Author: duane

is it just me?, venting

how stupid are you?

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I get a lot of spam email, and I never understand why these idiots think that their schemes will work. Take this email I got this morning for instance:

Subject: Postal Tracking #HMPSH71337KU7MH
From: “United Parcel Service of America”
Date: Tue, April 14, 2009 9:25 am

Hello!

We were not able to deliver postal package you sent on the 14th of March in time
because the recipient?s address is not correct.
.
Please print out the invoice copy attached and collect the package at our office.

Your United Parcel Service of America

It had an included zip file, which I am sure was full of spyware or a virus or something. How stupid are these people that they think I would fall for this shit? I mean, I’m no rocket scientist, but I am pretty sure that if UPS wanted to get in touch with me, they wouldn’t use a hotmail email. I’m just saying.

Nice try though, asshole.

civil rights, five song friday, listen up!, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: april 10

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So the first order of business is to say something, anything about how amazing Lady GaGa was last night at Center Stage. After seeing her in an intimate setting at Bazaar, I was excited to see a full set, and ladies and gentlemen, she did not disappoint. She was amazing. I took a lot of pictures, and hopefully, some of them came out okay; I have NEVER seen Center Stage that crowded before. Since it was so great, I want to post more on the concert later, so stay tuned. Now, let’s get to the five glorious songs for this fine Friday, shall we?

Marmaduke Duke – Rubber Lover
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_marmadukeduke-rubberlover.mp3]
This is probably going to be the shortest song in the history (or future) of the Five Song Friday. This energetic track clocks in at just under 2 minutes, but the entire two minutes are a fun filled, dancey romp that is too great to ignore. You probably hear the sampling of Billy Joel’s Sleeping With The Television On, that makes the song somewhat familiar, and perhaps, even more lovable. They have been playing this song like CRAZY on BBC Radio One, and I have to admit that I crank the radio up and dance every time I hear it. This song is MASSIVE, which is funny because it is less than two minutes long! I can’t wait to see what else Marmaduke Duke has in store on their upcoming release, Duke Pandemonium.

V Factory – Love Struck
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_vfactory-lovestruck.mp3]
When I first heard this song, one question filled my brain, “could this possibly signal a triumphant return of the boy band?”. Well, of course, only time can tell, but V Factory have an undeniable resemblance to another boy band, 5ive, who were pretty massive in the UK in their hay day. Also interesting to me, is that V Factory shares not only a sound similarity to 5ive, but also that the V most likely stands for 5, and as such, the two are even further, and more inexplicably linked. I am curious to see what V Factory will follow this fantastic pop track up with, because if it anything like this, then we may have an answer to the aforementioned proposed question: hells yes!

Tina Parol – Who’s Got Your Money
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_tinaparol-whosgotyourmoney.mp3]
Remember the amazing Blu Cantrell and her ‘it’s over’ anthem, Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)? Well, I do, and this song instantly reminded me of that fabulous hip hop track; but not because they sound similar in any way. Tina Parol uses the same subject matter of Blu’s break-up track, but instead of a tell off fit for a hip-hop diva, Tina steers more towards the pop-rock/Avril Lavigne-angsty rock in her delivery. In doing so, she has made another ‘you screw me over, I’ll take your money’ kiss off track that is radio-ready music to my ears. There’s something about an angry girl, exacting revenge on a bad boyfriend by hitting him in the wallet, that makes a great subject for an empowering ‘it’s over’ song; whether it be a hip hop anthem with a blasting beat, or in this case, an angsty, and energetic rock-pop track.

Paula DeAnda – Roll The Credits
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_pauladeanda-rollthecredits.mp3]
Initially, this song really didn’t hit me as hard as it probably should have, because the beginning is a little weak. However, at about one minute in when the violins take you to the first crescendo, it really soars. Paula’s sweet vocals remind me a lot of fellow female artists like JoJo and Christina Milian, and with this song, Paula really shows that she belongs on the charts right there along with her pop peers. This is one of those songs that gets better with each listen, and I am really glad that I gave Paula another chance; she’s got a great little pop ballad on her hands with this one.

Bat For Lashes – Moon and Moon
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_410_batforlashes-moonandmoon.mp3]
Finally today, I wanted to bring you something a little bit more subdued than the other tracks featured today. I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes’ most recent release Two Suns (which was released on Tuesday) all week, and this is my favorite track from the CD. The ethereal nature of her voice and the beauty of the arrangement of this track really brings up memories of my favorite Feist songs, and as such, really makes me glad that I gave Bat For Lashes a listen. The rest of the album is quite diverse, at times going from what sounds to me like old Fleetwood Mac, and other times, going all of the way to the other side of the spectrum, invoking a bit of Bjork for some unexpected electronica (or folktronica, as I believe it is called). Overall, the entire album is a great listening experience. This is one of those “hey, you’ve heard of her right? Isn’t she amazing!?!” artists, and I am extremely glad to spread the word about how much I have been enjoying Bat For Lashes. NOTE: Yes, I have seen lots of reference to Kate Bush with regards to similarities; however, believe it or not, I have never listened to Kate Bush. I will try to remedy that, but I make no guarantees; I just wanted to acknowledge that I have heard their are similarities between the two.

So there’s your Friday five, folks! I hope you enjoyed these songs as much I have been enjoying them all week. As always, let me know what you are listening to, and as always, let me know what you think of my picks as well. Have a great weekend, and remember to check back for word about the Lady GaGa show I went to last night.

civil rights, movie musings, that is so gay

milk

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We finally watched Milk the other night, and I really have to say wow, what a great movie. The fact that someone could have the drive and determination to always stand up to those that tried to push him down is incredibly inspiring. Harvey Milk was an amazing man, because he refused to just roll over and take it; he refused to give up. It’s a tragedy that he isn’t here today.

I also thought that the timing of this film was amazingly poignant and extremely relevant, with Harvey and his fellow Californians fighting Prop 6, and with current Californians fighting Prop 8. It just goes to show that things change, but in some ways, they stay the same; the fight isn’t over, and as of right now, it seems there will always be those out there that want to take our rights away from us. Thank God for the Harvey Milk’s of this world that are willing to fight for what is right.

Just as a final thought, I will NEVER understand what gives people the inclination that their opinion about someone’s life means anything to anyone other than themselves. If you think that homosexuality is a sin, I couldn’t care less; it is your opinion, not mine, so please keep it to yourself. Only when people stop trying to use their warped sense of morality and keep pushing their radical system of values (of which most of them do not even abide by), will we all truly be free, and is that really such a bad thing to hope for? I’m pretty sure that Harvey didn’t think so, and neither do I.

five song friday, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: april 3

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I have been hella busy today, but it is finally time for the Friday five that I know all of you have been waiting patiently for! So without any further adieu, here they are:

Angel Taylor – Not Even Human
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_43_angeltaylor-notevenhuman.mp3]
First up today is the amazing Angel Taylor, who I posted about a while back, when I fell deep in love with her amazing first single, Chai Tea Latte, and just had to share it with you. Well, I noticed that Angel’s debut quietly album came out on Tuesday, when I saw that iTunes was featuring a song of hers for free this week. With that, I knew I had to check it out. Well, I can definitely report that I am loving some Angel Taylor right now. She undeniably reminds me of one of my all time favorite singer-songwriters, the indelible Ms. Sara Bareilles. In fact, this beautiful song is so similar in sound to Sara’s amazing song City, that I believe it would be a crime not to mention it. Despite the striking similarities, Angel’s voice is pretty different, and good on it’s own, and her style is a bit different (save this song) from Sara’s. This is one of my favorite tracks off of her debut, and I am glad that I took a chance on her and downloaded Chai Tea Latte not so long ago; because in doing so, I have found myself another great singer songwriter to listen to!

Bon Iver – Blood Bank
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_43_boniver-bloodbank.mp3]
Now, I have heard of Bon Iver before, and I have seen the insane amount of hype surrounding this fella. I didn’t get it. I didn’t see it. However, I was watching Monday’s episode of Chuck, and this amazingly beautiful song was playing in the background as Sara took Chuck to find his father. This was that song. At first, I thought it was a really depressed Coldplay song, because Bon Iver sounds EXACTLY like Chris Martin with a dash of Mat Kearney, but I came to find out that it was actually Bon Iver, thanks to the amazing power of the internets. Thank GOD for websites that post this type of information, because I love this song, and I had to have it immediately. It is beautiful! I can definitely say that I have a greater understanding of some of that hype for Bon Iver now. I guess I can thank the producers/music coordinators (?) of Chuck for including it!

M. Ward – For Beginners
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_43_mward-forbeginners.mp3]
Today has turned out to be rather folky, hasn’t it?! Oh well, let’s continue down that road, because after all, I really do love the softer side of music. This song struck me instantly with it’s sweet country-alternative sound, smoky vocals, and toe tapping rhythm. I really liked what M. Ward did with Zooey DeSchanel in the group She & Him, and he doesn’t disappoint on his own either. This is a really beautiful song, and really sparked my interest in his recently released solo album, Hold Time. I love how distorted and weathered his voice sounds, and I especially enjoy the simplicity of the arrangement of the song.

Kelly Clarkson – I Do Not Hook Up
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_43_kellyclarkson-idonothookup.mp3]
When Kelly finally released a very commercially viable single after years of trying to escape the depressed state that My December painted her into, I was all for it. I have been a big fan of Kelly’s from the beginning, and I knew that if anyone had it in them to burst back onto the pop scene, unscathed, it was her. Well, her recent release may have a few duds (3 in fact) that I would have preferred that she just left on the cutting room floor, the rest of the tracks are definitely strong, and all highlight the Kelly I fell in love with back with Breakaway. This track takes the energy of My Life Would Suck Without You, and revs the engine and slams down the pedal, sending you on a fast spin around the track. I absolutely love her vocals on this track, and can’t get the chorus out of my head, no matter how hard I try. Welcome back Kelly! (Note: I know that this song was written, at least in part, by Katy Perry, and while I can’t stand her, this song is just too pop perfect to ignore because of the stuff that she has done; plus, she didn’t sing it!).

Ciara – Love Sex Magic
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_43_ciara-lovesexmagic.mp3]
For me, Ciara really will never do better than One, Two Step. It isn’t her fault, because that track is literally hip hop-pop perfection. It is a song that, no matter how many times I hear it, it always gets me dancing. However, that love didn’t translate into following much else that she has done, but when I saw that she was coming out with a new CD, I will admit that I was curious to see if there was to be another One, Two Step-like track amongst the bunch. Well, this song, which is a duet with Justin Timberlake (and which is something that usually turns me off instantly), is definitely a dance floor filler, and while it may not have the staying power of One, Two Step, I am definitely enjoying it more and more with each listen. I will say, that after seeing the video, I want to know who in the hell choreographed it, and especially who the wardrobe person was. They should be fired on the spot! She wallows on the floor most of the time, all while clad in a very unflattering animal print unitard. It was not the video I would have expected for this song, and I really don’t think that it does anything flattering for either Ciara or the song. Oh well, I guess you can’t win ’em all.

Well, I hope everyone has a fantastical weekend; I will be inside, to prevent rubbing my nose off in a tissue. Let me know what you thought about this week’s 5, and as always, tell me what YOU are listening to!

happenings, home improvement, shiny stuff

bathroom remodel take 2: the 3 years later edition

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It’s been a little over 3 and a half years since we took our first stab at remodeling our basic and bland main bathroom. In that project (some pictures), we took out the ugly tiles and put in beautiful natural slate tiles, and added a new vanity and mirror. This project went well, but was labor intensive. However, it was never meant to be the end; we always wanted to redo the shower, and put in a custom tiled shower with glass doors.

Well, the time has come to finish our spa bathroom. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this project. I HATE the pre-fab shower stalls that we have in both of our bathrooms, and I have wanted a walk in shower with the luxury of glass tiles and an upgraded shower nozzle. I also can’t wait to have glass doors; that will undoubtedly only make our bathing experience that much better.

So the construction will kick back into high gear over the next couple of weeks (I’m hoping it won’t take weeks, though); as God as my witness, we will finish this bathroom!! Here are stock photos of the tile we are planning to use:
For the walls, we want to use this beautiful aqua glass tile:

and for the floor, we want to use this gorgeous pebble tile; which according to the design shows, is all the rage:

Needless to say, there will be stories about the process as we begin demolition later this week, and definitely expect lots of pictures. I am VERY excited, because if it looks anything like the image I have in my mind, our bathroom is going to be AMAZING. Stay tuned for more.

hmm interesting, is it just me?, tragic, wtf?!

best buy promotion: be a tool-bag… for free!

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Pictured above is the promotion Best Buy is running for the release of GH: Metallica; you buy the game, and you get a free “fake tattoo sleeve”. Seriously, Best Buy? Seriously?

Note to anyone that wears this shit: You are a tool-bag. I will mock you openly if I see you wearing such a ridiculous thing. A major part of tattoos is going through the process of getting it, oh that, and the fact that it is permanent. A pantyhose on your arm is truly loser-making material. You’ve been informed, so there is no excuse.

five song friday, listen up!, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: march 27

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Aaaaaand I’m back! Sorry that I had to sit out last week, I was just really tired, and didn’t feel up to it. Either way, I am definitely back on my game this week, and I have 5 great songs for you, so let’s go ahead and get to them, shall we?

Adele – Melt My Heart To Stone
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_327_adele-meltmyhearttostone.mp3]
I feel like I have been singing Adele’s praises for ages now, but honestly, I don’t think that I could ever sing them enough. After seeing her last week, I have been flying high on this amazing Brit’s debut album, 19, and I wanted to post one of my absolute favorite songs of hers. This song is full of emotion, drama, feeling, and power. I love how she makes her voice crack, which really represents the broken heart that she is singing about. She performed this song flawlessly in concert, and if you still haven’t gotten on the Adele bandwagon by now, this is just me shaking you, again, and telling you to get with the program. Adele is amazing!

Carrie Underwood – I Told You So
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_327_carrieunderwood-itoldyouso.mp3]
I’m not normally a big fan of country, and while I used to only listen to it back in the day, I attribute that to being mostly a product of my environment *cough*hick from North Carolina*cough*. I remember when Carrie won American Idol, and I was really excited, because she was one of the first ones that had pipes as amazing as Kelly Clarkson’s, and even though she was country, I just knew that her amazing show stopping version of Alone by Heart would grace her debut. Well, it didn’t, and instead of making me happy, she went full tilt country, which, while it does serve her voice beautifully, it just didn’t “do it” for me (also songs like Jesus Take the Wheel just make me want to roll my eyes… no offense). Now, let’s cut to last week when she appeared on the Idol stage again to sing this Randy Travis remake; I’m not going to lie, I fucking wept. This song is beautiful, and her voice gave me chills all over. Country or not, this girl can SING, and she sings this beautiful song amazingly; both live, and on her Carnival Ride CD. Note: I didn’t post the version she re-released with Randy Travis (also last week), mostly because Randy is just so outshone that I felt a little bad for him. I LOVE this song, and I am glad that Carrie chose to cover it.

Noisettes – Don’t Upset The Rhythm
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_327_noisettes-dontupsettherhythm.mp3]
This is another fantastic discovery that I can thank BBC Radio One for; they have been playing this song for a couple of weeks now, and I have found myself liking it more and more with each listen. The neo-soul guitar strumming, and popping beats really compliment the lead singer’s sweet voice (which has a resemblance to Eartha Kitt; without the kitty growls, of course). This infectious track has the upbeat sensibilities of the Ting Tings, and while it is a bit repetitive lyrically, it isn’t enough to turn me off. I can’t wait to see what the new Noisettes album will be like; if it is anything like this fantastic track, I am sure that I will love it.

A.R. Rahman and PCD feat. Nicole Scherzinger – Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_327_arrahmanpcd-jaiho.mp3]
I may make a few enemies with this one, but hear me out; YES, the original version is awesome, amazing, and several other praise-worthy words. It won an Oscar. See? I agree. However, this version, which harnesses the amazing vocals of Miss Pussycat Doll herself, Nicole Scherzinger, is just too perfect to ignore. A.R. Rahman’s Oscar-winning song gets the English treatment, and instead of being a “replacement” for the original Indian hit, I think that this version will just get more people interested in the original. I personally LOVE this song, and love that I can sing along with Nicole, because, call me crazy, but I like listening to music that has lyrics that I can actually understand; catch me catch me catch me!!! So again, the original – fantastic; and so is this version, which I cannot stop playing and dancing around to!!

Alcazar – Burning
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_327_alcazar-burning.mp3]
To end today, we are going full tilt gay. We have covered a lot of ground today(soul, country, bollywood, now disco!!!), but this is disco bananas, and it is fantastic. Alcazar are a Swedish dance group that have been around for a decade, and recently, they released a massive double disc album that is chock full of dance floor fillers. This is my favorite song from that album, which is appropriately called Disco Defenders; because if anyone is going to successful in advocating for the fabulousness of disco, it’s definitely these guys. This song is upbeat, happy, and throw-your-hands-in-the-air dancetastic. Songs like this make me want to dance all night long, and HOW can that be anything but great?! Sometimes, it’s nice to just have a little fun, isn’t it? Well, that’s definitely something you can do by listening to Alcazar!

I hope that you didn’t miss me too much because I took a week off, but know that I am back, and I’m not going anywhere any time soon. I hope that you enjoyed this week’s five as much as I did, and as always, let me know what you think, as well as what you are listening to.

"pointless", all about me, friends, show the love, the catch-all-egory

what’s going on wednesday

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I have been a bad blogger lately, but I blame my new PSP, in part. Lumines II has proven to be a highly addictive game, and so has Loco Roco. I can’t get enough of them, and find myself playing a lot in my free time. It seems like it was a good purchase after all!

I have been listening to music, and just trying to get through each day; my sinuses are still angry that they are expected to work properly, so they have been on strike for a few weeks now.

I am a quesadilla phase. I loves the cheesies and the crunchy tortillas. Yum.

I went on a photo stroll with Brody recently, and eventually, I will get around to posting the pictures. I really do love doing things with friends, and wonder why I don’t do more, more often.

Mr. Pickles has been a lot of fun, albeit a lot of annoying, overall. I am glad we got him. He’s a cutie, but I just wish he would stop biting at Sydney. If he would cut that out, he would be almost perfect. That and the chewing random things (like the eyes out of a toy… who does that?!).

I also blame twitter for my lack of blogging. I tend to think nonsensically, and twitter is PERFECT for that. I could seriously do movie quotes, song lyrics, and random thoughts all day long; and I tend to do just that on twitter. All of those people that wonder what the point of twitter is, well, that’s my take, so put that in your bonnet.

Other than this random crap, not much else is going on of note with the old duane. How’s everyone else?

five song friday

5SF: taking a break

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I stayed home from work today because I wasn’t feeling well, and after sleeping most of the day, I feel much better. However, I think that I want to take a break from the 5SF today as well… now, don’t get all upset, as there are tons of songs from previous weeks that I highly suggest you go back and check out. Also, I will be back next week at full strength, so there is always that to look forward to, right? Tune in next week, when the regularly scheduled 5SF will return with an all new episode!!

Sorry to disappoint, but sometimes, everyone deserves a break; and this week it’s my turn! Have a great weekend everyone!