The Mother and Child Reunion

Last night at band practice my friend Jeff was talking about how he wrote and sang a song for his grandfather's funeral last week. He said that the previous funeral he sang for was his aunt's. Jeff's voice is in turns warm, lonesome, fragile, reassuring, and is perfect for a song like this one from Paul Simon. He sang this song and strummed his guitar as the mourners gathered outside the vault that held the remains of his aunt's mother. Everyone cried.

Then they placed the remains of his aunt's body alongside those of her mother and sealed them away.

Eggo

So why is there an Eggo shortage?
Number one, there is no egg shortage.
And there is no "O" shortage.
See here? oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

There's plenty more where those came from too.

Friday I'm in Love

I really enjoy David Gray and this cover of The Cure's classic is really great. Enjoy your Friday! If you're listening at work, he drops the F-bomb at about 2:30. Just FYI.

This is Sportscenter

I love ESPN. I love it like those people who rock Tony Stewart (or whoever the hell) flags in front of their house love NASCAR. One of the great things about ESPN are their commercials for Sportcenter. They typically feature a noteworthy athlete at ESPN studios doing something either ridiculous or mundane. And it's usually awesome.

This one features Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints.

Nightswimming/Find the River

R.E.M. released Automatic For The People shortly after I graduated high school. I was moody and melancholy and fell in love with it right away; it really seemed to fit me. As I became less moody and melancholy, my affection for this record hasn't waned; it's still in my top five, maybe even still numero uno. I've been loving it for a long time.

A great record should have a great closing song. I like them to be just as strong as the beginning of the record, but in a different way. I like for the styles, the tempo, and the delivery to all be different. This record has two great closers. The first song is the hug from that person you had the crush on. The person's touch that you looked forward to because you weren't sure if you were ever going to get the kiss you really wanted. You always lingered with that one at the end of the night. It was just a hug, but still a bit euphoric. Now imagine there's a kiss that comes after. Surprising and a bit overwhelming, but damn if that wasn't the greatest moment of your life. That's song two.

I've really built both of these songs up, and maybe you're imagining me needing a cigarette every time I come to the end of this album. However, I assure you that time spent listening to these tracks is time well spent. The first is called "Nightswimming," and the video below is the one that I found that wasn't live and had the best audio. The slide show isn't bad and isn't great but doesn't distract from the listening experience.


The second is called "Find the River." The video I found is from a live performance, but is of fairly good quality. I hope you enjoy both!

Yay Beerorkid!

We're a Nielsen family!

So it looks like Steve and I will both be Nielsen households in the next month. That means we'll be indirectly influencing what you'll be watching in the future.

Mwahahahahahahaha!

Iowa State 9, Nebraska 7, Me Tarzan, You Jane

Sometimes I think things through for a while before opening my mouth. This ain't really one of those times.

After watching the Huskers play Iowa State yesterday, I really don't have an opinion about whether Lee should be starting or whether Shawn Watson should be running the Maryland I. However, I do think that if you're going to be as unwatchable as they were yesterday, someone really needs to condense the broadcast down to five or so minutes. Check out the youtube highlights of the game below:



Isn't that a lot better than having to sit around for THREE HOURS in order to find out we had eight turnovers?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-turnover. Heck, a couple of the turnovers yesterday were downright innovative. If grant funding happens to be available to study new ways of turning the ball over in horrible spots on the field, I think our grant application speaks for itself.

Happy Friday

Texas Tech's players take a leak after taking it to the house.

Via Bootleggersports.com

White Noise

We started off having Mena listen to a white noise CD when she was sleeping. After that, she graduated to a CD of lullabies. This album was perfectly fine. My wife brought home a new-agey CD from the daycare where she works, which was acceptable also. It was a mixture of music and nature sounds. Naturally, our five-month-old daughter woke each day ready to camp or shoot wolves from a helicopter as it was making her pretty outdoorsy. At least, I am imagining it was.

A couple of days ago the CD player in her bedroom started making an ack-ack-ack noise and wouldn't read discs. Had it not been a CD player but a '73 Dodge Duster instead, I'd have blamed the solenoid, the starter, or both.

It was then that I decided to try the local NPR affiliate. It works just fine for her to sleep to, and I'm actually more than a little happy in a nerdy sort of way. While other people's kids are listening to dumbass children's music, my kid is listening to classical fucking music all night long and getting caught up on current events when Morning Edition comes on.

Hell yeah.

Why don't you poke me sometime?

Funny!

I for one welcome our robot overlords

Courtesy of Punkerinos!

I love this song - Enjoy

Allison Moorer "A Soft Place to Fall"

This just in....

Big XII football kind of sucks.

The PGA thinks that John Daly is damaging their reputation. Cue it:

Happy Thanksgiving

Bob Dylan - Love Minus Zero/No Limit

I love all of the activity going on in the room while they're filming.

LOL

From here:

It'd be cynical to call web comments the web's Porta-Potty; especially since most toilets get professionally cleaned.

Happy Halloween

Letters to Mena, Vol. 3

Dear Mena,

This morning I went to coffee with my friend and our pastor Melissa and tried to figure out some church stuff. I think she's wanting to get it resolved or partially resolved before you're born. I'm not sure it will happen, church stuff moves mighty slow.

I came home around noon and your mom and I worked feverishly, well kind of feverishly, in putting your room together. It was really just last minute details that we were working on, things like putting your stroller and bassinet together. For whatever reason, your mom and I worked together like we haven't in years. Her reading the instructions and me asking, "What? Put what thing in what thingamajig?." We got it worked out, and the house is pretty much ready for you. There was an electricity in the air today for whatever reason, and we were both determined to make all of the final adjustments to our home in order to prepare for your descent into our lives.

Something interesting came up tonight. As you may be less than two months old when the time comes, I asked your mother if we were going to dress you up in a Halloween costume this October. She said that she had planned on it. Halloween is a holiday where people give you candy. You won't have teeth. Let this letter be a record that shows you'll probably be in costume this October 31st and that we fully intend to use that to our advantage to score your candy.

I think you're understanding everything alright. We won't have any candy of our own and will be stealing yours this year. You're right, life isn't fair.

Thanks in advance anyway,

Dad

Oh jeez, kid. You're really in for it.

Letters to Mena, vol. 1

Dear Mena,

With two months left to go until you leave the uterus, you're pretty much under your mom's influence right now. Oh sure, you may hear me speak in the mornings and evenings or you may hear Emmy Lou bark, but for the most part it's you and your mother. I'd like to apologize right now for her taste in modern, popular country music. I intend to broaden your musical palette when I have more say in the matter, but this is really out of my control for a while. If you ever develop a strange affinity for Kenny Chesney you will know the reason why.

As your dad, I feel I should let you know how totally unprepared I am for this. As I say that I realize that you're pretty much unprepared for everything that will happen to you in this life as well. Sorry about that. One of the ground rules to life seems to be that you get the test first and the lesson second. It may sound unfair, but it's really not so bad most of the time. I'm going to try to look like I know what I'm doing most of the time, but know that I'm probably making it up as I go.

One of these days I hope that you're in my position with all kinds of different wonders about a life that you've had a hand in creating. I don't have a mountain of expectations for you. I have no clue what to expect at all. I know that you're only going to head one way through life, and that's your way. I'm cool with that; I'm looking forward to it.

We're getting our house ready for your big "arrival," although you've been here the entire time. Your mom and I have been seeing a doula and she's been full of advice about how to make carrying you around a little bit more comfortable. We have a couple more months and a couple more baby showers and you'll be here.

2008 has been an odd year. It's been full of wonderful excitement as we prepare for you and also some sadness as I've mourned the loss of a couple of friends. I was especially close to Jeanne, and she was very much looking forward to meeting you. It was not to be. In your life you will meet a few people who live without fear of regret, and live to savor what this world has to offer. They yearn to be involved in their communities, care for strays, read books, and enjoy good food and drinks with friends. Draw yourself close to these people, Mena, and enjoy them for all they are. They are the people that leave the biggest impression.

Stay well inside your mother's tummy and know that as you grow, our love for you also grows.

Until next time,

Dad

Elvis Costello

Last night at band practice, we were talking about what a great singer Elvis Costello has become and still is. Check this out:

Free music for y'all

Pat is a wonderful musician and songwriter from Lincoln, Nebraska who has just released a solo album on Mr. Furious Records.

Download it here. You'll be glad you did. Download a whole mess of stuff over on that site while you're at it.