The children are our future

I'm guessing a lot of you have seen this by now, but if not, you must watch it. So funny!

Declan deathwatch

Declan froze up again the other day and it took another trip to the Apple Store to get him going. This time the genius warned me that his hard drive is going bad and it's only a mater of time until he completely craps out. Decaln worked for four months between fixes last time, so maybe he can make it that long again if I'm gentle with him.

I do want to get a new iPod eventually, but I've been holding out for a new version. I've heard rumors of a new release coming in September, but I'm just hoping it's actually new new iPod version and not just a Nano. They've had their time in the sun.

So I guess I'll start saving my pennies, while also being sure to take extra care of Declan. No pressing buttons too quickly or making too many demands. He deserves to enjoy his golden years.

Slow down, think it over

I've spent the last few days trying to remember where I picked up my copy of Fedra by the Pittsburgh band Shade. I know I saw them at Alchemize (back when Alchemize was in Over The Rhine) before a Boys and Girls night. I have a feeling it was the weekend that Josh and all his friend were in town, but I was so exhausted by the time we got to Alchemize that everything is a little fuzzy.

I've spent all this time thinking about when I bought the CD because the album itself isn't that great. The band is awesome live and I highly recommend you go see them if they come to your town, but the CD sounds flat. I think this happens with new bands a lot. I don't know if it's actually being in a studio and all the bells and whistles they offer or what. Maybe I just need to listen to the CD with a beer so it will feel more like a live show.

So to sum it up:
Shade is a nice band.
Go see their show.
Don't buy Fedra.
Maybe buy any new recording instead.

Meet Sir Ranulph!

After months of distrust between Benecio and I, I had to break things off. So I gave up my sultry Latin man for a British adventurer. Today I picked up my new Mini Cooper, which I promptly named Sir Ranulph after this guy. (You can call him "Ran" for short.) I took a little drive this evening and I think I'm in love. So here's to a long and happy relationship.

Stop making eyes at me

You must listen to this now! Proof, once again, that Tom Jones is the greatest Welshman of all time.

Come back from San Francisco

OK, they are - photos from the San Francisco trip! I used all my photo editing skilz to pick a few shots that pretty much encapsulate the trip. I think they (more or less) speak for themselves.

Me on a cable car. It's very Mary Tyler Moore.


The first day we all went on a bay cruise where Carrie and Dayna learned they are the same person what with the being cold all the time and the computer geekery. It's good they live on opposite coasts or their power might be unstoppable.


The next day we went to a Giants game. They killed the Diamondbacks but we were pretty much into the view and the beer.


On Monday it was off to Berkeley and the Scharffen Berger factory. Melissa let out a startling whoop when they passed out hairnets. I think it made her week.


That afternoon we ran into Josh's friend Nick at a bar on Haight Street (as you do). He invited us out for karaoke and that's when the party really got started.


At midnight, I turned 30!


And Josh sang a song.


Then I sang a song with a little help from Jeff.


The next day, we were all feeling a little rough for our tour of the Anchor Brewery.


But somehow Melissa had the energy to take pictures.


There was more after that but I ran out of photos. I'll just leave everyone with beautiful shot from Carrie. It was an awesome trip and I'm glad so many people could make it.

Wow, 30 feels a lot like 29...

...except during warms ups for my first flag football game as a 30-year-old, I jammed my finger pretty badly. Now it's all purple and swelly. As I'm still one of the youngest people on my team, my teammates have assured me that it only gets worse from here.

My brother made me a birthday card that as pretty awesome and I wanted to share it with the world (or at least the six cats that read this blog). Enjoy!

Discarded all the naughty nights for niceness

Do you see that little countdown clock to the right over there? Yep, it's down to single digits, which means in just a few days I'll be 30! (Are you allowed to have a blog after 30? I'm pretty sure I have to turn in my MySpace page.)

It also means that in a few short days I'll be heading off to San Francisco to celebrate said birthday with all the friends I managed to convince to join me. I woke up this morning pretty excited about the whole trip. I can already tell that this next week at work is going to seem endless. Oh well, at least there will be some serious fun at the end of it.

**********

Now it's time for that album I promised. Today it's Favourite Worst Nightmare by Arctic Monkeys. Is it a sophomore slump from the young British band that burst on the scene in 2006? My answer - maybe?

I definitely don't like this album as much as their first. Maybe it's just that the witty lyrics and punk riffs were such a surprise the first time. Now they all seem a little worn. I still think Favourite Worst Nightmare is worth your time (and money), it's just not going to change your life. Arctic Monkeys have a lot of good music ahead of them, and I'll always be there to see what they put out. If they're the future of British rock, I'm in good hands.

My imaginary British boyfriend

I promise to write about Declan's next album soon, but I wanted to add another quick post. I stumbled on this website for the International Mixtape Project last month and decided to check it out. It's perfect for geeks like me who enjoy making mixes and forcing them upon friends. Now I get to force them upon perfect strangers.

Here's how it works: You sign up and pay $10 (for operating fees - I don't blame them, this thing's probably a hassle to run). Every month they send you the name and address of someone to send a mix CD to. The email usually contains a thematic suggestion but you can send anything you want. In turn, somebody else sends you a CD.

I signed up in May and sent a copy of "Sad Panda" to a guy in Canada. I was starting to think the whole thing might be too much of a hassle for me, what with the going to the post office and all, when one afternoon there was a lovely brown envelope in my mailbox with a Royal Mail stamp on it. My CD had arrived and it was from some British (and sad?) guy named James.

I immediately played the CD and it was great fun. It had a little British rap (which I love) and Neutral Milk Hotel (which I also love) and I found myself imagining my wonderful British boyfriend had sent this to me. If Shawn can have an imaginary German girlfriend and Nicolaj can have an imaginary New York girlfriend, why not me? Now, I can't wait to see what arrives this month. I have a brand new mix to ship off to New Zealand!

We'll miss you Tony!

Jeff and I are celebrating the last episode of The Sopranos with a nice chianti.