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Last night, I watched Sunday's Simpsons episode and that night's American Idol. I didn't think the Simpsons episode was that great. It didn't bother me like the one where the cats die, but there just weren't that many laughs to be had. This is Motown Week on American Idol, two weeks after Soul Week. Yes, I realize motown and soul aren't the same thing, but they're a little too close for my white boy ass. I don't think anyone put in their best performance this week, with some, like John Stevens, delivering their worst so far. Having seen this episode, I have to stand by what I said last week about Camile deserving to be the next to leave. Oh, and while La Toya certainly isn't a bad singer, she's just so forgettable that I'm not even sure I'd notice if she were to be kicked off.

I won an auction for the Minus Five's Old Liquidator album on eBay, but I still haven't received any confirmation that the seller got my payment. Maybe I should try contacting him again, but he seems to be trying to make the transaction as unfriendly and impersonal as possible.
posted by Nathan at 4:11 PM

 
I've seen this done on a few other blogs. Not those of anyone I know, but I still thought it was kind of an interesting exercise. So here's 100 things about me, in the order I could think of them. Most of them are probably things you already know, but some of them might be interesting.

1. I usually did well in school, but I was not a very conscientious student. I frequently turned in assignments late, or not at all.
2. On the other hand, I never missed class without a valid excuse.
3. If a subject or task doesn't come naturally to me, I usually want to give up.
4. My taste in food is fairly narrow and childish. I love pizza, and don't care much for spicy food or vegetables.
5. There was a period of a few years where I hardly ate any cheese, because I thought I might be lactose intolerant. After a while I figured I probably wasn't, but I had just gotten in the habit of not eating it. Eventually, though, I returned to eating cheese really often, as I did before that.
6. I can get pretty bad hay fever in the spring. How bad it is varies from one year to another. I can't stand it when my eyes get itchy.
7. I have bad skin, and I'm too lazy to take proper care of it.
8. I hardly ever watch the news or read the newspaper, and I'm not proud of this.
9. I really wasn't into music that much until college. I got seriously into "Weird Al" Yankovic in high school, and progressed from him to loving They Might Be Giants, and then from them to other related bands.
10. My music collection focuses on only a handful of bands, but I usually try to get everything by those bands.
11. I often wish I were familiar with a broader range of music.
12. I don't watch much TV. As with music, though, I follow a few shows obsessively.
13. Most of what I watch on TV tends to be animated.
14. Although I tend to read more than I watch TV, I don't agree with the "books expand your mind and TV destroys it" philosophy. Advocates of this way of thinking seem to be ignoring the fact that there are some quality TV shows, and a lot of crappy books. Still, the fact that people rarely read anymore bothers me.
15. As you probably know, I love the Oz books. I first read The Wizard of Oz in December 1988, when I was upset my dad wouldn't take me to see Who Framed Roger Rabbit? at the movies. I knew there were other books, and I soon became obsessed with them.
16. I've been told that I first starting reading when I was three years old.
17. When I was a kid, I had a terrible fear of being struck by lightning.
18. I've always been terrified of being drafted. I don't think I would do well in the military, and not just because there's a good chance I would die.
19. I'm anti-war, but there are situations when I can't think of any better solutions to certain problems. I understand that fighting is natural, but I think it's kind of barbaric that we haven't progressed past it in solving problems between nations.
20. I'm glad to live in the United States, for many reasons, but I'm not a flag-waving patriot.
21. The uneven distribution of wealth in this country (and the world) really bothers me.
22. I really like to get stuff, especially books and CDs, but I don't consider myself overly materialistic.
23. Soon after my parents divorced, each one of them got a cat. My dad's cat Arthur was my first pet.
24. I was afraid of dogs when I was young. Beth got me to start liking dogs, but I'm still more of a cat person.
25. I didn't have a girlfriend, or even a date, until I was 22, and we're still together now. I'm glad of that.
26. I think I lack a lot of basic social and relationship skills that other people take for granted.
27. I didn't learn to drive until I was 24, and I was terrified of learning. I'm glad I did learn, though.
28. I'm not religious, nor was I really raised to be. My parents used to take me to a Presbyterian church when I was young, but they eventually stopped.
29. I did learn how to ride a bike when I was a kid, but at one point I lost control of the bike, jumped off, and scraped my knees pretty badly. That wasn't the last time I ever rode a bike, but I never really wanted to after that.
30. I never wanted to keep a journal, even when it was required for class. I blog fairly regularly, but I don't really treat it like a journal.
31. I think I sometimes get too attached to e-mail lists, and the fact that most of my favorites seem to have lost quite a bit of steam saddens me.
32. I met my girlfriend though an e-mail list.
33. I'm a total wimp, both mentally and physically.
34. I didn't really participate in extracurricular activities. I was in German Club for two years, and the first year I refused to do the fundraiser (selling candy bars), just paying them the $15 that I had to raise instead. The second year, I DID sell the candy bars, and even ended up selling more than I had to, which made me feel stupid about wasting my money the year before.
35. I've never been particularly musically inclined, but I'd like to be. I took a beginning harmonica class when I was in high school, and got an acoustic guitar from my dad for my eighteenth birthday, but I never stuck with either of them. I'm trying to get back in the habit of practicing the guitar.
36. I like to sing, but I'm really terrible at it. I probably should take voice lessons.
37. I want to get a full-time job and find my own place to live, but it doesn't look like it's happening anytime soon.
38. I don't drink coffee. The only coffee drink I've ever sort of enjoyed was something with a lot of caramel in it.
39. I've always pronounced "aunt" to sort of rhyme with "wont," and I say the names "Erin" and "Aaron" practically the same way.
40. I've never had very many friends. My most social time was when I was in college, and even then I didn't really feel that close to anyone.
41. My family had a home computer when I was a kid, so I've been around computers pretty much my entire life, and was exposed to programming early on (my dad was a computer programmer). When I tried to major in computer science, though, I ended up not being very good at or interested in it.
42. Despite always having had a computer at home, my dad's home PC was outdated for some time, so I really didn't get to use the Internet until I started college in 1996.
43. I got my first job when I was 19. I worked as an usher (which included quite a bit of custodial work) in a movie theater.
44. I don't really mind working, but I hate looking for jobs.
45. When left to my own devices, I tend to go to bed around 2 or 3 AM, and get up around noon or 1 PM. I'm definitely not a morning person, and I'm really not a night person, either. I guess I'm mostly an afternoon and evening person.
46. I've always been interested in outer space and other planets and stuff (I guess it's part of my general nerdiness), but I don't want to go into space, and I don't think the government should allocate a lot of money to space exploration at this point. (We're Earthlings; we should blow up Earth things!)
47. I probably would have played Dungeons & Dragons or other similar role-playing games if I had had any friends. That kind of dorky stuff interests me, but I've never really done it.
48. I enjoy video games. I am not at all good at video games. I've probably spent more time watching other people play video games than playing them myself.
49. I'm afraid of heights. I think I might have inherited this fear from my dad, if fears can be inherited.
50. I'm really not a movie person. I'll usually only go to the movie theater a few times a year, and that's generally more because other people want to go than because I do. On the other hand, I have no problem with going to the movies alone in the rare cases when there's something I really do want to see.
51. I also don't mind eating out alone, but I have kind of weird rules for where I'll go when I eat out alone. Fast food and places like Denny's and Pizza Hut are fine, but I probably wouldn't go to a place like, say, Friday's, Bennigan's, Red Lobster, or the Olive Garden alone.
52. I generally like seafood. Most kinds of fish (that I've had, anyway) are good. I LOVE shrimp, but, unlike many people, I prefer it hot, rather than chilled. Crab is okay. I don't like clams at all.
53. When getting fast food, I'll usually go for chicken over burgers, except at Burger King. I also usually order my sandwiches plain.
54. I have a desire to be appreciated, perhaps even more than I do to be liked.
55. I have a fairly active sense of humor. I like to make jokes, and I tend to find myself amusing, but most other people seem to find my jokes to be really awful.
56. Most of the "jokes" I make are bad puns, silly responses, quotes from people funnier than I am, and non-sequiturs. I never really tell long, story-style jokes.
57. I don't THINK I believe in life after death, but I'm still scared of dying and finding out there really IS a Hell, or something of the sort.
58. I wish I had magic powers. Who doesn't, though?
59. I don't really follow politics, but there are certain issues on which I take a fairly strong stance.
60. I've never smoked, and never had enough alcohol at any one time to have any effect on me.
61. I have no fashion sense whatsoever, but I like to think I don't dress THAT badly. I usually wear casual pants (generally not jeans), black shoes and socks, and either a button-up shirt or a T-shirt, depending on whether or not I'm going to work.
62. I pretty much never wear shorts. I'll occasionally put on a pair in summer if I'm not going to be going anywhere or doing anything, but I don't like to wear them in public.
63. I can swim, and I enjoy swimming, but I'm pretty bad at it. When I took swimming lessons at day camp, I could never get past the Guppy level.
64. As I mentioned in my last item, I went to YMCA day camp for two summers, at my dad's insistence. I really didn't like it at all, although the second year was better than the first, because the other kids weren't as mean.
65. I have somewhat of a knee-jerk reaction against what's popular and mainstream, but I won't automatically dismiss something just because a lot of other people like it.
66. I don't listen to music by genre, but most of what I have seems to fall into the category of somewhat nerdy pop-rock music.
67. I first voted when I was 22. Before that, I was away at college, and never bothered looking up how to get an absentee ballot.
68. I like crackers more than is reasonable. My favorite kinds are cheese crackers, like Goldfish and Cheez-Its, but I also eat a lot of Saltines. I don't care as much for the fancier and more healthful crackers.
69. I curse a lot when I'm angry and/or frustrated, but not that much in everyday conversation.
70. I don't really like to drink water that much, except when I'm really thirsty. I generally prefer fruit juice, and I'll usually get soda at a restaurant.
71. I prefer light sodas like Sprite to dark sodas like Coke. Orange soda is probably my favorite, though.
72. I'm not sure what my favorite color is. When asked, I'll usually say red, which was my favorite color as a kid, but I'm not totally sure it is now.
73. I don't think I could live without electricity and indoor plumbing. I've grown too reliant on modern conveniences, I suppose.
74. I tend to be a nitpicker.
75. I don't read magazines, unless The Baum Bugle (the International Wizard of Oz Club's journal) counts. I used to when I was younger, and would frequently get magazine subscriptions as gifts, but I don't now.
76. I also don't read comic books, but I sometimes wish I did.
77. I've been told I'm a good writer, and I like to believe it's true. I really should write more often.
78. Perhaps this goes without saying, but I like the book of The Wizard of Oz much more than the movie. The movie is fun, but it removes a lot of the more interesting aspects of the book.
79. The only time I ever left the country was when my family went up to Montreal for a few days. I think I was nine years old at the time.
80. I really have no mechanical or technical skills whatsoever.
81. I don't particularly care for potatoes, especially mashed. I'll eat French fries or potato chips, but they're not really favorites of mine.
82. I enjoy traditional breakfast foods, like eggs, bacon, pancakes, and bagels. I like some sausage, but that's a very hit-or-miss kind of food, so I tend to avoid it unless I know I'll like it. I prefer links to patties.
83. I don't like "clique-y" people. That's probably partially because I've never been part of a clique.
84. I think I might come off as rude to others, but I'm usually not trying to be rude.
85. I get nervous very easily.
86. Although I'm not religious, I am interested in the Bible, and I hope to actually read the whole thing someday.
87. I like playing board games and card games. I used to play these with my dad, but since he moved away, I really don't have the chance to play them much anymore.
88. I don't like cold weather. I hate ice, and, while I used to like snow when I was a kid, I'm mostly just annoyed by it now (although I admit it's pretty sometimes, if you don't have to go out in it). I'm not overly fond of weather that's too hot, either, but I find the heat somewhat easier to combat.
89. I tend not to throw that many things away. I have a lot of old papers and other things lying around in boxes.
90. I've been to seven Oz Conventions (if I'm counting correctly), and gotten the highest score on the quiz several times. I also won a prize for fiction writing at one of them.
91. While I like to get all of the books by a particular author, or all of the CDs by a particular band, I don't consider myself a collector, in that I don't usually get things just for the sake of having them. I'm more of a completist.
92. I've lived in several different homes, but they were all in the same general area. My parents bought a house when I was born, and then they moved when I was five, but they kept the other house and rented it out. When they got divorced, my dad moved back into that house. He moved a few times after that, but my mom never did.
93. I don't like highlighting things (with a marker, that is).
94. I used to hate talking on the phone, but this was probably largely because I never had anyone I wanted to talk to. I can talk to Beth for hours sometimes, although the phone starts to hurt my ear if I hold it up there too long.
95. I don't mind getting random IMs, but it's gotten to the point where I'll usually either stop talking or come up with a smart-ass reply when someone asks "ASL?".
96. I sometimes wish I had more friends, but I have no idea how to go about making them.
97. I don't think I could ever be a vegetarian, although I've gone a few days without eating meat before.
98. I sometimes think I want to be famous, but I don't know that I'd be able to handle the downside to fame that well.
99. I've never been a celebrity-worshipper, but I do like to find out about famous people whose works I enjoy.
100. I tend to overuse words like "really," "indeed," "generally," and "of course." (And yes, "of course" is really two words. Of course.)
posted by Nathan at 1:51 PM

 
You know, I find the results of Internet surveys kind of tedious to read, even when the information in them is actually interesting. I'm not sure why that is.
posted by Nathan at 2:45 PM

 
Hmm, let's see. Yesterday, I ate at Pizza Hut for the first time in a while, since there are none around me. I also think I've finished my federal and Pennsylvania state taxes, but I want my dad to look over them before I submit them. After that, I'll still need to do my New Jersey and local taxes, but those shouldn't take long to complete.

I should practice my guitar soon. I haven't been doing that much recently.
posted by Nathan at 2:29 PM

 
So, what do I have to report? Not much, really. I watched this past week's American Idol, and I think the right person probably lost. Unless she really shapes up next week, Camile should be the next to go. I actually thought she was good back when she was in the Top 32, but that's probably largely because she was part of the worst group. (Really, who WOULDN'T sound good compared to the Roman brothers?) I also didn't think much of Jasmine Trias' performance, and Jon Peter Lewis managed to sound like a cartoon character. Oh, and I don't know what the deal is with Simon insisting he can't understand country music. Wouldn't he at least know whether or not he likes a performance? He pulled a similar cop-out while judging that Middle Eastern girl during World Idol.

I also watched some documentary on video games that Beth had taped. It was quite interesting, really. I especially liked learning about the early history of video games. There was something about the early Atari company hiring people off the street or something, and the programmers being scared to walk around in the headquarters, which kind of fascinated me.

Last night, Beth and I saw Mark in his school's production of Biloxi Blues, which was fun. After that, we went out to eat at Friendly's. And now I'm going to end the message abruptly, because I really can't think of anything else to write.
posted by Nathan at 12:36 PM

 
I've been thinking a bit recently about my stance on drugs. As I'm sure some of you already know, I'm vehemently anti-drugs. And I don't really have the live-and-let-live, "I wouldn't do drugs, but it's okay if you do" attitude that sometimes seems prevalent among non-users. If I find out a person does drugs, I'm not likely to actually do anything about it, but I'm probably going to think less of that person. I generally try to see multiple sides of any given issue, but in this case, I've heard many stories about drugs wrecking people's lives, while pro-drug arguments and anecdotes tend to just be along the lines of "I got high, and it was fun!" While I have nothing against people doing things just because they're fun, it just strikes me that the cons outweigh the pros here, even for milder drugs like marijuana and America's beloved tobacco. I'm not really anti-drinking; I realize alcohol is a drug, I rarely drink myself, and I think alcoholism is a serious problem; but I've known enough examples of people who could drink without overdoing it as to not make me condemn the practice as a whole. Maybe it's also possible to get high occasionally without overdoing it, though, so perhaps I have a societally-inspired bias in this respect.

Along these lines, is it hypocritical of me to enjoy music that was probably created while under the influence of drugs? I would say no, especially since I try to separate the artist from the art anyway, and I don't think drugs actually make people better musicians (although they might lower inhibitions). I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has a different perspective on this, however.

Finally, on an unrelated note (well, unless there's some unrecorded drug use in the cat community), a four-eared kitten is being given away in Germany. Kind of an odd mutation, but the cat is still cute. I'd probably adopt a four-eared kitten, if I were in the market for a pet.
posted by Nathan at 4:52 PM

 

You are Donatello...You are highly intelligent and
industrious, and considered the
"brains" of the operation. You're a
serious nerd, but you're still cool!


Which Ninja Turtle Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
posted by Nathan at 1:21 PM

 

What Precious Gem are you? (With high-quality pictures!)
brought to you by Quizilla
posted by Nathan at 2:40 AM

 

You are a Spaniard.


What's your Inner European?
brought to you by Quizilla
posted by Nathan at 5:39 PM

 
So it looks like American Idol has decided to retain some of its most annoying aspects this year, including:

1. Those incredibly cheesy group performances. Really, they're so obnoxiously corny that they make it harder to take the show and the contestants seriously. Who actually likes these performances, and who ever thought they would a good idea in the first place?
2. The forced servitude in Ford commercials. Come on, the show already seems to have more commercials than just about any other on television, and all kinds of product placement on top of that (couches shaped like the Coca-Cola logo, anyone?). Do they really need to force the contestants to be in additional commercials within the show itself? What's more, the audience actually APPLAUDS these commercials! Talk about feeding people crap and having them eat it up.
3. The No Curly Hair Rule. I only caught the end of last night's show, but I noticed that, like Leah last week, Jennifer Hudson had had her hair straightened. Looking at both of these people plus Kimberley Locke last season, it looks like some stylist has a bias against curly hair, not to mention glasses.
posted by Nathan at 4:57 PM

 

Self-Evident


Which Obscure-But-Awesome Song Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I don't know that song. I do have one Ani album, but not that one.
posted by Nathan at 3:25 PM

 
It's been a while since I've written. Sorry about that. Or, if you consider it a good thing, you're welcome.

On Sunday evening, Beth and I went to Philadelphia to see Les Miserables. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and it's Beth's favorite musical, so I'm glad we got the chance to see it together. After the show, we went to eat at Denny's.

It's interesting that Sunday's Simpsons episode had Brave Combo as a guest band. I don't know anything about the band, really; I believe they're some kind of modern polka band from Texas. Their appearance, however, reminded me of a certain infamous psycho newsgroup troll who's a big fan. As for the content of the episode, I have to wonder why they would do a Phantom Menace parody at this point in time, especially when they were already making references to it back in 1999, when it was new. Maybe it was intended to parody both of the Star Wars prequels that have been released, though; not having seen Attack of the Clones, I don't know whether they referenced anything from that movie. Regardless, it was pretty funny.
posted by Nathan at 3:14 PM

 
Is the first day of spring today or tomorrow? Either way, happy spring, and I hope it starts actually LOOKING like spring soon.

I want to finish my taxes, but the W-2 from my one job is confusing because it has two lines of state income tax. I had the same problem last year, and the lady I talked to about it gave me the impression that it was a common question, but I don't remember the answer. The person from payroll apparently won't be back in until Monday. If all of the W-2s from the place are like that, though, doesn't it seem like the guy who answered the phone would have the same problem, and know what to do about it? Maybe he's a student who doesn't get paid. Regardless, I guess I'll have to wait until Monday to do any more work on my taxes.

Oh, and how do I get rid of the Microsoft Networking box that pops up when I start Windows? I had gotten rid of it before my hard disk crashed, but I forget how.
posted by Nathan at 10:14 AM

 

How would you do on American Idol? by geela
Name
Age
Simon says	Appalling
Paula says	Umm, it had its moments.
Randy says	I'm with Simon on this one
Success level	Top 32
Created with quill18's MemeGen 3.0!

posted by Nathan at 12:26 AM

 
Hotmail displays a lot of ads for dating websites, but pretty much all of them have pictures of women on them. Since I don't think they know that I'm male, it seems like more should have men in them. Are they assuming that more men are using Hotmail, or that the men who are using Hotmail are more desperate than the women?

That was a pretty dumb observation, wasn't it?
posted by Nathan at 3:49 PM

 
I put in a pre-order for the new EP from They Might Be Giants. I look forward to hearing it. Unfortunately, it looks like two of the songs from the EP will be on the next album, which strikes me as kind of silly when the EP only has five songs, one of which is already a re-release. I'm hoping they're at least re-recorded for the album. Regardless, at least there will be SOME exclusive content, and there's no indication as to how long it'll take the next actual album to come out anyway.
posted by Nathan at 1:49 PM

 

You are Gonzo the Great.
You love everyone, and still you get shot out of a
cannon on a regular basis. Oh, and you are
completely insane and have a strange
fascination for chickens.

ALSO KNOWN AS:
The Great Gonzo, Gonzo the Great, Just Plain Weird
SPECIES:
Whatever

HOBBIES:
Tapdancing blindfolded on tapioca while balancing a
piano on his nose, backwards, five times fast.

FAVORITE MOVIE:
"From Here to Eternity...with no brakes."

FAVORITE TV SHOW:
"Touched By An Anvil"

QUOTE:
"No parachute? Wow! This is so cool!"


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
posted by Nathan at 5:32 PM

 
I got my computer back today! It seems to work fine, and doesn't give me error messages anymore. I spent the early afternoon reinstalling programs and documents. Most of my MP3s were backed up on CD-R's, so I was able to get them back. One of my CD-R's was apparently corrupted or something, but, fortunately, there wasn't much important on it, so that was no big deal. After work, I'm going to have to organize my files, and make sure I don't have multiple copies of MP3s, which I'm pretty sure I do. I'm also going to download Netscape (which I pretty much never use, but like to keep on my computer just in case I need it), and set up a desktop.

In other news, I got my copy of the Minus Five's new In Rock CD. There's nothing on it that really blows me away, but it's a fun listen overall. Scott McCaughey has been releasing quite a bit of Minus Five material as of late, and we haven't heard much from the Young Fresh Fellows in years. On the other hand, I guess there's somewhat of a Fellows vibe to In Rock, since it's fun, upbeat rock music. I don't know. I do know that this is the first album released in 2004 that I've purchased. I wonder if any other worthwhile albums will come out this year. There's a new They Might Be Giants EP that I should probably pre-order tonight, two new Fuzzy Warbles discs from Andy Partridge, the re-issued Camper Van Beethoven albums (which I probably won't buy, but I'll put them on my Amazon wish list in case someone else wants to give them to me as gifts), and a collection of remixed Frank Black songs, but none of those really count as new albums as such. There have been some rumblings about a brand-new CVB album, which would certainly be cool.

Finally, read about the feud between Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff. It's funny, because I hate both of them. By the way, doesn't Avril have really bad teeth? I thought when I first saw her on the TV that she was a heavy smoker, and I guess this is further evidence.
posted by Nathan at 5:24 PM

 
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Like Mardi Gras, this seems to be a holiday primarily celebrated with heavy drinking, and, not being much of a drinker myself, I doubt I'll do anything to celebrate it, aside from wearing a green sweater. I thought I should acknowledge it anyway, though. Last year, Beth and I went to dinner at Bennigan's on St. Patrick's Day, and there was a cover charge just to get in. I don't think we'll be doing that again this year (not that we can anyway, since I work until 11 PM).

I don't really have that much to say about last night's American Idol. Most of the performances were actually good, although I thought Matt and Camille were somewhat below par. I do think Leah looked better with curly hair (it made her more distinctive), but people are always trying out new looks throughout the show. This is Soul Week on the show. I wonder what other themes they'll have this season. I guess it doesn't matter that much, since no matter what the theme, most people find some way to sing ballads, and there's usually at least one Whitney Houston song. If I were in charge of choosing the themes, I'd probably do things like XTC Week and Scott McCaughey Week, and the contestants (and possibly even the judges) wouldn't know any of the songs.

It doesn't look like that much has been posted to the Nonestica list about The Magical Mimics in Oz, our Book of Current Focus. I'll probably have some things to say myself a little later today, though.
posted by Nathan at 5:06 PM

 
Okay, I have a few things to say this time around:

1. I'm pleasantly surprised that all four of my picks for American Idol Wild Cards actually made it. I thought for sure that someone like Matthew Metzger would get through. There was some article on MSN about how some people think the contestants this season are a lot worse than before, but I don't see how they could possibly be as bad as the Season 1 finalists. I mean, Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray were good singers, but I didn't get much sense of personality from them. I guess Nikki McKibbin and Ryan Starr had personalities, but they weren't GOOD personalities. Then again, the judges can never seem to decide what they're looking for in that respect, sometimes rejecting people because they lack personality or star quality, and other times insisting that they're simply looking for "the best singer in America" (apparently not realizing that the best singer in America might well be over 24 and/or unwilling to wait in line for three days to audition).

2. Sunday's Simpsons episode was pretty good, although I liked Artie Ziff's last appearance better. The current staff seems to be making an effort to bring back quite a few old characters. The scene at Moe's with several characters who had been voiced by Jon Lovitz was a nice touch.

3. I had a dream last night that I went on some ride at an amusement park with both Neko Case and Tori Amos. I think Beth might have been there at first, but she must have either disappeared or turned into some other person, because, after the ride was over, I was following some kids who wanted to meet the two musicians, but I didn't follow them into some area where we weren't supposed to be. After that, I was somehow at a shopping mall, and then in what was supposed to be my old college dorm. It was about time for me to graduate, but I wasn't sure when I was supposed to leave, or which mailbox was mine.

4. I have a character and town on Beth's Animal Crossing game. I obviously don't get to play it every day, since it's at her house. It's always when I AM playing and want to sell stuff that Tom Nook's store is closed, though. It's annoying.
posted by Nathan at 3:29 PM

 
So, I brought my computer to a repair shop yesterday. The guy said he probably wouldn't get around to looking at it until tomorrow. I hope he can get it working again, and that it won't cost me an arm and a leg. It probably won't; the prices didn't seem to be that bad, or at least they didn't seem to be for getting a new hard drive. I also hope I have all the discs that I need to reinstall the drivers, programs, and applications. I don't mind losing other files so much, because I have most of them backed up, and there was probably quite a bit I could have gotten rid of anyway. I wish I were rich and could just go out and buy a new computer, but, unfortunately, I'm not.

Aside from getting some Chik-Fil-A I really didn't need, that's pretty much all I accomplished yesterday. I guess it WAS a day off, though.
posted by Nathan at 1:39 PM

 
Now my computer totally won't start at all. I think the hard drive is pretty much, if not totally, dead. I'm going to try calling some repair places in a little bit. Maybe just buying a new hard drive would solve the problem, but there might be something else wrong, and I don't want to buy a new hard drive and find out the computer STILL won't work.
posted by Nathan at 12:57 PM

 
My computer is still having problems. In addition to what I described earlier, the hard drive sometimes freezes up and makes weird noises. I think my brother has said that it might die soon. I've backed up what I thought was important, in case the drive does crash. I probably forgot something, but at least I won't have lost everything if such a thing does occur. I wonder whether it would be worth trying to get a new hard drive installed in the computer, rather than buying a whole new system. I assume simply reformatting the drive wouldn't help, but let me know if I'm wrong, as that would certainly save me some money.
posted by Nathan at 9:13 AM

 
Ugh, I hate writing conclusions. I'm working on my Oz manuscript, and I think it's coming close to being finished, but it's hard to come up with a way to resolve everything, and there's a lot to be resolved. I've never been good with endings, whether for stories or for other kinds of writing. I guess I should just come up with SOMETHING. Since it's a rough draft, I'm sure I'll need to change it considerably anyway. Change it for what, I'm not sure, since I doubt I'll ever get this thing published, but I still want to come up with a final, readable version at some point.
posted by Nathan at 1:09 AM

 

You are the chinese element of Earth. People who
are under the element of earth are sociable,
responsible and reliable. Earth, you are a
tactician, but you always crave acceptance and
are usually hard headed. The color of earth is
yellow and your symbol is the caldron.
Inbetween all of the seasons is when Earth
shines, and your months are
March/June/September/and December. Your
weather condition is windy. Earth is the
center direction, and your day is Saturday,
while your planet is Saturn. Animals under
your element are usually naked. People under
you are Manchu. Your sense is touch, your
taste is sweet, your sound is singing and your
virtue is good faith. Your organ is the
spleen. You were created by Fire and you
control Water.


Which of the 5 Chinese Elements Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


You are Schroeder!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
posted by Nathan at 5:37 PM

 
Last night, I finally saw "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV," which means that I've seen every Futurama episode (unless I'm forgetting something). Unfortunately, that means I don't have any other episodes to look forward to. Damn FOX and their cancelling quality programming.

I had a problem with the American Idol Wild Card show last night. Choosing twelve contestants and then letting only eight sing was dumb. Either let all twelve sing (that's what they did last season, if I'm not mistaken), or only choose eight contestants. It ain't the Miss America Pageant. True, they auditioned again for the judges, but, if that's how they were going to do it, they should have announced it ahead of time, which, as far as I know, they didn't. Besides, if they were going to cut anyone at the beginning, they should have included Matthew Metzger, and not Lisa. Really, the comments the judges made didn't make any sense to me. "Lisa, you were good, so you're cut. Matthew, you sucked, but we're letting you stay anyway." I think Matt is coasting by on looks, and the paranoid part of my mind thinks that Simon might have had it in for Lisa, since she wouldn't go on a crash diet like he wanted her to. But paranoia isn't always accurate. I didn't get a chance to vote, but the four I hope I get through are Jon, George (he's just so affable), Jennifer, and (if I have to pick someone whose name doesn't start with a J sound) Leah.

Freezing rain last night? Is Old Man Winter throwing everything he has at us before retiring for the year?
posted by Nathan at 5:08 PM

 
Well, I was right about not having anything to say today. I'll still mention something, though, namely that I'm annoyed that it was snowing, when the weather had been warm for the past few days. It wasn't cold enough for the snow to stick, but still, I thought we were done with crappy wintery weather for the year. Maybe I should move to a warmer climate, although I don't have the money, and most warmer places seem to have problems worse than snow (hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc.).
posted by Nathan at 11:19 PM

 
I don't think this is accurate at all.

You're Lolita!

by Vladimir Nabokov

Considered by most to be depraved and immoral, you are obsessed with
sex. What really tantalizes you is that which deviates from societal standards in every
way, though you admit that this probably isn't the best and you're not sure what causes
this desire. Nonetheless, you've done some pretty nefarious things in your life, and
probably gotten caught for them. The names have been changed, but the problems are real.
Please stay away from children.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

posted by Nathan at 12:19 AM

 

You're India!

A great thinker and leader, you have a great deal of power despite
being really poor.  You like movies, cows, and you probably are a vegetarian and may
even be a pacifist.  You've probably been moving away from pacifism lately, though,
as you get more and more defensive that everyone around you is trying to hurt you.
 How about a nice game of chess?
Take the Country Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

posted by Nathan at 12:18 AM

 
Ugh, I've just been so lethargic as of late. Actually, I guess I've been lethargic my whole life, but it's been bothering me more than usual recently. I have quite a bit of free time, and many things I COULD be doing: writing, practicing guitar, reading books, doing my taxes, trying to find a job that actually pays decently. The only things I really feel like doing, though, are wasting time on the Internet, playing video games, and finding stuff that I want to buy but really can't afford. And even these things don't always hold my interest for that long, especially when there's hardly anything to look at on the Internet. Sometimes I wish I weren't so lazy, but what are you going to do?

Wow, two entries in one day. I'm getting ambitious. Now watch me have nothing to write about tomorrow.
posted by Nathan at 5:29 PM

 
So first Kentucky Fried Chicken decides to go by just their initials, and now they're trying to insist that the initials stand for something different. What's next? IHOP saying that they're actually called the Incredibly Hot Omelette Place?

There's a new Minus Five album out. I'll probably buy it sometime soon, if I can find it anywhere. Actually, I currently have a bid on it in an eBay auction, but I'm kind of expecting to be outbid. I still want to get the rest of their albums. Too bad most of the ones I don't have are out of print. I had the same problem when I was trying to read all of the Oz books. I tend to be a completist with books or music I like, although I'm not really a collector. I want to get any release by a band I like that has different songs on it, but I usually don't go in for multiple copies of the same thing or radio promo singles, unless they're cheap.

I think I need to get a new computer. This one crashes a lot, occasionally insists that it can't write to the C drive, and has problems starting up. Unfortunately, I can't really afford one right now. I also want an iPod, and I also can't afford that.
posted by Nathan at 2:09 PM

 
My sister got a new cat! According to my mom (I haven't actually talked to my sister about the matter as of yet), she got the cat from the SPCA, and she's eight years old (the cat, not my sister). The cat seems very nice, and it's cool to have a pet in the house again, since Cat died a few months ago.
posted by Nathan at 2:45 PM

 

You are DNA. You're a smart person, and you appear
incredibly complex to people who don't know
you. You're incomparably full of information,
and most of it is useless.


Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Okay, but where's Eagle? {g}
posted by Nathan at 4:40 PM

 
I'm not sure why that Jasmine girl made it to the final twelve on American Idol. She didn't impress me. At least George Huff will be back as a wild card, though. Speaking of the wild cards, I'm surprised that, unlike last year, only people who made it to the top thirty-two are going to be in the wild card round. I wonder if the rules changed, or if they just didn't think anyone who didn't make it to the thirty-two was good enough. I'm also wondering whether there will be an even number of girls and guys in the top twelve. I don't know for sure whether the equal numbers in the past two seasons were coincidental or intentional, but I have to suspect the latter. It's just TOO neat otherwise.

Oh, and you know that song "She's Always A Woman To Me," with the line "And she'll carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding"? Was Billy Joel married to a sadist, or what?
posted by Nathan at 3:30 PM

 
Why does Amazon keep recommending items that I already have in my wish list? I'd say they've gotten lazy, but isn't it supposed to be automatic? I guess the program has some bugs in it. I like the rating system for the wish list, but I can't figure out how to get it to save my ratings.

Okay, I guess I should talk about last night's American Idol, since I've gotten in the habit of doing so. I don't know why the judges didn't like that red-haired Sinatra-ish guy. Sure, it was a little weird hearing a Billy Joel song done in that style, but I think it worked. I guess that's just me, but I hope he gets through to the next round. My other favorite was George Huff. Once again, I disagree with the judges; I think he has quite a bit of charisma. He's just a guy who's hard not to like. On the bad side of things, I thought Lisa Wilson was too gruff and growly, and what was the deal with Heather Piccinini's facial expressions? The third guy looked like Art Garfunkel, but he sure didn't sound like him. The others really didn't stand out for me in one way or the other.
posted by Nathan at 4:02 PM

 

You are Shetland Wool.
You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a
little on the harsh side. Though you look
delicate you are tough as nails and prone to
intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are
widely respected and even revered.


What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

posted by Nathan at 3:39 PM

 
So, I watched that American Idol "Uncut, Uncensored and Untalented" special last night (the name of which was inaccurate, by the way, since there WAS some censorship in it). It was pretty good, and bringing some of the failed contestants back was an interesting idea, but I kind of wish they had shown more people, with less time devoted to each one. I wanted to see that girl that Randy Jackson said sounded like a ghost, for one. I do have to wonder why William Hung, in particular, has attracted such a following. Sure, he was pretty amusing, but no more so than several other bad contestants. I guess it has something to do with the fact that he's taking being told he was terrible in stride, unlike a lot of the others. Really, I don't know whether or not I should feel sorry for Mr. Hung. Does he realize that the people claiming to be his fans are doing so with a generous dose of irony? I couldn't tell whether he could or not.

I should probably start writing about something other than American Idol, but I'm low on ideas. I haven't been doing much recently, aside from watching TV and playing Beth's Animal Crossing game. I guess I could mention that I went shopping for a new cell phone last night, but the lady at the store talked me into waiting until May, when I am apparently eligible for a discount, to get a new one. I'm surprised she didn't try to sell me something I didn't really want. All of the phones at the store seemed to be out of my price range anyway, so I might end up looking online for a new one.
posted by Nathan at 2:49 PM