I just noticed that (little known) trip hop musicians Jazz Klash's tune "The Finale" from their really awesome "Thru the Haze" album quotes a great deal of David Bowie's "Ramona A. Stone" from the equally awesome "Outside" album.

Anyhoo.

Perfect is the enemy of the good.

Check out Doug Grow's column on Keith Ellison's war authorization/deadline vote.

What worthless bitching. Of course it would be ideal to be out of Iraq asap, but it isn't going to happen that way.

It's too bad some people don't see this as a victory of the antiwar movement rather than a defeat.

What makes you happy?

What makes you happy?

Dan Gilbert is a psychology professor at Harvard, and author of Stumbling on Happiness. In this memorable talk, filmed at TED2004, he demonstrates just how poor we humans are at predicting (or understanding) what will make us happy. (Recorded July 2005 in Oxford, UK. Duration: 22:02)



On a related note I got a new iPod today. That DOES make me happy.

Robert Rauschenberg is AWESOME

Thanks, NYT.

There is an article on the Star Tribune's web site today bringing a new health problem Dick Cheney's suffering from to light. Apparently, he's got a blood clot in his leg.

Do you ever wonder by how much our health care costs will drop when this half dead bastard finally kicks it? That attempted assignation attempt last week in Afghanistan should have been framed as an attempt to reduce health care premiums.

Rough route for this summer/fall Tour de Mike?

Ride fatass ride!

Interesting Craig Ferguson monologue on Britney Spears and Potpourri

Interesting post on what we as people owe to people in a tailspin.

Also, on an unrelated note, a new band I like: The Bellrays. Soul + Rock. Semisonic-ish. And on a related note, I'm currently reading Jacob Slichter's memoir of his time in the band. It's reassuring to know that the NYT and others agree with me that it is funny and intelligent. And, I checked it out of the St Paul Library, and it appears as if it's a signed copy. Thanks Jake! I told the librarians!

Neat art blog

huh. Animal art, like you'd find on a cute b-day card from Grandma, but freakier.

Intersting Youtube Video

I know a few short weeks ago I said that Youtube was useless but this is pretty interesting.

It might not make sense to most people, but it kind of ties into the book I'm reading-John Steinbeck's fantastic travelogue 'Travels with Charlie, In Search of America'. It's about his rediscovery of the middle and western part of the US, about what makes us tick and about how we want to live our lives. Awesome book, and remember: Reading if FUNdamental!

I'm stuck at work until the morning (damn bus doesn't run past midnight!), so I've been YouTubing.

I wish Al Gore would run for president. These two videos are a film made during the 2000 presidential run....they're done by Spike Jonze and they're really great. They show Al Gore as a really smart, thoughtful person with great vision. Too bad we as a nation didn't see him that way 8 years ago...and hopefully we're lucky enough to get these qualities in our next President.

Random Musings

I'm going to Florida next week, so this game might also apply to me:
http://www.waxhoff.com/


I love Ugly Betty. Really. As much as the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica and almost as much as Star Trek:TNG.

ahhh, the writing process:

tasty tasty office cookies
make the good times last
tasty tasty office cookies
why must they kill you extra fast?

meh.

tasty tasty office cookies
that make the good times last
tasty tasty office cookies
that kill you extra fast

I'm going to Naples, Florida with the girlfriend and my new bike next week.

No -1 F for me next week! See you suckers!

YouTube....as nutritious as cotton candy

So...I know we all dislike George Bush, but I still like to watch the State of the Union speech(and the Democratic response) but circumstances forced me to miss it last night.

I'm thinking, no big deal. Within minutes of The Shrub's last words, the speech will be up on YouTube for all to see. Shit, if some zitty 16 year old's video diary is up there, you'd think the biggest political speech of the year by one of the most important people on the planet would end up there too.

So wrong. YouTube ain't got it.

But Google Video does......hooray for Google.

Pimpin' my Box

Yesterday was the first day of the Great 2007 Home Remodel....my Dad and I took measurements of my bathroom and kitchen appliances, and of the floor.

So...folks. If you want a nice codo in Edina with a new bathroom, range, and wood flooring come visit my place. Since most of the evil old people who lived around me are dead it would be a sweet place for most people to live. Unless they themselves were an evil old person.

Movin' on up

Much like Gerald Ford and the Godfather of Soul (and some of my less notable elderly neighbors) I'm thinking of moving on up.....To the Crocus Hill neighborhood in STP! I've looked at a couple of places-and I think I could be happy with at least one of them. While I'd have some home improvement to do(what is it with these people who want to sell their places but don't paint their basement windows that are slowing shaking off their paint?), my commute would drop to 10 minutes or so. From an hour and a half. Cough.