February 2009 Archives

[Moozik: Depeche Mode - Wrong]

I don't usually post this much about a particular band in general and if you don't like Depeche Mode then you've been finding these postings of mine all rather boring. And with that, here comes, you guessed it, another Depeche Mode post.

I did pony up my cash for the iTunes Pass after all and got my first two downloads right away. The single, Wrong, did take a good few listens to get into but I'm pleased to say it has grown on me over the past couple of days.

In true shock, horror, film-at-11 style news, the video for the song is actually quite good. It reminds me of the days where the music industry actually put some effort into making entertaining videos.

So, give it a gander, what do you think?

[Moozik: White Lies - Farewell To The Fairground]

Apple are using my favorite band in a little experiment. They just announced their pass feature and as far as I can tell, it's like DVR'ing an entire season of a TV programme, but for music instead. You pay up front and then you receive new songs, remixes and videos via iTunes on a regular basis as they become available.

I don't really think I'll find the new feature useful for other bands, but I'm totally stoked that they chose Depeche Mode as their Guinea Pig. Of course, I'm this close to handing over my $18.99 for my Depeche Mode Pass.

They're my favorite band after all. Have I mentioned that?

[Moozik: Icon Of Coil - Activate]

Rejoice kids, for today Depeche Mode have announced their North American tour dates at last.

Friday, July 24th (Toronto)
Saturday, July 25th (Montreal)
Tuesday, July 28th (Washington, DC)
Friday, July 31st (Boston)
Saturday, August 1st (Atlantic City)
Monday, August 3rd (New York)
Monday, August 10th (Seattle)
Wednesday, August 12th (San Francisco)
Friday, August 14th (San Diego)
Sunday, August 16th (Los Angeles)
Monday, August 17th (Los Angeles)
Thursday, August 20th (Santa Barbara)
Saturday, August 22nd (Las Vegas)
Sunday, August 23rd (Phoenix)
Tuesday, August 25th (Salt Lake City)
Thursday, August 27th (Denver)
Saturday, August 29th (Dallas)
Sunday, August 30th (Houston)
Tuesday, Sept 1st (Atlanta)
Friday, Sept 4th (Tampa)
Saturday, Sept 5th (Ft. Lauderdale)

Oh yes, we're so going to be there, whichever venue there turns out to be ;-)

[Moozik: Killing Joke - The Pandys Are Coming]

One thing that makes me happy is that my favorite breakfast cereal of all time can very happily be found on American store shelves.

I've loved Weetabix since I was a kid. When I was younger I used to let it sit in milk for ages until the little buggers got soggy. Now I eat them right away while they're still crunchy.

So what's your breakfast of champions?

Blimey, two nostalgia posts in a row. What's next, a post about Star Wars figures? Hmm...

[Moozik: The Cure - Seventeen Seconds]

Don't you just love finding out that they still make some of the things that you played with as a kid? No? Oh, well then it must just be me then. Well, regardless, I opened a tub of Play-Doh for the first time in something like 25+ years this weekend.

Of course the first thing I made was a long stringy thingy followed by round balls of, er, roundness. Oh yes, my creativity knows no bounds. Ahem. I don't know why I thought it would be any different but I was pleasantly surprised that Play-Doh smells exactly the same as I remembered it.

You played with Play-Doh as kids too right? Right?

[Moozik: Decoder - Chase]

It's been around for 5 years, everyone and their brother has already seen it, but if you're like me, you'd forgotten all about it. Thanks then, to Kottke for reminding me that I have the sense of humor of an 11 year old. And you know what? I'm ok with that.

Here then, Star Wars lines improved by replacing a word with "pants".

My personal faves:

I find your lack of pants disturbing.
Chewie and me got into a lot of pants more heavily guarded than this.
I cannot teach him. The boy has no pants.
That blast came from the pants! That thing's operational!
Alderan is peaceful, we have no pants!
These aren't the pants you're looking for.
She must have hidden the pants in the escape pod.
This little one's not worth the effort. Come, let me get you some pants.

[Moozik: Pop Will Eat Itself - Axe Of Men]

Last month I posted my tentative travel bucket list. It will surprise no-one that I haven't been able to cross any of those places off my list as yet. But hey, I'm working on it. It occurred to me that when I am 90 and I've put down my pint & I'm chasing kids off my lawn, I'd really love to be able to look back and say I'd done one or two things as well.

So, off-the-top-of-my-head, here are some of the things I would like to have done by the age of 90. It only contains the things I haven't done yet and is really tentative. Sure there are some things I've already done that I want to continue and/or happen again (live in another country, fall in love, tattoos, grow a beard, marriage) but for now, just the stuff I haven't done.

• Ride in a hot air balloon.
• Learn to fly a plane.
• Learn to scuba dive.
• Go up in space.
• Run a marathon.
• Write a novel.
• Learn Japanese.
• Get master's degree.
• Swim with dolphins.
• Ride in a submarine.
• Raise a family.
• Learn yoga.

Blimey, this is the kind of list that can (and will) change on an almost daily basis. Heck, it will probably change for me on an hourly basis if I really put some thought into it.

What are a couple of things you'd like to accomplish before you depart this mortal coil?

[Moozik: Black Light Burns - Mesopotamia]

Did you watch tonight's press conference at the White House? Wasn't it weird to have an articulate President who actually used full sentences? A press conference that didn't make me want to punch my TV and I didn't cringe with embarrassment once. What a refreshing change.

Best moment for me:

Obama: (referring to the $800 billion) I didn't just pull that number out of..."
(queue dramatic pause)
Me: your arse, say "your arse", "you didn't pull that number out of your arse".
Obama: "...of a hat".
Me: oh but you totally meant "your arse".

[Moozik: Sheep On Drugs - Chasing Dreams]

Got this in the mail today. A stark reminder of why my neighbours wisely watch their kids while outside playing.

A level 3 offender is someone deemed as high risk to the community and these types of notifications in the mail are mandatory.

The bloke in question actually lives round the corner. Lovely.

On August 22, 1991, the offender was convicted of Attempted Sexual Conduct and Attempted Molestation of a Child. The offender attempted to molest two nine-year-old victims, who were known to him. The offender is on lifetime probation.

[Moozik: Mindless Self Indulgence - Mark David Chapman]

For the most part I try to eat healthily. Except for when I don't. Entire tub of Philly cheese with crackers for lunch? Yum. Large chocolate milkshake from McDonalds for breakfast? Oh yes. Beer and ice cream for dinner? Done it.

But that's only on occasion and afterward I always feel guilty and end up starving myself as a result. Hey I'm not perfect and that's just how I roll sometimes. Still, I felt a little better this afternoon knowing that some other people are eating far worse than me. For Men's Health Magazine has just announced their 20 worst foods of 2009 list.

The worst one? Baskin Robbins Large Chocolate Oreo Shake.

We didn't think anything could be worse than Baskin Robbins' 2008 bombshell, the Heath Bar Shake. After all, it had more sugar (266 grams) than 20 bowls of Froot Loops, more calories (2,310) than 11 actual Heath Bars, and more ingredients (73) than you'll find in most chemist labs.

Rather than coming to their senses and removing it from the menu, they did themselves one worse and introduced this caloric catastrophe. It¹s soiled with more than a day's worth of calories and three days worth of saturated fat, and, worst of all, usually takes less than 10 minutes to sip through a straw.

2,600 calories
135 g fat (59 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)
263 g sugars
1,700 mg sodium

Wait, I've had one of those too. Well, at least I haven't had the other 19 on the list. So that's something.

You have any food skeletons in your closet?

[Moozik: Combichrist - Can't Change The Beat]

This weekend we took a nice little break from it all and drove from Phoenix up to Sedona. Over the years I've been to Sedona quite a few times and it never ceases to take my breath away.

Photos never quite seem to do it justice. Certainly one of those places you have to see with your own eyes. If you ever find yourself with some time to spare in Arizona, you should go. Really.

Must find out how this bloke got up there. To the naked eye he was just a speck. Must have had the best view ever up there.

No ACME gadgets were on the tail of this runner of roads.

While driving I'm really quite bad at saying "oooh, quick take a photo of that out the right window"...

..."oooh, and out the left too". I'm surprised I wasn't punched.

Of course, Sunday was the Superbowl, and even in a tourist haven like Sedona, the locals had their priorities straight ;-)