ad hoc.

So here is a combo of two things that completely irk me: Sufjan Stevens and Christmas. I know many of you get your panties moist over him, so here is a collection of his Christmas music.
http://s43.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1VENOLE1EE7J72GZU4RJBBM3VF

Pretty to look at, Snoozefest 2005 to listen to.

Also, because it actually does rule, here is the groundbreaking 1988 debut from Tiffany. Yes, that Tiffany. It is actually catchy. You know you want it. Bonus points if you remember the amazing tv moment that featured "could've been".
http://www.filehd.com/download.php?get=149175611

if hell exists, than for me it is being trapped in a shopping mall on a Sunday afternoon, being forced to eat shitty frozen yogurt in front of Hollister Co. In know I always moan about this, but shopping malls are the bain of my existence. Maybe because it reminds me of my youth. Wait, when I was younger, it was fun- it meant pizza at Sbarro's and then off to Waldenbooks to get the most recent Baby-Sitters Club book. Later in my teenage years it meant buying posters of the Nelson twins and meeting creepy boys and getting felt up by the pay phones. Anyway, it is pathetic how many people go to the mall for entertainment, and wander around endlessly, and the obnoxious trends that are displayed in the windows. if I see one more peasant skirt or sweater shrug, I will barf.

Squeeeee! Look what is coming out on dvd!

Seriously, this is good shit. Maybe a bit melodramatic and all the white men look the same to me, but is like Little House on overdrive.

Bush wants to tap me for the Supreme Court.
Warning: private jokes that many of you won’t get unless you worked for the ‘Way during the “glory years”, aka 2001. That picture cracks me up. It was taken almost 5 years ago, was egregiously photoshopped, was taken when I drank Rolling Rock like it was air, and was taken on a day where Erin and I were vying for the attentions of a certain webmaster.

Other completely irrevant things:

Kirk Cameron teaches you how to not be intimidated by an atheist. I'm intimidated by the fact that my brother is his long lost twin. Watch how they use a banana as proof that evolution is a sham. Apparently, God modeled it after a soda can. I'm not ridiculing their faith, I'm spitting on the way they explain it.

Here are some clips from Goblet of Fire. For the love of Christ, STOP RELEASING THIS STUFF! I feel like I already saw the movie. Shit, Ron is a piece.

This was put together by the most anal person in America. TV show mistakes.

A friend sent this to me. I think it is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. Kermit's trip to NY.

Found photos: someone processed film found in old cameras. Awesome.

Worst Halloween costumes of all time.

Finally, Robbie Williams may be the vainest person ever. If you pay to be part of his fan club, you can see his goods. I have to admit, it is tempting. Don't watch that at work.

By request—>

Caesars; Paper Tigers
Mates of State; Team Boo

uploaded to here

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists- The Tyranny of Distance
uploaded here

more on the way…

Erin puts into words everything I was feeling in grad school. This reminds me why I don't want to be in school again. I can barely sit through 90 minute division meetings at work.

Speaking of, I'm going to talk about work. So prepare to be bored. I hate that I am letting work get to me in the evening. I am super busy, things keep coming up, and I feel like I am not at all relaxed, that I am running around putting out one fire after another. I leave at the end of the day after struggling just to get everything back to neutral. There are so many extra things I want to do and so many programs I want to implement, but I feel I don't have the time. Managing 21 employees is no easy task, and I think next year there is the possibility that I will be acquring more staff. My stomach churns thinking about it. So at night I can barely relax becaue I am running through my to-do list for the next day. Doesn't help that my ass can't get up and into work before 9:30am.

Bitch, bitch moan moan. My life is sooooooooo haaaaaaaaaard. In perspective, the semester is almost over. Spring semester is usually easier, I enjoy Spring semester staff training, it could be worse- like organizing an Election Protection trip.

Thanks to all who asked about how my parents are doing in the aftermath of the hurricane. My mom is all, "whaaaaahhhh, our screened in veranda blew away" meanwhile some elderly lost their homes. They just got their power back, but no cable or internet. Dear god, how will they survive? For them, that is the apocolypse. I imagine them lighting a bonfire in the middle of the living room and wearing animal skins. I suggested to my Dad that he read Haunted if he is bored. That should clue him on on how seriously twisted his daughter is.

I'm just about finishing the fourth season of Six Feet Under. I have truly become deeply invested in the characters of the show, considering I watched all 50 or so episodes in the span of a few weeks. I just can't quite understand the appeal of Brenda- she is a self-absorbed, self-pitying narcissist (projecting much?). I am trying to like Claire but why do the ups and downs of her life have to revolve around who she is sleeping with? She would be so fucking annoying to have as a friend. Thank god Billy is back. After Joe was kicked to the curb, I need some eye candy. And I am sick of Ruth and her "I'm so pretty and quirky, love me" attitude as well as her temper tantrums. Thanks god for scene selection features on dvds.

Who doesn't have a blog these days? Now Tim does too. I's like to point out that I was the one who thought of the web address for it. Tim is the shit. I knew him way back from my days at Pratt, he was an RA (although he probably denies that now). He was the one who I sublet from summer of 04 when I lived in Brooklyn before I moved to CT. My favorite memories of Tim are when John and I would make inappropriate comments about him while he was there and completely alienate him. Hey, who DON'T I do that to?

Has anyone read The Secret History?

Ok, it's no secret I enjoy a little eye candy now and then. Looking at attractive people is something that doesn't make me gag. But this is going to far. This is the gayest site ever. I gotta give them credit, there's no pretenses here. Every post just talks about attractive men and will analyze their body parts and will inform the reader of movies and shows in which an attractive man will appear in, esxpecially if he is nude or making out with another man. Let me squash the rumors that I am actually the webmaster. Note, it is NOT safe for work. It's not too bad, but some buttocks here and there.

and….hot DAMN Chris Evans.

I swear, I didn't cheat on this….

You Should Get a MBA (Masters of Business Administration)

You're a self starter with a drive for success. You'd make a great entrepreneur.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

I just can't get enough of the new Madonna song. The video is pretty incredible too. You can watch it here. Madonna can do no wrong in my book. It's like she is reverting back to her club days, which is fine by me. The video looks very Dave Lachapelle-ish. Her ass is memerizing.

So, as you know, Jarvis Cocker, of the band Pulp, contributed some songs to Goblet of Fire. I am not sure where this fits in, but here is one of the songs, "This is the Night".
http://www.filehd.com/download.php?get=088688200

These two are by request. I stole some descriptions from Pitchfork, because I am terrible at describing sounds.

The Evens- The Evens
A duo comprised of Ian MacKaye and former Warmers drummer/vocalist Amy Farina, the Evens distill Fugazi's familiar locomotive post-hardcore down to its barest essentials. Utilizing casually rich vocal harmonies and the bubbling warmth of baritone guitar, the Evens re-address the steadfast themes of MacKaye's work dating back to his Minor Threat days: contempt for the tyranny of petty authority, dismay at the disintegration of local community, and a passionate conviction in critical thinking and self-reliance. But thanks to the intimacy of the Evens' approach (as well as to their impressively well-developed melodic sensibilities), the album displays a beguiling tenderness not often present in MacKaye's previous efforts, a laid-back, disarming sweetness that causes the Evens' eponymous debut to feel like his most personal work to date.

Statistics- Often Lie
If Jimmy Eat World and Sunny Day Real Estate mated….

So, in the 24 hours that I have been a pet owner, I have already failed miserably. I got myself two fancy mice, set up a cage and thought I was ready to go. Yea, I know what you are thinking. I am going to die alone with my mice, or end up a crazed lunatic. So, I built the cage with multi-levels, and one platform at the top of the cage that is connected by a vertical tube with ridges. So, the one tan mouse climbs up there and basically stays there. I think it is because he doesn't know how to get down. So, eventually the other one, who has black fur, climbs up there, and I am thinking, oh, he is going to help him out and show him the way. No, he climbs up, and proceeds to molest the other one as I stare in horror, and then climbs back down and goes to sleep. Meanwhile, the tan one still hangs out on top basically shaking and traumatized. So now I have a pregnant and scared mouse. I came home from work today and now they are both up there spooning. I guess everything worked out….

Anyhow, I know what you are thinking- why mice? Really, they are quite delightful (when they are not committing sexual assault). They are not the ones you may see in labs or crawling in your kitchen, they are actually quite cute. Although I may not have them for long- I don't think they will live through the week. Either that or you will see me on Animal Cops as Ann Marie with the scrunchie arrests me. Anyone have any good idea for names?

Jeez, who isn’t a blogger? matthew Caws of nada Surf has a blog. It’s only slightly more interesting than mine.

Death From Above 1979 will release a remix album. What is this, NKOTB- Games?

Oh my heavens. The Strokes release their new one, First Impressions of Earth on January 3. Seriously, the Strokes changed my life. And I am not just saying that. i was at a crossroads with my music tastes in early 2001. I had just come out of my college feminist music stage (Tori Amos, Sarah McLaughlin, Dar Williams on a constant rotation) and had played the shit out of my Weezer Green Album. My mother, of all people, saved an issue of New York magazine for me because it talked about up and coming bands. The Strokes were featured, and I later bought the album. yes folks, my mother is responsible for introducing me to the Strokes. Anyway, it made me realize that music didn’t need to be on a major label to be good, and thus my indie music fury was born. I will be looking at no other website than this one for the rest of my life. One of my best memories is seeing them at the 9:30 Club sometime in September 2001. Sigh.

The Arctic Monkeys are so hyped I am already over them but then came full circle and now love them.

Why oh why have they folled everyone? Doesn’t everyone see that the Fiery Furnaces are absolute crap?

I am kind of embarassed…I am usung Napster for a free trial and so far all I have been listening to is this. I can’t help it! Btw, does anyone know of a list of songs played on the episodes? The Shotime page used to have it, but now it just has lame pictures (and by lame I mean hot).

Interesting upcoming movie:

Transamerica: Bree, a born-again Christian and a pre-operative, male-to-female transsexual, holds down two jobs and saves every penny so that she can pay for one last operation that will make her a woman at last. One day, however, she receives a strange phone call. It appears that on the other side is Toby, apparently her son, who must be the product of a somewhat clumsy sexual encounter years ago when she was a man. He stays in New York, incarcerated. Bree flies from Los Angeles to New York in order to get the boy out of jail. At first she is reluctant to do so, but her therapist convinces her to face up to her past. The boy is handed over to her without a word of explanation and Toby believes the woman to be some Christian missionary determined to convert reprobates to Jesus; Bree sees no reason to clear up the misunderstanding. However, she finds out that the boy just wants to escape from her and hitchhike to Los Angeles. She persuades him to accompany her back to the west coast–secretly planning to leave him at his stepfather’s along the way. Toby is happy to take her up on her offer.

I find the poster to be fantastic:

Call me crazy:

Thanks for ordering from Fandango.com! Your purchase information appears below.

******************************************
SHOWTIME & THEATER DETAILS
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Movie: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Date: Thursday, November 17, 2005
Time: 11:59pm

Quantity: 2 Adult

Where: Regal Brass Mill Stadium 12
495 Union Street
Waterbury, CT 06705
Phone: 203-757-1574

No love for the new Metric album.

Jeez. Why couldn’t Delaware have done stuff like this when I was there?

Ok, so I've gotten some slack from mentioning that I was chain-smoking the other night. It's not a regular occurrence. For some reason, I only have the urge to smoke when I am traveling and away from home. I have no idea why. It's not to calm nerves. In fact, it makes me way more jittery. Also, I'll smoke if someone else influences me to (ahem, you know who you are). So I appreciate the concern, but there is no need to worry. I can't smoke in my apartment anyway, because I would probably get fired.

How can I want to escape a worls where Strangers With Candy dvds exist? Season 2 is even better than the first. I can't even handle it.

Ok, so I think the theme here is punk-influenced music.

The Lillingtons- The Backchannel Boradcast and Death By Television
I hate to describe this as “pop-punk” because it may make you think of Good Charlotte or Yellowcard, but really, this is melodic punk at its best. More like the Ramones and early Green Day. So well-constructed it makes me ill.

Motion City Soundtrack- I am the Movie
I was ready to write them off as TRL types, but this is not what I thought. There’s a little bit of keyboards thrown in which gives it a little kick.

Mekons- Punk Rock
I have no idea how to describe the Mekons. Just that they’ve been around for 20+ years. I guess it blends country, bluegrass, folk, and punk. If that’s possible.

Common Rider- This Is Unity Music
Woot woot- this is the best ever. It was founded by the former singer of Operation Ivy. They have since broken up, btw. I guess you could call this reggae-ish punk?

Alkaline Trio- Crimson
Don’t even get me started in talking about Alkaline Trio. I may writhe on the floor. The first “emo-punk” band. This is their latest album, and it sounds uber-produced, almost like it is a fake band. However, I like it, and it is more accessible than their earlier stuff. All the songs could be hits on the radio, but in a good way. I am not even sure that makes sense.

So, in case you couldn’t tell, I am a spaz when I try to explain the sound of a band in words. I just end up saying that everything is the best ever. Really, I wouldn’t put it here if I didn’t think it was good. As always, I take requests, so let me know what you want.

Karma is a bitch! Just a short while ago I was sort of poking fun at pet Halloween costumes, and guess who will now be a judge in a puppy costume costume sponsored by the Humane Society at some strip mall in Waterbury. Yes, yours truly. I'll wear my embroidered kitten sweatshirt, don't worry.

The new Madonna single = my life. Anything that samples Abba's "Voulez-Vous" is okay in my book. I've uploaded it here.

Brandon and I totally owned with our presentation at the conference. We made it through without laughing, people didn't fall asleep, and I think some people may have actually learned something. The school I work at is a bit, shall we say, notorius in the higher ed community, and I think we tried hard not to give off the "we're so special" vibe. Anyway, next up is the NASPA Region 1 conference. Really, this is Brandon's thing, I am just the pretty face of the presentation. Here is the scoop. A few weeks after that, I'll be presenting at an undergrad RA conference about how to find a job. Wow, I should go on the presentation circuit full time. Imagine the topics I could present on.

Here's the Gang of Four album I was peeing myself over in an earlier post:
Clickety Click

Wow, I'm blogging in real time. I'm at a hotel in Manchester, NH. I have a very strange fascination with hotels. Especially at ones in the middle of nowhere like here. I always wonder why in the hell people are staying here. Anyway, here is where being a smoker pays off. I don't know what possessed me to ask for a smoking room, but they didn't have any left, so they gave me a suite for the same price. So now I have a fucking boudoir and a seating area. The first time I travel in high class and it has to be here. So I am chain smoking and watching bad tv at some seedy motel in New Hampshire. There's an actual hooker in the lobby. Tomorrow it's res like conference time! Woo hoo! I have to practice my smile.

Today's edition of things that are stopping me from offing myself:
http://www.petsmart.com/halloween/
Cute animals in cute costumes. Can you even handle it?

Eugene Mirman has a blog. He's kind of funny.

Why are rock concerts so segregated?

Good shit you should listen to:
Blood on the Wall'a Awesomer
Calla, Collisions
Deerhoof, The Runner's Four
El Guapo, Fake French
Goldfrap, Supernatural
Junior Senior, Hey Hey my my yo yo
Low, the Great Destroyer
Midtown, Living Well is the Best Revenge
Saturday Looks Good to Me, Every Night
M.I.A., Piracy Funds Terrorism

Overrated and blah:
Wold parade, Aplogies to the Queen mary
The Spinto Band, Nice and Nicely Done
Ok Go, Oh No
Band of Bees, Free the Bees
The Fiery Furnaces, Rehearsing My Choir (hate!)

Let's talk for a bit about Gang of Four- Return the Gift. It has changed my life. It is a remastered and remixed retrosepcitve of one of the most influential bands in rock. Basically they could sue The Rapture, Radio 4, Interpol, Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand for ripping them off.

So, Brandon and I are presenting at a conference this Friday. I am not sure how it will go. I mean, he and I are extremely dynamic and knowledgeable, but the attendees will either be completely conused and lost, completely in disagreement, or completely bored. Oh, the hilarity.
Read more about it here.

So, by request, I am posting som extreme brilliance via John. This is part of our planning for a multimedia performance art, where we project real-time IM conversations on a large screen while an audience watches. This is running commentary on a certain movie often run on TNT and watched by depressed housewives everywhere.

xxxxx: omg
xxxxx:i am so watching that too
Grundel Blumpkin: HAH
xxxxx: because it is sooooooooo bad
xxxxx: have you seen it?
Grundel Blumpkin: see…throw in a pint of Ben n Jerry's and we got domestic bliss
Robin ResLife: and dunplings!
Grundel Blumpkin: DUMPS
xxxxx: i will be away til Sunday but after that you can come here
Grundel Blumpkin: and endimame
Grundel Blumpkin: whur u goin?
xxxxx: i am going to a res life conference
xxxxx: :-)
Grundel Blumpkin: gender is sooo over
xxxxx:chris meloni!
xxxxx: and bring you as a specimen
Grundel Blumpkin: omg BYONG
Grundel Blumpkin: Meloni!!
xxxxx: have you seen this before?
Grundel Blumpkin: Not all the way. My body has a Julia Roberts defense mechanism, I black out.
xxxxx: it is so fucking bad
xxxxx: but addicting
xxxxx:: like showgirls
Grundel Blumpkin: Once I was driving and I saw an ad for the Pelican Brief….people died
xxxxx: ahahaha
xxxxx: her nostrils are overpowering
Grundel Blumpkin: they are in their 3rd evolution….like pokemon
Grundel Blumpkin: poor Joan Cuszack
xxxxx: she passed up grosse point blank 2 for this
Grundel Blumpkin: and TOY
Grundel Blumpkin: II
Grundel Blumpkin: I wrote the screen adaptation for this
xxxxx: what is the underlying metaphoe for this scene
Grundel Blumpkin: gay pride
Grundel Blumpkin: 94
xxxxx: i like how she's a spunky female, who defies gender norms
xxxxx: by working in a hardware store
xxxxx: look! he can do physical comedy
Grundel Blumpkin: hyuuuuuuk
Grundel Blumpkin: this is an effective plot device
xxxxx: i like how it is edited in with impossible shots
Grundel Blumpkin: "I found a well edited video of failed marriage ceremonies"
xxxxx: this town makes me dry heave
xxxxx: it's like someplace my parents go for a jaunty afternoon
xxxxx: JACKIE!
Grundel Blumpkin: poor Laurie Metcalf
Grundel Blumpkin: shee was in Second City Chicago
xxxxx: yea, it's like when Meryl Streep was in Stuck On You
xxxxx: is it appropriate to have your girlfriend and a random reporter with you at your job at school?

So I had the most vivid dream early this morning. I remember every detail. I was going to a campus interview at "Johms Hopkins University". Meaning, it didn't really look like it. I was there with about thirty other candidates. Keith from Six Feet Under was my host. But, mostly in the morning we just played on the campus playground, and then had to take a quiz on reading comprehension (wtf?). Most people got mad and left. We had a huge break, so me and a childhood friend went over to the mall, did some crystal meth, and went crazy and bought out the Weather Vane store. I also lost my briefcase, so I had to carry my stuff in a plastic shopping bag. When I finally got to the interview, a chunk of my hair fell out and basically it was this panel discussion with the current staff and I asked dumb questions. I remember thinking as my alarm went off that I had surely gotten the job. I rarely have such vivd dreams.

Irrelevant picture time.
What a DILF.

Pirates of the Carribean 2: The Curse of 2 actors with no upper lips and who greatly annoy me.