There are few things that sum up my life experience to this point, both personally and professionally, than this.

Album might actually be done in the next couple of days. Let's all join together in proclaiming "Holy Crap!"

-Joe

Ugh. Being sick sucks.

Of course a statement like that is probably just filling up space like "torturing babies is bad" "never eat yellow snow" or "Ben Affleck can't act." Oh well.

In either case, I'm feeling mostly better today so I might actually get something constructive done. Accent on the word "might".

Just thought I'd check in with ya'll. Check out the wonderful Mammy-merch in the Shop, and check this out, cuz it's funny and cool and Dust's brother made it...

-Joe

Slept like crap.

Had bigger ambitions for this entry.

Now barely able to do complete sentences.

"Tuesday" (aka "Night and Day") is progressing nicely, thank you.

My choices this weekend are "Guess Who" and "Miss Congeniality 2". Can you say mulligan?

I like yogurt.

Have to work tonight. Doth suck. Doth suck more if they don't pay me time and a half like they implied.

If I do enough of these this'll look like a real long post.

Maybe even like I'm clever and thoughtful.

Best not to stretch it, though.

Anyone know any hot chicks who dig mysterious web characters?

Just thought I'd ask.

Hm.

I think I'm just killing time now.

Not 100% sure.

I think the fact I just typed "Not 100% sure" should be an indication, however.

How about those chicks in the Fanta commercials?

A coupla hotties there.

Not sure which I one I like best.

Fanta tastes like pee.

You know, if this weren't so stupid it could be art.

Might still be if I throw some French in or something.

vis-a-vis

coup-de-tat

And my personal favorite:

coup-de-grace

-Joe

Some things are worth hearing because they define a generation. They stand as monuments to the people and times that shaped them and make us better people for having heard them. This is one of those things.

Listen and be edified.

-Joe

I'm up too early again. It occurs to me that right now, to express my frustration at the fact, nothing would be cooler than to make the funky roar noise that Chewbacca makes, but alas, I think I'd end up with a mouth full of phlegm. Life is so unfair.

Things are shaping up a bit with the album and a few writing bits here and there. Not enough hours in the day--or I have to sleep too many of them, one of the two.

Well, I'm going to try and crash for a while longer before getting back to grind. No rest for the wicked (and those who are destined to clean up after the wicked at minimum wage...)

You should check out the Features. They're all pretty sweet.

-Joe

Well, work continues. I'm actually getting something together that nearly sounds like a finished version of "SecondFirst"... whoduvthunkit? I also cranked out two longish essays (at least compared to my usual stuff) for the Birdhouse. They're about the whole Congressional baseball debacle and Mark McGwire getting roasted by the press. You may need to be a member to check them out (which ain't a bad thing, cuz I kinda like the Birdhouse...) but they are Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? and In Defense of Big Mac. The responses I've gotten in support of these pieces really has surprised me--maybe there's hope for baseball yet (although from the sound of it, Congress is a total loss...)

It's such a strange, messy and backwards problem that Congress swooped in and made worse. Anyway, I'm kinda proud of these pieces so check 'em out if you're so inclined. In the meantime I'm still plowing away at lilies of the field as well as trying to get some fiction done. Never enough hours in the day it seems, but oh well...

And Fear the Power of the, um, Devil Turtle...

-Joe

It's been a long night. I didn't get around to doing any more work on "SecondFirst" or the other track but I did get a longer bit together based a bit on one of my mini rants from yesterday. So watch the Birdhouse for a longer piece about steroids, Big Mac and what the hell Congress thinks they're doing.

Anyway, it's going to be a busy coupla days I'm sure since I'm just now getting around to do my movie reviews for "The Aviator" "The Pacifier" "Robots" and "Be Cool" (I liked one, was indifferent about another and hated two. See if you can guess...) I'd honestly forgotten about doing them for a couple of days and I've been busy in other pursuits (as largely listed above).

It almost feels like I'm falling behind on some things (writing and website schtuff) but finally getting ahead on others. Never a dull moment, I suppose.

Anyway, here's the scariest sex offender in the world, IMO. Just in case you care.

-Joe

Well, it's Thursday, but I'm still running on Wednesdays steam. Who needs to sleep, anyway? Well, I do, but not for a couple more minutes. Work continues and hopefully I'll have a workable version of "SecondFirst" sometime tonight. The other track is coming along, but it was a night mainly devoted to "SF" so, you know, don't expect miracles.

Today is also the day that our elected officials take it upon themselves to almost take a look at the steroid problem in baseball... five years late. George Will had a decent column the other day about why a) it is dumb and b) why Congress has no authority to do it and c) why the only person to really benefit is Jose "Ball off his Head Counts as a Homer" Canseco. It makes you wonder that if an investigation has been called on the basis of such a dubious human being since McCarthy's day. Note to Congress: I really appreciate you trying to "fix" baseball, but since your track record in fixing things is comparable to the famed Washington Generals basketball team I'd just as soon you keep filibustering and nailing interns if you don't mind.

And Joss Whedon, mystical scribe of the "Angel" and "Buffy" universe has apparently taken on the new "Wonder Woman" film. Gosh, I can't wait to see that and the new "Namor the Sub-Mariner" film. I love ya, Joss, but you could you have possibly chosen an "iconic character" that I could care less about? Maybe next you should do a remake of the "Care Bears Movie". I know I"m being harsh, but seriously, Wonder Woman? "Firefly" better not suck, that's all I'm saying.

True Dat,
-Joe

Well nothing too exciting on this bad boy, either, but the rerecord/rewrite of "SecondFirst" is going quite nicely and the new track (either titled "Tuesday" or "Night and Day" depending on what mood I'm in...) is sounding pretty ah-ight as well. I have only a couple tweaks left for "Trying" "Wretched" and probably a little clean up of "The Last Shall Be" and we'll have ourselves an album. Only six years between projects now so we're flying right along, aren't we?

Anyway, quiet weekend on the whole. I think I might be battling some little bug of some sort, but no worries. Let me again remind you that there truly sublime interviews with Kari Byron & Larry Blamire recently added to the ol' Features page, so dig in while they're hot.

And while this isn't as funny as they probably think it is, it's still kinda amusing.

-Joe

Well, this'll be brief since I'm packing it in for the night/day.

First off, since I ranted on Dell for a while earlier I felt it was just fair to say that I got my system back within 48 hours and it works just fine, thank you. While it breaking didn't enthuse me, they did take care of it and did so quickly. I thought I'd at least be honest about my consumer issues if I was going to bring 'em up here. So now you know.

Second, Crabbey Road is indeed in full swing. That's what I've been spending a good portion of the night working on. And, true to form, instead of just finishing up the rerecording process I started working on a new track in the meantime. It's still in development but I'm liking it thus far. We shall see how it turns out, but lilies of the field is finally moving in the right direction (everyone say yea!)

In that spirit I include a link to some of the infamous backwards messages in the evil rock n' roll music (cue spooky music). Take special note of the Britney Spears and Pokemon ones, they're a hoot! Ironically I played my music backwards and got the following message:
Baaa roos kam pell issa owna bee feet churd su ma oaf hive...
Not sure what it means...

-Joe

Well, I'm pleased to announce that all the new gear is up and functioning (huzzah!) and the new software is working considerably better than the old software. I can finally say with a degree of certainty that lilies of the field will actually be finished this year. And, as is my way, it might include another song or two that I throw together as I'm procrastinating polishing other stuff so it could be even considered the "new and improved" version of lilies...

Anyway, it was nice to have a bit of good news to accompany the electronic bellyflop that my laptop seems to have committed so let's all just be happy? No? Well perhaps this will make you happy, the Joe Mammy interview with Kari Byron should be up for public consumption in the next day or two. If that doesn't make you happy, then you have no joy in you, sir.

In parting I'll share this little gem with you--a song in German about Russia (or Moscow specifically as far as I can tell...) which starts to demystify the whole "winning World War II and the Cold War" thing, IMO...

-Joe

Gosh this is fun.

First I got to chat on-line with Runkami and now I'm hanging with Gopal (but call him Greg) because the kickin' experience that I've dubbed "The Mobile Joe Experience" is currently experiencing hardware problems. However, since I have more tech experience with such things, they aren't taking my word for it and are sending me through a bevy of tests to determine, that, in fact, my system is up Doody Creek and left me holding the paddle.

Now Greg has me on the on-line equivalent of being on hold. Joy. Go get 'em Greg. Check you KB and let it tell you I need to light some black candles and sprinkle the blood of virgins about and then recite the name of the Dark Lord and then contact support back if the problem still appears on my BIOS screen. (cue music from "The Omen")

A wise man once told me that the only problem with portable is that eventually "portable" just ends up meaning "broken." Thing is, I've been good. I haven't thrown the thing around or kicked, I've babied it like it's an expense piece of equipment with a lot of work on it. Go figure.

Greg just called me by my last name and thanked me for waiting, presumably as an indication that I would be waiting some more.

Oh look, it's a hardware problem. They want my laptop back. Gosh, you know what would be swell, is if I wouldn't have lose my freaking system for a month. I'm not sure which is more frustrating--since it's under warranty I have to sit around and wait for them to decide what they're going to do or if it wasn't under warranty and I'd just be stuck with a busted system.

I exaggerated, it's only supposed to be two weeks until I get my system back. Woo-freaking-hoo.

I'm not so keen on this whole dying in just over two months of actual use thing--especially since my warranty on this thing is for all of 90 days. Doesn't inspire me with the confidence that I'll have a working system come day 91.

Greg doesn't understand what I'm asking now. You know, outsourcing doesn't piss me off like it does some people, but it would be nice to communicate with someone more comfortable in American vernacular, or tech jargon for that matter.

This is the antithesis of awesome. This is the suck. Heck, it is THE SUCk. It sucks so bad it doesn't even deserve to be fully capitalized.

Hey, no additional warranty for a new machine. Imagine that. Nice to see Dell has confidence in their equipment. Not even going to warranty their work on it this time. Hell, if they just take an extra week to finish "working" on it they could just send it back in the same condition and complete the screwing.

Oh, wait, looks like they're giving me the 1 year warranty. Sorry Greg.

Still, if their equipment sucks and needs to be fixed or replaced doesn't it stand to reason that your warranty should start from that date?

In happier news, replacement gear has arrived and hopefully by tomorrow I'll have Crabbey Road back to its former glory which means there might be an end in sight for lilies of the field. 'Bout stinking time, right?

-Joe

Greetings kiddies.

Another weekend down and I'm another day older and deeper in debt.

I'm watching "Robot Chicken" from last night. If there ever was a show that was more hit and miss than this in recent memory I don't know what it is. Wow. "The Best Cowboy Ever" huh? It's still funnier than "Super Milk Chan" (which is, for those interested, is the worst show in television history...) It's eight in the morning on Monday and I'm talking about freaking cartoons. There's something charming and silly about this spontaneous blogging about whatever thing.

Anyway, check out Larry Blamire's interview--it's good stuff. And keep an eye open for the interview with lovely and talented Ms. Kari Byron.

More soon. I'm sure it will be less lame than this. I'm tired, I sleep now.

-Joe

I know I"m a baseball geek, but I still like "Pride of the Yankees". Good stuff.

On the other hand, I also watched "Last Tango in Paris" this weekend--or tried to. They say it's a classic, but good Lord is it frightfully dull. Vague existential chat about meaning of life, crass sex scene, another crass sex scene, more interminable dialogue, Brando gets upset, etc. etc. Took me two days to get 90 minutes into it and I just couldn't take anymore after that. Ick.

In rockin' news, the next Feature has been collected in rough form and should be up in the next week or so. So who, you ask, is the follow-up to the one and only Larry Blamire? Why the lovely, charming and talented Kari Byron: Mythbuster, artist and pea-hater extraordinaire. It'll all make sense, trust me.

Life is good.

-Joe