Caringosity Killed the Kerouac Cat

Friday. Yeah! Ok, sorry, no post yesterday. I really wanted to but I was getting slammed with orders all afternoon, I was trying to run the website upload which kept giving me problems, and I had to swap out my computer and lost about 2 hours of productivity time. Well, ok, not so much productivity per se, but I couldn't get online at all during that time. I know I should be super pumped to finally get my computer replaced, but of course it had to come in on the worst day of the week on one of the busiest days of the year and I had a bunch of problems getting everything going. In fact, I spent a good chunk of time on the phone with user support this morning still trying to get everything fixed. I am still missing some critical programs that didn't transfer, but I guess I'll have to deal with that later. Why didn't I just wait to switch my computer next week when things die back down? Well, that is a long story but basically it involves a lease being up in another district, me taking a computer from that district over a year ago, and bounty hunters tracking me down and demanding that I hand over my CPU immediately. So, you see, I had no choice...

As a result of my being unable to post, I couldn't make my football picks. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but Colorado State played Air Force last night. For me to predict their win would seem a little silly after the fact. However, since they are my alma mater and I have picked them to win every other game this season, you can feel free to assume that I would have picked them to stomp all over in-state (and conference) rival Air Force. Which they did. Go Rammies!

So, Tennessee pulls off one of the greatest comebacks I have ever seen and they get rewarded with... no movement in the polls. The team they beat, LSU, drops one spot to #4. Where's the justice? Anyway, the Volunteers play unranked Ole Miss this week. As long as the Vols play the way they did at the end of the game last week, this should be no problem.

#1 USC plays #14 Arizona State. USC is finally starting to face some competition. ASU has a pretty strong offense, and of course, so does USC, so expect to see a high-scoring game here. Whosever defense can hold the best will determine this game. I think this will be a good game, but I think that there is no stopping USC from being the first team in PAC-10 history to win 26 straight games.

#2 Texas plays unranked Missouri. At 2-1, Missouri is not exactly a pushover, but they still should be no problem for the Longhorns. Texas takes it.

#3 Virginia Tech plays unranked West Virginia. You would think that this would be no problem for VT, but the Mountaineers have played spoiler before against the Hokies. This should be another good one, but I'm going with Virginia Tech.

Around the league other good games to keep an eye on are Florida vs. Alabama, Notre Dame vs. Purdue, and Michigan vs. Michigan State.

Since I had a bad day yesterday and I counted on it being just as busy today, I wanted to listen to some good punk rock music this morning to get me good and amped up. So, I chose Bad Religion. It definitely did the trick. Since this post is now already a mile long and I already reviewed Bad Religion here, I will go ahead and finish now.

A Ray of Sunshine Melts My Frown and Blows My Blues Away

Wednesday. Not much going on today. Still a ton of orders coming in due to the end of our client's fiscal year. The office is dead since the branch is throwing a trade show today. I was invited to go check it out, but since I am a corporate employee and not a branch employee I have to stay here. I could have probably asked to get away for a bit, but with all of these orders coming in, I figured now is not the time to inquire if I can leave the premises to hang out at a trade show that I have nothing to do with. So, here I am practically alone and bored even more than usual. Awesome.

I promised I would change up my music today since my legions of faithful readers are probably sick of hearing about the Pixies, so I dug deep to find something good. I came up with Live at the Greek Theater by Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes. This album is pretty sweet. I love Led Zeppelin. I love The Black Crowes. Put them together, and much like the chocolate and peanut buttery goodness of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, you end up with an excellent combination. Mr. Page has taken some flack over the years for teaming up individuals who are not Robert Plant and releasing tracks. In his defense, Mr. Page has stated that there are songs that he wants to do and play live, but Mr. Plant won't let him (the rumor is that Mr. Plant can't hit those screeching high notes any more). So, I can see Mr. Page's point, even if it means he puts out albums like this.

Anyway, Live at the Greek Theater is not only significant because it totally rocks, but because it was the first album to ever be sold exclusively online. It is now available on CD. Fourteen of the tracks are Zep tunes, and Chris Robinson really rocks it out on numbers like Out on the Tiles (one of my Zep faves), Custard Pie, and Celebration Day. The other six tracks are mostly blues covers, and those are excellent as well. Zeppelin always was good at the blues-rock thing. This album is a must-have for even the casual Zep fan, and even if you aren't a casual Zep fan, give it a shot anyway. This just might turn that around.

I Know that Someday Everything I Needed and I Wanted Used to be that My Head was Haunted

Tuesday. Another busy day. I am currently working on a preliminary spreadsheet listing all of the open items scheduled to uploaded onto the website Thursday. Trust me, it's as exciting as it sounds. In the meantime, I am approving orders for non-approved suppliers and trying to secure their product liability insurance to make sure we don't get our pants sued off when their product maims a bunch of innocent people. Ok, that was a bit drastic, but you get the idea.

Despite another hectic day, I am in a super good mood. Why, you ask? Because I saw one of the greatest football games I have ever seen last night. Trust me, I could write a mile-long entry describing this game, but to keep it short, I will just say that my beloved University of Tennessee Volunteers came back from a 21-0 deficit(and one of the worst performances I have ever seen) to beat Louisiana State University in overtime. An added twist to the story: former LSU quarterback and UT transfer Rick Clausen came off the bench to lead the Vols to victory. It was an absolutely amazing game and one that will go down in SEC history.

Of course, no one here saw the game so I couldn't share my elation with my fellow co-workers. They were all watching the Denver Broncos easily defeat the KC Chiefs on Monday Night Football (I do work in Denver, after all). Hey, I'm happy that the Broncos won, but they all missed a much better game on the other channel.

In other football news, I pretty much swept the board with my football picks this week. My alma mater, Colorado State, secured their first win of the season against Nevada, Virginia Tech easily handled Georgia Tech, and USC won yet again over Oregon. Oh, and Vanderbilt won again, now making them 4-0. I can't believe it.

Today I listened to Trompe Le Monde by The Pixies. I know, I know. More Pixies. I can't help it, I'm on a serious Pixies kick right now and I can't get enough. I'll try to change it up tomorrow. In the meantime, let's talk Pixies.

I had heard that Trompe Le Monde was the weakest of the Pixies' albums. This was their last album together, tensions were high, and the band would soon break up shortly after. Once again, Kim Deal's songs and vocals are mysteriously missing from this album (she was forming The Breeders during this time as an outlet). I have to admit the album didn't really grab me at first. I was beginning to see the reasons behind people's disparagement. Yet, somewhere around the fourth or fifth song, things started to change. This album was getting pretty good. After a slow start, I was really starting to enjoy this one. Sure, it's no Doolittle or Surfer Rosa, but it is still pretty good. I'm guessing after a few more listens, I'll appreciate it even more. Recommended tracks: Head On, Palace of the Brine, and Motorway to Roswell.

I've Seen the End of the Day Come Too Late

Monday. Another busy day for me. Orders keep coming in while my sanity slowly drains away. Oh well, that's the risk you have to manage working in risk management. See, I am obviously being overworked if I thought that was going to be funny.

I listened to Sea Change by Beck this morning. I was looking for something mellow, and boy, did I get it. This is not the funky Beck you may have heard in the past. I mean, even Mutations had a couple of faster tempo tracks. I read somewhere once that this album came out right after Beck broke up with his long-time girlfriend, and this was his way of expressing his emotions over the ordeal. With songs named Lonesome Tears and Lost Cause, along with the overall somber mood of this release, I could definitely see it. They say suffering artists produce the best work, but honestly I prefer Beck's happier stuff. That sounds selfish, doesn't it? Beck, you can't be sad because I want you to only write the happy songs that I like. Anyway, I still stand by my proclamation that Beck is the greatest artist of my generation, but I wouldn't recommend playing this album at your next wedding reception or bar mitzvah party.
I'll review my football picks tomorrow since both UT and the Broncos play tonight (no, not against each other).

I Had So Many Problems, And Then I Got Me a Walkman

Friday. Yeah! I have been extremely busy today. First thing this morning I found my email box literally full of job order approvals. I had to move stuff out because I had exceeded my space limits due to all of their mess. Of course, every single order is hot and has to get out the door pronto, so instead of the relaxing morning I had anticipated, I got quite the opposite. Once that was finished I had the pleasure of working on my Friday spreadsheet report regarding what items fell of the website from the previous upload. Nothing like scrolling through about 12,000 line items looking for discrepancies. I would like to say that my afternoon will be better, but since I was greeted the instant I got back from lunch by people in sales flipping out over their orders, I am not holding out hope. At least it's Friday.

As faithful readers (yeah, right) know, on Fridays I usually listen to something groovin' to get my Friday started off right. However, instead of kicking, say, the Beastie Boys or Sublime, I chose to listen to Frank Black by Frank Black. Not that it wasn't rockin', because trust me it was, but maybe my Friday has turned sour because I deviated from the standard formula. I couldn't help it, though. I obtained the album last night and I was too excited to wait until Monday to review it.

This album was my first exposure to anything Pixies. I remember being a freshman in college helping select music to play at a house party some friends of mine were throwing. One of the guys who lived there was all excited about this new Frank Black CD he had just bought and told us to play Los Angeles. The song went over well with the crowd. Who the heck was Frank Black? I thought I was pretty well versed in music (no pun intended. Ok, so it was. You caught me) but I had never heard of him. I later found out he was in the Pixies but never followed up in any further investigations. I did like that song, though. Which brings us to today, many years later when I heard the first song on Frank Black, which of course was Los Angeles. This solo effort from Frank Black definitely sounds different than his previous work with the Pixies. Gone are the melodies and surf-guitar sounds of the early Pixies. Black seems to be taking on a more serious side to his craft. It is a masterful album, but I miss the fun of the Pixies. Frank Black is a genius, but I would only recommend this album to people who have already checked out the Pixies first.

I'm Going Nowhere, But I'm Guaranteed to be Late

Thursday. Today has been a busy day. First, it is website upload day today, so I spent the morning working on uploading the database. That is always guaranteed fun. As far as I know everything went ok, I guess I'll find out tomorrow after everything updates overnight. After that I had to submit treasury reports explaining to the big boss lady and the VP of Treasury why I have large outstanding balances hanging on my accounts. Um, I just got these accounts six weeks ago. Yet I get the heat for it? I guess it would be better if I made greater inroads on more than one of the listed accounts, but oh well. Give me time.

Well, since it is Thursday it is time for college football picks!

Tennessee plays LSU this week in what I consider the biggest game in college football this week. I'm not just saying this because I'm a UT fan, either. Tennessee was #3 before dropping a hugely disappointing loss to conference rival Florida last week. Now LSU is #3 and it is time for the Vols to get their spot back. Unfortunately, it will be an uphill battle for the Vols. First, LSU is pretty dang good. Second, it is at LSU. Third, LSU just came off a bye week. Finally, we have to put in the psychological factor of UT losing a rough one last week in Florida. Who came up with this schedule anyway? Florida then LSU back-to-back? Jeez... I would say why not squeeze Vanderbilt in there, but UT always plays them towards the end of the season and currently the Commodores are 3-0. That's right, you heard me. Vanderbilt is undefeated. While I will be wholeheartedly rooting for the Vols when they play each other, I would love to see Vandy go to a bowl game. They've been kicked around enough. By the way, I'm counting on Tennessee to come out fighting at LSU and take it. No way they can drop two in-conference games in a row.

Talking about must-wins, Colorado State must defeat Nevada this week if they have any hopes of salvaging their season. Nevada shouldn't be a problem and the Rammies got a week to prepare, so I am going with CSU with this one. C'mon Rammies, you can do it!

#1 USC faces their first challenge of the season against #24 Oregon. Ok, it isn't exactly a powerhouse match-up, but they have to put up a better contest than Hawaii or Arkansas put up. I'm still going with USC, though. A little closer than the past two games, but still a comfortable win.

# 2 Texas has week off.

Another good game this week should be the battle of the Techs: #4 Virginia Tech at #15 Georgia Tech. Of course this all depends on whether or not GT plays with their star QB. If not, they are going with the redshirt freshman. Not a good sign. Even worse of a sign is that they are playing in Virginia and VT's QB is none other than Marcus Vick. I'd go with VT no matter who was at the helm in GT.

Ok, that's it for now. I listened to more Modest Mouse today. This time it was Building Nothing Out of Something. I reviewed this one a little while back. I really like this album. It may have moved up to second place now right behind Moon & Antarctica. Good stuff.

All I Am are My Thoughts

Wednesday. Well I had a pretty stressful afternoon yesterday that carried over into this morning. One of my many thrilling spreadsheet reports caused me some headaches when I tried to put it together but I finally finished it and sent it on its way for better or for worse. Now I get to breathe easy for a little bit while I do some vendor database entries and wait for feedback to come in for the website upload tomorrow morning. Of course everyone will wait until the last minute to send his or her changes, but such is the nature of the beast.

Other than that, not much going on here today. I am tired again this morning. I went to bed at a decent hour last night, so maybe my late night on Monday is still catching up with me. I listened to Bossanova by The Pixies this morning. Yes, I am still on my Pixies kick. I didn't get a chance to write my review of Bossanova last week when I left work early, so I thought this would be a perfect chance to take care of two things at once: getting my daily Pixies fix and getting in a review of this album.

Bossanova is definitely more polished than the earlier Pixies album. It is weird because even though the music sounds better, it loses something in the production. Not to say that the album is bad, quite the contrary, it is just that I think Doolittle and Surfer Rosa are just a little bit better due to their raw edge. This album is a little more laid back as well. The songs don't seem as edgy and harsh overall as some of the Pixies' earlier work. This album at times seems like a tribute of sorts to their earlier influences. Sure, you can argue that every album displays homage to influences, but here you can hear surf guitar riffs and a very David Byrne-sounding Dig for Fire (my favorite track on this album). Also, mysteriously absent from this album are any songs by Kim Deal. Since creative control was one of the reasons cited for The Pixies' breakup, I am sure that this is not coincidental. Anyway, I liked this album. It wouldn't be the first Pixies' album I would recommend to buy, but if you liked Doolittle and Surfer Rosa, then pick this one up as well.

Laugh Hard, It's a Long Way to the Bank

Tuesday. It has been a busy day so far. I am working on spreadsheet reports and trying to crank out order approvals as they come in. Tons of fun. It doesn't help that I am dead tired today because I was up late writing a final paper for one of my grad classes. It wasn't a good paper, but at least it is finished. Now I get to enjoy two weeks off. Sweet! Only one more quarter left after this and I will be done and graduated. That's when the big bucks come, right? Right? Please tell me "right"...

Anyway I was too brain dead this morning to think of an album to review, so I just went with the old standby, The Moon & Antarctica by Modest Mouse. Sorry everyone if you expected to read a startling refreshing review of an indie rock album. First, if that is what you are looking for what are you doing here? Go to Pitchfork Media or something. Second, it has been awhile since I have listened to some MM and I really needed it this morning. Even after a brief hiatus, I still find this album absolutely phenomenal and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I'm Just Looking For... Just Looking For a Way Around

Monday. Well, it's another week at work. I know I'm pumped. Not much going on so far, a pretty uneventful day. That's how I want it, though, because I have a grad school paper due tonight on forecasting models (oh boy!) and I am trying to secretly work on it in between vendor database entries. Shhh... Don’t tell my boss.

This was another rough football weekend. I was correct in calling a close Tennessee/Florida game, but unfortunately the Gators ended up with the higher score. Not that Tennessee played badly, in fact, their defense looked pretty good. However, as in most close games, the final outcome depended on a few crucial mistakes. In this case, when Tennessee's punt returner fumbled the punt and gave the ball back to Florida in the red zone, this resulted in not only losing a valuable possession but in more Gator points on the board. This game came down to special teams, and Florida just had the advantage. Let's just hope Tennessee can get things together before they play a rested LSU next week.

I did call the respective USC and the Texas games, though. Both games were blowouts. However, the Cowboys of Wyoming won a squeaker over Air Force, so I was off there.

Fresh off my disappointment over the Tennessee game the night before, I thought I was going to see the Broncos drop another one as well. However, former Volunteer Al Wilson and the rest of the Broncos defense caught fire the second half and completely shut down the San Diego offense. The Broncos came back, and kicked a field goal in the final seconds to get the victory. At first I was elated, then I realized that, hey, this game should have never been this close in the first place. Elam had previously missed two other kicks in the game, Anderson fumbled the ball at the one costing us a touch down, and we had two other TDs called back for penalties, including a punt return that was nullified because a couple of knuckleheads ran on the field to celebrate before the ball crossed the end zone. Jeez Louise, people. You are professionals. Please show some discipline. Anyway, they won, so I'm happy about that. They just need to get it together or they may not be so lucky next time.

I am still on my Pixies kick, so you will have to please forgive me. However, I have for the moment moved on past Pixies albums and I ventured into what the former Pixies members did after the break up. So, today I listened to Last Splash by The Breeders. The Breeders are fronted by Kim Deal, former bassist for The Pixies. Ms. Deal joined The Pixies when she answered an ad looking for a bassist into "Husker Du and Peter, Paul, and Mary." Interesting... Anyway, she ended up in a creative control dispute with Frank Black, which eventually led to the dissolution of the band. Same old story, she wanted more of her songs on the album, the main songwriter didn't want to surrender any of his turf. So, she formed her own band with a friend of hers from the Throwing Muses, and that's how The Breeders came about. The Breeders had a surprise hit from this album with Cannonball, which everyone has heard a million times on the radio. However, I had never heard the rest of the album until this morning. It was pretty good, but a bit uneven. Besides Cannonball, other notable tracks include Divine Hammer and Drive On. I don't think that the Breeders ever officially broke up (I guess I could look that up), but they did run into some problems that inhibited them from releasing more albums, including Ms. Deal's substance abuse problem. Creative differences? Substance abuse? So cliché...

Your Head Will Collapse If There’s Nothing In It

Friday. Yeah! Sorry everyone for the lack of a post yesterday, I left work early and didn't get a chance to put one up. Don't worry, I did get the website uploaded successfully yesterday so you can all be relieved about that. I know everyone was deeply concerned. Today I am catching up on work from yesterday and putting together my standard Friday spreadsheet receivables report. Fun times.

Since I was out yesterday, I will do college football picks today:

The biggest game of the week is undoubtedly Tennessee at Florida. I'm not just saying this as a huge UT fan, but as a college football fan in general. The outcome of this game almost always has bearing on who vies for the national championship. I know everyone loves the Big 10 and the Pac-10 but the SEC is a veritable football powerhouse and with four teams in the top 10 you better believe it! Anyway, it looks rough for my Volunteers. Although they won, they didn't play well last week and they are playing in the Swamp, never a good situation. An objective observer would pick the Gators, but I'm not objective when it comes to beating Florida. Tennessee over Florida in a close one.

Colorado State does not play this week, which is a good thing since they are probably still reeling from their embarrassing loss to Minnesota last week. Hopefully this time off will help them prepare for their first win over unranked Nevada next week. The big MWC game this week is Air Force over Wyoming. I'm going with Air Force on this one.

#1 USC plays Arkansas. USC with the easy win over the Razorbacks.

#2 Texas plays Rice. What a joke. While I'd love to see Rice win a big one, Texas could handle them easily with their third string. Texas takes it by a huge margin.

That's it for now. #3 LSU doesn't play.

I listened to more Pixies on the way in to work today. I listened to the Pixies, yesterday, too. I am really into this band right now. I know I'm a latecomer with this band, but right now I don't care about appearances, I am digging the tunes and that should be all that matters. I honestly can't get some of these songs out of my head. They are that good. Anyway, this morning I listened to Come On Pilgrim, their first EP release comprised of a few tracks laid down on their initial demo tape. This EP definitely shows a more rough side of the Pixies, as apposed to the more refined studio albums they put out later. That doesn't mean this EP is bad, in fact, quite the opposite. This album rocks, literally and figuratively. It has a harder edge and less melody than their other releases. I recommend it, but not for your first Pixies outing. I would recommend Doolittle or Surfer Rosa for that. I'm still deciding which one of those albums I like best. You'd better get both just to be safe.

Gotta Change My Mind Before it Burns Out

Wednesday. A little better than yesterday. I am doing collection work right now and the considerable lack of cooperation by some of my co-workers is getting a little frustrating. Since the sales side gets commissions on sales generated regardless if those sales actually get paid, they have little concern with the problems of the financial department. Apparently someone forgot to tell them that unless the company actually receives money for their sales we wouldn’t be in business for them to have a sales job.

Today I listened to Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth. This album came highly recommended and, like the Pixies, Sonic Youth has been named one of the most influential bands of the past two decades. Unlike the Pixies I didn't immediately latch on to this record. It is good and I enjoyed it, but I didn't find an immediate connection. For instance, I still have the Pixies in my head from when I listened to them yesterday, despite listening to other music. Maybe this album was just overshadowed by the residual Pixies effect. I did read that Daydream Nation takes a couple of listens to fully appreciate it, so I am sure it will get another shot.

You know, what does "most influential" mean, anyway? If I were a musician would I be instantly compelled to write a rock opera after sampling one of these tracks? I'm not a musician, so what happens if I listen to the album? Do I still get to be under the influence? Is it ok to be under the influence before work, or worse when I am driving to work? Is there an annual survey to find the most influential bands? Who gets surveyed, then? I'm pretty sure Jessica Simpson isn't listing Iron Butterfly as her main inspiration. These are questions I would like answered. If anyone knows, please comment.

That reminds me, after getting several spam solicitations in the comments field I have opted for word verification in order to ensure only real comments are left. Of course that really doesn't mean anything since no one comments anyway, but at least there (hopefully) won't be any more attempts to use my blog as springboard to, um, "questionable" links.

Where Is My Mind?

Sorry everyone, no post today. I know I promised a review of The Pixies' Surfer Rosa, but it's been a rough day and I don't think I can swing it. I did listen to it this morning, however, and it was awesome so don't worry, I'm sure I'll be listening to it again real soon and I'll cover it then.

This Monkey's Gone to Heaven

Monday. Today has been an odds and ends kind of day. I have been working on a handful of projects, approving vendor orders and handling liability insurance requests for the most part. Not exactly amusement park levels of fun, but it is keeping me busy.

Well, if you are a football fan from Fort Collins, CO, last weekend was pretty rough. I saw my Rammies get absolutely mutilated by the Minnesota Gophers and the Denver Broncos exhibited the worst football I've witnessed on their part since they let Corey Dillon break the single game rushing record on them a few years back.

My call of Ohio State over Texas was off (though I was close...), but I was good on my Iowa State upset prediction. And I was completely 100% right on when I said that both Tennessee and USC wouldn't play (gotta take your victories where you can).

The good news is that I listened to an absolutely outstanding album this morning, Doolittle by The Pixies. I have known about The Pixies for a while now, but always as the band that Frank Black and Kim Deal were in before they went on to do other things (Deal was in The Breeders, Black went solo and did Los Angeles). I knew they were supposed to be one of the most influential bands of the late '80s/early '90s blah blah blah but I never ventured a listen. Why the holdout? I have no idea. These guys definitely lived up to the hype. I really liked this album. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, though. This collection is all over the place. They do punk, alternative, a love song, several tracks I can't define in a genre, and even what sounds like an early '60s throwback in Here Comes Your Man. I've read in several places that The Pixies heavily influenced Nirvana. I don't really hear it, but I can definitely hear their influence in Pavement and early Modest Mouse. This is one of the best albums I have heard in a long time. Expect a review of The Pixies' Surfer Rosa tomorrow.

It Takes a Miracle Just to Survive

Friday. Yeah! Not much going on at work today. I had a big spreadsheet report to do this morning and now I am just doing odds and ends to catch up. Other than that I am just trying to coast to the weekend. Tomorrow is Potato Day in Greeley, Colorado, and I plan to be in attendance. This is an annual full-out celebration of the beloved spud, and who am I to miss out on free baked potatoes and all the fixin's? I mean I would even go to Greeley for that.

Since today is Friday and I needed something to get my weekend kicked off right, I listened to Beck's Midnight Vultures on the way into work. Now Beck typically has some upbeat tunes on his releases, but this is a true "get-up-and-dance" album (which actually made it difficult for me since I was trying to drive my car at the time). I read somewhere once that Beck said he wanted to release an album of every genre of music, even a country album. Before you laugh, listen to songs like Rowboat from Stereopathetic Soul Manure and then tell me he couldn't pull it off. Anyway, I had heard that this was his tribute to his 70's funk influences, and it shows on tracks like Nicotine & Gravy, Mixed Bizness and Sexx Laws. Another good track on this album is Debra, which I guess was originally slated for Odelay, but he ultimately decided didn't fit. Now, I know that Beck is real popular and he's a goofy guy and all, but I seriously think he is one of the most talented, defining artists of my generation. That is, the kids who grew up in the '90s. You know, the "slackers." I hate saying things like "he is our generation's Bob Dylan" because there is only one Bob Dylan and it's Bob Dylan. He is our generation's Beck, and that's a darn good thing.

Be Somewhere You Wanna Be, Keep On Groovin’ Cause That’s the Key

Thursday. Today is website upload day so I have been pretty busy. I encountered a slight hiccup earlier this morning, but I was able to overcome this obstacle and so far all has run well since. Other than that, another boring day at work.

Ok, since it is Thursday it is time for this week's college football predictions. Let's see...

Colorado State plays the University of Minnesota this week. CSU is coming off an extremely disappointing loss and faces another tough game this week. If CSU wants to hang with UM they have to stop the run. Last year, the Gophers made Swiss cheese of the Ram's defense. However, if CSU wants to win, they have to play with heart, plain and simple. They have to believe they can win. CSU can't afford another 0-2 start to the season. They have to get out there and go after it. Minnesota is beatable. The Rams just have to believe it. I, of course, am going with my alma mater, CSU (I did attend grad school at the U of M for one year which cost about as much as my total undergrad, but I transferred back out before I graduated so they don't count as an alma mater to me).

Tennessee does not play this week. They traditionally take their bye week early in order to get more prep time against Florida. Whatever it takes, Vols. Do whatever it takes. Florida must go down.

USC doesn't play this week either. That sound you hear is every other division one school sighing in relief. Well, except Arkansas who plays them next week.

Iowa vs. Iowa State. Hmmm... tough one. Good interstate rivalry. I'm going with the underdog. Cyclones over Hawks.

Texas vs. Ohio State. This will probably be the game of the week. Looks like an even pick to me. I'm going with Ohio because that's where my grandma lives. Hey, I never said these picks were scientific...

Ok, that's it for now. I listened to Donovan Frankenreiter's epononymously-named album this morning on the drive in. Fans of Jack Johnson would probably appreciate Mr. Frankenreiter's music. How do I know? Well... both are guitarists. Both are from Hawaii. Both are surfers (Mr. Frankenreiter was a professional surfer prior to his music career). Mr. Frankenreiter is signed to Mr. Johnson's label, Brushfire Records. Jack Johnson appears on this album. They both like Zagnut bars. Ok, I can't verify that last one, but I do know that both artists are fairly similar, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Frankenreiter tends to use more accompaniment than Johnson, but both play mellow, happy, feel-good type music that is easy on the ears. Nothing here is going to overwhelm you with musical innovation, but there is a track with a bongo solo that's pretty cool. Recommended tracks: Free, Make You Mine, and Our Love.

You’ve Been Chosen as an Extra in the Movie Adaptation of the Sequel to Your Life

Wednesday. Well, I was hoping to get caught up in some of my vendor database entries today since I've been so busy lately, but the system just went down so I guess that isn't going to happen. Now I get to try to figure out what I'm going to do for the next couple of hours that doesn't have to be done in the system. I could file... but I think I'll opt for writing today's blog entry instead. Now I just wish I had something to talk about.

Today I listened to Slanted & Enchanted by Pavement. Now, I think I've touched on this subject before on this site, so please excuse the repetition. Many music insiders and people "in the know" consider Slanted & Enchanted not only the best Pavement album, but also one of the most influential albums of the past 20 years. Ok, I love Pavement and all, but this one isn't my favorite album. I prefer Brighten the Corners, personally. Of course, I'm neither a music insider nor a person "in the know" about anything. I'm not even a musician. I'm just some dude who likes to listen to music (please keep this caveat in mind when reading this and other reviews).

Maybe I prefer Brighten the Corners because it was the first Pavement album I had. I remember the first time I heard the song Stereo on the college radio here in town. Once they hit the "Geddy Lee" line of the song, I knew I had to find out just who this band was. Pavement released their first album Slanted & Enchanted in 1992. It was hailed as the next big thing, and is credited for ushering in the "lo-fi slacker movement" of the '90s (lucky for me, since I had been a genuine slacker since the mid-80s). So, all the hipsters knew of Pavement years before I did. So what. I once saw Pearl Jam in a club for $7. You don't hear me bragging about it, do you? Well, except for just now. And that time in the break room last week when we were all talking about concerts we'd seen. And that time when we were all... ok, never mind. All you early Pavement fans are far better than me and I bow down to your superiority! Is that what you want to hear?! Are you satisfied now?!!!

Whoa... sorry about that. Weird things happen when the system goes down and I am over-caffeinated. Anyway, Pavement is cool. All the albums are good, but I like Brighten the Corners best. Ok, time to go file or something now.

You Can Run All Your Life But Not Go Anywhere

Tuesday. Well, since we got yesterday off, no one can complain about having "a bad case of the Mondays." Instead, I am having a three-day weekend hangover of sorts. I definitely got spoiled by the long weekend because I have been just dragging today. I am working on a spreadsheet today and fending off nagging co-workers who just won't leave me alone today. I guess they actually expect me to work and stuff.

Ok, so my college football predictions were a little off last week, but really not by much. First, I was dead on about USC whipping up on Hawaii. Tennessee beat UA-Birmingham in an un-televised game, but not nearly by the margin I expected. After that, my prognostications went awry. Wyoming failed to beat Florida and Colorado State blew an 11-point lead over CU to lose in the final seconds by a FG. Terrible! How can someone play three outstanding quarters just to give away the game to your biggest rival? Oh well. So, we lost at football. At least we can get the initials of our school in the right order.

I listened to one of my personal favorite bands this morning, Social Distortion. Social Distortion plays their own distinctive brand of punk rock. They don't play thrash, and they don't play pop. Yet, it isn't traditional punk either. Sometimes it is a slowed-down version, like Bad Luck or Born To Lose, but they can still rock out like on Mommy's Little Monster. The version of Don't Drag Me Down on Live at the Roxy is particularly kickin'. If you don't have a copy of Roxy, then you must immediately ask your boss/spouse/co-workers/first grade class to excuse you while you go out and get it right now. I'm serious, go. I'll wait.

Back yet? Ok. I have said many times on this site that lyrics are what really drive my affection for a band. Social Distortion is a perfect example of this particular axiom. I swear sometimes I think they write songs just for me. I can seriously relate. Songs not mentioned above that you should also check out: Ball and Chain, Story of My Life, I Was Wrong and every other Social D tune.

What’s the Matter With the Truth? Is There Any of it Left For Us to See?

Friday. Yeah! Not much going on here today at work. Half of the branch is out due to the holiday weekend, but faithful darthjohnny42 is still here banging out spreadsheets. Awesome.

Today I listened to Big Choice by Face to Face. Face to Face is a punk rock band recommended to me by one of my co-workers in another branch. I chose Big Choice to check out first because it was highly recommended on Amazon.com. This album was ok, and I can see myself listening to it again, but it didn't blow my mind or anything. I definitely dug their style, though. They play my type of punk, not that pop stuff that they've been trying to pass as punk rock lately. The lyrics are a bit bland on this album. As I've said numerous times on this site, good lyrics are the dealmaker for me. If a good band wants to be great in my book, they better come with something smart or clever. The same old clichés just don't cut it for me.

In other news, we get a long weekend due to the Labor Day holiday. No complaints about that. Labor Day is my favorite holiday all year. I'm dead serious. Think about it. First, you get a day off just for working. The government just said "American people, just for being such hard workers we are going to give you a non-communist affiliated paid day off." Sweet. Second, there are no obligations to celebrate Labor Day. No stressing out over getting the right Labor Day gift, no fancy dinners, no dressing up, and no strings attached. Of course, one might opt for the beer and barbeque, but it isn't required. All you have to do is not work. I think I can handle that.

I’m Trying to Get My Head Clear; I Push Things Out Through My Mouth, I Get Refilled Through My Ears

Thursday. Today is website upload day and so far all is well. I will be moving on to more job approvals here in a bit, and then some spreadsheet work. Fun times, but at least I'm keeping busy.

Today I listened to The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse. It appears to me that Modest Mouse fans seem to fall into two camps: those who think The Moon & Antarctica is their best album, and those who think The Lonesome Crowded West is their best work. While both albums are great, the two are strikingly different. The Lonesome Crowded West is earlier Modest Mouse, and exhibits a much rougher, more experimental edge. The Moon & Antarctica, on the other hand, is much more mellow and refined. At this point in time, I am going to have to say I am in the "Moon" camp. However, I am much more familiar with that album since I had it first, so maybe after more subsequent listens I may change my opinion. I guess I'll just have to listen to even more Modest Mouse. Darn.

Ok, it's only Thursday, but I'm ready to make my college football predictions for this weekend:

My alma mater, Colorado State University, will embarrass CU in Boulder during this weekend's Rocky Mountain Showdown. CU will once again blame "looking forward to next week" or "didn't take the game seriously" when they lose, instead of giving CSU the props they deserve.

The University of Tennessee will win a game against UA-Birmingham so heavily favored that it won't even run on TV, despite UT's #3 ranking.

Hmmm... Florida is playing Wyoming... what do you do when you want both teams to lose? I am going to call Wyoming to win this one. I realize this is going against conventional wisdom, but I think CSU has a better chance of beating UW then Tennessee has beating Florida, so an extra loss on UF's part would definitely help UT out in the SEC. Plus, with their lucky gator head missing, they may just not have the mojo to take on the mighty Cowboys...

Finally, the most trouble #1 USC will have in Hawaii will be getting through the airport. I'm not a huge USC fan, but I really like their coach Pete Carroll. I dig his style.

Well, that's it for darthjohn42's college football corner. As you can see there is absolutely no objectivity in these predictions, so if you want real insight go to like ESPN or something...