Best KO ever

Kostya Tszyu, the Thunder from Down Under, shows how it's done in the best knockout ever:

FYI for those unfamiliar with boxing: if you get up and fall back down, fight's over.

The sound of Charlottesville

I just got my copy of the new Nashville mix of "A Far Cry From Freedom" by the Sons of Bill. This is probably Charlottesville's biggest local band at the moment, fronted by my high school friend James Wilson, with his brothers Abe and Sam (all three sons of Bill Wilson, hence the name) on piano/organ/banjo and guitar, respectively. I took the few guitar lessons I ever went to from Sam, he's a very talented guitarist. It's rounded out by my high school classmate Seth Green on bass and Todd Wellons on the drums.

This is really great southern rock. I know I don't have more than a few readers, so I'm not really promoting these guys, but I really can't say enough good things about them. The songwriting is superb; there aren't just one or two good songs, they're all good - musically and lyrically. I won't lie, part of me is envious that they've been able to do so successfully what I've only been able to daydream of; I wish I had half James's songwriting talent, Sam's guitar ability, or any of the brothers' vocal talents. They're really that good, as much so live as in the studio.

If you want to listen, ask me or check out the clips at sonsofbill.com. If you like it, you can support a really good group of guys by buying the album at CDBaby.

Song of the day is a toss-up between "Back to the Time", "Too Far Gone" or "Makin' it Through the Night"... the more upbeat rockers may be the crowd favorites, but the more subdued and lonely ones are right up there with me.

Step 1: Shut the hell up

This (not) just in: "Dick in a Box" has been played out. I thought it was funny when it first aired (which is worth mentioning, considering SNL is usually about as funny as hearing you have polio - it doesn't make you laugh so much as incredulously say "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?"). I'm not a Justin Timberlake fan, but I'm glad he doesn't mind a good joke. But as in so many situations, America latched on and now the proverbial dead horse has been beaten so much it's pretty unrecognizable. I can no longer laugh at this, just as I can no longer laugh at Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which seems to be the world's most over- (and often mis-) quoted film. Like many a Family Guy joke, it's been re-hashed for me so many times, through so many media, by so many people both known and unknown, that it has lost all humor for me.

Which ties into my Educational Psychology professor playing clips of Arrested Development. Leave it alone, Scott; don't kill something great for me. See Ryan's post for more on this stupid class, including a link to its totally hip and cool Myspace page!!!1!11 lol

Another thing that bothers me at the moment: the song "Lips of an Angel" by the band Hinder. I don't mind the song, it's catchy enough for me. I mind the lyrics. You have to whisper so your girlfriend won't hear you telling your ex how you wish you were still with her? Oh gee, you poor tortured soul. I hope your girlfriend leaves you on the street where you can beg for coins when your fifteen minutes of fame are over. Yet as evidenced by the comments on the YouTube videos, there are a lot of girls (and guys) out there who think this is actually a romantic song. The ironic thing is that because it's got such a ballad feel to it, this will no doubt be flooding dance floors. Sigh. It's the same problem I had with that annoying Rihanna song that was all over the radio a while back, about how hard it was for her to cheat on her boyfriend. Yeah, I have tons of pity for you, you jerks.

Oh yeah, and in typical pop-airwave fashion, Hinder actually sucks (warning: your ears may hate you if you click this link, and your eyes may hate you if you read some of the "oh this song is so deep, it, like, totally speaks to me on so many levels" comments). Oh for the days when you had to have talent to cut an album with a major label.

Song of the night is the Gin Blossoms' pop-rock gem "Found Out About You". I love this one. Songs about lost love are great. Usually they're the best ones. Songs about cheating on your partner are not.

WC out.

Scott the bagger

I went grocery shopping today and thought about Scott the bagger. I never found out his last name, but for several years he bagged my groceries at Kroger. Scott was one of those reassuring constants that I so often take for granted. He had a severe stutter and I got the feeling he'd been dealt a tough hand by life, but he was always cheerful and fun to talk to if you were patient enough. I think he bothered some of the cashiers, the typical "I don't give a damn, just get out of my line" type. Some of the customers probably felt the same way. But Scott brightened my day every single time I went into Kroger. I never would go to any line but his. This was a guy who, I'm sure, had a hard time in life, especially in relations with other people - it's a cruel world - but he put all his effort into a job most people take because they can't get another. He put similar things together and made sure nothing was crushed or bruised. He put heavy things in two bags so the bottom wouldn't drop out. He took pride in doing the best job that could be done. And he talked to me. Over the course of those years I found out we share a liking of the Peanuts comic strip. When I left he would always wish me a nice day in a genuinely happy voice. One week he wasn't there, and I haven't seen him since. I hope his hours changed and just no longer overlapped with my weekly grocery day and time, or that he got a better job where more people will appreciate him and what he does. But I miss him. It was a small thing, a few minutes out of each week, but it's funny how the smallest things can make the biggest difference sometimes.

Song of the night is "Waiting for the Light to Change" by Tonic. That's just what I'm doing.

Spit in the rain

Truer words were never spoken, little buddy.

Song of the night is Del Amitri's "Spit in the Rain".

Comedy!

Well I didn't get anything done besides what I absolutely had to get done tonight, but on the bright side I discovered the following websites:

Overheard in New York
Overheard at the Beach
Overheard in the Office

Hooray for new comical quotes sites! A nice classically-themed one for the evening, which, as my brother so rightly said, puts in mind the image of Calvin for some reason.

In that vein, I decided to add some of my favorite links over on the right side there. If you want some good comedy, click them. Bash.org is the best quote page on the net - funnier for the technophile, but I think anyone can appreciate it. Be sure to view the top 100 for some of the best! Superdickery will have the comic book fans laughing for days; it's a collection of (usually old) covers or out-of-context panels that are hilarious to the modern reader, started to back the statement: "Superman is a dick." Worth1000 is a site for photoshop contests, some of the work on there is pretty incredible, and always funny. I'll share some of the favorites that got me hooked, from a contest to combine famous artwork with an ad:





Song of... later that night, I guess... is Alabama 3's "Woke Up This Morning", aka the theme to The Sopranos. It's so good, I can't see the HBO logo without expecting to hear it, even when I know I'm watching something else.

Woke up this mornin', got yourself a gun...