Musings in Search of a Muse

Okay, no excuse for not posting something yesterday. Sure, I got home very late after Bible study last night, but I was home almost all day. After I finish my 2 hours of Buffy this morning I have to mow some lawns and do some laundry so I'll try to post something more substantial later.

Updates and Comments on some posts:

From 09/26/2004: Deleting the album artwork for about 140 tracks in iTunes made no difference when I synched the iPod. In fact, I lost a few Kilobytes. Crud. Not sure if it saved any disk space on the computer because I didn't check that. I don't think I'll put the pics back, though.

From 07/13/2004: Was my daughter's death a punishment from God to me or was it salvation for her?

I should make the song discussed on 07/22/2004 the Song of the Day sometime. It's great.

From 07/29/04: If it's a sin to look at a woman and lust for her, is it a sin to look at a woman and have lust, but not for her specifically?

Fixed some typos in a bunch of posts.

Too busy and tired to post anything yesterday. After getting out of work late I dashed to Lodge so I could be one of the Conferring Masters when two candidates were entered into Freemasonry. I totally butchered the oath and obligation. That's strange because normally it's something I can recite without even thinking about it. The rest of the degree went well, though. I even got a great compliment from one of my toughest critics. While the botch job was unforgivable I still feel pretty good about the work I did.

Then after the degree work came the usual snacking session. Anyone can be a 34th degree Mason -- the Belly Mason Degree -- with enough diligent work. Then after two bowls of ice cream and some crisps I helped the Worshipful Master ferry some cars around. That means I didn't get home in time to do any blogging. Looks like I may have to start thinking about changing a regular post to The Song of the Once-in-a-While or something.

Speaking of such, here we go ...

"Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith gets the nod for Song of the Day today, and not just because it happened to be playing when I got around to the SOD part of this post. It's a great tune that fits beautifully in with the recent SODs from Traffic, Uriah Heep, and others of this ilk. Some Rock is truly timeless and this Blind Faith tune is among them. When I feel like listening to the lyrics I find them poignant and easy to sing along with. The melody is catchy and easy to hum, plus it's not too fast without being stodgy. This is sort of my mood in music lately.

Although when I was playing chauffeur last night my buddy and I really got into Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" and the Blues Brothers' cover of "Sweet Home Chicago." Maybe my mood is changing. It's been pretty perky lately, but more so now that I'm done giving that degree at Lodge. Now I can relax and concentrate on cleaning my house (rats!).

"Built to thrill (classic)" is a great story from MSNBC about "12 must-visit architectural wonders, from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater to the Pantheon in Rome to Tikal in Guatemala." Well worth a look. My favorite from the list is, of course, France's Chartres Cathedral.

Last night I purchased a couple new songs from iTunes and noticed something unexpected when I synched the iPod ... some songs that were already on the iPod updated themselves and the available free space decreased with each update. My first thought was Hey! I added artwork to those tunes! Well, I just finished taking off all the user-added album art and will synch again before I go to bed. Hopefully I'll see that it increases the free space on the iPod.


New Music from iTunes

I bought The Undisputed Truth's "Smiling Faces Sometimes" (The Best of Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces) after thinking about it for a month or so because I was in the mood for some new music and it makes a nice compliment to the tunes I have from Traffic and the other '60s/'70s stuff I have. Parts of it are as good as I remember them to be from when I last heard it in my youth. It will fit well into my R&B playlist.

Purchase of Charlie Byrd's rendition of "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" from Byrd by the Sea was something of a whim. It's not nearly as good as the 30-second sample makes it out to be, but it's still nice as a light Jazz piece. Not something I'd intentionally sit and listen to, but as a filler in the Jazz playlist or in a dinner music compilation it's a fine fit. Really the only bad thing about it is that there are times you can't tell that it's a cover of the Beatles original. The melody just disappears when the various instruments all take solos at the same time.

With all this in mind, which one is the Song of the Day? "Dear Mr. Fantasy (Stereo Version)" by Traffic from the album Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic. Okay, that's a switcheroo, but it was one of the best songs that I listened to today and hadn't already been the SOD. I wanted to bring up "Blue Collar" by B.T.O. again, but that really wouldn't be fair.

But since I bought two tracks, let's have a second SOD: "Stealin'" by Uriah Heep (from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Uriah Heep). Like "Mr. Fantasy" and "Smiling Faces" this one fits nicely into the collection of music I have from that era but is still gutsy enough to compete with more modern tunes for space on the iPod and in my regular listening rotation.

Other news from this week - My blog post from August 5th was published in the local paper recently, albeit in edited form. They took out the paragrapgh about my attending a Christian music concert and did a few other edits. Some were poor edits and effectively attributed the writing of others to me. Apparently is was good enough, though, as people stopped me at my recent Lodge banquet to tell me it was excellent. I might have to look at a few other rants in this blog and see if I can get them published.. I bet I can work up something good about spammers.

Haven't really been listening to music lately, it's been rather busy. Last couple nights, though, I've laid in bed with the iPod cranked -- not really listening to it. Hard to pick a Song of the Day without listening to any music.

But I've always wanted to nominate "God" for something. The Rebecca St. James album of the same name has some nice tunes, but this is the only one that really struck me as worth keeping. It's catchy, thought provoking, and just thoroughly enjoyable. Miss St. James really lets go during the refrain and this is a refreshing change from the near-whining that often permeates her songs. I like songs with strong, dynamic vocals, not soft elevator music-quality tunes. This is a strong one. And, it's the Song of the Day!

Just watched Jay London in a re-run of Last Comic Standing. Cripes, he's funny even when he has an "off" set like in this episode. His best line was "You know what burns me? Matches." Check out this link for more of his material.

Have you seen the CBS-TV show Joan of Arcadia? This has to be the smartest, deepest, and best overall show in a long time. Even the photography is great. Sure, other shows are good. The West Wing is well cast and has some clever writing, CSI: Anywhere (and everywhere, apparently) has some great science behind it, and many other shows have some really fine points. But only Joan puts it all together in a great package. I can't recall another drama that has made me think like this one does. Or feel. Or pray.

And it's very funny for a drama. The plots aren't usually funny, but well-rounded characters and their interpersonal dynamics often lead to humorous dialogue and situations much as happens in real life. Many characters in dramas are too serious while many in comedies aren't serious enough. This show is a great blend that makes the show highly believable and easy to fall into.

Yahoo! News - Microsoft Sues Web Hoster, Others Over Spam: "Microsoft has launched a barrage of lawsuits against spammers over the past year in an attempt to curb the spread of unsolicited e-mail pitching everything from get-rich-quick schemes and herbal remedies to penis enlargements."

I wish I could find the business model that proves being a spammer is profitable. They must be paid by someone, otherwise how could they stay in business? If we really want to stop spam then those who hire the spammers must be stopped.

Just saw an advert for a new video game that puts the player in the shoes of a soldier in Vietnam. Not sure I'm comfortable with that. It seems to me this trivializes an event that traumatized two nations and changed the world to nearly as great an extent as any war in the previous 50 years.

Maybe I'm just an old man who doesn't get it. Good for me.

Didn't nap nearly as much as I wanted to today, but at least my neighbor got some groceries. I'm still tired from all the busy-ness lately:

Monday - Right after work I went to Lodge and helped enter two men into Freemasonry. Next Monday I have to be the conferring Master for at least one candidate. That means I'd better get on the ball to re-learn the degree work, especially the Charge at Initiation.

Tuesday - After two hours of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the morning I zipped off to get my Star Wars DVD collection and picked up a couple shirts while I was there. I think I snuck in a nap, but the whole day is a blur after getting home from the store. Nothing productive happened, I'm sure, as my month-old dishes are still in the sink and the house is still filthy. The word "Laundry" comes to mind, but there's nothing folded and put away. I'll have to go look in the dryer to see if the house elf left it there.

Wednesday - Another couple hours of Buffy to start the day then off to help set up for the Lodge banquet. This went on until just after Noon. A couple Lodge buddies and I then went to see Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Excellent movie. Could have been a bit faster paced, but otherwise excellent. After the movie I picked up my tux from the dry cleaners, showered and changed, then went off to the banquet. Got home late and thought about blogging but didn't. I just went to bed

Thursday (today) - Two more hours of Buffy. What a great way to start the day! Then I wasted a bunch of time until I took my neighbor out for groceries. When I got back it was another Buffy fest. One episode was the Emmy-nominated "Hush." This was one I hadn't seen before but if it hadn't been for the freshness of it I probably wouldn't have watched it as closely. Not sure what all the hype was about. Afterwards I napped for nearly two hours then wasted even more time. Shortly after the local news started I began this post.

So that's where I've been. Now I've got to look at the draft posts I've saved, look at my laundry, watch The Princess Bride before I have to return in tomorrow, and get cracking on that Charge.

Yahoo! News - Cat Stevens Calls U.S. Deportation 'Ridiculous': "UK Muslim leaders were outraged. 'The United States is shutting down its house, building walls around itself,' said Anas Altikriti, spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain."

This makes me wonder if the the term "double-standard" translates into Arabic. America is hated or at least disliked throughout the Muslim world because we want people to have a choice. Fine. Let them make their own decisions. But they complain when the United States wants to have the same right to make choices? When our troops were in Saudi Arabia to help defend them from Iraqi troops in Kuwait they were told to hide any Christian symbols such as crosses on necklaces or Stars of David and other Jewish symbols. Why can't the United States do the same thing?

Aside from the fact that it's wrong, of course. Freedom is defined as being able to do anything you want so long as it doesn't harm another or the community. What the Muslim leaders in the news story above have defined, however, is "double-standard."

MSNBC - In S.F., yoga in the buff is OK stuff "Simply being naked on the street is not a crime in San Francisco," said Debbie Mesloh, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.

Hmmm ... I heard that it was legal for women to be topless in New York State, but I hadn't heard about San Francisco. Wonder why there isn't more nudity there?

Some time ago I was gathering songs for a lesson plan about protests during the Vietnam War. The kids were to analyze the lyrics and create a report about events around the time the song was published and what the song is about in relation to them.

So along came "Spill the Wine" by Eric Burdon & War (my copy is from Rock On 1970: In The Summertime), a really great song that's easy to sing to and fun to blast in the car.

I could never tell if it was a protest song or not, but when I get the time I'm going to try to make it into one by doing the same project I was going to assign the kids. Driving home from work today with this on the CD player thinking about what the heck the song is about. I'm close to thinking that it is not a metaphor or anything deep, but just something the lyricist came up with when stoned or drunk.

Believe it or not, I've been drunk. Once. My primary thought was People think this is fun? Why? The next day I felt bad and didn't realize I had a hangover until someone told me. Then I thought And people drink knowing that this is going to happen? Maybe if I turned out great songs like our Song of the Day I'd think it was worth it. Maybe not.

The last hour or so saw me gathering quotes for work. I'm responsible for sending out a "postive quote of the day" to my team mates. When I came across my file of Stephen Wright humor I was sorely tempted to include some ...

• I went for a walk last night and my girlfriend asked me how long I was going to be gone. I said, "The whole time."
• I just got skylights put in my place. The people who live above me are furious.
• Imagine if birds were tickled by feathers.
• My school colors were clear.
• I stayed in a really old hotel last night. They sent me a wakeup letter.
• I went to a general store, but they wouldn't let me buy anything specific.
• When I was a kid, we had a quicksand box in the backyard. I was an only child . . . eventually.
• I bought some batteries, but they weren't included. So I had to buy them again.

Absolutely hillarious stuff. What genius!

Lately I've been missing an old friend, the celebrated Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire's White Mountains.


Whenever I get a New Hampshire state quarter I feel this way, but most recently it's gone deeper and longer. Since he fell and I found out that there was no feasible way replace him -- as if that was really possible, anyway -- I've had this uneasy feeling that a milestone has passed on par with losing a loved one. When I think about Isaac Asimov's passing I feel much the same way. Much different than when I think about my dad dying and much different than mulling over the loss of my daughter. I guess mourning is as multi-faceted as love. Or like it is the same as love, but out of phase. Whatever it is, I miss my old friend.

As I've mentioned several times before, I don't really listen to a song's lyrics. Here's one where I caught the video on TV and on iTunes a few times and found it very hard to ignore the lyrics: "Figured You Out" by Nickelback from The Long Road.

They are patently chauvinistic, increasingly offensive, and truly wonderful on so many levels. On the deep plane, Chad Kroeger sings what men really think. A man can quickly tire of something he loves and come to despise it. Once a man gets something he wants, he's usually satisfied. And he can love a woman but still lose his respect for her at the same time over one thing. Going a bit more shallow, men's likes and desires get a good going over illustrating that we can be as shallow as our wants. On the surface, men are pigs and we don't mind. Actually, we celebrate it.

What? No details to back these assertions? I don't think that I'm naive enough to misinterpret what Kroger is singing about. If I'm right, this is stuff I never brought up with my then-wife or my best friend. You'll have to listen the song yourself. Even though I have a hard time dismissing what I'm hearing to get just the beat and fabulous melody, it's still a great tune and it is today's Song of the Day!

MSNBC - Will draft fears sway voters?: "Some voters seem inclined to believe that Bush would attempt to revive conscription, which ended 31 years ago. During a question-and-answer session on Wednesday, the mother of a recent West Virginia University graduate asked Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards whether the draft would be reinstated."

Predicted this, didn't I?

If you wish to fully enjoy Billy Thorpe's "Children of the Sun" you must do one one of two things: (1) Have a fine set of headphones; or (2) Make sure your home stereo is properly setup and cranked to 11, to heck with the neighbors.

What a marvel of Rock this song is, truly. The opening buzzsaw traveling side-to-side sets the mood as it leads into an awesome drum solo -- this is heavy stuff. From the background an insistent whistle brings in the main theme with the lead guitar. A throbbing bass takes over the theme while in ordinary tunes the job is accomplished by a workman-like rhythm guitar. The latter then becomes a haunting echo of the chorus. The count changes often to set the mood dragging the audience from tension, to serenity, to chaos. This emotional roller coaster builds and builds to a fabulous climax with the bass guitar and the drums teasing each other behind licks from the lead guitar.

And to think I can't recall of hearing any other tunes from Mr. Thorpe. But this one is the Song of the Day!

With all these posts about music I may have to edit my blog's subtitle Personal observations and rants, most likely. My intent was not to become a music critic but rather to start writing again and giving myself an assignment was the best way to do that. Many things that I enjoy in life are the same way. The only time I cook is if I assign myself to do something special. Photography, once one of the great loves in my life, is now a chore unless I think of it as an assignment. Writing is something else that I consider a love but didn't do much of it after college. There just wasn't any need. I tried keeping a journal, but that was pointless.

And then came the Web log. The idea hooked me and I gave it a whirl. After a few dry spots -- some rather long -- I found myself writing pretty often. If you've been reading my blog (and I swear that I'm the only one, really) then you might have noticed that I often write about my faith, the news and other current events, and music. The latter started sort of as an assignment for when I had nothing else to write about but quickly became the Song of the Day.

Which brings us to the latest SOD: The first song I bought on iTunes, "Couch Potato (Parody of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem)" from "Weird Al" Yankovic's Poodle Hat album.

Yes, I have the Eminem original, but when I want the music without the heavy concepts or the foul language I'll listen to Mr. Yankovic's rendition. It may not be as brilliant as his "Amish Paradise" or the parody of "Money for Nothing," but it's certainly very funny and well done. He's a comedy genius with a unique ability to skewer the essence of pop culture events and trends through music. Someone else's music, mind you, but he is very good with original tunes, too. I rather like "Fun Zone" and "Generic Blues" from the UHF soundtrack.

Interested in a great discussion of gay marriage and homosexuality from a Christian point of view? Check out this page from Christiananswers.net. I still have reservations despite the issue being rather cut and dried. Some of the most loving, committed, and moral couples I know are homosexual and, aside from the sexual preference issue, of course, illustrate well what it means to be a Christian. Quite the dichotomy.

Hmmm. I wasn't aware that the story of Christ was Science Fiction. I guess from a strictly anthropological standpoint it is like all other religions, a mythology. But I prefer to think of God as something other than a myth.

Image flaw exposes Windows PCs: "Computer users could be open to attack from malicious hackers because of the way that Windows displays some images." Cripes! The more I read stories like this the more I want an Apple computer. And just last night I was drooling over a buddy's new IBM ThinkPad.

Observations on The Devil's Advocate (1997)

One would think that a Christian such as myself would not enjoy this movie. But unlike film critic Roger Ebert and Christian Spotlight on the Movies, I did like it. And for many reasons, too.

Al Pacino was great as the Devil. Perfect casting led to a performance that was so good it was scary. Of all the actors (and actresses -- remember the remake of Bedazzled?) to play the role, Pacino has the most believable portrayal. So much so that I sometimes forgot that I was watching an actor. That seldom happens when I watch a film if I'm familiar with the actor/actress. Ebert agrees on this: "The satanic character is played by Pacino with relish bordering on glee."

The other actors are are window dressing compared to Pacino's performance, but still more effective than the typical supporting cast in most movies. Connie Nielsen's performance was good when I was able to remember to watch something other than her striking good looks. As the lead character Keanu Reeves finally breaks with this role the dumb-California-kid casting he typically got early in his career with a really grown up performance of some depth.

Cinematography wasn't really special or groundbreaking, but set dressing and locations were fabulous. John Milton (AKA, the Devil) has a office like a modern rendition of a dungeon from the Spanish Inquisition, but with more comfortable furniture. When the film was released on DVD and when it's shown on TV, the massive wall sculpture in his office was modified because it looked too much like Frederick Hart's "Ex Nihilo" in the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C. But watch it in one of the last scenes for some memorable special effects and editing. A scene near the end showing a completely empty six-lane avenue in New York City -- no signs of life or vehicles anywhere -- is stunning.

The soundtrack isn't especially memorable, but much of the dialogue is. Or it should at least be familiar if you've read Milton's Paradise Lost -- yes, the character's namesake -- or many other works you were supposed to have read in high school or college. Here are some of the better lines, courtesy of the IMDB:

John Milton - "A woman's shoulders are the front lines of her mystique, and her neck, if she's alive, has all the mystery of a border town. A no-man's land in that battle between the mind and the body." The look on Charlize Theron's face made me think she's not acting ... that got to her!

John Milton - "Who, in their right mind Kevin, could possibly deny the twentieth century was entirely mine." This would be a terrific thesis to research and write on. Jiminies! I wish I was back in college!

Here's a bit that surely upsets some Christians: John Milton - "Let me give you a little inside information about God. God likes to watch. He's a prankster. Think about it. He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift, and then what does He do, I swear for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition. It's the goof of all time. Look but don't touch. Touch, but don't taste. Taste, don't swallow. Ahaha. And while you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin' His sick, fuckin' ass off. He's a tight-ass. He's a sadist. He's an absentee landlord. Worship that? Never."

And as a Christian I am a bit offended, but when I look at it in the context of the film, I can see it was necessary to have dialogue like this to further establish the character and to drive the plot. Since turning my life over to Christ I also have trouble listening to foul language but if I were to hear the above from a person in real life I would be very upset.

And that's where the distinction needs to be made: This is not real life. Christian Spotlight on the Movies puts this very nicely in it's review: "This movie does not glorify sin but exposes it as the tools of a devious, fallen angel. Unlike most movies, in which sin has no consequence, Devil's Advocate shows the consequences of sin. Despite atrocious content, this movie does represent the Bible-believing Christians view of Satan and sin and how we are deceived by the deceiver."

As the Devil says a few times in the movie, "Vanity is my favorite sin." We as Christians need to put aside the vanity that we have about avoiding entertainments that contain sins so that we can perhaps use them in our work of bringing more people into Heaven. For example, most people I work with are younger than me by as much as 20 or 25 years. And when I'm at school I deal with a much younger population. If I did not stay current with popular culture through entertainments and other means then I would not be aware of the problems the bulk of our population faces and how much they could use God's guidance.

Watch this film for whatever value you can find in it: fine acting with a great script or a tool to help bring people to God. But I do recommend this film. Watch it with an open mind and with God in your heart and you might enjoy it as much as I do.

Why hadn't I thought of this band for a Song of the Day before now? The U.K.'s Serious Kitchen makes some fabulous modern Celtic music.

Right now I'm listening to "In the Kitchen," "Ruaridh's Woolibutt," and "Hennessey's Gathering." While these tracks have all the flavor of the Celtic genre they are very unique. Clearly the artists love their heritage but it's also evident that they have a very cosmopolitan outlook. The music of Serious Kitchen and similar artists make a great soundtrack for when I bomb down back roads locally or hit the by-ways in the less developed parts of New England.

Of course, I've always loved bagpipes. My then-wife and I were at the local Renaissance Fair one day when, with a luscious roast turkey leg in one hand and an ice cold Mountain Dew in the other, I commented: "The only thing that can make the moment better is some bagpipe music." Lo and behold, a man with the traditional dress and a beautiful set of pipes wandered by belting out "Scotland the Brave." I often imagine that Heaven is like that. ABCNews anchor Peter Jennings commented serveral times during former president Ronald Reagan's funeral that "Amazing Grace" is best played on a bagpipe, a sentiment I whole heartedly agree with.

Gotta love my mom. She's laid up sick in the hospital after being close to death and she's still trying to fix me up with someone. I was thinking about that while opening up iTunes to listen to some music and by some coincidence the Heart song "Alone" (from the Bad Animals album) was the first tune I saw. For that coincidence alone (pun intended) let's make it the Song of the Day!

The lyrics are not just about being lonely, but also about being alone with someone. That's something I admit that I miss quite a bit. Not just for getting frisky. I miss the companionship that two people who are intimate share even when they aren't intimate.

But I digress. The song makes an effective use of a piano to set the mood. It's also a nice counterpoint to the vocals. If a man had sung this song the piano wouldn't have been as effective. If I recall correctly that's Ann Wilson on vocals. She has a terrific range as she ably displays in this song. Her sister Nancy is equally accomplished on lead guitar and this makes "Alone" one of my favorite Heart songs and a good one when I'm in the mood for less boisterous music than I usually like.

FYI for Blogger users: I dragged that image above from my desktop to the post window and it stuck. Not sure if the Blogger instructions cover that. Normally I use Hello to post pics. That allows the reader to open the image in a separate window.

According to The Koran: "[9.11] But if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, they are your brethren in faith; and We make the communications clear for a people who know." So the information in my earlier post about this issue is wrong. The Koran doesn't mention the events of 9/11 at all. This verse is about forgiving idolaters if they repent.

That's chain spam for you, I guess.

Sorry, but nothing I heard today really struck me today as being worthy of Song of the Day. Probably because I haven't listened to any music. So in honor of hurricane Ivan, let's name "Concerto for Violin and Strings in G Minor, Op.8, No.2, R.315 "L'estate": 3. Presto (Tempo Impetuoso D'estate)" as the SOD. One version comes from the Claudio Abbado, Gidon Kremer, Leslie Pearson & London Symphony Orchestra album Vivaldi: Le Quattro Stagioni.

This tune is often known as "Summer Storm" because of the season and mood it evokes. I can't decide if I like this one more than the traditional "Spring" tune from the same album or not. But since I'm tired and it's way past my bedtime I'll call it a tie and go to bed.

MGM studios to be bought by Sony: "Hollywood's last major independent studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, says it has agreed in principle to be bought by Japan's Sony Corporation."

Am I the only one to find this disturbing? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but there are some things that just shouldn't change. Independent studios are more able to take risks and are more responsive to change. Being controlled by an electronics company (or any other non-media company) will force the studio to mold itself to specific standards that support the other products created by it's parent company.

This happened when Disney bought the ABC television network. The latter was "Disney-fied" and the cross promotions are almost annoying in their quantity and obtrusive placement. But both companies are media and entertainment oriented so they maintain the dynamic inherent to the business model they share.

Seeing the Blue Man Group (hereafter referred to as BMG) in those IBM computer adverts and other places on TV always made me wonder what they really did for a living. It wasn't until I got iTunes that I found out that they were a musical group. And they are performance artists, too, with a headlining Las Vegas show.

A tune toward the end of the trailer for the upcoming movie After the Sunset was familiar so I guessed it's title and looked it up in my iTunes library and there it was -- "I Feel Love (Blue Man Group Radio Edit)" from the album of the same name. Well, maybe it wasn't. The snippet played wasn't really that clear.

After hearing the track's sample while buying other BMG tunes (see picture above) I put it in the Wish List for a spell. Then it lounged in the Shopping Cart. And then back to the Wish List. And later ... well, you get the idea. What I was trying to do while ruminating the purchase was to find the original song thinking that this was a cover. The lyrics, insanely simple as they are, and the beat were very, very familiar. Finally, I bought the song without finding it's origin and I don't regret it. "Drumbone" is still my favorite (though it could have a longer play time), but "I Need Love" is awesome in it's own right and so it is the Song of the Day!.

Pennsylvania requires those who, regardless of skill level, drive an automobile or who ride in certain seats to wear seat belts but it doesn't require experienced motorcycle riders to wear a helmet.

Just something that struck me as a bit peculiar.

Oops. Maybe I wrote too soon. The post below was the last time I was able to access uncontrolled outside Internet sites from my desk. Must have updated my access rights when I restarted my computer at lunch. Proof that anything that is too good to be true must be not be true. :::sigh:::

Oh! This is cool. The computer I work at on Sundays and Mondays allows access to all kinds of Websites including Blogger (duh! That's obvious!). So if you see an entry "Notes from the Field" it's from my Friday-Saturday desk.

Peace & Prayers!

Another great one from comedian Jay London:

"Food has replaced sex in my life and now I can't get into my own pants."

Songs of the Day

Just got off the phone with some near and dear friends who are more like kin than some that are kin. I asked for favorite songs as they are both deeply into music. Tom picked "Burning Heart" from Bruce Springsteen while Storm "my wife" picked "The Black Flame" by Renaissance.

Let's look at Tom's choice: Maybe he meant the artist was Survivor because I can't find anything from Mr. Springsteen with the title "Burning Heart." Not that I care anything for "The Boss" anyway. Even his cover of Edwin Starr's "War" is bad. How do you mess up that one?

As for Storm's choice: Huh? Never heard of Renaissance or that song. I found the lyrics, though, which tells me someone cares. Actually, there were tons of Google hits. Maybe there are lots of people into some of the worst rhyme I've ever seen. Not that I know poetry or even listen much to lyrics, but I hope this one has a really good tune.

My nomination? "The Tale of Mr. Morton" by Skee-Lo from School House Rock! Rocks. This is a cover of an educational tune first heard on (as the album name implies) ABC-TV's School House Rock! shorts from Saturday mornings. What an awesome song. It's a sweet story about a shy man in love put to an awesome tune by great vocals. And it teaches us that "the predicate is the verb that's the action word that gets the subject up and out." How could it be better?

Notes from the Field

Someone sent a chain spam to me at work today and a few parts of it were kind of interesting. Here's one that I'm going to have to research:

"The following verse is from the Koran, (the Islamic Bible): Koran (9:11) - For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle. The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo, while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced; for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah; and there was peace."

I'll have to find out if that is true or not. Does the Koran have Chapter:Verse divisions? If so and this proves true then this would be as cool as John 6:66 -- maybe cooler!

Hey! That last post was from my phone. Wow! So is this one!!

This is a test message.

Uh, oh! I just read at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) that actor Jim Carrey is starring as Walter Mitty in a remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The original starred Danny Kaye in the lead role and was brilliant. I can only imagine how this one is going to be butchered. No word on who is playing the beautiful Virginia Mayo's role. Probably a nobody so Mr. Carrey isn't shown up.

The movie Jaws is on TV right now. Even if it hadn't been a terrifying and nearly perfect film, it would have been remembered for the awesome score - an Academy Award-winning effort; Best Music, Original Score (1976). So let's make it's theme the Song of the Day!

Sometimes it's hard to tell which was better: Robert Shaw as Quint, the shark hunter, or John Williams's score. Everyone knows it and it's a great conversation starter. The theme is also used to enhance any conversation as it sets the mood whenever anyone starts in with "Daa dum ... Daa dum ... Daa dum ..." though usually to comic effect.

That's the problem with popularity. With popularity comes familiarity and that, as the old saw tells us, breeds contempt. Unless taken in context with the film, the theme doesn't elicit chills any more. Mr. Williams has a number of film scores that this can be said about: Star Wars, Jurassic Park, and E.T., to name a few.

I've heard of a few DVDs that allow the viewer to watch the movie, or at least some parts of it, without the score to judge for themselves how important the music is to the overall project. Most people don't give it a second thought if they even notice when the composer uses hints of a theme to alter the mood, set an expectation, or even fool the viewer. Mr. Williams is a master at this. Combine this talent with a haunting melody as in Jaws, and an instant classic is born.

Whew! Gone for nearly a week and the chores pile up. Gotta take the trash out already, started doin' laundry, and now I have to nominate five Songs of the Day!

• Sunday - "Not Fragile" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive from Not Fragile - A bass-poundin' original that is seriously overlooked in the realm of Rock. The next best bass rhythm comes from ZZ Top's "La Grange" classic. Well, that might be overplaying it a bit, but not by much.
  
• Monday - "Blue Collar" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive from Takin' Care of Business - Serious blues riffs from a Canadian band. Whooda thunk? This song aptly predicts the fall of the American steel industry while depicting life in a manufacturing town. It could only be better by stretching it out another 5 or so minutes. I wish I could shoot a video for this as it's so rich in imagery.
• Tuesday- "Hey Baby (Land Of The New Rising Sun)" by M.A.C.C. from Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix - Sorry, Jimi, but this rendition is better than yours. It's beauty brings joy to my heart and a tear to my eye. Sounds like the result of a love song? Then this must be a song that illustrates a love of Rock and technically perfect guitar playing.
• Wednesday - "Manic Depression" by Seal & Jeff Beck from Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix - Man, oh, man, if this is a result of the disease, sign me up and hide the lithium! "Music sweet music," indeed! Every cover I've heard is as good as the original because everyone has their own "demons" to burn, but this is the best.
• Thursday - "Feelin' Alright" by Traffic from Feelin' Alright: The Very Best of Traffic - Another psych song. Maybe I should know something I don't. What I do know is that it's hard to beat some of the pioneers of Rock to change a mood.

These were among the few tunes that made my recent ride north to Maine and back a teensy bit fun. Normally I enjoy taking that 8 hour drive while blasting music from the stereo. This last trip wasn't as much fun. There are many reasons that could account for this including but not limited to my mother's declining health, my being very tired, and prior to leaving I might have overdosed on the other music I brought for the CD player. Perhaps it was being so danged used to having the ol' iPod Mini to choose music from to suit my mood. I had intended to get an FM transmitter for the toy before another trip, but this was a last minute thing. In any case the only time I enjoyed listening to music this trip was with these songs.

Normally I put in a BTO-only disc when making the arduous leg from the north side of Scranton to the break in traffic toward Hazleton. This time I had in a great Christian mix; not really conducive to maniacal high-speed highway driving. Usually the "CAUTION: Aggressive Driver Area" signs refer to me. Today they meant the grey Subaru Outback that I had to dog instead. Cripes. A family car. My mom used to own one until she traded for something even less cool.

The rest of the drive usually features a mix heavy on Blues and R&B, but even these favorites didn't make the ride better. Well, Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" did put a grin on my face, but not for long. Maybe I should have dug out the Hooker 'n' Heat from Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker. Nah ... that wouldn't have helped. Maybe next trip. And I pray the reasons for the trip will be less serious.

"Day by Day" by dc Talk on Jesus Freak

Here's proof that the musical Godspell is timeless: Today's Song of the Day, "Day by Day" by dc Talk (and that's a lot of alliteration) updates the showtune's lyrics with the Alternative spin of modern music and does so beautifully. Here's the chorus from both songs:

Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day

Though I usually don't care for poetry or listen to lyrics I can't help but love these for content and brilliance. The original Stephen Schwartz chorus is blended by dc Talk into a body covering contemporary needs for prayer to complete the update. It's nice being in my 40s so I know the older music and can appreciate it, but songs like this make me wish I was younger and in better shape to get dancin' again. Praise the Lord I'm young at heart.

By the way, enlarge the picture above by clicking on it and look for song 96, "La Mujer De Terah." That's a track by Continuo and one Website I found mentions it is about the birth of Abraham while another translates the title to English as "The woman of Terah." But know two things for sure: I don't understand Hebrew (good thing I usually don't listen to lyrics) and I really love this song. Like the current SOD, it's available on iTunes.

Ray Charles with B.B. King - "Sinner's Prayer"

The idea of mixing the Blues and Christian music astonished me when I first heard Joe Nolan's "Get Behind Me Satan" (see my post) but I keep running across this seemingly antithetical mixture. Today's Song of the Day is probably it's pinnacle. "Sinner's Prayer" is a duet from Ray Charles's last album, Genius Loves Company, and features the R&B legend and Blues master B.B. King singing about a central theme in Christianity, sin. This tune does everything a great Blues piece should: it opens an emotional vein to bleed away the sorrow then revitalizes and cleanses through music. While both artists put their passions into this release I would dearly love to hear the session tracks. Sometimes it is tough to listen to a Blues song cold. Some sort of build-up is usually necessary to get into the groove. Hearing the unused tracks and the banter between the men as they got themselves into the mood through the various takes would likely be an unparalled experience. Alone, though, it's a vital part of my collection.

Heyyyy, Luuu-cy! 'Splain to me somethin' like why...

... most radio stations I try to play through the Windows Media Player, even new Version 10 (still in Beta) launch separate windows so I don't really need WMP?

... the ZoneAlarm firewall insists on launching when Windows does even though I've removed it from all the Start groups?

... I'm so addicted to Spider Solitare?

... fear rises in me when I think about discussing my mother's faith with her?

Notes from the Field

Free will is not a gift from God, but rather it is a commodity that is purchased with another commodity, responsibility. Only those that are mature enough to responsibly exercise free will are truly free. Those that aren't mature enough are led down an evil path giving up their free will in the process.

That's called sin.

Sin begets more sin and puts one well and truly down the path of no return.

Maybe.

There is hope and God's love. I pray that those responsible for the deaths of children and other innocents in the recent Russian hostage crisis will be able to reverse their steps along the path they believed to be paved with good intentions. And I pray that those left behind have comfort physically, emotionally, and spiritually. An additional prayer is that this experience helps us all mature in our free will that we can be responsible and loving grown-up children of God.

From My Blog on July 31 2004: "Wondering who The Carl LaFong Trio is?"

There didn't seem to be an answer until now. Looks like Mr. LaFong, the leader of the trio that made the Song of the Day in that post, is also a director or producer of See You Next Wednesday, a ficticious movie advertised on a billboard almost an hour and a half into The Blues Brothers.

Well, I think everyone figured that the band's name was a gag or something on the soundtrack album for The Blues Brothers. It's actually really funny now that I saw that billboard. Nothing like a good inside joke.

Oh! And that's not Angelina Jolie below.
It's a new kind of sexy spyware.

From the How Stupid Do They Think We Are? Department:


Here's a spam that will fool you!

But seriously, do they really believe that someone would think "Hey! Famed ecologist Rachel Carson, despite being dead some 40 years, is writing to me about specials on tobacco!" C'mon! They couldn't even spell her name right! And talk about dishonest - They intentionally wrote the subject line to break through spam filters. And they want me to trust them?!?

This is typical of the spam that arrives directly in my Comcast e-mail account every day. They don't seem to filter incoming mail despite claiming they do. Oddly, 10 minutes after establishing that account I got some spam and none of my friends knew my address yet. The spam that goes to my Yahoo! e-mail account is much more clever and that ISP is also more clever as it diverts the crap to a holding cell for my inspection. For some reason, spam never shows up in my marvelous Gmail account. Thanks, Google!

Song of the Day!


"God of Wonders"

Caedmon's Call is just one of many artists that have recorded "God of Wonders" of late. On iTunes alone there are 18 renditions from 12 different artists. All of them are great because of the message -- but that should go without saying -- and because it has a wonderful melody. Versions by the other artists are different enough that I'd like to collect more, but with limited space on the old hard drives and other tunes beckoning for me they will need to wait.

Hmmm ... the new Microsoft Windows XP firewall just blocked Apple iTunes. Interesting.

So far, the Service Pack 2 has made Outlook Express run funny, too. And it doesn't recognize that I have a current anti-virus program (Norton). It also made me reinitiate the Windows Media Player. It hasn't affected my Firefox Web browser yet, but it does seem to have improved my wireless home network connection.

Nonetheless, I can hardly wait until I have the money to buy an Apple machine. The new iMac G5 looks hot. The only thing it lacks is DVR, the only reason I'd even consider another Windows machine.

Just got a call from the local paper. A recent rant I posted was also sent to them as a letter to the editor. They were calling to confirm I sent it and that it wasn't a crank piece. Too bad I might not see it as it looks like I might be going away for a week. Maybe it will run Sunday.

Song of the Day!

Stark Effect wins for their cover of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" -- with a twist. No one sings the lyrics. Each word is lifted from an electronic dictionary's recorded pronunciation section. It's called Dictionaraoke. Songs from this genre (for lack of a better word) edit recordings from a variety of sources into a music track to create an amusing and often rather good cover of a song you may already have. I heard about this novelty song type when listening to a story on NPR. You can get a free copy of "Boom Boom" at Dictionaraoke.org on the Web.

Other great titles include:

• Aqua's "Barbie Girl"
• Creed's "My Sacrifice"
• Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"
• Thomas Dolby's "Blinded Me With Science"
• and many others

Two great tunes that aren't covers but that I listen to a lot are "Green Eggs and Ham" (also rendered by Stark Effect) and "The Answer" by TINC Project (or possibly by the GE Silicone Players). As to the former, I actually dislike Dr. Seuss, but I love this song. The latter could easily be a legitimate advertising piece and is a joy hear pouring out of even my laptop's tiny (and tinny) speakers.

There are days I put the more in moron. No, don't pretend it works, but it does make sense. In a moronic kind of way.

More Cowards

Attackers storm Russian school: "Armed men and women seize a secondary school in southern Russia, taking up to 200 pupils hostage ... Fifteen children have reportedly been released by an armed gang who seized a school in southern Russia, leaving at least two people dead."

Now it seems that unarmed children that are a threat.

:::sigh:::

From the Looks Like The Terroists Are Winning This One Department: Curfew imposed after Nepal riots: "Angry mobs in Kathmandu attacked a mosque, government buildings and the offices of two Middle East airlines" protesting events in Iraq.

The savages who recently slaughtered 12 innocent men from Nepal have managed to bring a peaceful people down to their level.