Dating Advice No One Gave Me: Leave the Death Metal off the Résumé

Blogfan Benjie will most likely appreciate this more than anyone, but here goes anyway.

The first and foremost thrash metal band Slayer changed my life. Actually, I have always classified Slayer as "black" metal, due to their Satanic approach to metal. They are also classified as "death metal".

Oh, I can see I'm going to be proud of this post!

Let me first begin by saying this was dredged from the recesses of my mind by a post over at the music blog Jefitoblog,


who will occasionally drop a dissertation called "The Complete Idiot's Guide to (insert band name here)". These posts are among my faves of his, which help secure his spot on my sidebar as a top music blog.

I often listen/download some of the sample tracks he hosts, songs I may have never heard, or realized existed, as was the case with his guide to ZZ Top.

This week, he surprised me, as well as many of his readers, with a lengthy analysis of the band Slayer. Before one scoffs, Slayer just won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance, and are considered as one of the cornerstones of American Heavy Metal. (See guitarist Kerry King discussing the Grammy win here).

Let us rewind to the early 1980s. I was a pimply little dork who started digging metal with the purchase of Mötley Crüe's Too Fast for Love, the Scorpions' Blackout, Judas Priest's Screaming for Vengeance.

Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Anthrax soon followed.

I hung out with my pal Chris at his dad's metal record store "The Cavern" which was behind a Jack in the Box kitty-corner to the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu.

We were exposed to all sorts of metal there. I still remember being in the Cavern when someone handed me Megadeth's Killing is My Business ... And Business is Good! and said "This is the hottest shit since sliced bread." It was the first time I ever heard that expression, and I will always associate it with the sound of Dave Mustaine's guitar.

Chris, liked the harder, darker stuff. He loved Slayer and insisted that the speed of their guitar work was unparallelled. I tried to get into Slayer, and could tolerate them on a basic level, but once I tried to grasp their lyrics, I hit a wall. I was a slightly bigger fan of the band Venom,
Slayer's just-as-satanic but less serious (at least to me) and less successful counterparts.



When I left for California in June of 1984, I had my music with me, cassettes and LPs, and I had the address of a girl I had met at a school dance in May. And I think I had her picture too.

Her name was Alicia and she was the daughter of a judge in Hawaii. And she seemed to like me, which, at the age of 16, turning 17, was quite unusual for me.

We exchanged several letters, pictures, that sort of innocent early '80s stuff dorky guys like me thought were the standard things to do. I thought I had a girlfriend and I looked forward to coming home each day from my job scooping ice cream at Thrifty Drug Store, seeing if there was a letter for me, in those barbarian pre-e-mail dark ages.

And I listened to my metal. It undoubtedly drove my father and step-mother crazy. I taught my little sister (age 3) to sing the chorus to Great White's "On Your Knees". And then there was Slayer and Venom. I was conflicted. My letters to Alicia were therapeutic. I rambled about the intricacies of metal, and the difficulty I had reconciling liking the music with my distaste for the lyrics (see Slayer's "Necrophiliac" or listen, if you dare: (mp3) via Jefitoblog). I vented. I spewed angst. I was clueless.

And somewhere, mid-summer, Alicia's letters stopped coming. Memory fails me, and I don't remember any phone conversations. It seems incomprehensible that I wouldn't have had her phone number, and that we wouldn't have spoken occasionally from across the Pacific. I don't recall any of it, if we did.



August rolled around and there were distractions enough. I was in Rancho Palos Verdes, a suburb of L.A., and there were 16 days of excitement as the world converged on the City of Angels for the Summer Olympics. I'll just gloss over the embarrassing crush I had on Mary Lou Retton.



I remember an epiphany as I mulled over the silence drifting east from the Hawaiian Islands. Maybe I shouldn't have expounded on the intricacies of satanic bands like Slayer and Venom to a girl who most likely considered "heavy metal" to be bands like Ratt and Night Ranger.

The story ends abruptly. I returned to Hawai'i with minimal expectations. Yet, I still attempted to reestablish some form of contact with what had once been a very promising candidate for Girlfriend.

Alas, I was a young, clueless lad, with a poetic streak, a passion for metal, and a bad haircut. If Alicia and I spoke upon my return to the Aloha State, the conversation has been filed away in deep memory storage, like the ark of the covenant at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.


I will defer to reader Benjie, who recalled for me a conversation he had with Alicia's mother many years later. Amazingly, despite the fact that Alicia and I had never gone out, really, I had made quite an impression. I believe the consensus was that I was too "intense" for her. An allusion was made to the music. Ben, feel free to add your spin to this sad, pathetic tale.

I can picture in my mind, a young girl of 16 or 17, in what was surely a very nice home, reading the letter in her bedroom. There would be stuffed animals on her bed. My missive makes her frown. She goes to an Episcopalian private school. My candid discussion of Slayer's song lyrics makes her uncomfortable. That night, she goes to her mother and reads her my letter. Maternal advice is dispensed. That is all. Yet the judge remembers me.

As I write this, I am listening to "Kill Again" from Slayer's Hell Awaits.


(Listen: "Kill Again" (mp3) via Jefitoblog)

I remember this track as one of my favorites. Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman's guitars shred phenomenally. There was nothing like this in 1984. It makes early Metallica sound like Easy Listening.



In the music critic Chuck Klosterman's first book Fargo Rock City, he spends a little time discussing Slayer (check this blog post here for the passage I am remembering). He was point on, in my opinion. Despite the 6 Slayer tunes on the BilliPod, I am generally not a fan. A couple years back, I was told point-blank by Shannon, a friend of mine who was raised on metal in Boston, and has seen Slayer live, that it is indisputable that the song "Raining Blood" is one of the greatest metal songs ever. It's #8 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs. (Listen: "Raining Blood" (mp3) via Jefitoblog)

He is right, I have to agree. It is one of the fastest metal songs around and despite being gruesome, lyrically, to me the lines "Raining blood/from the lacerated sky"are visually amazing.

Listening to those six tracks, I am still impressed by the raw energy of the band's guitars. I recognize their complexity and underlying melodies. I just can't get past the lyrics, although I listen to them with a different perspective now than I had when I was 17.

And say what you will about band longevity, aside from the cliche of multiple drummers, the lead singer and two guitarists, the core of the band, are still together after 26 years of redefining the metal genre.

Thursday Links

A new blog I discovered, called Doctor Mooney's 115th Dream (or was referred to, by The Best Week Ever blog) has posted a slew of rarities from The Clash (here).

Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa had a fight 31 years ago. Now, details are emerging publicly about what the hullabaloo was about. Nice shiner, GGM!


Architect Frank Gehry is close to having completed his first Manhattan building. New York Times article here. Photo:


Fishbone has announced more tour dates.

There's a new Chris Cornell song streaming on his MySpace page. It's called "No Such Thing," from the upcoming release Carry On. He's playing Irving Plaza on Monday, April 16. Hmmmm.

I am excited to see Lucinda Williams tomorrow night at Radio City. Heartless Bastards are opening. Click their name (a cool one, indeed) to hear some of their songs streaming on MySpace. Or listen here: "Into the Open" courtesy of Adzuki Bean Stash.

Mini bookpeeping. I saw someone on the train reading this book today:



Go here for the Girlbomb website. Looks interesting.

I am working on an autobiographical musical post that deals with my failed relationship at the age of 17 with a young lady in Hawai'i who was the daughter of a judge. The main cause of the breakup: the Pacific Ocean and Satan. Betcha can't wait!

Special wet long hair dog

This is a sign in the window of a neighborhood green grocer/bodega. First they want to ban the dog, then the long hair dog, then the same dog, only wet. I guess such dogs are special.

Happy First Full Day of Spring!

Story:

Down the street, a few days ago, just shortly after our pre-St. Patty's snow storm, I noticed a spot about the size of a quarter peaking through the snow in someone's front yard. 'Twas a baseball. I walked by this morning, armed with camera and the ball was untouched, but a crater had formed around it in the relatively pure snow. I liked the image. The rest is history.

I also liked this image, though it was a lot nicer on Monday:

This is ice on mesh at a construction site on 32nd Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

A Rancid Mole, I

How about Daemonic Liar?

Those are just two anagrams for American Idol.

I got on this tangent last night while trying to come up with a horrible anagram for the horrible American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar, who forever butchered the Kinks' "You Really Got Me".

Alas, Yak Man Ajar, Sanjaya doesn't have much going in terms of anagram fun-ness.

I mean, he's no Gina Glocksen ("Cake Longings" or better yet "Conga-ing Elks"), Haley Scarnato ("Loathes Canary" or, hee hee, "Scrotal Hyaena"), Blake Lewis("We Like Labs" or "Weak Libels"), Jordin Sparks ("Dork Spins Jar"), Lakisha Jones ("His Nasal Joke"), Stephanie Edwards ("Washed Pedestrian" or "She Weirdest Panda"), or Phil Stacey ("Ethical Spy").

No coincidence that two of the best contestants have worthy anagrams in their names:

Chris Richardson ("Rains Rich Chords"), Melinda Doolittle ("Talented Idol Limo" or "Idol Moaned Little" but hopefully not "Old Eliminated Lot"),

Then again, there's Chris Sligh, whose name defies anagrammation.

Cruelly, I'll add Antonella Barba, who didn't make the cut to the final 12, but who was most popular among bloggers, newshounds, and detractors of the show. Posing for racy pictures makes more sense when your name, anagrammed, spells out "Notable Anal Bra". And her musical butchery makes sense too, which is why American voted to "Ban Atonal Blare".

Before you think I have too much time on my hands, this exercise was facillitated by the internet anagram server.

Signing off,

Bone Chill

Poetry in Motion: "Conversation" by Elizabeth Bishop

When, in February, I posted two poems that had recently shown up in New
York City's "Poetry in Motion" series, I saw a large number of hits on
BillyBlog and, more flatteringly, a great number of comments from readers
thanking me for reproducing them here.

I'll pause a moment to recover from one of BillyBlog's longest sentences in
recent memory.

So, this morning, I saw "Conversation," by the great Elizabeth Bishop. I'm
fairly certain this has been on the rails a while, but it gives me an
excuse to post another.

Conversation

The tumult in the heart
keeps asking questions.
And then it stops and undertakes to answer
in the same tone of voice.
No one could tell the difference.

Uninnocent, these conversations start,
and then engage the senses,
only half-meaning to.
And then there is no choice,
and then there is no sense;

until a name
and all its connotation are the same.

See the poster here.

Tuesday Links

A lot of other blogs do this, so I thought I'd give it a try. Over the course of a day, I may check out some random news items and/or other sites/articles of interest. Here's the index from Tuesday:


N.Y. Times article on the steadily-declining percentage of black players in Major League Baseball.

(Registration may be required)

A couple of poems from Gerry LaFemina.

(Poems from The Cortland Review, checking LaFemina out after Cyndee asks me if I've heard of him.)

Lookee here! The Pirates of the Caribbean 3 trailer:

Must Listen: Angélique Kidjo

Yesterday, old reliable I Am Fuel, You Are Friends posted her weekly "Monday Music Roundup," a summary of music tracks that are blogworthy in Ms. Browne's opinion.

Despite her Pearl Jam affinity, Heather's tastes run a little more indie than mine, so I look, register, but don't always listen.

Yesterday, she dropped the following, and I am lazilly ripping her entire blurb:

listen: Salala (featuring Peter Gabriel)
Angélique Kidjo
I have written before about the wonderful West African songstress Angélique Kidjo, and I always get into the Africa world-beat fusion of her music. She has a new album out May 1 called Djin Djin and it features a whole host of A-listers like Amadou & Miriam, Ziggy Marley, Joss Stone, Carlos Santana, Alicia Keys and this guy. Every time I hear Peter Gabriel's gruff, velvety voice I say to myself, "I forgot how much I love Peter Gabriel." The whole album is very good global listening.

So, I checked it out and I have to say I am in 100% agreement with this assessment. Every once in a while, I have a hankering for some good world music (and Heather's blog has a treasure trove of it). I particularly dig Brazillian songstress Cesária Évora, and have always been a fan of Peter Gabriel's world slant, especially on his Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ.

I will definitely be looking out for this new album in May when it is released.

Click the link above to hear the song and let me know what you think!

Cool Stuff People Send Me, Optical Illusions Edition

You may have seen some of these before, but they are still reeking of blogworthiness.




Try to count the number of black dots in the image below:



This one is the coolest. Read the instructions, then proceed. I get how it works, but am still amazed.

Stare at the four black dots in the center of the image for 30 - 60 seconds.
Then quickly close your eyes and look at something bright (like a lamp or a window
with sunlight coming through it). You should see a white circle with an image inside it:

Last week's BookPeeping

A bout of bookpeeping from last Thursday:

On the A train, from Penn Station toward Brooklyn:


Model Student: A Tale of Co-eds and Cover Girls by Robin Hazelwood.

Next, a chapter entitled "Two Losts Don't Make a Found" from



Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore.

This specific article (entitled "Something is Stirring") from The Economist, February 22, 2007.




Later on the R train to 95th Street, Brooklyn.



Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich.

Fishbone on May 3

Yes, it's that time again. Just following up from last weekend's post. Fishbone is playing May 3 and we are going to see them again. This time, the venue is floating:


Ok, so dig this:

Departing from 41st Street and The West Side Highway, the Temptress heads south along the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty. After circling Liberty Island for approximately 30 minutes, it heads up the East River, turning around underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. It then repeats the trip in reverse, docking 3 hours after departure.

Now, some folks would pay $30 just for the cruise, no? But throw in Fishbone, and you've got a hell of a deal. I already have two sets of friends joining us, so it's going to be a party! Come join the fun, oh New York fans of BillyBlog! Get your tickets here.

Final Gratuitious Soccer Dad Post until September

Ok, so the season ended yesterday for the indoor soccer league, as Shayna's team finished with a tough loss to the Red team. They may scrimmage next week prior to the trophy ceremony, but this wrapped it up yesterday. It was definitely the most exciting game of the year, as the Gold went up 2-0 early and shut out the Red for the first half. Shayna and buddy Max sat out quarter three and, coincidentally or not, their opponents scored three unanswered points to take the lead. Back in come Shayna and Max, and Gold ties it up on a monster boot from a kid at the halfback position, but the Red team had gained momentum and scored 2 quick, cheap shots in the final seconds to seal the deal.

Soccer Dad speaking, Shayna put the gold team on the board first. The clip is cut at the end so be prepared for the video to stop as the ball hits the net.



So, kvelling a bit here, Shayna really loved the indoor format of soccer. She was built more for a compact, smaller indoor field and, not that I was keeping track, but if she was not the top scorer, she was one of the top ones on the team. She is signed up for baseball in the Spring, so expect gratutious baseball dad posts in the months to come.

More Catching Up

So, what's going on?

A lot to talk about in reference to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame
ceremonies earlier this week in New York, but I did manage to post about
that earlier this week. Scroll down for that update.

Tuesday I took a sick day, my first in almost two years, so my whole
balance of reality was off, I guess.

Speaking of work, the I.T. gurus flagged YouTube as a "problem site," and
it is unviewable from my work computer. Not that I spent time trolling
YouTube for blogfodder, but it locks up the system whenever a page embedded
with YouTube clips (read: BillyBlog) loads.

The NCAA basketball tournament started this week, inflicting a large number
of co-workers with March Madness. Growing up in Hawai'i, with my Tar Heel
father on the mainland, and matriculating at a Division III school, I have
found myself immune to the aforementioned mental disorder, and prefer a
different distraction: www.bandmadness.net

You may remember them from last year. This season they have a re-tooled
site and you can still vote whether you think ABBA is better than Tool,
etc. etc.

News came Thursday of a new blog in the sphere o' blogdom. Loyal reader
Leon aka Dear Old Dad aka The Ancient One, Blessed Be He, is now a Blogger
and can be visited via the link on the sidebar. Check him out, give him
feedback, and welcome him to the Nation of Blogspot.

So, that's that. We did get the news that we will be seeing Fishbone again,
on May 3, this time on a boat cruise in New York Harbor and the Hudson
River (more details to follow).

By this time next week, I will be in post-Radio City Lucinda Williams
bliss. And, I might even be hitting a poetry reading soon, with National
Poetry Month just around the corner.

Meanwhile, happy St. Patrick's Day. We are trying to dig out from the mess
from yesterday's precipitation dump of frozen mush.

Cheers.

Blogged Arteries

Wow.

Just getting over the biggest blog clog since the inception of BillyBlog.
The last week has been blog-awful from an output perspective. And I am
trying to unclog the creative arteries here as we head into the weekend.

On the train home, with other commuters braving a skanky winter storm, a
consistent "wintry mix," as they like to call it. Rain, sleet, snow,
freezing rain. Fun stuff. Sending this post out from the Manhattan Bridge
while I ponder other matters.

Ed Vedder sings with R.E.M.

I was about to hit the hay Monday night when I flipped over to VH1 Classic to see how the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Ceremonies were going. I was recording the show live, but wanted to see where they were in the evening.

Lo and behold, Eddie Vedder was at the podium introducing R.E.M.

Thus, I ended up watching what turned out to be the last 40 minutes of the show. R.E.M. played some tunes and in the middle of "Man on the Moon," Mr. Vedder joined in. Beautifully.

Listen: "Man on the Moon" (mp3) R.E.M. with Eddie Vedder, via Pearl Jam Online fan site in Italy.

This page has the story (in Italian), plus additional audio from the intro, Ed's speech, R.E.M.'s acceptance. and their performances of "Begin the Begin," "Gardening at Night," and "Man on the Moon." In addition, they have the show-closing "I Wanna Be Your Dog," as sung by Michael Stipe and Patti Smith, and the grand finale of "People Have the Power," with Patti Smith, Ed Vedder, R.E.M., Sammy Hagar, Keith Richards, Stephen Stills, and some others (including Ronnie Spector, who botched the lyrics as well as any American Idol contestant).


Granted, this post is very similar to that of Heather's over at I am Fuel, You are Friends. You should head over to her blog, however, because her March 13 post includes a whole R.E.M. concert available for your listening pleasure, a pretty spectacular show the band did just recently, in 2003.

Writer's Blog

Apologies to all, I have been blog-clogged. Cleansing my blog-palette afore embarking on further postages.

I will be back in action soon, I was home sick from work today. Homesick for work. Homework for sick.

But it is a good day. Happy Birthday to my dear wife, Melanie. And all that good stuff.

Found Items: Tom Cat with Attitude

Found this earlier in the week on 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge. Click image for a larger view. Not spectacular, but still moderately interesting.

BookPeeping Thursday Morning

I came in later today, so the level of reading activity was much more brisk in the 8:15-9:15 hour than in the 6:30-7:15 timeframe. More sleeping and newspaper browsing at the earlier time.

Let's start with what I was reading, the current issue of



The New Yorker.

Next was a young lady reading a New York Times article she had printed out. The article, originally published in 1994, was entitled "AIR WAR -- Remaking Energy Policy; How Power Lobby Won Battle Of Pollution Control at E.P.A." and can be previewed here.

Next up:



Age of Conan: The God In The Moon by Richard A. Knaak















Time Out New York magazine.


The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe

Emma by Jane Austen





Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson













The Voice of Knowledge: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills.











And lastly:



Marking Time: The Epic Quest to Invent the Perfect Calendar by Duncan Steel.

Cool Stuff People Send Me: Creative Math Solutions

The eldest child (aka Jolee) starting bring home some word problems for math that a) initially confounded me, and b) gave me horrid flashbacks to the days of yore. I was instantly reminded of Professor Ben Friedman's "Math as a Liberal Art" class my freshman year at Occidental, which helped me eliminate my mathematics requirement. The course was more difficult than it sounded, much to the chagrin of the football players who ventured into Fowler Hall, thinking they were about to encounter the "Easy A". No such luck.

Which brings me to the following examples. Rather than leave a question blank, isn't it better to make an attempt and perhaps get partial credit? Or is it better to entertain (my choice, I think)?

Do mathematicians have senses of humor? Do math professors? I'm sure.

I remember the story from high school, undoubtedly a tale of urban myth. A class arrives for a final exam to be confronted with a one-question test, and the question is "Why?"

Scores of students spend the two hours filling their test books with lengthy essays expounding on all they had learned, or what they thought the professor was looking for. The tale, as it is spun, ends with the results: only one student passed, the rest failed. The student who passed responded simply to the question. "Because," he wrote, and then turned in the test.

Unlikely, it seems, to be real. Sad, however, if it is true. Because none of the following examples from creative students were rewarded for their creativity. Even on the web, there work is presented with the mask of anonymity.

Enjoy. Click on an image to enlarge for better resolution.

I think the above was a perfect response. Below, we shift to science for a brief moment.


The answer is funny, the mental image even funnier. Here's more:


Kudos to Peter:


This one makes more sense than what the actual answer most likely would:


Next, nice try, but maybe art school would be better?

Saving the best for last:
And finally, the simplest answer is not always the most correct. If correct at all.


That whirring noise is Pythagoras spinning in his grave. x=5 cm.

Pearl Jam Shuffle

As I recover this morning from Sundance Head slaughtering Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" on American Idol last night, I'm going to do a Pearl Jam post to clear my sinuses.



So, today we have a special Pearl Jam shuffle. Which means most of you will want to skip this post entirely, I guess.

So, here, are the first five songs shuffled, using only the 853 Pearl Jam tracks on the BilliPod.



1) "Release," originally from the album Ten, but this particular track is from a batch I have labelled as "First Week Rehearsal Demos," circa 10/23/90.

Listen: "Release" (mp3) from their performance at Limelight in New York on April 12, 1992, courtesy of The Sky I Scrape



2) "I Am Mine," live at Madison Square Garden, July 8, 2003, also known as MSG1, one of the band's highest-regarded concerts. I attended my first Pearl Jam show the following night, aka MSG2. This was one of two singles from 2002's Riot Act

Here's them performing the song on The Late Show with David Letterman on November 14, 2002:



3) "Improv," also from the "First Week Rehearsal Demos". This track is an early incarnation of the concert staple "Yellow Ledbetter," which originally appeared as a b-side to "Jeremy."

Since this is one of the earliest versions, I'll give you a relatively decent recording of the last time they played "Ledbetter", in Honolulu on December 2, 2006:



Do take some time to watch, as lead guitarist Mike McCready throws a version of Jimi Hendrix' "Little Wing" into the mix.

4) "Sleight of Hand," the studio version, from the album "Binaural."



Listen: "Sleight of Hand" (mp3) live at the House of Blues in Orlando, April 12, 2003. Mp3 courtesy of The Sky I Scrape.

and lastly, in my self-indulgent Pearl Jam shuffling quintet:



5) "Who You Are," also the studio version, from No Code. This song was the lead single off the album. Here's a recently-added clip to YouTube that uses the song. Not sure what the video is about, but it's kind of cool.

Monday Morning Mouthful: Papahanaumokuakea

Monday morning:

Riding the "R" train composing this on the way to work. Listening to the 808-TALK Hawaii podcast, as they report on First Lady Laura Bush announcing the name Papahanaumokuakea of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands National Monument. Read more about this news item here.

I would like to thank all the anonymous visitors who have enjoyed the two most recent "Poetry in Motion" posts I have offered up from the New York City subway system. (They are here and here). Often, in the blogosphere, it feels like no one can hear you scream. It is very satisfying to get thanks from complete strangers on the "service" I provided.

Podcast has ended, now listening to Lucinda Williams' 1980 album of old blues and traditional song covers, entitled "Ramblin'."
Not sure if I have mentioned it here, but I snagged tickets to see Lucinda on March 23 at Radio City Music Hall.
I've switched to the "N" train. Pal Jill, friend of BillyBlog, will be accompanying me to the gig. Despite snagging "cheap" seats, in the upper mezanine, I am excited to get to hear Lucinda perform. Her new album, "West," is getting mixed reviews from critics, but I am faling on the positive side. A group called The Heartless Bastards is supporting, and you never know who will roll onto stage as a surprise guest in the Big Apple.

In other news, Eddie Vedder will be introducing R.E.M. as they are inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Check this song out, a cover of Pearl Jam's song "Long Road," by R.E.M., with Vedder joining on vocals. It's bootleg quality, but still a decent recording:

Listen: "Long Road" (mp3) at the Crocodile Cafe, courtesy of an Italian fan
site here.




Beautiful sunrise visible this A.M. as the N crosses the Manhattan Bridge.

For those American Idol fans complaining about the lesser-talented singers surviving the vote, while better singers are kept on by the viewing public, remember this: "American Idol" is at its core a reality TV show masquerading as a singing competition. By the way, I'm going to sell out

and just mention Antonella Barba, and gather some extra hits from indiscriminate googlers.

Two stops away from 34th Street, so I'll wrap this up. Happy Belated Purim to all!

Gratuitious Soccer Dad Post, part 2, March Madness

Shayna scored 2 goals yesterday, helping solidify the Gold team's 5-0 victory over Green, and helping continue the Gold's unbeaten streak in this season's indoor soccer league. Both were pretty shots into the corner of the net.

Here's Numero Uno:



and the second:



As Yoda would say, "Proud Soccer Dad, I am."

News Item of the Day: Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 2, 2007

Filed at 8:43 a.m. ET

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- What began as a routine training exercise almost ended in an embarrassing diplomatic incident after a company of Swiss soldiers got lost at night and marched into neighboring Liechtenstein.

According to Swiss daily Blick, the 170 infantry soldiers wandered 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across an unmarked border into the tiny principality early Thursday before realizing their mistake and turning back.

A spokesman for the Swiss army confirmed the story but said that there were unlikely to be any serious repercussions for the mistaken invasion.

''We've spoken to the authorities in Liechtenstein and it's not a problem,'' Daniel Reist told The Associated Press.

Officials in Liechtenstein also played down the incident.

Interior ministry spokesman Markus Amman said nobody in Liechtenstein had even noticed the soldiers, who were carrying assault rifles but no ammunition. ''It's not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something,'' he said.

Liechtenstein, which has about 34,000 inhabitants and is slightly smaller than Washington DC, doesn't have an army.

Photo o' the Day

This is on the mobile postal truck outside of Madison Square Garden. Nice to see that the U.S. Postal Service is honoring the separation of Church and State.

Brooklyn Bridge Photo in the New Yorker

The current issue of The New Yorker has, in addition to a great cover by Bruce McCall,



a cool photograph in it:



For the full story about the picture(a few paragraphs), as well as a slide show featuring it, the following photo,



and several others, visit the magazine's site here.

New York Minute: Farewell to February in Brooklyn

To commemorate our brief Winter (and yes, I acknowledge that, by posting this, I am taunting Mother Nature), I am celebrating March with a rather boring minute from the beginning of the week: leaving home and sploshing through a light, yet ample dusting of frozen precipitation, in Brooklyn on February 26, 2007.