My Luck Could Change

Birth Tree?!

According to the Birthday Calculator, my birth tree is the Ash, "The Ambition."  And since it's so flattering I'm sharing:

Ash Tree, the Ambition Uncommonly attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with its fate, can be egoistic, very reliable and trustworthy, faithful and prudent lover, sometimes brains rule over heart, but takes partnership very serious.

Cheap Ass MP3s and Hometown Musik!

Thanks be to Frank, the rockin' exchange rate, and the fall of communism.  For without a mysterious synergy of all three I never would have discovered this site which, once you click in the right-hand corner to switch it off Russian, lets you legally download full albums for, sometimes, under a dollar.  I just got the old Shins album for 95 centavos.  Очень хорошо !!

And for free tonight, Subpop shared new Low tracks with me, a band I grew up in the same dinky city with but never got to touch.  I don't think they played all-ages shows and if they did, I was completely oblivious and now I'm pissed.  Something came out of Duluth that was worthwhile?  That real magazines are talking about?  Something's that's getting TV coverage that doesn't involve a cat getting frozen to a sidewalk (etc) and being cryogenically reactivated?  Now, after opening for Radiohead, etc etc, they've signed with Subpop.  And I'm still a nobody and, even though I'll be in Duluth this weekend, I won't get to see them play.  They're gigging Europe.  And I'll be hanging with gramma.

This may be my last post before I venture to the tundra and back, so I hope the 10-cent downloads and frozen cat stories keep you warm these cold(ish) winter nights until I return.

My Tax Dollars Hard at Work

Mexico yesterday was great fun, and I was planning on blogging all about it and sharing my photos, but I'm wrapped up spying on my neighbors instead.  Tomorrow?

Tomorrow afternoon Oscar comes!  You'll for sure be getting more pictures tomorow night if I ever get him to settle down, but for now, here's a crap camera phone shot of me while I was still sober in Puerto Nuevo, before the GLASS of Patron, before all my drinks involved fire somehow:

Devil Inside

I now have Death Ray Kitten for all my interesting links, but this is not to be missed:

The 39 inhabitants of the town halfway between Palermo and Messina were evacuated after the regional government declared a state of emergency in Canneto, which occupies a single street nestled between a railway line and the sea. An endless flow of scientists, engineers, police and even a few self-styled "ghostbusters" have descended on the town searching for clues to the recent spontaneous combustion of everything from fuse boxes to microwave ovens to a car.

Any ideas?

I waste too much time on the internet.

Black Table has some really good stuff this week. Check out one of their reviews:

MOTION-ACTIVATED PAPER TOWEL DISPENSERS: Had I known that the once-simple act of applying ass-to-toilet would set in motion a wave of technology unrivaled by the U.S. space program, I would have long ago put up an outhouse, carved a crescent moon in the door and been done with it. While I can appreciate the "convenience" of touchless faucets and self-flushing toilets (even if they always flush at the wrong time, putting me in the awkward position of wanting to argue WITH A TOILET), the motion-activated paper towel dispenser has taken things a bit too far. I would rather deal with a few pathogens than look like a complete asshole, waving an enthusiastic "HELLO!" at an inanimate object and hoping to be rewarded with a piece of paper towel. D

As if those f'n things didn't make you feel dumb enough already, are you smarter than a 12 year old? I got a C.

According to GQ, the one hundred funniest jokes of all time:

#38: I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land. (Jon Stewart)

Check out my Morality! 81% liberal, 19% conservative

I'm a O90-C21-E91-A57-N11 Big Five!!

It's Not Easy Being Green

Ok. I lied. There shall be no amazing blog post today. I am simply too hungover from last nights shenanigans to make any decent attempt at coherence and intelligence tonight. I just gracefully failed my history exam (it's cool, Dad, I still have the A in the bag), so now that I'm home with nothing to stress over for the first time in days, it's lights out by 11. Tomorrow, kids, I promise. Til then, check this crazy shit out.

Listening to:

Von Bondies - Going Down
Soul Coughing - Disseminated

This is Why I Want a Vespa

This site lists all the gas prices in San Diego, iffin you was wonderin what the cheapest station in the neighborhood is. Usually I don't care, but after paying $2.40-something for gas the other day, it got me curious.

In case you're not in the San Diego area, you can check Gas Buddy (gas is a buck fifty in Minneapolis?! Although I'd rather pay the extra buck to be driving here, instead.)

Or maybe you'd prefer some stupid (and offensive!) videos instead ;)

Rock Paper Scissors Spock Lizard

Well, I know how I'm spending my weekend now!

The Best Page In the Universe

here