Author: duane

home improvement

with the flick of a switch…

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Our not so fantastic kitchen overhead light cut out a couple of weeks ago, and after buying some new bulbs for it, we discovered that the lamp had crapped out, and needed to be replaced. So, we headed to Lowes this weekend to just get a replacement, when we started to think about options… why not get something better? Why not get something more interesting? So here’s what we came up with:
new lighting, we have it.
It is one of those track kits that you can “easily” bend into “any shape”, and you just add the bulbs that you want. Well, I figured it would probably take about a half an hour to install, but it ended up taking close to 3 hours, and I cursed through most of it. The attachment point was out of whack, and I had to “adjust it” (meaning, screw long ass screws in it), and it took forever just to get the housing up in the ceiling. Then, I had to bend the “easy to bend” track into what I considered to be a bright idea; a swirl. Well, it looks “alright”, but there are parts where it isn’t perfect. Fuck it. It’s up there now. We also had a hell of a time with the dangling bulb in the middle; it just didn’t want to work, and we had to exchange it for another one (which also didn’t want to work, but I twisted its arm, and now it works).

Overall, I am still on the fence about it, mainly because it is so different from our other fixture, but partly because of the fact that the swirl isn’t perfectly bent. It was close to impossible to get it perfect, but I am a perfectionist, so there. What do you think? Do you like it??

It definitely makes the kitchen bright… in fact, it is so bright that I may install a dimmer switch this weekend.

get involved, is it just me?, listen up!, politics, tragic, venting, well?, wtf?!

how much further to rock bottom?

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Gas is pretty much coming up short here in ATL; it is getting hard to find gas at most of the gas pumps that I have seen around town. It just makes me wonder, just how prepared are we for disaster? I mean, this shortage is because of two hurricanes in the gulf coast… that happened over a week ago. We aren’t talking months, just a handful of days, and we are already out of gas. That is just scary, isn’t it?

Also, our seriously fledgling economy took a MAJOR hit last week, and in a half-assed effort that one can only see as a move to save his rich friends from being held responsible, our own president is trying to shove the tab on the back of already struggling Americans. Nice. I thought that people that said they were Republican but not conservative said so because of “fiscal responsibility” and “less governmental control”? What is going on then? This plan, being put forth BY Republicans is going to cause even further fiscal irresponsibility (which these companies started in the first place) and more governmental control over our money (by making us pick up the tab)? Do you think that saving companies that prey on the American public makes any fucking sense at all? I don’t… and I’m a Democrat. The government never should have been involved in making corporations something that are an entities that exist outside of the rules and regulations of basic business; if a small business makes mistakes, it has to pay for them. However, if you are a corporation, apparently, you can just be excused of that debt, and have the government take it for you (and then quickly put it on the backs of their citizens, or you, me, and every other tax paying American). Why don’t we get a say so in this decision? Isn’t our government supposed to represent us? What do we get to do when it clearly goes against our best interests? The more I read the news, the less I feel like I live in a democratic society; the government makes decisions, and we follow along without any of our needs even being heard. It sounds more like a dictatorship to me, which again, is supposed to be the opposite of the fundamental Republican, or even the financially concerned Libertarian beliefs, right? I may be wrong, but giving 700 billion dollars to these companies to save them just seems like robbing the poor to feed the rich to me. I can bet money that the money will be used to save executive jobs, while the working class will get shit on again. Fuck yeah… I’m proud to be a (probably soon to be starving) American. We get fucked, and the rich get richer… that seems to be the new Republican way.

Sorry for the ranting, I just feel so powerless; I invest money and try to save as much as I can, and things like this come along, where the government allow these companies to take it away, even though they are the ones that made the mistakes! I don’t understand why they have more rights than I do. I don’t think it’s fair, and in fact, I don’t think it should be legal. The only hope that I am clinging to at this point, is that Obama gets elected, and can do something better. Things are only getting worse, and worse, which really does make you wonder where the bottom line actually is. How bad is it going to get?

five song friday, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion, you tube

5SF: september 19

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Hello boys and girls… it’s the first post of the new year of five song Friday! I have been pondering the idea of doing a themed 5SF in the near future, so stay tuned for that… Today, I have the usual fare of new songs and stuff that I have been liking; I have to say, that I love autumn… not only does it get cooler, but new music seems to saturate the scene more so than any other time of year. The roster of upcoming releases shows a lot of promise for the rest of this year as well… color me excited.

Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss a Beat
From the very first time I heard the opening note of Ruby, I was a fan of the Kaiser Chiefs. This British rock and roll set instantly reminded me of the earlier days of Blur and Oasis, and with their previous album Yours Truly, Angry Mob, they showed just how good they are at making quality rock and roll music. After falling in love with YTAM (which made my year end list last year), and when I heard that they would be releasing a new album this year, it goes without saying that I was extremely excited. After hearing Never Miss a Beat, the first single from the album, and after playing it on repeat (it’s catchy!!!), I will say that I definitely have very high hopes that this record will be amongst my favorites of 2008. I cannot wait for the release of the new Kaiser Chiefs… Here’s hoping that it delivers in the way that I know it can.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Dawn of the Dead
I have to say, that it is a sound that we have all heard before… but it is a catchy one, no? I really love the intro of the sirens… nice touch. These guys remind me a bit of the Killers mixed with the Cure on this track, but their record is a whole other animal entirely (it is really strange… but in a good way). That being said, this song is a sheer delight, and I have been playing it on repeat… it’s a well crafted rock track. It also has a weird video. Perhaps my favorite part of this song, which is a real surprise in traditional rock and roll, is the use of the steelpan, which, if you have heard it in context, it usually make things sound very Caribbean and “islandy”. However, in this case, it just adds an air of delight to an otherwise perfectly fine track; it’s a very nice surprise. I have to say it though… why isn’t this song called Say So? Regardless of the name, this is definitely a great song.

New Kids on The Block feat. Lady GaGa – Big Girl Now
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_919_nkotb-biggirlnow.mp3]
Hear me out. I will admit that I was never that big of a New Kids fan. I thought Hanging Tough was a bit silly, but I had the tape. Cut to earlier this summer when we heard the news that the New Kids were releasing a new CD. Okay… what can we expect? After hearing the first single Summertime, I was sure that we shouldn’t expect too much; it isn’t very good. Yet, being the lover of all things pop that I am, I couldn’t ignore the whole record because of one dud lead off single. So, I downloaded it, and I saw that Ms. Lady GaGa, diva of all things pop, was on the song Big Girl Now. Needless to say, I was happy to see her name, and I knew that she could bring the pop to the New Kids… and she DOES. This song is catchy and fun… and it has Lady GaGa, who you may or may not know that I have a slight infatuation with… I may have mentioned her once or twice on the blog here before (Jesus release her CD already!!!!). Regardless if the rest of the record is a dud or not (currently, I don’t know, I haven’t really given it a proper listen yet), this song is undeniably HOT.

Sugagbabes – Girls
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_919_sugababes-girls.mp3]
Another Sugababes record, in just a year?!?! YES PLEASE!!! Their previous record was one of their best to date, and after hearing this horny song (no not that kind of horny!), I am tapping my feet and bobbing my head; all the while, even more excited about a new Sugababes record!! This song didn’t initially hit me, however, so I suggest that you give it a few listens… it is a grower, and it really is a great single. I have to say, though, that I have one major issue with this song… are they saying “here comes the girls?”, because that is what it sounds like. I doubt that is the case, it is probably one of those things that you hear incorrectly in songs (like “when I grow up, I wanna have boobies”), so I will just let that one go with nothing more than a mention. Either way, the Sugababes are back with more fantastic pop… and I am even more excited about the record now!

Joshua Radin – Today
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_919_joshuaradin-today.mp3]
I read that this song was used on Scrubs, because Zach Braff is such a fan of Radin’s music, but I will admit that I only first heard this song last week. Remember the clip of Ellen and Portia’s wedding that I posted about? Well, this is the AMAZINGLY beautiful song that is playing in the background. How beautiful!!! I love that he performed it at their wedding as well… how perfect. Seriously, though, there is nothing bad that I can say about this song; other than it stays in my head, and begs to be played on repeat. It is an extremely beautiful track, and I love it so very, very much. What a wonderful, albeit unexpected discovery. I love finding amazing music like this!!! Thanks Ellen!

Well, that’s all for this week. I hope you found something in the above tracks that you enjoy. Also, let me know what you are listening to… do it!!! Have a great weekend, kids.

hotness, mixed media, shiny stuff, show the love

viva pinata: pocket paradise… first thoughts

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in the mail today...As a MAJOR fan of the Viva Pinata game for XBOX 360 (in fact, it is the reason I got an XBOX instead of a PS3), I was super excited when I heard earlier this year, that they were making a similar version of Viva Pinata for DS. Well, the game is out, and I eagerly got it as quickly as I could (damn pre-order on amazon… I want it now!), and after playing for an hour or so, I am here to sing it’s praises.

First of all, if you are a fan of the original Viva Pinata, you probably have several things that you wanted changed, because I know I did. I thought that a lot of the ways that you navigated your shovel, seeds, and other tools was too complicated (you had to remember where they were to pull them up with just the d-pad, which you tend to forget when you are worried about watering your new banana tree!!!), and the menus to get to people like Lottie at Costalot’s store were just too fumbled. Well, the DS version has taken care of every issue that I had with the XBOX version! I haven’t been playing that long, and already, I am pleased to see that they made these changes. A really, really nice feature, is that in the information screen for each pinata tells you exactly what the pinata needs, not only to romance, but also to make variants of that pinata; something that was annoyingly missing from the original. YAY FOR THAT!

Other notable changes; the annoying Leafos is gone. Sorry, she is sweet and all, but especially in the beginning of the game, she really was a hand-holder, and all I wanted to do was get to making my garden great, and attracting new pinatas. She made such pomp and circumstance about everything, that I got frustrated with her really quickly. Funny thing is, that you could hit her with your shovel if you got annoyed with her (like I did), and she would say, “nuh uh uh!”. If you hit her too many times though she took away the shovel, which pretty much made you powerless. Needless to say, I am glad to see that she isn’t running things in pocket paradise.

Another great surprise, is that they made the pinata’s the front and center main attraction! This is awesome, because they are the reason you are playing the game, and you get your tutorials from them. That was a great touch.

So far, I have set up my garden, and I am actively romancing the new members. I cannot wait to see how my garden grows, and what great pinatas I can bring inside. I don’t know the mechanics of having multiple gardens yet, but I am sure that it will have similar capabilities of the XBOX game, because that feature made it great for organizing your pinatas, and keeping the ones that incessantly fight separated from one another.

Needless to say, I am thrilled that I get to take this amazingly wonderful game with me, and that I can play when I get bored during my travels. The best part about this game, is that every time you do something (plant something, build a building, romance pinatas, etc), that you are bound to get a slightly different garden, and with experience, you can really customize things, and really keep making the game more fun. This is a game that was HIGHLY anticipated for the DS, at least for me, and so far, it has VASTLY exceeded my expectations. If you are a fan of the original game, you must get this new one… Viva Pinata indeed!!!! (there was also a recent release of Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, a new version of the original sim for XBOX, and I will definitely be getting that one at some point… but I am still having a fantastic time with my original gardens, that I don’t want to abandon them just yet!).

HUGE UPDATE!!!!!!: I just got a Taffly (for those of you that had the game, you know that they are annoying, because they eat your flowers, and don’t really give you anything… unless you burn them to evolve them, and then sell them; but that is getting outside of the point…), and they have done the best upgrade ever on an ordinarily useless pinata! When he eats something of a certain color, he produces that color fertilizer!!! No more buying that shit! (literally!) It also appears that the color fertilizer thing is more intuitive this time around as well!!! HUGE YAY for that, because I can’t tell you how frustrating the fertilizer thing was in the original game. Alright, sorry to keep gushing, but this feature is too great not to mention!!!!

all about me, hmm interesting, is it just me?, well?

existential thoughts

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This morning on the way in to work, I think I starting thinking about things, and really started observing everyone around me. We were all on our way somewhere… but why? What was driving us (not the car, I’m not being that literal)?

What drives us, everyday, to stay in the same job, live in the same house, and keep getting back up and going, day after day? I don’t often talk about what I do, but everyone knows that reads this blog, that I am trying to go back to school for nursing; which would certainly mean a change in career at some point. However, this morning, I am thinking to myself; what is driving me?

I thought about this yesterday when I read about the stock market crash, and I really thought about how much money people were losing; money that we are all scraping and saving to put away for that day when we can “finally retire, and start to enjoy life”. Fuck that! I am a realist, and I don’t foresee a time that I will be able to ever afford to supplement the amount of money I make right now with just savings, unless I win the lottery. The only way that I am going to be able to make it, is to work my whole life (which is the story for a lot of people), so retirement is really this “dream” that I am living my whole life for, working so hard for, and I will probably never see it.

So again, I ask myself, “what drives you?”. What is it that keeps you from opening a record store, or having a bakery, or having a website that actually makes money? What drives you to stay on the course you are on, and prevents us from deviating? People have businesses for everything; why not me? I’m not really trying to get an “answer” here, I am just reflecting, and I thought, why not see what other people think about this… what drives YOU? I mean, what makes you go down the path you are on, and what do you think prevents you from changing course, direction, or even stopping right where you currently stand?

Surely, fear cannot be the only thing that drives us… I know that is it in part, but it cannot, it just cannot be it. If it is… I think that I am going to work on having another driving force in my life; overcoming that damn fear.

(side note: I just noticed that this was my 1001th post; interesting.)

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

5SF: september 12

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So, I guess that today is the one year anniversary of the five song Friday, and a hooray for bringing the music for a full year is in order!! But it isn’t stopping, and is far from losing steam… Today, I am bringing you all random finds; some are random downloads, some are random songs I heard on samplers, but ALL of them are good. Let’s get right to this, shall we?

The Stills – Being Here
I found this song randomly on a sampler CD that I picked up in a record store not too long ago. I LOVE this song. The guy’s voice reminds me a lot of the lead singer of Guster, and they use a rock sound that is a lot like Melee, one of the bands that made my year end list last year with their second album, Devils and Angels. The song is fun, toe tapping, and the video is wicked cool (albeit, a bit Sleepy Hollow). I LOVE random finds (which is pretty much the theme of today); especially when they are as radio/ear friendly as this track. I will say, however, that I did download their record, and after one listen, this song and the other song I liked a lot from the sampler (Everything I Build), appear to be the only great tracks on the record. I will give it a few more listens before I give up though, because this song is really, really great, and by all accounts shouldn’t be a shot in the pan (or so I hope).

Los Campesinos! – Death to Los Campesinos!
I was recently recommended Los Campesinos! (see, I do pay attention when you guys recommend stuff… keep it coming!), and I will admit that I had heard of them at the time, and wasn’t that impressed. I thought they were fun, but it was almost like the end of a huge slurpee; the sugary goodness wasn’t sitting well on an already sugar filled tummy. Well, the aforementioned sampler had a live version of this song on it, and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t fantastic. As such, it totally reinvigorated my interest in Los Campesinos!, and as such, I have been listening more and more, and enjoying it much more this go round. The video is absolute madness, which I have to say, matches this song to a T (SEE what I mean about sugary overload!!!??). Either way, it is fun, dancey, and a fun song; regardless of how crazy it is!!!

My Favorite Highway – Bigger Than Love
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_912_myfavoritehighway-biggerthanlove.mp3]
Talk about surprises… I downloaded this on a whim, for reasons I can’t recall, but after one listen, I didn’t go back. Well, enter the new, invigorated interest in using my ipod nano… as a result, I have been paying more attention to exactly what is on my ipod (as opposed to dumping 30GB on there, and sorting through, which makes for too many choices, and MANY things being overlooked). Well, I gave this record a go the other day, and I literally kicked myself after hearing this gem. Not only that, but the rest of the record is actually quite good!! I guess I was in one of my usual “I’m not in the mood for this” moods at the time I first heard it, but I am definitely enjoying it now. The lead singer’s voice reminds me a lot of what I like in the lead singer of Switchfoot’s voice, and compliments the piano-twinged rock elegantly. This song is so ready for the radio, and throngs of screaming fans… it is really, really, really good! Like the Stills, it reminds me a lot of what I loved about Melee’s record; which again, is really good as well… in fact, I want something new from those guys; but I digress… this is about My Favorite Highway!! (Note: these guys are what I think the Jonas Brothers are going for… and they are nailing it, whereas the JB are well… not).

MGMT – Electric Feel
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_912_mgmt-electricfeel.mp3]
After really enjoying their song Time To Pretend (and featuring it one Friday long ago), I was pretty quick to write off MGMT as a one hit (in my book) wonder. Well, last weekend, I was hanging out with some friends at Smith’s Olde Bar in Midtown, and Electric Feel came on the jukebox. I thought to myself, “self, I have heard this before… and I LOVE IT! But who is it?!?!”. Well, my buddy dave whips out his iphone, uses the amazing program that you can’t use on the ipod touch (BOOO!!!!!) called Shazam, and a few seconds later, I am informed that the song that I am loving is ANOTHER brilliant track by the very MGMT that I had written off only months before. Shame! Shame on me! Well, needless to say, I quickly put that album back on the ipod, and have been listening to it for other gems. It has a few, and I will gladly admit where I was wrong; and I definitely was in this case. If you liked Time To Pretend, this one is a bit different, but definitely the electro-twinged rock that they did so well in that first track. I love the flute-sounding instruments that permeate the track… they are so much fun for my ears! (NOTE: It is annoying that videos get embedding disabled by request. WTF, is up with that shit?!?! /stupid “copyright” related rant)

Sarah Connor – Play
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_912_sarahconnor-play.mp3]
SURPRISE is the name of the game on this one!!! I downloaded Sarah Connor’s (no, not THAT Sarah Connor; although, how bad assington would that be?!?!) CD Sexy as Hell, because it was listed several times on iTunes alongside what I was listening to (in the “users also purchased). However, I never listened to it, like My Favorite Highway, and it was largely ignored until the recent revival of my ipod nano. Well, after listening to her CD, this song is the one that really stood out to me, because the beat is just as the title of the record suggests… it is as sexy as hell! The similarity of her voice to Jessica Simpson is apparent; however, she (thankfully) lacks that annoying factor that Jessica seems to be able to only control every now and then… (oop!). Either way, it is a fun hip-hop-pop song, sure to please that pop palate that I know so many of you share with me!

I hope that everyone found something that they loved this Friday, and as always, let me know what you think, and what you are listening to… there is just too much out there for us to go it alone!!!

happenings, is it just me?, mixed media, shiny stuff, venting

apple event: kind of a let down?

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As indicated by last weeks excitement at the announcement of the “Let’s Rock” event, I was clearly looking forward to the Apple event today. However, is it just me, or was it kind of a HUGE blah moment after they announced that not much was changing with the ipod Touch? I mean, I waited for nearly two months, and the only real benefit is that I saved $100 on practically the same thing that I could have gotten 2 months ago.

I just think it’s weird that they make such pomp and circumstance, and say “boom! bap! shazam!” and we are expected to be wowed; even when nothing major happened. The worst, is that I KNOW that as soon as I have had this ipod touch for 2 or 3 months, they will quietly release a 64GB version, and I will of course, be pissed that I didn’t wait. You are always doing this to me Apple! Every single ipod I have gotten since my 2nd Gen 10GB (which was $400 then!!), with the notable exception of my 3rd Gen Nano 8GB (probably because I bought it on a whim, just for fun), I have been “bested” by Apple mere months after I made my informed purchase. The worst was when I bought my 4th Gen one, and the photo one came out LITERALLY 35 days later (just long enough for me to be unable to return it). I wouldn’t bitch, but it isn’t like these are purchases around $100; all of the ipods I have gotten have been over $200; which is I guess a testament of being an early adopter of technology (hello $1000 Blu-Ray now being $300).

Oh well, I know that this is “how it goes” with technology, but for some reason, I have been pretty lucky with most of my “devices”; with the ipod being the exception. I have a good track record with phones and gaming consoles (both portable and home), so I guess I have to give in to the innovation of Apple, which totally takes the bank, unfortunately.

Will I get a new ipod Touch? Most certainly. I have wanted one since they came out over a year ago; but I was hoping that I could get at LEAST 64gb… It looks like I am going to have “settle” (HA!) for 32GB. Life sure is hard isn’t it? /sarcasm I’ve been on the Apple music media bandwagon this long, I guess I should come to expect these sorts of things; but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it!