I got a bookish look and you're all hot for teacher

I made a point of watching SNL this week for the first time in years so I could see Sarah Palin's appearance. I thought it was mildly entertaining, but I was really hoping to see Tina Fey and her standing next to each other. They look so freakishly similar, I some time to actually compare them. I had changed the channel by the time Weekend Update came on so I missed Amy Poehler's rap. So here it is, in case you missed it, too.

You were just some silly girl taking in the sights of your empire's colony

Just in time for election season The Decemberists bring us what we've always wanted - a love song to an exposed spy. The band has a series of singles coming out over the next few months and the first one was released Tuesday featuring the song "Valerie Plame." Yes, the song is about that Valerie Plame. The press release calls it a song from, "the point-of-view of one of Plame's inside contacts upon discovering her true identity, the song is an amorous tribute to the onetime CIA operative." Check it out:

Fear the hearts of men are failing

Have you heard that the economy's in trouble? I know it's hardly on the news so you might have missed it. What the news tends to say all the time is things are bad. Even the analysis stories don't do a good job of explaining what the hell just happened or what it means. For that, I give you This American Life.

Back in may the NPR radio show did an episode called "The Giant Pool of Money" that did an amazing job explaining the mortgage crisis in terms I could really understand. I've been referring to it constantly as my starting base for everything that's happened in the economy since then. And last week This American Life did an episode called "Another Frightening Show About the Economy" that explains things like the bailout and credit default swaps.

So if you have any interest at all in what's going on in Wall Street or you just want to sound smart in front of your friends, there is no two hours of your life better spent than listening to these podcasts. The first show is archived so you'll have to pay 95 cents for it, but the second show is still free. You can find them in iTunes or here and here. Just think of the 95 cents as your way of helping the economy.

From a young age my two greatest loves were always Jews and Cuban food

If you were one of the five people out there who missed the Vice Presidential Debate on Thursday, here's Saturday Night Live's take on it. This is pretty much how it went down. Sad, but true.

Writing in the glow of the TV's static

Things are cooling down here in The 'Nati and fall is definitely in the air tonight, so I figured it was time to write about my next album the depressing and autumnal Figure 8 by Elliot Smith.

Figure 8 is a sad, sad album so I'll love it, right? Well, not exactly. I spent most of my time while I was listening to it trying to figure out why I love sad and British artists but not the sad and American ones. The only theory I could come up with is that the British singers are a little more self deprecating. They may sing sorrowful tunes, but I always get the feeling that it's just a phase. I know that they'll wake up one morning and their world will be better. I like that silver lining of hope.

I can't really find that hope in Elliot Smith's songs. Smith killed himself in 2003 (or his girlfriend killed him depending on which theory you believe) and had battled depression his whole life. He really was a pretty sad guy and the songs reflect that. They are sweet tunes but I'm rarely mellow and/or sad enough to truly appreciate them. I'll stick to the Brits, thank you very much.

And since there's no one else around, we let our hair grow long and forget all we used to know

Last week I got back from Montreal, the most recent stop in the Sad & British 2008 world tour. I even busted out the panorama function on my new camera to actually take a picture. Most of the other shots were taken by Carrie who was always running around with her camera at the ready.

Carrie got a shot of Jeff, me and Melissa wandering around Old Montreal. Everything was in French but it didn't stop us from successfully ordering wine.

We did a few tourist things to pass the time between bottles of wine. The Notre Dame Basilica was particularly lovely.

Mostly, though, we were on the lookout for picturesque places to drink like this lovely courtyard where we had lunch.

One afternoon we went to Atwater Market which was also picturesque. In fact pretty much everything in Montreal can be described as picturesque.

We picked up a bunch of treats at the market (including more wine) and had a picnic lunch along the canal. That pate that Melissa is digging into is caribou. It had blueberries in it, too.

We also took a little boat trip and as you can see I'm always at work. Carrie got a shot of Jeff and I doing a little photo editing. The excitement never stops with us!

On our last night in town, we got to see James in concert. Carrie, being the multimedia journalist that she is even got some video of that. If you look closely at the beginning, you can see Jeff and me bouncing around.



So that's the nickel tour of Montreal. The next stop on the world tour is New York at the end of October for Jeff's New York Marathon run. I'm proud to announce that he has successfully raised the $2,500 he needed for charity, so we'll all be out there to cheer for him.

MidPoint Countdown

The MidPoint Music Festival kicks off tomorrow night and I think I have my bands picked out for the weekend. If you're looking for some suggestions I can help you out.

• Thursday night check out Coltrane Motion and The Turnbull AC's at the Inner Peace Holistic Center (708 Walnut) at 10 and 11 pm. Coltrane Motion is one of my favorite things about MidPoint every year and even though The Turnbull AC's are a local band, I've never seen them. I've heard nothing but good things, though, so I'm really looking forward to it.

• At midnight on Thursday there's a dance set at the Lodge Bar (35 E. 7th) with Ruckus Roboticus. It's gonna be fun.

• I'll be working at MidPoint Friday so I won't get to see much, but I can recommend Otter Petter (9:30 at Below Zero, 1122 Walnut) and Pomegranates (midnight at Blue Wisp, 318 E. 8th). They're both pop influenced indie bands.

• If you have a three day wristband go see The Mocks at the Aronoff on Saturday (9 pm, 650 Walnut). They're from Mexico and have kind of a shoegaze sound but it would be a chill way to slip into the evening.

• What I'm really looking forward to on Saturday are the bands at the Lodge Bar. Ha Ha Tonka plays at 10 with Backyard Tire Fire at 11. They both have an alt-country sound, but they're not afraid to rock. Ha Ha Tonka has great live harmonies, too.

So that's what I have so far. You can go here for a full schedule and links to bands' web sites so you can check out their music. Even if you have just one night, try to get out this weekend for some live music. Trust me, it'll be fun.

We all knew it was coming

Finally! Everyone I know has been waiting for Tina Fey to play Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. Is it strange that she seems more like Palin than the real Palin does? I wonder if she's been working on that accent since McCain first introduced her.

Heard they'd do anything for a Klondike

So I threw some stuff together from my trip to Vegas and made a video. It's not as great as puppies playing in the grass, but it can waste one and a half minutes of your life - if that's what you're into.

Gotta whole lot of money that's ready to burn so get those stakes up higher

So I'm back from Vegas and have a week before heading north to Montreal. Yes folks, Sad & British takes you around the world! (That last part should be said with the enthusiasm of a '50s TV announcer.)

I'm hoping to get all multimedia on you tomorrow and post some stuff from Vegas before I leave again. So watch this space!