Cinnamon Dolce Berry Blast Extravaganza! (aka, good lord that thing is bad for me)

(oh-oh-oh, multiple posts, no new Star Wars ep? Bridget must be working on a paper in the library.)

Why, yes, I am, and we got kicked out of the room Again, because the University of Havana, North, seems to think that that's funny (haha, let's close reading rooms the week before finals so kids hafta wander around looking for a place to sit).

Anyway, so point is-- I like Mighty Mango, Vitamin C Explosion like Whoa Are You Sure You Can't OD on Vitamin C?, but Berry Blast is one weird flavor, the kind of strange unidentifiable soupy muddy mix that says, "If God wanted us to mix our fruits, he'd have made smoothies grow on trees." (Along with money and babies.) I shoulda bought a brownie instead.

Speaking of fattening omg things, I got a Cinnamon Dolce Frappaccino this afternoon. It was hard core. I'm not really into those things. I shoulda gotten it as a hot latte. I'm not really into Starbucks in general, but I have a giftcard. Their eggnog chai latte is quite good but is unfortunately seasonal. This Dolce thing did come with a good pile of whipped cream, and I above most am a major proponent of the overzealous application of whipped cream.

Sunday fun!

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.
--Jack Kerouac, who went to/played football for the University of Havana, North

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 8, "Death Star's Transit"

Death Star's Transit

Darth Vader's Star Destroyer arrives at the Death Star, where the mere sight of the massive battle station causes Princess Leia to say its name - proving to the Sith Lord that she knew of the top-secret weapon's existence. When a subsequent interrogation session proves fruitless, Grand Moff Tarkin suggests forcing Leia to divulge what she knows by threatening something dear to her, and sets the Death Star on a course for Alderaan. Even when Leia gives Vader and Tarkin a location where they will supposedly find the rebels, the Death Star opens fire on Alderaan anyway, obliterating the planet completely (x).

According to wikipedia, the interrogation scene is "controversial." And it is kinda intense. Haven't listened to it yet, but from what I remember it's a liddle bit whoa there now.

I am so amazing bizarrely FUCKED. And I have allergies. It could be worse, right. At least I'm not in the real world and hafta go to work- wait, I do, cos my Friday supervisor is an idiiooot. (And I don't say that about a lot of people. Just Barnard girls and my academic adviser and, you know, other things.)

Not constipated, though. He looks constipated, the poor thing.

Airplane music videos?

I haven't been following this, sorry everyone, most I know about this Eurovision thing is via Mister Jim via Father Ted.

But, I mean, you hafta be shitting me.

At least the Snakes on a Plane video was a wee bit. . . not like that? Even though it's REALLY bad and make me want to. . . pull my hair out. The song is at least better. The haircut(s) are not.

Um, sorry, this was pointless. I'm working on a paper. About Dos Passos' 1919 and Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Wilson. It is not happening.

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 7, "The Han Solo Solution"

The Han Solo Solution

Luke and Ben sell Luke's landspeeder to pay for their passage to Alderaan, while Han and Chewbacca prepare the Millennium Falcon for liftoff. Han's urgency is now doubled after doing away with Greedo, he'll be a higher profile target for Jabba the Hutt's thugs, and Han is most worried about an expert bounty hunter named Heater. Just as Luke, Ben and the droids arrive for liftoff, Imperial troops raid the Falcon's docking bay and open fire. Han and his passengers blast into space, narrowly evading Imperial Star Destroyers and slipping into hyperspace (x).

Library is L-U-V

Was gonna post another Star Wars Ep but I'm at the library and the connection isn't what you'd call speedy-mcspeedy, so just a quick post to break up the monotony of the paper I'm working on.

I'm not sure how I feel about Shepard Fairey. I like his stuff, but I hate the way Andre the Giant stencil looks. Obey is meaningless anyhow. I don't know Fairey's methods but I hope it isn't all about copying and pasting and Photoshopping. Also, I'm completely obsessive about my desktop background, which changes every other day, but this one has been in for awhile, tiled. It's pretty awesome, and it's like yay, look at all those boys &c &c but one of the best parts is a little grace note: if you look closely, "Obey" is written in a font corresponding to the artist.

Read about the print set here.

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 6, "The Millenium Falcon Deal"

The Millennium Falcon Deal

With his aunt and uncle dead at the hands of the Empire, Luke accompanies Ben Kenobi to Mos Eisley Spaceport, a disreputable place where Ben hopes to find a ship to Alderaan. A space pilot points Ben in the direction of a huge Wookiee, Chewbacca, who serves as the co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon, a Corellian freighter. Ben is introduced to Han Solo, a cocky space pilot who quickly clears his schedule when Ben promises a small fortune in exchange for a ride to Alderaan. After the deal is closed, Ben and Luke go back into hiding until Solo is ready for liftoff - and Imperial stormtroopers close in on Mos Eisley in their hunt for the droids. But they're not the only ones being hunted, as a bounty hunter named Greedo is on the trail of Han Solo (x).

Teeny Boppers Bad, Vandals Good

K guyssss. I've never attended Warped Tour mostly cos lately at least the bands all have had names like "I Scare Pretty Girls & Aminals Yes I Do" or "Kill Pretty Ugly Die Die La La" or something. You know.

And I mean, also, the kids who go to these things. Go here to see them. I dare you. Witness one amazing comment on the message board:

can't fckin' wait to be there with the krew.......we're gonna get DRUNK!!!! any babes that want too are welcome join us.............

Listen, myspace-teeny-bopper. Stop with the multiple periods, spell out "fucking," and stop pretending to be awesome. You're like twelve. You're mom's gonna drop you off at the show.

See? Why would you want to go to this? (besides the opportunity to accidently-oops-kinda hurt one o' them teeny-boppers. I think I have unchanneled aggression. Frankly, I blame the patriarchal society I live in.)

Hold on-
more

Alesana, All Time Low, The Almost, Amber Pacific, Anberlin, As Cities Burn, The Automatic Automatic, Bad Religion, Bayside, Big D and the Kids Table Bleed The Dream, Bless the Fall, Boys Like Girls, The Briggs, Buck-O-Nine, Chiodos, Circa Survive, Coheed and Cambria, Cute is What We Aim For, Desperation Squad, The Dear and Departed, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Escape the Fate, Evaline, The Fabulous Rudies, Funeral For A Friend, Gallows, Haste the Day, Human Abstract, I am Ghost, Killswitch Engage, K-OS, The Matches, Meg and Dia, My American Heart, New Found Glory, New Years Day, Nothington, Paramore, Pennywise, Pepper, Pistolita, Play Radio Play, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Revolution Mother, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Set Your Goals, Spill Canvas, Street Drum Corps, Throwdown, Tiger Army, The Unseen, The Used, The Vandals, The Vincent Black Shadow, Yellowcard

Are The Vandals worth teeny-boppers in Vans with bad dye jobs and bandannas around their wrist who think they're "drunk"? Hmmmm.

Not sure yet if I'll be in LA though, so looking into that. . . Regardless, rest of line-up is ho-hum-ew. Pennywise wouldn't be bad, but haven't listened to them in years. . . My friend knows one of the people in the Matches, but I'm not a huge fan. . . Apparently the Briefs were on the line-up, but no longer. I haven't heard of most of these bands. Not too bummed about that. . . but we'll see.

Mega Monster Mummy soundtrack

I adore the films The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. Action packed. good-natured B-films with a sense of humor? Hells yeah. Jerry Goldsmith (The Mummy) and Alan Silvestri (The Mummy Returns) provided excellent and rousing soundtracks. I've what I thought was the pretty impressive 15-track soundtrack, but now I know that it's a pansy little boy scout release compared to the mega ginormous 50 track sonuvabitch posted over at You Don't Have to Visit This Blog.

Extended 50 Track Version

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 5, "Jedi That Was, Jedi To Be"

Jedi That Was, Jedi To Be

Luke and Threepio leave just before dawn to track down R2-D2. They find the little droid, but quickly come under attack from Tusken Raiders. Luke escapes being killed only when a howling sound scares the Tuskens away - a sound made by Ben Kenobi, who admits that he was once Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ben takes Luke back to his secluded home, helps him repair damage Threepio received during the fight with the Tusken Raiders, and presents Luke with something that belonged to his father: a Jedi lightsaber. When Artoo replays Leia's message for Ben, the old Jedi resolves to make the trip to Alderaan to help the rebels, but when he asks Luke to join him, Luke is more worried about his uncle's reaction. But as he gives Ben a lift to Anchorhead to find a ship for the journey, Luke sees the first evidence that the Empire's search for the missing droids is getting too close to home (x).

Limbo limbo

"Vatican panel condemns limbo to eternal dustbin"

Limbo has been in limbo for quite some time, but is now on its way to extinction.

A Vatican committee that spent years examining the medieval concept published a much-anticipated report Friday, concluding that unbaptized babies who die may go to heaven.

That could reverse centuries of Roman Catholic traditional belief that the souls of unbaptized babies are condemned to eternity in limbo, a place that is neither heaven nor hell. Limbo is not unpleasant, but it is not a seat alongside God. . .

The Vatican's International Theological Commission issued its findings — with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI — in a document published by the Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The commission is advisory, but the pope's endorsement of the document appears to indicate his acceptance of its findings. . .

A church decision to abolish limbo has long been expected. Benedict and his predecessor, the late Pope John Paul II, expressed misgivings about the concept. Benedict, when he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and the church's top enforcer of dogma, said he viewed limbo as a mere "theological hypothesis." Never part of formal doctrine because it does not appear in Scripture, limbo was removed from the Catholic catechism 15 years ago.

From the Latin "limbus," for hem or edge, limbo refers to a "state of natural happiness" outside heaven, a destination for the souls of babies who were not baptized and certain virtuous people, such as faithful Jews who lived before the time of Christ.

In the 5th century, St. Augustine declared that all unbaptized babies went to hell upon death. By the Middle Ages, the idea was softened to suggest a less severe fate, limbo. . .

The document published Friday said the question of limbo had become a "matter of pastoral urgency" because of the growing number of babies who do not receive the baptismal rite. Especially in Africa and other parts of the world where Catholicism is growing but has competition from other faiths such as Islam, high infant mortality rates mean many families live with a church teaching them that their babies could not go to heaven. . .

Catholic conservatives criticized any effort to relegate limbo to oblivion.

Removing the concept from church teaching would lessen baptism's importance and discourage the christening of infants, said Kenneth J. Wolfe, a Washington-based columnist for the traditionalist Catholic newspaper the Remnant.

"It makes baptism a formality, a party, instead of a necessity," Wolfe said. "There would be no reason for infant baptisms. It would put the Catholic Church on par with the Protestants."

It would also deprive Catholic leaders of a tool in their fight against abortion, he added. Priests have long told women that their aborted fetuses cannot go to heaven, which in theory was another argument against ending pregnancy. Without limbo, those fetuses presumably would no longer be denied communion with God.

&

While the report does not carry the authority of a papal encyclical or even the weight of a formal document from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it was approved by the pope on Jan. 19 and was published on the Internet - an indication that it was intended to be widely read by the faithful (x).

&

• "Oh, God, you're so silly."
• The first-ever Heaven Press Conference
• (unrelated but just for fun. . .) Gays in the military

Play Ball Yo

So after super icky winter weather for what felt like forever (for someone from LA, but probably for anyone, too) it finally cleared up yesterday so all the boys and girls could "celebrate" that daft 4/20 thing- I'm sorry, I don't like the smell and instead of feeling a wonderful settling bliss and giggling a lot, I get paranoid or fall asleep and sometimes get apocalyptic, but that's only when it's all going down in the subway which is a naturally apocalyptic place. Yeah, I'm lame. But not as lame as the bitch who won't stop laughing at everything you say. . . which is the problem when you get drunk people and high people at one party and the drunk people won't stop talking to the high people and the high people just giggle at everything. You're like, Ok, I'm a wee bit inebriated but I'm pretty sure I'm not saying anything funny. . .

All the campus groups decided to hold their bbqs on Friday, too, musta known the weather was gonna clear. We stood in line for 45 minutes, and by the time we made it to the food-- all out of hamburgers. Funny thing, and apologies to vegetarians but I love meat and grilled things, but the campus vegetarian group had set up a little table right at the front of the the line for burgers and hot dogs. They all looked bored and wear doing reading, I don't think anybody who had bothered to stand in line and make it up that far was gonna listen to them by that point.

So now that it isn't freezing, I gotta get my ass to a baseball game. I've been to 1 Mets game and 1 Yankees game out here, got to see the Mets play the Dodgers in the fall with like the entire nation of Taiwan, who had turned up to cheer the Dodgers' Taiwanese pitcher. We won :) Uh, my class got free tickets to a Mets game on Sunday but I'm gonna be inside writing a paper on graves and Islam, hagiography and presidents in Dos Passos, or something about philosophy, which is a problem, cos my notes are a mess.

Anyway, here's an appropriately themed mp3 because it's about baseball. I'm not a Red Sox fan, I was raised to root for the Dodgers and the Angels. But the song does speak to the general excitement of fans and the atmosphere, and I'm pretty sure there are lifelong Red Sox haters who can't say no to these boys singing it. Enjoy :)

Tessie - Dropkick Murphys

Also, check out Bleedin' Out's baseball post.

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 4, "While Giants Mark Time"

Y'all must be like, yo that bitch is on a ROLL. Two posts in one day? Wowzzerrs. But no, it's just that I fell asleep at ten last night and am now atoning for that little sin by having to stay up super late and do all the stuff I didn't do last night which means, of course, procrastinating! And I have a tummyache from some weird cookies. So now I'm drinking copious amounts of green tea.
Housing registration is tomorrow. My requirements are as follows: a Single, a Kitchen on the same floor, and a view of Broadway or Amsterdam. We're very lucky to get four years guaranteed housing. I just finished my reading in Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth which struck me as a indulging a bit in exoticism and generalization, but I guess he knows what he's talking about so I'll just shut up. &&& one of the things I hate about texting (cell-phone) is that you can never tell when the other individual wants a reply or if you can just let it hang. . . I hear it's all the rage in Europe though. Texting, that is.

Seeeooow, we've got Ep four, with the usual, increasingly esoteric episode title. Enjoy :]

While Giants Mark Time

On Tatooine, Threepio and Artoo bicker over the smaller droid's constant chatter about an important mission, and Threepio finally leaves Artoo to his fate and wanders aimlessly through the desert. But the droids aren't alone - Imperial troops have tracked the escape pod to the planet and have guessed that one or both droids are carrying the stolen Death Star plans. Threepio seeks refuge in a ground-roving transport - but is then picked up by Jawas to be resold as salvaged goods. Threepio gives away Artoo's position to the Jawas, who pick him up as well. The Jawas take their scaveneged droids and equipment to auction off at the nearest settlement, a moisture farm belonging to Owen Lars. Artoo takes the liberty of sabotaging the only other mechanic droid - an R5 unit - to ensure that he'll be freed from the Jawas and can then continue looking for General Kenobi. Owen buys both Artoo and Threepio and then entrusts them to Luke for cleaning and repairs before they begin working on the farm. During cleaning, Luke inadvertently triggers a holographic plea for help from Leia, recorded in Artoo's memory, and Artoo protests that the message is meant for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke suspects that a local hermit named Ben Kenobi may have some connection - but while Luke reports his suspicions to Owen, Artoo slips away from the Lars farm to continue his quest (x).

Also, check out "I Harth Darth," an archived online comic. So adorable and quite cheeky.

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 3, "Black Knight, White Princess, and Pawns"

Hey kiddds, sorry about the huge delay in these posts. My schedule is snafu, I have no idea what's going on/coming up but it dunt look good. Anyway, I've only gotten through half of Ep 2 because I didn't make it to work type II on Friday (I was "sick"), so the only listening I've gotten done was at the gym yesterday before work type I. Anyway, I hope y'all are enjoying these episodes.

Black Knight, White Princess, and Pawns

The Tantive IV makes a sudden stop in Imperial space, and two droids - astromech droid R2-D2 and interpreter C-3PO - are assigned to perform an important task for Princess Leia: R2-D2 is to act as if performing extravehicular repairs on the ship's hull, though he's actually receiving a secret rebel transmission containing detailed plans of the Empire's top-secret Death Star project. Leia's next stop is to present those plans - and a plea to come out of retirement - to General Obi-Wan Kenobi, a veteran of the Clone Wars living in seclusion on the planet Tatooine. But before the Tantive IV can make its escape, an Imperial Star Destroyer gives chase, bringing the ship to a halt. A platoon of stormtroopers, with Darth Vader behind them, boards the Tantive IV, killing most of the crew in the process. Desperate to keep the Death Star plans from being found in the ship's computer, Leia hides them in R2-D2's memory and instructs him to abandon ship in an escape pod. C-3PO, trying to dissuade the little droid from following those orders, winds up in the escape pod with him - and then finds himself on the surface of Tatooine. But aboard the Tantive IV, Princess Leia cannot escape capture - and interrogation by Vader (x).

Also, I have no idea how to express how I feel about the shootings, but in the face of being able to do nothing but, I'd like to offer sincere condolences.

Let Me Go

"Let Me Go", Rancid (2000)
Tim's glasses are interesting, but what's funny is that every time he's got them on, Lars looks like he can't figure out who that guy with the glasses is and why he's yelling, so if doesn't make eye contact with him, maybe he'll go away.

Aaaw shit

'K. Saw this a few weeks ago and got so excited I forgot to share. The Day Watch trailer, sequel to Night Watch, which you may or may not remember me talking about (something like "blahblahblah NightWatchIsAmazing blahblahblah") and/or saw it yerself, is finally out with an English narration so that those of us who don't speak Russian can figure out what's going on, aided, I suppose, by Rob Zombie in the background. And what a trailer it is. More fun with Anton and the gang, holy shit action sequences, whoawhoawhoa special effects, and concerning the ending of the trailer- likewhoa. I guess it comes out here in June, so. . . can't wait.


Online Videos by Veoh.com


And posters.

Speaking of Russia, a so-bad-it's-bad metaphor from my textbook: "But it took Gorbachev's reform program to uncork the bottle of nationalist discontent" (Thompson 501). I'm sure it's all in good fun, but it makes you feel bad for Gorbachev, for non-Russian minorities, and for Thompson, who by the late 80s/early 90s, musta been getting sick of writing this book.

Mad Linkage

Happy Saturday!! :]

Planet Terror Soundtrack at Gimmie Back My Head


Clash doing Roadrunner & Baby Please Don't Go from Berkeley Place


I Have Forgiven Jesus B-sides from McCrank's Juke

Blah blah blah
Lessee, my sleeping schedule is wacky wacky fucked. Was up late on Thursday night cos some friends decided to call and sit in a bar for an hour continuing a fight they had over whether Planet Terror or Death Proof was better. I think they finally decided that the former is a better film but the latter is more Grindhouse-esque. Kkkkk kids. Then they tried to pick a fight with some little kids in an effort, I think, to channel the tension that has been building up between the two of them (displacement?), didn't manage to provoke the little kids properly, though. Then they celebrated by playing pool til odd hours and arguing some more and pissing people off and finally getting caught by the security guard with our "Bass brand soda." He was cool about it though, just said to finish it up, even though the dorm we were in is dry. In general though, what's the lesson? Boys are dumb. You betcha. Went to a birthday party last night filled with skinny little artsy-musicky fucks and PBR and boob camp and people from acting school yay and pot and well that means we should listen to the Beatles and daaaance so it was completely what you'd expect, which is lame but not painful but not something you want to stay for. Nice apartment though, up in Harlem, lots of space and apparently a low monthly rent. Left and waited for the 1 for like 20 minutes then fell asleep reading Absalom Absalom! which is actually very very very good though I'm not sure what's going on. . . Much fun to be had. Now I hafta focus on all the shit I'm supposed to be doing. Back to "real life" as it were, if college counts as real life.

I've got a paper for a history class due on Monday for which I am required to watch two Soviet Union/Eastern Europe films and compare them. Not too bad, but what's proving to be a bitch is getting to the films. You hafta go to the reserves desk and check out a DVD or VHS; you cannot take it out of the library, but must either use the "Butler Media Center" or bring your own lap top. I saw the first film on Tuesday, Kanal, a spectacular little downer that follows members of the Warsaw Resistance crawling through the sewers in an effort to escape the Nazis.

Wajda's unrelentingly intense, claustrophobic portrait of courage in adversity offers a harrowing window on war that (along with its hellish, subterranean setting) earned the film favorable comparisons to Dante's INFERNO (ibid).

A real fun watch. Everyone either dies or is about to die by the end, not a surprise because the film tells you at the beginning that you should listen up kids, since these folks are gonna be dead real soon. Okay, great. For the last three days I've been trying to watch the second film, Come and See, which promises to be even more depressing.

Elem Klimov's stunning COME AND SEE is a relentlessly brutal condemnation of war hidden in the guise of a surrealistic coming-of-age nightmare. A physically and emotionally draining viewing experience, the film follows Florya (played brilliantly by Alexei Kravchenko), a 12-year-old boy living in 1943 Byelorussia.

Yeah, I can't wait to be physically and emotional drained. The problem is that the only copy the library has is a VHS, since the DVD copy apparently "disappeared" in November 2004 and nobody did anything about it. I've managed to get the VHS every time, but seeing as how I can't bring my lap top in and watch the VHS on it, I'm completely dependent on the media center, which was recently refurbished with snazzy new screens and fancy new DVD players. This means that they got rid of the old machines and there are now only four VCRs available, none of which have been available for use each time I've gone. Mostly taken up by kids working on the same paper. So still no movie. I'll be going in tomorrow again, as soon as the fucken place opens, but one would think that the school with one of the largest endowments in its league could buy a few more VCRs seeing as how they're all of five bucks on e-bay.

Kurt Vonnegut dies at 84

On another occasion he explained that his goal in writing novels was to "catch people before they become generals and Senators and Presidents" and "poison their minds with humanity. Encourage them to make a better world."

Saddened to hear this. I didn't much like Slaughterhouse-Five-- it seemed a little bland but I think the aversion was augmented by a teacher who disdained what I found to be a fascinating depiction of Jesus (he thought there was no way Vonnegut would be portraying Jesus in any kind of good light and was rather trying to disprove the very existence of Jesus, which made him happy and was he wanted to think; I disagreed as it seemed to be much more complex than that but hey, he was grading me)-- and so avoided his work, but finally last summer I read God Bless You Dr Kevorkian, which is lovely and certainly exemplifies his stated goal.

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 2, "Points of Origin"

Well, since I'm reading Virginia Woolf (read: can't concentrate due to the obnoxious preoccupation with her own privileged class- I call it "a horizontal view and a problematic effort," and honestly, she does it in her fiction, too, read: shutthefuckupVirge), here's Episode 2 & SongBook summary. Will provide more info after I get a chance to listen to it and refresh my memory.

Points of Origin

The Tantive IV, a diplomatic ship from Alderaan, is forced to land on Ralltiir by an Imperial blockade. Princess Leia Organa is outraged, but bluffs her way past the Imperials, even using a keen knowledge of Imperial regulations to set Lord Tion, an Imperial officer, against Darth Vader, who has just arrived to crush a rebel uprising. Leia returns to Alderaan, where her father, Bail Organa, sympathizes with the rebellion but doesn't wish to take up arms. Unfortunately, Lord Tion follows Leia to Alderaan, taken enough with her to propose marriage (with a side offer of Imperial protection for Alderaan), but the meeting turns sour when Tion learns that Leia and her father have not only sympathized with the rebels, but have aided them. In an ensuing struggle, Tion takes a fatal tumble from a balcony in the royal palace, and Bail realizes that Alderaan can no longer escape involvement in intergalactic affairs. He sends Leia, once again in the Tantive IV, to the planet Toprawa to steal the plans for a top-secret Imperial superweapon mentioned by Tion before his death.

Star Wars: The Original Radio Drama, Episode 1, "A Wind to Shake the Stars"

Okay, put a hold on re-establishing my bad ass cred. Time to indulge in geekery, which is known around here as "good taste." Helllss yeahh.

Sorry this took so long to get up- I was like, I'll listen to 'em at work so I can give witty and insightful episode summaries as we go. . . and then I forgot to load the files onto the ole iPod and ending up listening to the Smiths the whole time-ugh.

Anyway, the radio drama is positively delightful. My family takes tons of roadtrips so we've got a library of radio dramas and old radio plays, and this one has been played a number of times.

"A Wind to Shake the Stars" introduces us to Luke's life on Tatooine, which is a typically and painfully teenage. He's tapping into that classic anywhere-but-here mindset, the other kids think he's weird, and he has just broken his sky hopper in a race against the local jock. The episode opens with Luke listening to an ad for the Imperial Academy, but there's little hope of actually going. Uncle Owen continues to refuse to let Luke leave, and we see them argue briefly over getting some new droids to improve the farm's efficiency and cut down on work. The episode enters movie-land when Luke spots "a battle" above the atmosphere. Running to let the other kids know, he finds that Biggs Darklighter, who has graduated, is back in town. Biggs reveals to Luke that he plans to jump ship and join the Rebellion- this is the same incident where Hobbie (for all you Rogue Squadron fans) takes off. Drama & so forth. Featuring Mark Hamill as Luke, and Antony Daniels will later appear as C-3P0. With Williams' score and fantastic sound effects by Ben Burtt, who worked on the films. It's great fun to get more of Biggs and also to see a slice of Tatooine life, finally answering the big Ep. IV question-- why is that Luke so darn whiny? ("I was going to Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!")

And here's a straight-up summary and cast list from Songbook TheatEar:

Story: On the distant desert planet of Tatooine, far from either the Galactic Empire or the Rebellion, Luke Skywalker lives the simple existence of a moisture farmer, toiling away on his Uncle Owen's farm and trying to fit in with his friends at Anchorhead. Ever since his friend Biggs left to join the Imperial Academy, Luke's been a bit of an outcast, and he doesn't win many friends by beating the local bully in a high-speed canyon race. While working on the farm, Luke spots a fierce firefight in orbit of Tatooine, and tries to tell his friends about it, but as usual they blow him off. Biggs returns for a visit, and once they're away from the others, Biggs tells Luke of a momentous decision - despite having graduated from the Imperial Academy, Biggs plans to jump ship on his first assignment and join the Rebellion.

Season One Cast: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Ann Sachs (Princess Leia Organa), Perry King (Han Solo), Bernard "Bunny" Behrens (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Brock Peters (Lord Darth Vader), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Keene Curtis (Grand Moff Tarkin), John Considine (Lord Tion), Stephen Elliott (Prestor), David Ackroyd (Captain Antilles), Adam Arkin (Fixer), Kale Brown (Biggs), David Clennon (Motti), Anne Gerety (Aunt Beru), Thomas Hill (Uncle Owen), David Paymer (Deak), Joel Brooks (Heater), John Dukakis (Rebel), Stephanie Steele (Cammie), Phillip Kellard (Customer #2)

A Wind to Shake the Stars

Enjoy :) Oh, and since I haven't gotten around to writing up a review, just gonna get it out nice n quick for the time being-- see Grindhouse. Like whoa.

Bad ass cupcakes

A'ight then, I'll be staying here (it's easier) and I'll be a chatty little lady, but first here are the cupcakes I promised. Makes chewy, dense red velvet cupcakes. We all balked at the gazillion calorie count, so we used lowfat buttermilk and fat free/"neufchatel" cream cheese. Sugar can be cut to taste in the frosting. We also didn't use as much red food coloring as recommended, so we cut that in half and used water instead.

Recipe here.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and the encouraging words! Y'all rock like mad. Someone is probably thinking, Oh. . . so now we get- cucpcake recipes? What's next? Links to dog adoption agencies? Don't worry- I'll do something to re-establish my. . .immensely bad ass. . .bad ass. . . cred. . .

Shitty Friday Vid Mix

I'm pretty sure we all have these Fridays where at work you're like AAAARRGGHH and your personal life is like BLAAAAH (ok, not that bad) and you yell at your mother when she calls to find out when you're picking her up from the airport &c &c. Cos I just had one, then wisely ended it by seeing the hardcore downer The Wind that Shakes the Barley.


Online Videos by Veoh.com
The worst part about listening to Smiths songs is if you start thinking "oh my god. . . I understand what he's saying!" which is really the last thing you ever ever want to think. In terms of the video, I don't know what's worse, Morrissey's hilariously bizarre dancing or the hilariously bovine-y comments ("Wow I like this video because the show Charmed put this song as there theme song and I really like the show Charmed!!!!!!") posted with the video.


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This music video is cute, but as with other Patrick Wolf videos, you get the feeling he threw a "No, I'm a boy genius! Give me creative control" tantrum which resulted in an artsy-fartsy, contrived strain somewhere along the way. This time, it's Patrick's slithery dancing that seems a little too obvious, but for the most part, it's a good-nature, adorable video with dancing commenfolk and cheerful colors. Yay happy.


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Rancid will pretty much never fail you, though in this video the oddly placed random dancing Photoshop'd chicks are fairly unnecessary. I always figured "Fall Back Down" was written after the Tim-Brody thing, but the video has a positive vibe that is more celebratory rather than being restricted to reassuring.

Social D + Johnny Cash = 42, & Fuck KROQ live shows

Ch-ch-changes?

Hey kiddds,

Looking back, I'm getting a lot more chatty in posts, and I'm finding this problematic because this is meant as a music blog. That said, I'm thinking of making the big move to another blog, where I will continue posting music but it will be in addition to ramblings about other media and about life and. . . you know. . . deep stuff. I'm looking to start a blog-blog rather than just posting files and I feel a fresh start would facilitate this. I'm still deciding, but I'm gonna hafta put that off til after I finish this reading (I'd like to mention that the edition class required was not the Dover Thrift but some overpriced thick thing with an extra set of essays we won't be reading), seeing as how it's midnight here and I got 3 refreshing hours of sleep today.

I'm wondering how many people will be updating their bookmarks and will be willing to sit through the same amount of music if it means lots more of "she go blah blah blah." Either way, I'd like to express extreme appreciation for all those who do stop by here. Cupcakes for you!

Muchos love,
b

Ceci n'est pas un April Fool's Day post

Dear Pretty Boys & Pretty Girls,

Sorry, about the big ole posting gap- it was one of those weeks where I did dumb things like procrastinate and sleep over at the library in an armchair.

I was reading back and realized what happened after I "took off" at the end of the last post. Harlem, petty crime, delis, potatoes, Rod Stewart, why New York sucks (you can stick here a tirade against this city's lack of supermarkets), missed class the next day and me late to work and sitting there going "huuuuuuh? filing cabinet? zzzzzz."

Anyway, just a quickie post to say a real post is coming- I just grabbed a bunch o music from a friend but now I hafta get it all off my iPod using this iPod Rip thing which I have never used on this computer before but first I gotta do this paper thingy. Excuses are the refuge of cowards. Thas me :]

For now, here's a super index to browse through. I'm eyeing the Louis Armstrong.

Also, a big thanks to everyone who commented! It absolutely made my day to read them, and we had some wow-o-wow-whudathunk visitors. I'm glad people enjoyed the LotR post- I think I'll try to get the NPR A New Hope radio play up in the next week.

Late!
b