engagements are booked through the end of the world

So, another law school blogger linked to this awesome video showcasing Steve Burns (formerly of Blue's Clues) and Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips performing a cute song about Groundhog's Day. She labeled her post as "for the mommies," but I heartily disagree, and not just because I'm a childless fan of smart kids' music (my sixteenth birthday party did, in fact, prominently feature VeggieTales' first Silly Songs video).

It reminded me that after Songs for Dustmites, Steve Burns totally dropped off the map, which is sad because I liked that CD quite a bit and I wanted to hear what else he had to offer. A swift iTunes search confirmed no new albums, and a swift trip to his homepage confirmed that there's a new album "nigh," but not yet here. However, I DID see that his cover of They Might Be Giants' "Dead" is available on iTunes, and I recommend it.

In ever-outward-spiraling efforts to procrastinate, I sampled the rest of the Hello Radio TMBG tribute album and found... not much else to recommend. The Long Winters' "Pet Name" is possibly better than the original, and I snagged "Narrow Your Eyes" for the cool harmonies on the chorus, and "It's Not My Birthday" because I just love that song, and the cover features an accordion. But the rest? Meh. Several sound like dirges (including, disappointingly, the Wrens' "They'll Need a Crane," and OK Go's dismal rendition of "Letterbox"), others are just ill-conceived ("Boat of Car," "She's an Angel"--and seriously, that is MY SONG, and I'm so bummed at how uninspiring the cover is), and still others I just reject on principle (I've never liked "Road Movie to Berlin"--sorry, Frank Black. I hear your album Honeycomb is highly reccommended, though).

Bottom line: TMBG fans, get the Steve Burns and Long Winters tracks, leave the rest. If you've got the originals, you're not missing anything.

Anyway, that was an unusually digressive trip round the internets. And as I'm leading discussion in Trip to Egypt Class tomorrow and not yet done with the reading, I've lots to do this evening. But I'm in a cheerier mood, thanks to the groundhog song. hee.

will you feel better?

It's official: ExRec '06 is done but for the pressing.

Tracklist to follow shortly; the recipients deserve to be surprised. And if you've never been on the Exam Recovery list before, hit me up in the comments and I'll get you hooked up. (For the uninitiated--are there any?--this is my eighth(!) annual year-end best-of mix cd. I work hard to make it awesome, which is why it takes so long, sometimes.)

And yes, it's damn belated. But it makes up for it in musical goodness, I promise.

you're gonna hate yourself in the morning

I have no idea how it got to be after midnight and I haven't done a lick of reading since class ended at 6. GAH.

...well, okay, I do have some inkling: I went to the gym, and then the Boy came over and helped me finish Superbowl/indian food leftovers, then we watched Family Guy from a week ago, then I read about eight thousand law school listserv emails about the untimely resignation of our student bar association president (I'm mildly interested, but more because it's something out of the ordinary than because it affects me in any way whatsoever) and futzed around the internet, as I'm wont to do.

So, now, I'm going to go to bed late again, and I'm going to be tired tomorrow, and that wasn't the plan.

And I shouldn't be dallying on the blog, but I wanted to mention that Mom and I saw a pretty awesome Eddie from Ohio concert on Saturday night--they were at the Black Orchid, a kind of upscale/art deco/yuppie venue within walking distance of my apartment (normally... when it's not, like, -10 degrees outside. In fact, as I type this, I'm wearing a pair of emo-rockstar fingerless knit gloves I got for free at the Death Cab concert on my birthday in '05. They shield my poor skin from my drafty apartment and my trendy metal computer case, and for that I forgive Q101 for sponsoring such a fashion faux).

I don't think I've seen an EFO show outside of FRFF since Jack Quinn's in March '04, and while sitting through "Great Day" without actual blue sky and green grass (...well, sitting through "Great Day" at ALL, but that's neither here nor there) seemed a little odd, it was a fantastic set. Highlights for me were "And the Rain Crashed Down," "There's a Carp in the Tub" (heee robbie kid song), and their cover of "We Belong Together," in honor of their friends Eric Lowen and Dan Navarro. I was reminded suddenly of FRFF '05 when it seemed like Dan was everywhere, and always wearing the same shirt--a shirt for HIS BAND. Hilarious. This year is my fam's ninth FRFF, incidentally... kind of hard to believe. Hopefully I can escape NYC for a (long?) weekend so I won't miss seeing my extended folk family (and the artists, I suppose).

...but anyway. I also will highly recommend the Goose Island Sunday afternoon brew tour--as I said to Bruce in the comments below, $5 gets you a tour, six beer tastes and a pint glass! I think having a pint before the tour was probably a bad idea... but seeing as how Chicago totally sputtered out in the Superbowl anyway, napping through a good portion of the second quarter didn't really make much of a difference.

Mom also mentioned that she reads ye olde blogge, so hi, mom! I'm doing all my work and not messing around at all! That stuff up top about procrastinating online--lies, all of it, I swear... *laughs nervously and changes subject*

blood still warm on the ground

Have we all seen the Decemberists' new O Valencia video?

It's a little reminiscent of the video for 16 Military Wives, though the plot's a bit harder to follow. Still, fun to watch. Plus, I haven't seen Chris Funk since his shred-a-palooza on the Colbert Report.

More soon, as I'm in the middle of a totally fun weekend (next stop: the Goose Island brewery!)--but in the midst of all this Super Bowl nonsense, don't forget about the REAL contest this afternoon: Puppy Bowl III!

we'll bill this city

Wait, so, to publicize release of the Vista OS, Microsoft has hired... Starship? On a FLATBED TRUCK???

Way to keep your finger on the pulse, Gates. I bet all Zunes ship with "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" pre-installed, huh? Sheesh.

i have hardly grown up since you met me

HOLY SH--wow, that was close.

So, like, for ages and ages, a long long time, THIS blog has been at the top of my Blogger options. Now, however, "Music, Copyright and Digital Technology" is before mine in my blog listing (there are only three blogs--it's not like it's overwhelming), so I, of course, blindly click on the first blog and start typing.

And thank GOD I decide to use my "shenanigans" label for, like, the second time, and yet it doesn't pop up automatically after I start typing. So I click the "show all" option and the only tags are "Apple," "iTunes," "DRM"... and I think, huh. Have I even USED those tags?

THEN I realize, OH. THIS IS NOT MY PERSONAL BLOG.

ABORT ABORT ABORT

I could save myself a lot of trouble if I just hosted my own damn blog on kkdotcom. Sigh. I was going to talk about shopping for swimsuits in January, but now I'm just thankful I DIDN'T talk about shopping for swimsuits in january on my CLASS BLOG.

Off for Indian food, which should make it all better, I hope. yikes.

all about chemistry

It's official. Music class = the best law school class ever.

Why? Because my reading for tomorrow (portions of Rockonomics) contains an extended quote from (Semisonic drummer) Jake Slichter's masterpiece, So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star.

Coincidentally, I read that book nearly two years ago, while visiting the law school for Admitted Students Weekend. It's a phenomenal piece of work about the music industry and you should all read it yourselves.

And *I* should finish my reading for tomorrow. But seriously? I LOVE THIS CLASS. It's like getting class credit for doing the stuff I do normally.

I'm totally pulling one over on the administration. (Shhh, don't tell.)

edited to add: Well, whaddya know. Apparently music class will be blogging through Blogger, too. So, I'm making my profile private for the time being--no sense tempting fate. I've said nothing but good things about the class here, but I'd just as soon not encourage clickthroughs from bored classmates.

haven't thought of you lately at all

So, what would you rather do tonight:

Watch the State of the Union, on EVERY major channel at 9pm/8 CST...

...or watch Veronica Mars's first new episode in two months on the CW?

Unless there's a murder mystery on the State of the Union, I'm sticking with option (b), please.

(er, that is, after I spend four hours taping students negotiating. THEN Veronica.) reprieve! I can go home now--and do laundry! hooray!

come on chemicals

This video is completely insane. Like, batshit-crazy. And you must take three and a half minutes out of your busy weekend to watch it:



I have a lot of Of Montreal songs, but I've never taken that step forward in purchasing an album. Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer is a must-get, no question--comes out next Tuesday.

edited to add: Apparently this was directed by the Brothers Chaps! That actually makes a lot of sense. Heh.

we're on the edge of a knife

Blogging on a Friday night--how rockstar of me.

But anyway--our music class prof told us to check out the Digital Music Weblog, which I'm now subscribed to and find really interesting. So, if you're into that sort of thing (iPhones and Baidu.com and ragging on the RIAA--what's not to like?), check it out. Or, at least, read this posting about an independent artist who managed to sell enough shares (or "parts") of his record to fans on Sellaband to make the $50,000 necessary to fund his album. Awesome! And a truly auspicious harbinger of success with a new business model in the music industry.

Oh, and grades came out today, a day or two later than they were supposed to (the 1Ls were in a FUROR--still are in a furor, actually, if the action on our listserv is any indication). I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat, but I do get a little rush of adrenaline when I log on to check grades each semester. Keeps the heart pumping. All I can say is apparently I'm getting the hang of law school now, which is good. I wouldn't relive last semester for ANYthing, but all's well that ends well, I suppose.

Now the Boy and I are going to watch the Office from yesterday--well, we will, when Monk and Psych stop recording. (Yes, I still use a VCR--but I also get free cable from my building management, so the TiFaux will have to wait.)

it's not unusual to be loved by anyone

Is there a reason that iTunes would send me an "alert" containing news about a Decemberists live EP... and Tom Jones's From the Vaults??? Huh. We appear to have a fraught relationship, iTunes and I.

I killed a silverfish the size of a small car in my bathroom this morning. I still have the heebie jeebies. Add to that the ENORMOUS cockroach that disruped my Music, Copyright & Digital Technology seminar (hereinafter, "music class") and I've had a very buggy day. The cockroach gushed when it was killed. Ickkkkk.

Music class is great, though--I love that I could participate by being able to explain what the Grey Album was and who did it. We also got to listen to snippets of both George Clinton's "Get Off Your Ass and Jam" and N.W.A.'s "100 Miles and Running," for academic comparison purposes (of course) regarding a recent sampling decision by the Sixth Circuit (in effect, "If you sample, get a license").

I've gotta give props to my good ol' college senior advisor, Professor Dunne, because I read enough cases and learned enough about copyright law four years ago to be able to hold my own against those who took copyright law in law school. Campbell v. Acuff-Rose? Newton v. Diamond? That George Harrison lawsuit w/ the Chiffons? Yeah, we were all over it. Anyway, it's shaping up to be a great class, cockroaches notwithstanding.

I've got miles of trusts & estates reading to do before I sleep, so off I go. Even though I've now got "Shit! Goddamn! Get off your ass and jam!" running a pleasant little loop in my head...

makes me kind of nervous to say so

YAY three-day weekend! And possible snowstorm on Sunday night/Monday! If I were in grade school, I'd be furious to have a snow day on a holiday--but I'm not, and I love winter weather, and we just haven't had enough of it this year. (Sorry, Bruce!)

Anyway. I'm working on ExRec '06 (*tiny cheers from the crowd*) and accidentally deleted the iTunes playlist with all of my ideas, lovingly compiled over the last 4-5 months. This is the second playlist I've accidentally deleted in as many days, and I'm REALLY annoyed at iTunes for not having an "undo" function to fix such errors. I guess I'm so used to being able to undo anything--cutting and/or pasting, moving files, transferring things to the trash--that this new development came as total shock/horror. I acquire a LOT of new music on a weekly basis (courtesy of the music blogs, mostly), and many of the tracks on this lost playlist were one-off songs that I couldn't recall offhand. GRRR. I've managed to cobble together a new playlist and am working on whittling it down/fixing the track listing, but seriously? iTunes needs to get its act together. If there's a way to make it ask you twice ("Are you sure you want to delete this playlist? Circle one: Yes, No, HELL NO, AND BACK AWAY SLOWLY FROM THAT DELETE KEY"), I'd love to hear it, because, arrgh.

swear to shake it up

So, I'm spamming my blog this evening--think of it as penance for taking an extended hiatus over the holidays. Those of you who don't use a blog aggregator to read these entries might notice a rather unending list of Panic! At the Disco songs to the left, courtesy of last.fm. I kind of feel silly, because their lyrics are SO earnest and almost laughably meta at points--but holy crap, it's catchy stuff. And it's proof positive that a good alternative radio station works wonders for album sales: if I'd listened to Trunger's recommendation a year ago, I'd've bought the album back then--but with no music to go on, I forgot about them. And I was feeling severely heat-sick during their set at Lollapalooza (plus the burlesque girls onstage with them were a little off-putting), so I missed them in favor of the AT&T Blue Room o' Air Conditioning.

But when I was home for vacation, friend Dara recommended that I check out a new alternative radio station out of Cincinnati, 94.9, that was playing GOOD songs, like what we used to hear on the radio in high school, not that new-metal crap that alternative stations morphed into in the early 00's. And it did play good songs (Pearl Jam, Bush, old Beck, even stuff like the Smiths and the Cure)--but it was also playing the heck out of "Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" (did I mention that this band is overly earnest?). And I was intrigued, and the chorus got lodged in my head, and I received $50 in iTunes bucks from the 'rents for Christmas... and now? I'm so all over it. A little behind the curve, and possibly a little sheepish (the median age at their concerts must be, like, 16), but all over it.

Relatedly, I've long thought that the first version of a song that you hear is the version you like the best (assuming you like the song at all). For instance, I'm way more partial to Rufus Wainwright's "Hallelujah" than Jeff Buckley's (and Leonard Cohen's, though that possibly goes without saying) because I heard it first, and I think his voice just suits the song so well (and is a little less over the top, blasphemous as that might seem to some). So it makes sense that I think I prefer the Snakes on a Plane remix of "The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage" (I downloaded it from some blog or another; I swear I do not own the SOaP soundtrack (though I do still like the Cobra Starship theme song)) because I heard it mere seconds prior to the album version. Heh.

Whoo. Anyway. I'll try to rebuild my indie cred tomorrow; for now, I'm happy with my carnival emo-pop. Let's get these teen hearts beating faster, faster...

adrenaline pulls us near

YAY! Good news on a Monday: R.E.M.'s being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Hooray! Other inductees: Patti Smith, Van Halen, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and the Ronettes. I don't really know what the induction gets you, other than absolutely no indie cred whatsoever (hopefully some cash?), but it's damn cool nonetheless. Supposedly they're recording a follow-up to Around the Sun right now? Maybe I ought to renew my fan club membership in case they tour--it's worth the $10 fee a hundred times over for second-row seats, no question. The fan club CD this year was the songs they played at the 40 Watt club in Atlanta w/ Bill Berry--verrrry excited to listen to that.

Oh, and you get another YouTube video to commemorate the occasion. I was going to post Bad Day, because I love how earnest and news-anchorly Michael looks, but there's too much going on in it and it doesn't translate well to pixely streaming video. So, you get this one instead:



well, I lied--you get two videos, because I have a very fond memory of making my friends rent a tape of R.E.M. videos in high school and then watching this one over and over again until we had the dance down. Heh.

throw your love around

Happy 2007!

It's January 5 and it's 60 degrees here in warm & cheerful Centerville, OH. (At least the "warm" part is apt, but "cheerful"? Try me again when I've got something to show for my paper revisions.) Woo freaking hoo. El Nino + global warming = teh suck, for serious. I want WINTER weather, damnit--or if it's going to be WARM, at least be SUNNY. *stomps foot*

Anyhoo. I had a wonderful Christmas (would you believe... the Get Smart DVD Box Set was under the tree?!) and a KICK-ASS New Year's in New Haven--more Catchphrase than anyone thought humanly possible, peppered with spontaneous renditions of "Dick in a Box"--yeah, good times. I won (!) a game of Poker, helped teach 6 people Euchre, and floundered at both Apples to Apples and Categories (underwear is SO sports equipment. sheesh). We had 16 former classmates show up for the NYE festivities, which was a truly amazing turnout. Oh, and if Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers come to your town on their spring tour (as they're likely to do--they'll be in Chicago twice in the next four months), you TOTALLY need to check them out. SUCH good music, and so very all-around entertaining. (Also, though it helps to look up directions to the venue before you leave, it's definitely not required--especially if you want an accidental tour of the sketchy parts of Bridgeport, CT.)

I could go on, but I'd rather share this gem I came across from Filter's celebration of Michael Stipe's 47th birthday yesterday (it was also the Boy's birthday yesterday! but he hasn't danced with the Muppets, so he doesn't get a YouTube link):



Does Peter Buck ever smile? Seriously. Watch the original Shiny Happy People vid again, too--SO AWFUL, and yet so awesome. Christmas also brought When the Light Is Mine, the DVD comp that coincides with R.E.M.'s IRS-label retrospective, and I'm eager to watch it...

...which is why I need to get going on these paper revisions. Sigh.

when half-spent was the night

I am packing a prodigious amount of clothing for my trip home.

No, seriously, I don't know what's gotten into me. It's kind of terrifying. I decided to take my big suitcase because I have gifts to tote, and ostensibly will have gifts to tote back... but I'm filling the space I have, which means I'm taking an awful lot of clothing. I just don't know how to pack for this trip! It's as though the fact that the vacation stretches over the end of the month--into a NEW YEAR no less--suddenly means I have to take every freaking thing I own. Factor in a New Year's celebration out of town (must pack celebratory clothes), get-togethers with friends (must pack something besides long-sleeved Ts and sweats), and the fact that it's a ridiculously warm Christmas (must pack t-shirts AND sweaters) leaves me utterly clueless as to what to bring.

I mean, I'm going to my parents' house for most of it--they HAVE things like shampoo and lens solution, and even if they don't, they probably won't mind running to the store--but I also have to work on my paper, so I need to take Lexis printouts (which, when they hang out in little clusters, tend to be quite bulky), and now that I know what the new Harry Potter book title's going to be (ooooh deathly hollows), I really want to reread Half-Blood Prince... but I don't need to be carrying a hardback book on the Megabus. Plus, if I read a book, I really ought to think about finishing Blindness, if not for my sake, for Karol's...

...I'm overthinking this, and at 2:30 in the morning, when I need to be asleep. Sigh.

Anyway, dear reader, I'm off for Ohio. My blogging will be sporadic, so I leave you with a treat I discovered the other day, and which I'm really, really glad I didn't know about until after my journal draft was done: PeekVid, this unbelievable site for streaming TV shows, and other stuff, too--but take it from someone who literally spent all day watching the first 10 episodes of Ugly Betty: you don't need to venture farther than the TV section for hours and hours of entertainment. Maybe now I can get caught up on this Heroes show everyone's on about...

Also, can I just say that the Boy is the bestest gift-giver ever? I feel like my gift skillz are shoddy indeed in comparison. I am the proud owner of a new pair of upscale coffee-colored Camper pumps and a new shiny silver clippy iPod shuffle! Seriously, he's good.

And seriously, it's bedtime. Happy holidays, reader. Be back soon.

burn this whole city down

Folks, don't forget to watch the Colbert Report TONIGHT at 10:30 CST--it's Stephen's showdown with Chris Funk of the Decemberists! (And if you've managed to miss out on the fun so far, go here to catch up.)

Also, I took my exam yesterday--woo, I suppose. I'm "done," but not DONE, which sucks. Stupid paper grr arrgh.

But I'm goin' out a-shoppin' right now. Christmas only 5 days away? Pshaw! Plenty of time!

I wish I had a river

Thanks for the lovely birthday wishes, everyone. Unfortunately, no, I'm not done with exams--I'm taking my (only) exam tomorrow afternoon later on today, even though our exam period technically stretches till Thursday. I do have to revise my journal comment into a proper 2nd draft for my directed reading & research prof... but he's thoughtfully given me till Jan. 8 to turn THAT in, and even though I really, really don't want to spend (any of) my winter break doing work, I probably will, because I've trained myself not to be able to do ANYTHING without a pressing deadline.

Then, Friday, home, just in time for Christmas (yikes! What else am I getting my parents?). I sincerely hope next year's academic calendar gives us a little bit more of a winter break, but it's probably going to be more of the same--test, test, test, then home in a rush right before the holiday. Last year, being able to enjoy my birthday with exams done by the 15th--a fluke, probably. which sucks. At least school won't start again till the aforementioned Jan. 8 (hallelujah).

Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling, and I'm supposed to be making a checklist/table of contents for my outline, anyhow. Did I mention that my building is turning off our water from 9am-noon? Because they'd definitely do that on a day when I'm home, not otherwise occupied, and probably would desire to use the bathroom sometime therein. Good thing I actually left my apartment today to see the sign in the lobby, huh? 'Cause that would've been a nasty surprise.

you say it's your birthday...

...well, it's my birthday too, yeah! And 25 feels a lot like 24, only with rental car privileges, I suppose. Hmm. *contemplates renting car and driving far, far away from her remaining school obligations*

So, Frillgirl tagged me in the holiday song meme that's spreading like hot spiced wine wildfire across the blogosphere, and as a HUGE fan of holiday music, I'm totally down. The only requirement is to name five of your favorite holiday songs and then tag 5 others to do the same... but I'm gonna do more than that, because there's no way I can pick just 5. (And if you're looking to supplement your own holiday music collection, check out WOXY's holiday music stream--lots of new stuff as well as the favorites you already love.)

So, how about 5 classics (staples from the midnight Christmas Eve church service):
Joy to the World
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Ye Faithful
Silent Night
Angels We Have Heard on High

And 5 (well, six) more religious ones, with my favorite performers noted (if I have one):
O Holy Night
O Come O Come Emmanuel (LOVE Belle & Sebastian's version)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings (BNL/Sarah McLachlan)
Un Flambeau, Jeannette Isabelle
What Child Is This?

Plus 5 classic pop songs:
Thanks For Christmas - The Three Wise Men (really XTC)
Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
2000 Miles - The Pretenders
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby/David Bowie
River - Joni Mitchell (though Peter Mulvey's cover is pretty awesome)

5 newer songs that I adore:
Holiday Road - Matt Pond PA (WHY don't I own any of their stuff?)
O Tannenbaum - They Might Be Giants
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Tori Amos
Christmas Carol - Nerissa & Katryna Nields
The Winter Song - Eisley / Deck the Halls - SheDaisy (okay, I can't decide on just 5)

5 funny songs:
Jesus's Birthday - Bob Rivers
Toy Sack - Bob Rivers
I Want an Alien for Christmas - Fountains of Wayne
Lonely Christmas Eve - Ben Folds
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer - Elmo & Patsy (ahh, the classic)

5 Hanukkah Songs:
Jesus Was a Dreidel Spinner - Jill Sobule
The Hanukkah Song - Adam Sandler
Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel - South Park
Jesus Envy - Eric Schwartz
Hine Ma Tov - Puzzle of Light

And finally, 5 songs that make me think of Christmas, even though they're not "Christmas" songs:
Winter - Tori Amos
Valley Winter Song - Fountains of Wayne
Blizzard of '77 - Nada Surf
My December - Linkin Park (...yeah, I know, and I'm digging myself deeper by admitting I heard it for the first time covered by Josh Groban--but it's a good song, for serious)
A Long December - Counting Crows (always my favorite, always)

SO. I'm tagging 5 people, and just know that you only have to do 5 christmas songs, not 35 (unless you want to). Happy holidays, dear readers!
Kristine
Cella
Bruce
Chris
Carey

a girl in need of a tourniquet

well, shoot.

I was just reminded that in 1999, both Aimee Mann ("Save Me") and Trey Parker/Matt Stone ("Blame Canada") lost out for Best Song in the Oscars to Phil Collins's monkey tune ("You'll Be In My Heart"). That's a double travesty.

Also, if you didn't see the Office's hour-long Benihana Christmas spectacular last night... you seriously missed out. (Fortunately, you can see it again next Tues at 8pm CST.) I knew it was going to be hard to top last year's iPod gift exchange, but this episode was howlingly funny, especially with the karaoke ("you... you... you... you... you... you outta know!"). Speaking of, yours truly had the surreal experience of karaoke-ing in the lobby of her apartment building last night (again, for a holiday party). I'm happy I live in such a friendly place--it's just a shame I couldn't stay longer (or avail myself of any of the free beer/wine), what with a looming Business Associations exam and all. Alas.