic in the past on this very blog, Picklez gave me a lot of grief last summer when I was suggesting some songs that he could play at weddings to get people to dance. It was during our discussion that Picklez laid out a challenge . I would select dance songs from the 80, while Picklez was free to select from any other era. The winner would be songs with the most folks on the dance floor.
Let me start with a few disclaimers... I don't really like dance music. That's not to say that I hate it; however, it's not in regular rotation on my iPod. Also, most of the songs listed below were not the songs that I was suggesting to Picklez on the day of our "Dance Song Debate".
I feel that I need to describe my song selection criteria in a little more detail. I picked dance songs from the 80s, which I believe are still relevant today. Gloria Estefan's "Congo" really pulled people out on the dance floor back in 1985; however, today... not so much. These are songs that should also appeal to non-80s music fans. Also, I believe dancing at weddings is a slightly different experience than being at a club, thus these tunes should still work.
Today's Best Dance Songs From The 80s
Head To Toe - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam [1987]
A fun simple song with a latin feel to it. From the Spanish Fly album which also produced the single "Someone to Love Me for Me". Personally, I'm kind of neutral to the song. (Wikipedia)
Wild Thing - Tone Loc [1989]
Not to be confused with the 60s song by the Troggs, this song is really just a not so clever euphemism for sex. Shocking, I know. I'm not a big fan of sampling, so a song based off of Van Halen's "Jamie's Crying" was not one of my favorites back in the day. This song was WAY overplayed in the 80s. Even so, it still gets people excited and time has diminished my dislike for the tune. (Wikipedia)
You Spin Me Round - Dead Or Alive [1985]
What can I say... I like this song and the very similar sounding "Brand New Lover". The UK band, Dead Or Alive, has re-released this classic a few times in the 90s and 00s, so I think that people would really respond to this tune. (Wikipedia)
Super Freak - Rick James [1981]
My first choice for a dance tune would be "Can't Touch This" by M.C. Hammer, but that was a 90s song. With that in mind, I pick the original. Nothing that I can say in a couple of sentences about Rick James that would add any value for anyone. This is a song that I have always liked even with heavy air play back in the early
80s. (Wikipedia)
FunkyTown - Lipps Inc. [1980]
Another catchy tune that seems to make it's way back into pop culture prominence every few years. It's by a Minneapolis based band named Lipps Incorporated... Lipps Inc.. just like "Lip Sync"... Get it?... Anyway, good tune that makes it way on a movie soundtrack every so often. (Wikipedia)
Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic [1989]
A song from late 1989 barely makes the list. "Pump Up The Jam" was originally intended as an instrumental tune. It's also been covered and remixed a few times in the past couple of years. Again, not one of my iPod favorites, but it will get people mixing it up on the dance floor. (Wikipedia)
A Little Respect - Erasure [1987]
UK group Erasure's signature tune. Another song that has been covered often and has been featured in TV shows and movies; most notably by the series "Scrubs". This tune also happens to be one of my favorites on this list due to it's happy and infectious vibe. (Wikipedia)
Let The Music Play - Shannon [1983]
The electro funk sound from Shannon charted at number eight in the spring of 1983. Solid tune, but kind of forgetful in my opinion. Even so, It was re-released in 2000 and I believe that it still would have some clout on the dance floor.
(Wikipedia)
Obsession - Animotion [1985]
Another one of my personal favorites. I met the band Animotion in Panama City, FL in 1986. They just showed up at a local bar and were pretty friendly. Is there more to this story? sure, but not for this post. (Wikipedia)
Nasty - Janet Jackson [1986]
You get the talent of Michael without all of the creepiness. It was a tough decision for me between "Nasty" and "Control". Both are good songs. VH1 recently ranked "Nasty" as number 30 on a list of 100 best songs from the past 25 years. Janet was really on top of her game back in the 80s. Unfortunately, she has become a punchline due to the Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction. (Wikipedia)
Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley [1988]
I would never make you cry or say goodbye. That's right I'm that kind of guy. Another song that really makes me laugh. I believe that this is one of Picklez favorites. (Wikipedia)
Bust A Move - Young MC [1989]
Ah... the magic that is "Young MC". Again, not one of the songs on any of my playlists; however, for dance music it's hard to beat it. Young MC won a Grammy for this song in 1990. Really he did... Seriously... a Grammy... Really... It's true. (Wikipedia)
It Takes Two - Rob Base and DJ Easy Rock [1988]
Another dance hit which heavily sampled another song. Even so, I think that this one can make you want to "cut a rug". Also, this is one of my favorites from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. (Wikipedia)
Pump Up The Volume - MARRS [1987]
A one hit wonder for sure. Infectious vibe which makes for a good dance tune. The only downside is that this song has been used in a comercial recently. (Wikipedia)
Push It - Salt N Pepa [1987]
A definite hit on the dance floor. I remember when I first saw Salt N Pepa as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live performing "Push It". I laughed and laughed and laughed.... not with them. Being older and wiser, when I hear the song nowadays, I laugh and laugh.... (Wikipedia)
Slow Songs
True - Spandau Ballet [1983]
Dare I say... a true classic. This tune has been featured in dozens of films and TV shows. Also, I think it may hold the record for the number of covers on this list. Anyway, this is the ultimate slow dance song. This, my friends, is the sound of my soul. (Wikipedia)
Lady in Red - Chris De Burg [1986]
One hit wonder? Sure, but I can still remember when this song dominated top 40 radio. It's still a good song, if you don't here it too often. (Wikipedia)
Ok Picklez; this is my list in no particular order. I even included links so that you can go through your usual three step music recognition process.
- I've never heard that song
- Oh yeah, I remember that song
- I hate that song
Hangtime, Luginhutch, and Sherapova, I'm looking for a little input from you too.
BTW: I'm giving the imeem.com service a try. It seems like a more stable version of seeqpod; however, some of the songs above will only play the first 30 seconds. If you open the list in the standalone player (basically the imeeb.com website) then the problem appears to go away.
BTW(2): Thanks to Vox for the wonderful job with paragraph spacing.
I recently read this article about Muslim prisoners in Britain being served ham sandwiches for Ramadan. Of course, they are screaming about religious harassment. Cue the moral outrage, protesting, and the filing of civil suits.
My personal belief is simple: If you break the law and go to prison, then you no longer have the right to be picky about the food that you are served. If you don't like the chow, then don't commit crimes.
Anyway, this article reminded me of a phone conversation that I had when Jodi visited the crew in Preston recently. Jodi and Jamie were on speaker phone in Preston, when Jodi told me about some pork that she had just purchased.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jodi: The hog was butchered yesterday and I will bring some home on my return on Sunday.
Jamie: Ray, I don't like hog... don't like it
Ray: You don't like hog?
Jamie: No, I don't like it
Jodi: Yes, you do. You just had bbq for dinner the other night.
Jamie: BBQ is Hog?
Jodi: Yes
Jamie: Ray, turns out... I do like hog.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Me too, Jamie.... Me too.
The Daily Show has a hilarious view of the "cluelessness" of the naive anti-war group "code pink". BTW: Do you believe that they put any thought in to their name. Come on... How can you be taken seriously with a name like that?
Hippies talk about saving the world but all they do is smoke pot and smell bad
-- Eric Cartman
