Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Emiliana Torrini - Concert Planet Claire - 13 Janvier 2005

5 songs, live in studio at a French radio station, from Italian/Icelandic songstress Emiliana Torrini.

If you're more visually-oriented, Ms. Torrini has videos for "Sunny Road" (.wmv) and "Heartstopper" (this one is especially wonderful).

Friday, May 27, 2005

Kate York : Paste Records

MP3 FRIDAY! Two songs from Kate York, at Paste Records. Good stuff for a summer evening.

Monday, May 23, 2005

Maui Wowee


Your pal MRJEFF has just returned from a much-needed vacation on Maui. (His sister had decided that that was where she was going to have her wedding.) Here we see the just-married bride, enjoying a well-earned beverage. Yum!

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Blogging about blogging

Christopher Guest* blogs about capo gardening, at THE HUFFINGTON POST.

* That's Lord Haden-Guest to you, peon!

Airship Ahoy!


The Goodyear Blimp passes over Casa de Señor Jeff.

Goodyear currently has three blimps in operation. (They have erected nearly 350. More history here.) The West Coast blimp is the Spirit of America, based out of an airfield in Carson, near the intersection of I-405 and I-110. You can tell when the blimp is flying over your area by the sound of the propellers, and by the barking dogs. (The dogs in MRJEFF's neighborhood really don't like the blimp.)

Friday, May 06, 2005

Lawsuit mp3s!

Here's how the internet is a beautiful thing:

This morning I read an Ask Metafilter thread about a snoring neighbor. Somebody (perhaps jokingly) suggests, among other courses of action, filing a noise complaint. This reminds me about the old news story from my hometown of Davis, about a woman who was cited for snoring too loud. While looking up the particulars, I come across the Noise Violation page of the Davis Wiki. One of the people commenting on this page is Bev Sykes, mother of several of the members of the band Lawsuit, which was the best local band of the late eighties - early nineties. The band broke up in 1996, and lead singer Paul Sykes died in 1999, but -- miracle of miracles! -- they've put their albums online. (I've had Kind of Brown, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip and the Lawsuit EP ever since they came out, but I'd thought that I would never hear any of the old pre-CD music again.)

And so that's how I rediscovered "Into the Night," "The Disco Song" and "Days of Our Lives" and had a happy Friday.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Sad, But True

Rilo Kiley's "Portions For Foxes": Great song, crappy video.

Saturday, April 30, 2005

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Happy Cherry Blossom Festival!


MRJEFF and his Sküllton friends Coco and Cheri wish you the happiest of Cherry Blossom Festivals! (Make sure to say hi to Mayor Tortimer, of course!)

Thursday, March 31, 2005

Monday, March 28, 2005


Southern California beaches have the nicest sand!

Friday, March 25, 2005

That Is Not Appropriate, MRJEFF.

Save Terri

(Apologies to the Schiavo family and the Schindler family of Florida, and the Bueller family of Illinois)

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Popstrology: What's Your Sign?

1970 - The Year of the Jackson 5
Sep 13-Oct 3 - Diana Ross "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

"The popstrological end of the Beatles, the Supremes, and Simon and Garfunkel signaled the end of an era in 1970, but the sudden and powerful impact of the Jackson 5 provided an optimistic, sugar-funk injection to a year ripe with potential causes of mopery (viz. the aforementioned breakups; Kent State; the deaths of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix). Still, the biggest stars rarely burn out without first casting off some of their energy into the pop universe. Indeed, in 1970 we see the first solo appearances of former Supreme Diana Ross and former Beatle George Harrison, heralding the birth of a brand-new popstrological grouping: the constellation Spin-Off, an entity known to inspire the kind of ambivalence that comes with realizing that while life may always go on, we sometimes know that the best is already behind us. Like the Jackson 5 themselves, the micro-generation born in this pivotal year may exhibit enormous gifts at a tender age. But the bright lights of youthful success can unmooor even the greatest of talents, so take heed, children of 1970, and never forget that for every Michael, there is also a Jermaine. Not to mention a Tito. "

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

3.4

Earthquake! The unbridled fury of an angry Earth, unleashed upon an unsuspecting public!

Monday, March 21, 2005

Charles + Maribel


Ah, l'amour. Your pal MRJEFF attended a co-worker's wedding on Saturday. The groom's family was conservative Orange County-types; the bride's family, working class Mexican immigrants. The happy couple are twenty-something punks who met at a concert.

I America.

How To Lie With A Bar Graph


Look! The Democrats are NINE TIMES as likely to want to remove the feeding tube as are Republicans and Independants! The picture proves it!

(inspired by the wonderful How To Lie With Statistics)

Update 3/22/05 12:15pm: I also posted this on del.icio.us, and now it's been noticed at Media Matters; Atrios and Josh Marshall have linked to the Media Matters post. (It's clear from those sites' comments that many people noticed this on their own.)

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UPDATE UPDATE!!! Media Matters says that "CNN has updated its graphic after the posting of this item." Of course, Gentle Reader, you know the real reason, but we'll let Mr. Brock believe what he wants.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Tales from Highway 99

"I can tell Modesto from Merced, but I have visited there, gone to dances there; besides, there is over the main street of Modesto and arched sign which reads:

WATER WEALTH CONTENTMENT HEALTH

There is no such sign in Merced."

- Joan Didion, "Notes From a Native Daughter"


The Modesto Arch

Thursday, March 10, 2005