May 07, 2008

Items I'll Soon Forget to Mention Unless I Mention Them Right Now...

Last week, due to the unbelievable generosity of my wife's family, my little family was able to join them on a seven-day cruise from Miami to San Juan, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. We took Carnival, which was MUCH nicer this time than the last. We ate a lot. Slept a lot. Swam a lot. And explained to a lot of folks the reason why Sam was wearing a cast.

I'm pretty sure that 1 in 4 of those people thought we were abusing him. As a matter of fact, after about the fourth day of telling people that "he broke his arm playing soccer with his cousins" and getting mean looks, I wanted to start telling them that "he just wouldn't listen." Of course, I would be in a sweaty Caribbean jail right now if I'd done that. Sam got his cast off today, by the way.

The trip was great. We even saw Chelsea Clinton (for about 20 seconds) in San Juan. She was there helping her mom campaign. A tour guide was telling her about how Mayor Dinkins donated cobblestones to San Juan. Chelsea seemed bored.

I have video of the encounter, and about another hour and a half of moments from the trip. I took a bunch of pictures, too, some of which I hope to post by the weekend. I may even whip up an extended post about the trip.

Former fellow Pulser Angela Tant is once again a co-worker of mine. She started working with us as a copywriter while I was on vacation. I didn't have much time to talk with her today, though, as she, I, and the rest of my department are pretty much slammed right now. The good kind of slammed, though.

We are having a yard sale in a couple of weeks. Baby stuff will dominate the inventory, but other, interesting, non-baby items will be available, too, as we are purging and consolidating as we search for a new place to live off of the mountain.

My sister, brother-in-law, and perhaps niece and/or nephew are coming to visit for Memorial Day. My brother-in-law just returned from a tour in Iraq, and hasn't yet gotten to meet Sam. We plan to show them all that Chattanooga has to offer. So look out, Towing and Recovery Museum!

Softball update: We split a doubleheader tonight. I went 5 for 5, though, with a double, a triple, three runs scored, and two runs batted in. The key? Showing up to play unbelievably tired.

After driving home from Miami yesterday, and working all day today, I should have skipped tonight's games. Of course, I should be sleeping right now, too, and I'm blogging, so... Wait, on second thought, sleep sounds nice. Goodnight, all.

Posted by colrus at 01:48 AM | Comments [2] | TrackBack

April 16, 2008

My (Amended) Future in Blogging

A quick announcement...about my earlier announcement...

This blog is staying put. For now.

• While I am creating a new BillColrus.com, which will serve as a resume/personal life/personal projects reference site, it won't be done for quite some time. This site will continue to act as my main blog in the interim. I will be tweaking it, however.

• Though Newspinion.org, my new news and opinion site is now live, my possible involvement in another kinda similar Web project might signal its early demise. (Timing can be odd sometimes, can't it?)

• I am still also developing a spiritual study and discussion site. It's formulation, objectives, and approach are, yes, still being ironed out, but it's a topic I've been wanting to write about for awhile, and I'm still excited to do so.

• The Chattanooga Film Blog remains -- and will continue to remain -- deceased.

• Also, I am now twittering. (See right.)

If you hadn't noticed, I enjoy blogging about what I'm gonna blog about.

Posted by colrus at 12:03 AM | Comments [4] | TrackBack

April 03, 2008

My Picks for Most Beautiful North Shore Locations

1. Ziggy's.
2. Krystal.
3. That building where Melonhead's used to be.
4. The Small Business Development Center.
5. The vacant Northside Lunch building.
6. The vacant floorcoverings building at Coolidge Park.
7. The vacant Pruett's building.
8. That parking lot where Tubby's used to be.
9. The Nautilus Building.
10. The vacant Electric Mouse building.

I would like to personally state my relief that neither the Coolidge Hotel nor the condos on Stringer's Ridge were built. The absence of these developments marks sensational community efforts to preserve the beauty of the North Shore area.

Posted by colrus at 09:43 AM | Comments [2] | TrackBack

March 17, 2008

And the Whole World Goes Green!

Not growing up Catholic, I admit my knowledge about St. Patrick is limited.

What I do know, however, is that while he may be regarded by some as the patron saint of Ireland, he's regarded by many more as the patron saint of drink specials.

Posted by colrus at 11:55 PM | Comments [0] | TrackBack

February 14, 2008

Poll: Which Would Be a More Boring Place to Work?

While in Pigeon Forge a couple of weeks ago for a marriage conference, I stumbled upon a shopping center that is home to -- not one -- but TWO of what would have to be the most dreadfully boring places on the planet to work.

Trouble is, I can't decide which would be more boring.

Would it be Wallet Works?

...or Mr. Tablecloth and MORE?

Please make your case in the comments below.

Posted by colrus at 11:52 PM | Comments [2] | TrackBack

December 25, 2007

Linus Knows

Posted by colrus at 02:05 PM | Comments [0] | TrackBack

October 29, 2007

Two in Four

After spending most of my life wondering what it would be like if the Red Sox won the World Series, they've now done it twice in four years. This one was a tad anticlimactic, though. All of them will be that way after what happened in 2004, I'm afraid. (I'll still take 'em all, though.)

I really like my new job. It's taken a couple (or so) weeks to get settled in, and I am doing just that. My most effective training method? Staying really, really busy.

It's a little disconcerting when you have to leave the English language to find your favorite album of the year. While critics are split (those whose reviews I've read so far, that is), I am a big fan of most everything Cafe Tacuba has ever done, and rank this latest disc alongside "Re" as one of their best ever.

In other music-related news, I have decided to sell the vast majority of my record collection. I can always use some extra money, and I've also realized that I am not really all that emotionally attached to the discs the music is on as much as I am the music itself. And since all of the music can be kept in digital format on a variety of handy storage and playback mediums, the discs themselves are taking up space and money. I'll likely keep some, but I'm going to sell most of them -- some on eBay, some at McKay's, etc.

I have trouble sleeping on a really big pillow. I like smaller pillows. The closer my head is to the bed -- while still having a pillow underneath -- the better I sleep. Sorry. Just had to share.

More pics of Sam to come soon. The boy is almost one. Where'd the time go?

Posted by colrus at 02:03 AM | TrackBack

September 28, 2007

One Day Removed and Moves

So, one day removed from my tenure as editor of The Pulse and what did I do? I went to a surprise birthday lunch for a co-worker at The Pulse before stopping by my former office for a bit to check on a couple things. The newspaper business, as Chicago once sang, is a hard habit to break.

Tonight's Office premiere was solid, even if it was a tad more subdued than I'd expected. Thanks to my handy-dandy DVD burner, I've already watched it twice.

My new, Word Press-powered blog is nearing completion. In addition to a blog, the NEW BillColrus.com will feature an extensive PDF archive of my written work and (eventually) assorted audio and video clips. My dad has already sent me some sketches he did for the banner header.

I am carving regular, weekly book writing time into my schedule. If I can commit to doing nothing but working on the book for, say, a mere two hours each week, I should make some decent progress. All my literary-type acquaintances should expect regular requests to "look this over, will ya?"

In case you didn't know, I am now live on Facebook. Look me up. MySpace? Not so much anymore.

Posted by colrus at 03:37 AM | TrackBack

September 02, 2007

My Day in Sports

1. Attended today's Braves/Mets game in Atlanta. Mets starter Mike Pelfrey, who was 0-7 coming into the game, dominated the Braves with a combination of 96-mile-per-hour fastballs outside the strike zone, and 82-mile-per-hour sliders also outside the strike zone. Mostly in the dirt. The Braves got two hits all day.

(Highlights: Watching Jose Reyes steal -- and then get picked off -- second base. Watching Carlos Beltran homer and, later, FLY around the bases for a triple. I love home runs, but triples are more fun to watch.)

2. Saw that Michigan lost to Appalachian State. Laughed repeatedly. Then got out my calculator to figure out how badly Appy State is going to beat UTC.

3. Watched some of the Vols game at Cal. If the Vols' defense had actually been able to attend the game, UT might've had a shot.

4. Caught the last inning of Clay Bucholz's no-hitter against Baltimore. It was only the SECOND START of Bucholz's big league career, the Red Sox won 10-0, and they maintained their five-game lead over the Yankees. I always sleep better when the Sox win.

Posted by colrus at 12:28 AM | TrackBack

August 31, 2007

So, I Talked to Mesh Last Night...

Seriously. I did. On a phone.

He says hi.

Eventually, we hung up.

He had to go to a screening.
I had to go to bed.

Posted by colrus at 10:43 PM | TrackBack

August 30, 2007

Aunt Frank

Though slightly less chuckle-worthy after just watching Ken Burns' film about World War II, I just rediscovered this little tidbit I tossed off as part of the "Community Calendar" section of this year's April Fool's issue of The Pulse:

“The Diary of Aunt Frank”—A man is trapped in a closet during World War II. 8 p.m. Encore Theatre.

Ah. Jokes.

Posted by colrus at 11:04 PM | TrackBack

August 21, 2007

Blogunited and It Feels So Good

So many things a-happenin'... Where to start?

The Pulse has a new office. We are now located in a converted warehouse block on Rossville Avenue. The place screams alt weekly. We're still unpacking, but when all is unpacked, things will be sweet. (Except for the rancid fumes of the chicken factory across the street. Those are decidedly not-so-sweet.)

Sam. Photos. Soon. I have at least a couple of months worth of photos of Sam to post online, including his most recent J.C. Penney shoot, and various trips to various states to visit various friends and family. The boy has four teeth, just turned nine months old, is almost walking, and is currently speaking (what sounds like) a combination of Chinese and German. He also regularly says "dad" and "mom" -- although we're still a little unclear as to whether he knows what he's saying.

BillColrus.com will soon undergo a rather large transformation. One of the reasons I haven't been blogging much lately is that I have been constructing a new blog/site via Wordpress. In addition to a new blog, the site will also feature video and audio clips from my various past and present projects, as well as a rather extensive archive of my printed work. I hope to have the site live in a month.

Just in time for September's fifth anniversary of the premiere of "On The Other Hand," you will be soon be able to order (at an almost-free price) the long-awaited "Handful of On The Other Hand" compilation DVD. I'm putting together a trailer for it as we speak, and my plan is to have ordering information available when the new site launches. You may also hear something soon about a release party...

I interviewed Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish today. All I can say is that he was super cool. Next week, I'm interviewing Ken Burns.

If you've never been, the Wilderness Theatre in Trenton, GA is highly recommended. We went last weekend. Not only was it great to watch a movie under the stars on a warm summer evening, but the concession prices were very reasonable and the bathrooms were ABSOLUTELY IMMACULATE. And VERY WELL air-conditioned.

---

Current Diversions
Watching: Air Guitar Nation
Reading: Stiff by Mary Roach
Listening: Scraps by NRBQ

Posted by colrus at 12:43 AM | TrackBack

August 05, 2007

Blog Like a Log

Yes, I know. My blogging has dropped off. This is not for lack of interest. I actually have much to blog about, and I don't want to disappoint the seven people who read this thing.

Give me a couple of days. For in a couple of days the magic will return.

And in a couple of days you will say, "Well, that actually wasn't all that magical, jerk."

And I will say, "I know. You are a sucker."

Sigh.

Posted by colrus at 03:54 AM | TrackBack

July 24, 2007

Make a Hitler Reference, Lose Your Argument

Works every time, kids.

(Actually, I think her whole argument WAS her Hitler reference. Sad.)

Posted by colrus at 04:32 PM | TrackBack

July 08, 2007

My First Trip to the Octagon

I watched the Ultimate Fighting Championship tonight for the first time ever. My brother-in-law got it on pay-per-view.

I could definitely get into this. Especially if they spent less time getting each other into submission holds on the canvas and spent more time just beating the ever-living crap out of each other.

Posted by colrus at 12:31 AM | TrackBack

June 30, 2007

Manute Bol Walked Past Me at the Airport

While my just-completed nine-day Connecticut vacation was chock full of tidbits worthy of extended comment and description in a later post, one item has to be mentioned immediately: Former (unbefrigginlieveably tall) NBA center Manute Bol walked right past me at Bradley International Airport this morning. Bol lives in West Hartford and was, presumably, on his way back home.

No, I couldn't get to my camera fast enough to take a picture.
Yes, he is even taller in person.
Yes, weird stuff like this happens to me all the time.

Posted by colrus at 01:00 AM | TrackBack

June 18, 2007

Monday Miscellany

One of the premiere alt weekly writers on the planet, Tara Servatius, now has a blog. Check it out. Tara writes for Creative Loafing in Charlotte, and also hosts a talk show five nights a week at WBT.

Riverbend is over. Despite the fact that its lineup failed to fully jazz an intense music snob like myself, I have to say that $37 wasn't a bad deal for a pin that you could've used to attend each night of the festival if you'd wanted to. We're still wading through the aftermath and some ongoing discussions around the structure and purpose of Riverbend itself, but as for the talent on hand this year, it was worth the money.

In addition to attempting to convince our advertisers to boycott our paper, folks that are unhappy with what we print will sometimes go around town grabbing up any and all copies of our paper that they can get their hands on. This practice of theft (and, yes, it is theft) is supposed to, I suppose, keep people from reading something "bad," "wrong," or "damaging" that we've written about them or someone they know. This has happened on at least two occasions in our close to four years in business and, reportedly, happened again recently. In all cases, including the most recent one, we've stood by the stories the thieves took issue (and issues) with (and containing).

Though we'd love to catch and prosecute the offenders in these cases, it's a bit hard to do so. More importantly, however, the thieves' actions are just plain stupid. Our Web traffic is always increasing, and unless the thieves can steal all of the copies of the Internet that are floating around, our work will be read. Plus, big bunches of papers missing from our racks is good for our circulation numbers, helps bring in advertising revenue, and lets us hire more writers that'll undoubtedly write more stories that certain folks won't want other folks to see. If people don't want the light of truth to shine on their corruption, they should, oh, I dunno, stop being corrupt. How about that?

Posted by colrus at 11:37 PM | TrackBack

June 04, 2007

Wanna Revive One of Chattanooga's Dying Strip Malls? Bring In a Steve & Barry's

Visiting my sister in Charlotte this past weekend, we took a trip to Steve & Barry's, the super discount department store chain that's currently catching fire across the country. I first heard about the chain in a piece on ABC's 20/20 featuring the "Starbury" shoe line, endorsed by the New York Knicks' Stephon Marbury. The shoe line includes a variety of styles, all of which are priced at $14.98, and which was named as one of Business Week's "Products of the Year" for 2006. Marbury was interested in launching the shoe line, in part, because he wanted kids to know that good shoes didn't have to cost a lot.

Now, while Consumer Reports says Starburys are "not that great" for serious basketball players, they do say that "they seem to be a well-made shoe, and for $15 dollars are definitely worth a try." More than half of the players in Consumer Reports' study said they would wear them off the court. Ben Wallace will be launching a line of shoes through the store this fall, and Sarah Jessica Parker is launching a clothing line through Steve and Barry's this week.

The Steve and Barry's business model is aggressive. They seek out bargain leases in dying strip malls for their retail locations, do virtually no advertising, have no online store, offer modest employee salaries, and save on purchasing costs. According to their Web site, they "focus our energies to make sure sweaters for your family don't cost more than a tank of gas or this week's groceries."

My first impression: Steve and Barry's resembles a cross between The Gap (in terms of store appearance) and Old Navy (in terms of clothing quality). Also, like the Starbury shoe line, all of the clothes at Steve and Barry's are extremely affordable. (Cargo shorts and khaki pants were two for $20. Polo shirts were $5.98.)

While we didn't buy any shoes during our visit, Melissa and I bought several pairs of pants and shorts, and a variety of shirts. We each wore several during our stay. We were both very pleased in the style and comfort level of the clothes. (The clothes also held up very well after an initial washing.)

A store like Steve and Barry's would do very well in Chattanooga. We have plenty of empty retail space for the company to choose from, and the prices would be appealing to a community that's currently flooding the Wal-Marts and Targets looking for bargains on clothes.

The closest Steve and Barry's to Chattanooga is in Antioch, just outside of Nashville.

Posted by colrus at 05:15 PM | TrackBack

May 28, 2007

Don't Rush a Kid

We had our yard sale on Saturday. Our nephew, Bryce, spent the night Friday night and helped to price items -- including some of his own that he brought to sell.

As was expected, people started showing up roughly an hour before our advertised start time of 8 a.m. We ended at 4 p.m., but didn't have a single shopper after 1:30. Perhaps it was the abysmally hot weather, or the fact that it was a holiday weekend.

We sold a modest amount, certainly enough to have made the endeavour worthwhile. Bryce sold about half of his items, too, stating when it was over that he thought "we did pretty good."

The only mildy frustrating point of the day happened when the only child who stepped foot on our lawn the whole day was rushed by his parents. The boy was very young -- so young that I'm not sure he's really gotten the grasp of how money works yet, and was trying to figure out whether he had enough money to buy a couple of toys from Bryce.

Well, after he left, we realized that he'd actually only paid for half of what he owed. This was probably because his parents -- ready to leave -- got in the car and were turning around down the block while he finished up. He panicked, rushed to pay, and met up with his parents at the car.

A few minutes after they'd all left, we realized that he'd left his wallet with all of his money in it. All four dollars of it. With no way of tracking him down, we all hoped he'd come back to get his money. He never did. It kind of tears us up to look down at the wallet just sitting there on our counter. I'm not sure what we're going to do with it.

Posted by colrus at 04:14 PM | TrackBack

May 15, 2007

Tuesday Randomness

So... Today...

1. Sam cried all day. He was still cute the whole time, though. He's not crying now. Mommy's presence might -- no, definitely -- has something to do with it.

2. Got the Mike Keneally hat. and Boil That Dust Speck reissues in the mail. Just. Freakin'. Amazing.

3. This blog will soon be moving to WordPress. The new blog will have audio and video pages, as well as an archive featuring oodles of my written work.

4. As was previously reported, my return to a (somewhat) normal schedule has enabled me to resume completion of the OTOH compilation DVD. Final edits will be done at home, while DVD menuing/mastering and commentary recording will be done at Lazy Bear (aka Ryan's room). I think I'm gonna sell the discs for, like, $8 a piece. Or maybe I'll just give them away. Along with the 50 or so OTOH bumper stickers I recently found in a box.

5. Jerry Falwell died today. Many are mourning. Some are rejoicing. In related news, I thought Robert T., Mary Ann, and (Highland Park's) Dr. Bouler all did a swell job on "Live and Local" today.

6. I had chinese food tonight. I don't like chinese food as much as thai food. Not even P.F. Chang's, although I do really like P.F. Chang's.

7. I have grown to strongly dislike the following Internet slang terms: "teh" and "woot." I'm not sure why.

8. The Red Sox lost tonight. I mean, they had to sometime.

9. In wake of Imus' firing(s) -- and subsequent similar firings of other radio hosts -- I can't help but come to two conclusions: 1) We need more voices these days, not fewer and 2) Call me strange, but unless a radio host's voice paralyzes me, rendering me unable to change the channel, I'm just not gonna get that offended by what he/she says; no matter what he/she says. I suppose I'm strangely tolerant of even the things I despise. (BTW: I just put one of my Imus CDs up on eBay.)

10. We are planning a road trip back home to Connecticut in June. With the current price of gas, I'm guessing we'll have to shell out about $300 just to get there and back. Still, that's cheaper than flying. Or if we had to power our car with bottled water. (Do the math.)

Posted by colrus at 11:09 PM | TrackBack

May 10, 2007

Back to Normal?

Yes, one day short of Sam's six-month birthday, it seems that Melissa and I have finally settled into some semblance of a normal life again. It took a while, but we've gotten our routines down and are aggressively planning for the future. Melissa is quitting her job in order to spend more time at home with Sam. We are exceedingly grateful to our cousins Shannon and Jason, and to their kids Bryce, Leila, and Jacob for helping us through these first few months, but getting up extra early to drop Sam off and getting home extra late from picking him up each day has taken an exhausting toll on us in a number of ways. While things will be tight financially at first, other things will be better for us with Melissa staying at home, and we're looking forward to the challenges our new life will bring.

In addtion to taking care of Sam, Melissa is tending to some household projects she's been wanting to get to for quite some time. She is also selling Mary Kay on the side, and we're going to have at least one yard sale. We're also going to unload a bunch of stuff on eBay. We simply have too many things we can do without.

Things at The Pulse are hectic and somewhat in flux, but manageable and promising. We are trying new things, tweaking our existing format, and re-evaluating the organization as a whole in order to maintain a healthy level of financial and creative progress. I'm excited to see where we'll go.

On the "other projects" front, I am slowly getting back up to speed on the "On The Other Hand" DVD, the Lord T. and Eloise video, the book I've been working on, and the songs I've been writing. With our semi-normal home schedule, I can realistically plan on getting some of this stuff done.

I'm also digitzing a mountain of audio tapes containing old comedy bits, radio appearances, old band demo/rehearsal/gig recordings, audio projects, and other sonic gems that are slowly oxidizing into oblivion.

I have two fantasy baseball teams this year. One is in first place. The other is in fourth. I had crazy-good drafts, and should do well for the duration.

More later...

---

CURRENT DIVERSIONS:
Listening: Pink Floyd: Meddle
Reading: Mountain Man Dance Moves: McSweeney's Book of Lists
Watching: FRONTLINE/American Experience: The Mormons

Posted by colrus at 12:38 AM | TrackBack

February 21, 2007

Bush Likes Ribs, Which Reminds Me...I'm Shooting a Rap Video

In case you've suffered head trauma recently and just now came to, the President of the United States was in town today. Joe has a tidy round-up of local bloggers who blogged about it.

The President's motorcade pulled RIGHT UP to the entrance at Erlanger where I pick Melissa up from work every day, and the Secret Service searched her department's offices for contraband and other items of concern. They didn't find any.

In addition to his regular stops, the President stopped at Porker's for lunch.
Less than a block from my office.

Man, I could've seen him twice.

I don't have much to say on the subject of his visit. He came. Some people fawned. Some people protested. He spoke. He ate. He left.

I'm not his biggest fan, but any time a sitting president visits your town, it's OK to admit that it's kinda cool.

OK, now THIS is big news. Memphis aristocrunk rappers Lord T. and Eloise -- featuring former Chattanooga Outlook editor, Robert Anthony -- are playing Rhythm and Brews next Thursday night, March 1. Also on the bill is the Pnuma Trio.

Lord T. and Eloise's debut album, Aristocrunk, received an "A" rating from the Memphis Flyer, and is currently an Editor's Pick at Blender.com. (I ran a brief review on it this week, too.)

I urge you to attend this show.

Also, Chris and I will be filming their set. I will be using the footage to edit a video for their song "To My Ladies." Should be fun.

Posted by colrus at 11:15 PM | TrackBack

February 15, 2007

The Intimidator

So, I just realized that I just watched the entire ESPN movie about Dale Earnhardt. How did I get sucked in? Maybe Barry Pepper is to blame. I've always liked his work.

OK, this is random: Organization is key. The more you organize your life, the better your life will be. And the more free time -- or time, in general -- you will have.

Each week, I compose a day-by-day spreadsheet with my work duties: articles that I need to write, editing tasks, managerial tasks, etc. As I finish each task, I check it off. My goal each day is to finish both that day's tasks and the next day's. Sometimes, I can. Most times, I can't. But, by press day, it all gets done. And my life is less stressful.

It takes about five minutes to compose my task list each week, and it relieves about 10 hours of stress each week. Task lists can be done for home, too. Just make sure that you budget some "do nothing" time, too.

I am officially in book mode. Yes, I am actually currently writing a book. Do I expect it to be published? Yes. But probably by myself. Via one of those online dealies. I don't really care. I view it more as an exercise in discipline, and a way to share our richly entertaining family history. If some people are curious enough about the finished product to spend money on it, well, that's wonderful. I'll just give all the money to my son, anyway. Yep, he's got me like that. Already.

My brother-in-law is officially in Iraq. He is keeping an online diary here. I'm still having trouble processing the fact that he's actually there. 11 more months to go.

A February 9 excerpt from his online diary:

For the sake of security and confidentiality I can not reveal the details of what happened to me today. My team and I were hit with an attack today. No one was hurt and we made it back to our camp. We assessed the damage and checked everyone out. Thank God no one was hurt. We all agreed that this is wake up call for us that we are really in a war zone and that we must pay attention as best as we can. For me, I pray before we go out and I pray before we come back in. I know God has my life in his hands. We have sophisticated weapons, equipment and trained staff but my peace relies in knowing God is in control. I am not saying I am not afraid. I'm just saying that I have to rest in the knowledge of that to have peace so that I can do my job.

Posted by colrus at 01:03 AM | TrackBack

February 11, 2007

When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around

Seeing The Police open tonight's Grammy Awards (man, I post a lot about music), the residents of this planet were confronted with a sad, startling fact: The Police have wasted a lot of time not being The Police.

(For my money, Zenyatta Mondatta was always their best album.)

Even in his coolest moments since leaving The Police, Sting has never been as cool as The Police.

Here's "Demolition Man" from Ghost in the Machine. One of my faves.

Posted by colrus at 10:37 PM | TrackBack

February 05, 2007

YouTube and Deerhooves

I was interviewed last week by WDEF's Joe Legge for a piece they're running tonight at 6 p.m. about YouTube. I hope I don't sound as dumb as I felt or looked. (Yes, before you ask, they plan to air their YouTube piece on YouTube.) The interview happened as a result of Joe's discovering the video I posted of a certain song I recorded about a certain local town...

The new Deerhoof album is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good. And Ernie agrees.

I have begun writing a book(?) of essays. The essays will recount certain hilarious and/or intensely painful personal/family stories. A rough title: "The Mouse and the Barbecue Fork." All the stories are true, though I haven't decided whether I will change names in order to protect the, um, embarrassing.

Posted by colrus at 08:12 AM | TrackBack

January 19, 2007

Dear Rosie O'Donnell: Please, I'm Begging You, Shut Up

I had to snap out my blogging coma to implore that Ms. Rosie O'Donnell, currently of ABC's test of viewer wills The View, shut her pie hole. I'm not referring to her spat with the equally obnoxious and dead pelt-coiffed Donald Trump, but instead to her outrage over the treatment of those auditioning on American Idol.

We are currently in the midst of SEASON SIX of American Idol. There are no more surprises -- for either the viewer or the contestant. Audtioning for the show is voluntary, and if those auditioning a) are surprised that weren't picked or b) outraged about comments the judges made about them, they have nobody but themselves to blame. They also haven't been watching the show for any of the first five seasons.

Frankly, I've actually started feeling bad for the judges this year, as the combination of attitudes and ghastly performances could make anybody crazy. Also, keep in mind that we are watching but a minute portion of those who audition in each city. I would venture to guess that 99 percent of those that don't make it are told so in quick, polite tones.

How About the Weather, Huh? Yeah, from what I hear it's bad all over. In fact, I was thinking about the weather this morning as I was scraping some global warming off my car.

My dad, stepmom, nephew, and his girlfriend are coming to town tomorrow. This will be the first time they will have seen Sam. While contemplating things we could do while they're here, I remembered that the O'Reilly World of Wheels will be in town -- you know, the one featuring the Texas Bikini Team. Please, somebody, tell me: What is a "bikini team"?

Words. Recently in The Pulse, I've interviewed Ralphie May and Isaac Hayes, reviewed Robert Fripp's Exposure reissue, and took the city to task over its questionable marketing of the proposed homeless campus.

Blog Changes. I am adding an "About Me" page and a link to my fickr page. I'm also going to revise my blogroll and links and place them on separate pages. Wow. Exciting.

Posted by colrus at 12:18 AM | TrackBack

December 03, 2006

He'll Never Meet His Grandmother, But He Will

The baby is good. Other than having his days and nights mixed up, Sam seems to be a happy and (as his doctor calls him) "perfect" baby. He eats a lot, sleeps in quick bursts, and seems to like it when I bounce him on my knee and pretend that he's Verne Troyer in that Geico commercial. He seems to like rap.

Melissa and I sleep when we can. This has affected my work schedule somewhat, as I have been going into teh office later than usual for the last couple of weeks -- and working more from home -- but I fully expect my schedule to get back to normal over the next couple of weeks. Melissa is on leave until the end of January.

Oh yeah, the birth... While I've uploaded a fair share of pics of Sam for all to see, I've been kind of quiet concerning the actual birth of our son. I'll try to run it down quickly.

At 2 a.m. on Saturday, November 11, Melissa's water broke. While it wasn't messy, it was only an hour after we'd gone to bed, so we got our stuff together and took our still-sleepy selves to Women's East. (Women's East is a GREAT place to have a baby, by the way. The staff was amazing and the atmosphere is EXTREMELY laid back and comforting.)

We checked in easily and soon fell back to sleep. As the contractions increased, however, so did the pain Melissa was feeling. Not being able to sleep or stand the pain, she received an epidural well before dawn, and would spend most of the morning asleep.

At 2 p.m., Melissa was dialated a full 10 centimeters and started to push soon afterwards. While she didn't feel much pain, she did get tired easily. She kept going, however, even when the nurse informed us that the baby was coming out nose-up. After two hours of somewhat futile pushing, this gave us two options: we could try to deliver naturally with the aid of suction and forceps, or we could have a c-section. Melissa didn't want to have a c-section, so Dr. Steele was brought in. (A FANTASTIC nurse named Vounette had been helping us deliver to this point.) A mere 15 or so minutes and a few pushes later, Dr. Steele -- who replaced our normal doctor (Dr. Newman) who had to take her state boards that week -- applied suction and used the forceps to deliver the baby. The cord was slightly wrapped around the baby's neck, so instead of allowing me to cut the cord, Dr. Steele quickly passed Sam over to the nurses who quickly checked him out and cleaned him up. He cried pretty much immediately.

While my generally weak stomach kept me from watching Sam as he was being born, I saw him immediately as the doctor delivered him. Sam was pale, covered in blood, squirming, and crying, and I almost lost it. He was pretty much the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and with Melissa having a miscarriage the last time around, I can't describe how elated I was to have a healthy baby. I've been floating ever since, and am having trouble remembering life before parenthood -- as weird as that may sound.

Minutes after he was born, Sam was swaddled and passed to me. I brought him over to Melissa, who began to tear up. She held him, then did the rest of her family. Melissa's mother, cousin Shannon, and our sister-in-law Heather were all in the room for the birth, and all helped greatly. Melissa's father, Shannon's husband Jason, and Melissa's brother Dan soon came in, and we all took turns smiling and holding Sam. It was a great day.

After two days -- and bunches of visitors -- we took Sam home.

But what about my family? One of the most moving aspects of the day Sam was born was that, in addition to also being Melissa's cousin Shannon's birthday, it was also the same day -- November 11 -- that my mother passed away on in 1997.

Shortly after Sam was born, it hit me that he was going to the first of my parents' grandchildren that my mother would never get to meet. Later, on the phone, my sister Tracy pointed out the matching dates. (For some reason, for the last few years, I'd been thinking that my mom died on November 7.) Tracy put it best when she said that Sam's birth had taken a bad day and made it a great day. While my mom won't know Sam, he will likely feel a special connection to her. And his birthdays will likely lead to us telling him stories about her. I think it's also safe to say that she would have spoiled him like crazy.

My sister, brother-in-law, and niece are coming to visit this week. My dad and stepmom -- who are waiting until Christmas is over to shut down their store in Connecticut -- are coming at the first of the year. Plans are still being hashed out for us to hook up with my other sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Not only is my family bigger, it's more spread-out. Hopefully, Sam will meet everybody before he starts shaving.

And then there's the truck... A week or so before Sam was born, Melissa and I were making plans to buy a car from a friend who was moving out of town. When Melissa told her mother, Melissa's mother told her not to buy a car. Her brother then called and told her the same thing. The night before Sam was born we found out why.

Melissa's brother bought us a truck as an early Christmas present. A 1996 Isuzu Rodeo. A guy on his job had it and wasn't using it much. Dan had everything fixed on it, took all the seats out and cleaned it, and even had a CD player installed in it. Needlessly to say, we were quite blown away and are EXTREMELY grateful. Dan said he did it because he'd never finished making payments on an old Volkswagen Beetle he'd bought from me in, like, 1994. Frankly, I'd completely forgotten and hadn't really minded in the first place. The car was a headache. Dan wound up totalling it, I'd gotten decent financial aid that semester, and it was REALLY no big deal.

Anyway, the truck is great and very helpful. Not only can we hold onto the money we were going to use to buy a car, Melissa can drive our Camry. I wanted to get a second car because I didn't like the idea of Melissa being stuck on the mountain with the baby and having no transportation. Now, we don't have to worry about it.

Also...

At the same time I'd been looking into getting a second car, I'd also been shopping for camcorders. We'd gotten a handful of Target giftcards -- enough to buy a camcorder. I'd gone into the store, jotted down a few that caught my eye, then went home to research them. I'd picked one and was planning to go back and get it when, on the way back from Provino's on the night before Sam was born, Dan and Heather gave us a camcorder as ANOTHER early Christmas present. At this point, I was pretty much speechless. And I was able to shoot about an hour's worth of footage the next day.

The day my son was born.

Posted by colrus at 03:56 AM | TrackBack

November 06, 2006

No Baby Yet

We are still waiting for the baby.
We are both having trouble sleeping.
We want the baby to be here.

If the baby doesn't come on its own, the doctor is going to induce Melissa on the 13th. I will post any updates as they happen.

While you're (and we're) waiting, be sure to vote tomorrow!

Posted by colrus at 05:56 PM | TrackBack

November 02, 2006

Soon 'til Sam

Last Friday, we went to the doctor. He said the baby would be here within the week. It is now two days away from being a week. So, the baby should be here soon, yes? Please?

Melissa is now on leave from work. This means I can sleep 45 minutes longer each morning. I could be wrong, but I think this will work wonders for my energy level. Until the baby is here, that is, at which point I'll be dragging a bit, I'd venture to say. So, the whole sleeping later bit will last, like, two days.

I'm getting a little concerned. I pretty much listen to ONE CD, and ONE CD only these days. EVERY day. It's a brand new mix of Sugarplastic tunes that I compiled, and I've pretty much been dissecting it each day in my car. My only real conclusion so far? I would kill to be able to write and play stuff like this. I recently received an E-mail from Ben Eshbach, the band's front man and founder, who says that they are working hard on their next album.

My brother-in-law Roy recently received word that he will be stationed in Baghdad City after the first of the year. He'll be training the Iraqi Army and riding on convoys with them. He is more than enthusiastic and proud to serve. I, on the other hand, am now aggressively re-examining my convictions regarding a myriad of global socio-political issues.

Posted by colrus at 02:00 AM | TrackBack

October 24, 2006

A Few Quickiedings

1. I have succumb to the pressure and have begun pimping out -- AND USING -- my MySpace page. I've been doing my most of bloggage over there as of late, which isn't much, though, as the whole "gonna be a dad any minute" thing is taking up a bunch of my time. The main thing I like about MySpace? You can, like, make friends with everybody! Did you know that Will Ferrell and Dog The Bounty Hunter are now BOTH personal friends of mine? And they don't talk about Bob Corker or Harold Ford AT ALL! Sweet!

2. Speaking of the Senate race, most people are missing a key point: Bob Corker and Harold Ford hate each other.

3. Another key point?: Harold Ford speaks in bullet points.

Example:

Hi, Harold. How are you today?

First, you should focus on you. Did you eat a good, balanced breakfast?
Second, are your clothes ready to go?
And lastly, America wants you to have a good day.

Oh, OK. Cool. Thanks.

4. Being opinionated and a Red Sox fan makes me a classless tool. OK. I'll go with that. Sure. I'm sure other things contribute, too, though.

5. I've been re-watching PBS' "Eyes on the Prize" this week (I taped it as it aired the last few weeks), and I've noticed a subtle-but-important thing: Julian Bond should narrate more things. And, oh yeah, lots of Democrats in the South used to hate -- and sometimes kill -- black people. I don't know what the Republicans did. They didn't talk about them much in the film.

6. My cat has $97.20 bladder infection.

7. My neighbor is in the hospital. She's 85 and was dehydrated. The doctors want to keep her a few extra days. After the mail started piling up in front of her door, and I heard no sounds coming from her apartment, I thought she might've, well, you know. I called my friend/landlord to come over and check on her. She wasn't there. She'd already been taken to the hospital. That's good. The thought of her falling and not being being able to get up and, well, you know, was awful. Now that I know she's OK, I can do laundry as late as I want (we share a laundry room between our two units) and I can brush up on my tuba. The walker she left in the foyer is freaking me out, though.

8. I still haven't eaten dinner.

Posted by colrus at 12:05 AM | TrackBack

October 16, 2006

Warriors, Here's What I Did Yesterday-ee-yay

Oh, the fun!

Yesterday we had our FOURTH baby shower -- albeit a mini one, but a nice one nonetheless.

Since my computer desk will now share a room with a baby, I have removed most of the clutter, dusted it and am looking for a snazzy three-panel room divider to, well, divide the computer desk-havin' part of the room. All should work out.

I also hung some pictures yesterday, am going to re-hang some curtains and am filing tons of papers, files, receipts, etc.

Let's see... What else?

Oh, yeah...

The Pulse won -- for the second straight year -- the "Best Entertainment Publication" award at Saturday night's C.I.A. Awards. (Though I couldn't go, Ted called me from the awards to tell me about it.) As always, we're very grateful and honored to be recognized.

I talked with Ernie last week. We are going to get together very soon to record. We'll start with one song and see what happens. If you didn't know, in addition to being an engineer for a local company and a writer for our paper, Ernie is also a band.

Last week's episode of The Office was the funniest of the season so far.

That is all.

Posted by colrus at 04:17 PM | TrackBack

October 12, 2006

Subtleties in Voice

George Carlin touched on "finding your voice" in our recent interview with him:

See, you’re mixed up when you’re young. You really don’t know who you are yet. You don’t find your voice for a long time. I found [that to be true], for me anyway. When you find your voice, then you know who you are. For years, I described myself – because I’ve been doing this for 50 years, now – as a comedian who wrote his own material. Because I was proud of that. Not every comedian did, and it was a special mark of being different. Then, one day, I found out that I was a writer who performed his own material, and that changed my whole way of looking at myself and my work. I suddenly had grown up. I suddenly had matured into a writer who had two outlets: one is the books – and that’s only been the last ten years – and the other is the stage shows. The stage shows got better after I discovered that. There’s more texture in them. There’s more stuff there. There’s more to get your hands on.

Good, good stuff.

Posted by colrus at 11:00 PM | TrackBack

September 21, 2006

Wal-Martastical

Since I was told that there are people a) actually reading this blog and b) suggesting that others should read it, I guess I should wow y'all with this week's exciting details from my life...

The new Wal-Mart at the foot of Signal Mountain opened today. I ran into Brian Edwards there. He bought some stuff. I bought some stuff. Brian, Melissa and I talked in the parking lot for a little while. We all agreed that we should have dinner some time. Then we left.

When I die, I'd like the following to be inscribed on my tombstone:

It is one thing to believe that policy A is better than policy B. It is something very different to believe that those who believe in policy A are wiser, more compassionate, and generally more worthy human beings than those who believe in policy B.

Turning the empirical question of the results of policy A versus the results of policy B into the more personal question of a wonderful Us versus a terrible Them makes it harder to retreat if the facts do not bear out the belief.

If the choice between policy A and policy B is regarded as a badge of personal merit, either morally or intellectually, then it is a devastating risk to one's sense of self to make empirical evidence the ultimate test.

This passage is from Thomas Sowell's August 23 column, "Left and Crime, Part II," which was reprinted in today's Times Free Press.

I'm currently wading through the following new releases: The Bob Newhart Show Season 4 DVD set (genius), The Office Season 2 DVD set (also genius), TV on the Radio's Return to Cookie Mountain (I'm really trying to like it) and DJ Shadow's The Outsider (all over the map, but mostly disappointingly awful).

Posted by colrus at 12:42 AM | TrackBack

September 15, 2006

The Ikea Lamp Commercial, Air America and Dog

Some quick thoughts before I sleep.

This IKEA commercial -- done by Spike Jonze -- is 3 or 4 years old, but still fantastic. We used watch it over and over around the PFilm offices...

So, Air America is struggling. When HAVEN'T they struggled? My main thought regarding their troubles is this: You have to have more than just a deep, abiding hatred for George W. Bush in order to create a succesful talk radio network. Yep, that's pretty much it.

Dog "The Bounty Hunter" Chapman was busted. While I'm not clear on all the particulars in the case, my love for the show will likely not be altered. I can't help it. And I want the theme song to be my new ringtone.

Good night.

Posted by colrus at 12:45 AM | TrackBack

September 14, 2006

Kittens, Racoons, Fire and Babies

Catching up on last week's personal happenings...

Having a writer get written up all over the globe will always put you behind a few days, I find.

---

Well, the baby's room is coming togther. We had the carpets cleaned and I assembled the crib. We are now decorating the room and de-messifying my at-home office space, which takes up but a scant portion of the baby's room.

Last Thursday night, I was awakened by a squeaking sound outside the porch door. I found some vicious creatures. I took a picture of them the next morning. They belong to our neighbor.

(Click for a bigger view.)

Friday was the launch of Chattanooga Parent Magazine, the second publication launched by The Pulse's parent company. A brief, celebratory shindig was enjoyed at the Meeting Place that night.

When we got home, a racoon came up to the patio. My cat, Emmy, just stood there and watched him.

(Click for bigger view.)

Saturday, we went to two birthday parties, the second of which was held at Ichiban in Hixson.

Fire!!!

(Click for bigger view.)

We then joined the birthday family for the most riotous game of Taboo, ever.

On Sunday, we got to see Casey and Linlee Baugh's baby, Avaleigh. She is very tiny and very cute. (I won't post any pics without getting permission first.)

That's not all that happened last week, but I'm too tired to type any more about it.

Posted by colrus at 12:12 AM | TrackBack

September 05, 2006

Cavities and the CBS Newsytime News

So, I started off the day by getting two cavities filled, and wrapped it up by watching the second half of Katie Couric's debut as the anchor of, as my buddy Brian has dubbed it, "The CBS Newsytime News."

I don't know what to think.

I do know that Morgan Spurlock's Hulk Hogan/Randy "Macho Man" Savage reference was so odd that it distracted me from the point of his entire commentary. Something about the importance of free speech.

The show also teased the new Vanity Fair cover, featuring (finally!!! yay!!!) cute pictures of the cute Suri Cruise, and a piece by Steve Hartman showing how American high school students can learn compassion by drawing portraits of third world orphans.

Then, Katie did a quick rundown of famous previous anchorperson sign-offs, including Ron Burgundy's "Stay Classy, San Diego."

She hasn't come up with hers yet.

Look out, NPR. CBS is gaining on ya.

I don't want to call the carpet cleaner guy I hired a liar, but he's a liar. While he was a nice guy, cleaned my carpets very well, and charged me a fair price, his prediction -- that my carpets would be dry within six hours -- has turned out to be woefully false. It's close to six hours since he left, and the carpets are still almost as wet as they were when he left. And that's with three fans blowing on them the whole time.

I'm going to call him again, though. These carpets really are clean. And I'm a patient guy.

Look, I mean it. LaLa.com is very cool. So far, I've received a ton of CDs, and have gotten rid of a bunch. It's sort of like Netflix, eBay and McKay's all mixed together. Try it.

Speaking of music, you owe it to yourself to pick up The Incredible Bongo Band's "Bongo Rock" album when it comes out next month. You've undoubtedly heard the track "Apache," quite possibly the most sampled track in hip-hop history. (Download it here.)

The rest of the album, highlighted by a sweet, laid-back cover of "Pipeline," is great, too.

---

CURRENT DIVERSIONS:
Listening: Mercury Rev - All is Dream
Reading: Brain-Terminal.com
Watching: Harlan County, U.S.A.

Posted by colrus at 09:48 PM | TrackBack

August 29, 2006

Fluin' It Up!

I left the office around 9:30 this morning, went to Wal-Mart to buy some flu supplies (juice, soup, fruit, etc.) and promptly slept on the couch from about 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. when Melissa needed to be picked up. I have to admit, being home sick while my very pregnant wife is at work is a tad unsettling. The thought of my wife being at work once the baby is here is also very unsettling. I'm sorry to offend the progressive types around here, but I am 100 percent in support of stay-at-home moms, and if we can find a way to make it happen, Melissa will be one, too.

So, Robert T. Nash is now a full-fledged member of the talk radio schedule. I have to admit that I am intrigued by the show -- almost as intrigued as I am that callers seem to have such an issue with a talk host who has, um, attitude. Media higher-ups tend to get tense when people complain, but as a former KZ-106 staffer mentioned on the air today, people aren't listening if they aren't complaining. Granted, that's not the only time that people are listening, but last week, when Robert and Mary Anne got into an almost-heated discussion about Robert's demeanor towards callers, the phone lines lit up.

The only other constructive criticism I can offer is that Mary Anne should take the gloves off more. Seriously, go for it, girl. I remember one morning back in 1995, when I was living back up north, Steve Somers and Russ Salzberg of WFAN were having a literal shouting match on the air. Don Imus, also a WFAN personality, played clips of the altercation repeatedly the next morning, saying, "Folks, if you can get your hosts to have a fight on the air, well, then, that's just about the greatest thing ever." I was listening to Imus while I was painting an old victorian house in Essex, CT at the time, and almost fell off the ladder because I was laughing so hard.

Anyway, I think "Live and Local" has a chance of sticking around for a while.

Dave Walters needs a liver transplant. Three benefit shows have been set up. The first one will be this Thursday night at Rhythm and Brews. Please attend and give if you can.

Dave is a fantastic pianist and one of the nicest people I have met in this town. He played alternating Friday nights at 212 when I worked there. His jazz trio also played our Sunday brunches, as well as my wedding.

Dave and I would chat about all kinds of stuff (I remember drooling when he talked about his baseball card collection) and I would slip him a "request list" whenever he played. The list would be all over the place -- horrible, horrible songs that I knew he wouldn't ever play -- and he would laugh as he looked it over.

The news of his medical condition is somewhat of a shock, and I hope all works out well. Maybe we can raise some money for him, ourselves, Chattabloggers?

Posted by colrus at 10:48 PM | TrackBack

August 27, 2006

Could Somebody Please Remove This Jackhammer from My Skull?

I am now almost three full days into what I'm guessing is the flu. It started late Friday afternoon, was a contributor to Melissa and I leaving the Of Montreal show early (sorry we couldn't hang, Ernie) and has completely destroyed my plans for a productive weekend.

Some quick things to mention before I stumble into unconsciousness:

1. My fantasy baseball team made the playoffs.
2. Watching Bob Newhart award The Office for "Best Comedy" at tonight's Emmy's was comic nirvana for me.
3. The Red Sox are not going to the playoffs.
4. I am quite pleased with LaLa.com.
5. I could be mistaken, but my child (if his in-womb kicking is any indication) is going to be a ninja.
6. I have two more pieces to write before we go to press tomorrow night. This is going to be interesting.
7. Word Play was good. It's playing at the Bijou this week. If you're like Melissa and I, you'll be the only people in the theatre.

Posted by colrus at 11:24 PM | TrackBack

August 16, 2006

Editing, Pondering, Pointing and Kashad

We're entering the home stretch. The OTOH DVD project is darn near completion, darnit. To prove to you that I have actually been working on it, Mr. Ryan DiGiorgi helped me stage a couple of dramatic reenactments during today's hurried lunchtime editing session at the Lazy Bear bunker.

This is me pondering my next editing decision.

This is me pointing out my next editing decision.

I'm excitedly awaiting the completion of this project. Ryan said I should charge people $5 per copy. I told him I should pay people $4 a piece to watch it. So, yes, some things still need to be worked out.

Speaking of Ryan, he and Logan have started shooting Killing Elvis. The movie will be on the short side of feature-length, and quite the unique effort for a town like ours. I'm VERY interested to see the final product. And not just because I have a (very) small role in it.

Here's a shot of the film's star, Kashad Moore, during a recent shoot:

Posted by colrus at 01:38 AM | TrackBack

August 11, 2006

Catching Up Wit' Y'all

Ah, the Chattablogs server seems to be acting like the Chattablogs server of yore, so I will post things this evening until I pass out. Good? Good.

25 or 30 more people showed up this time around to see the California Guitar Trio at Rhythm and Brews on Monday night. Joe Lance, Ernie Paik and myself sat mesmerized all evening -- as is customary at a CGT show. On his show today, Jeff Styles wondered if I taped the show. I didn't, but I wish I had.

The setlist was similar to last year's Chattanooga shows (with a bit more Whitewater material) with ONE BIG EXCEPTION.

"Freebird."

Yep. After an encore of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" as requested by a few of us in the crowd, they lit into the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic. It was quite astonishing.

Here's Paul Richards' diary entry about the show.
Here's Bert Lams' diary entry about the show.
Here's Hideo Moriya's roadcam entry about the show and their visit to town.
It is especially good. I love Hideyo's roadcam entries. The pictures of food always crack me up.

The Red Sox just lost their fifth game in a row, getting swept in Kansas City by the, gulp, Royals. The sweep comes on the heels of losing the last two games of the series in Tampa Bay. There are roughly 50 games left, so the season's not exactly over, but the Sox are sure playing like it is.

Want a cool T-shirt? Check out TheNoog.com. Good stuff...

My new column officially has a name. After much brainstorming and discussion with my inner circle (consisting of my cats and my wife until she falls asleep from boredom), I've settled on "The Yankee Peddler." Why "The Yankee Peddler" do you ask?

1. I grew up on a street called Yankee Peddlar Path. (Though "Peddler" is the AP Stylebook-approved spelling.)
2. I'm a Yankee, and by openly labeling myself as such in a town like Chattanooga, some readers will instantly dislike me and argue with every last thing I have to say. This is a good thing.
3. I like to sell things. In this instance, ideas.
4. I'll get to wear a tricorne in the byline photo.
5. "From the Editor" just wasn't getting it done.

A "Yankee Peddler" column should appear in print in the next week or so. Unless it doesn't. The columns will appear here, as well. Unless they don't.

Speaking of in print, Blair Hickman's piece on World of Warcraft has shattered all previous Web traffic records for a single story on our Web site. Prompted by discussion on WoW messageboards across the globe, people are flooding to our site thsi week to see what all the fuss is about. And many are leaving comments.

I could be wrong, but next week's planned cover story, "World of Go Outside," probably won't be as popular.

The baby is kicking like crazy these days. He's due November 6 and we're going crazy in anticipation of his arrival. I refinished his dresser and his room is filling up with stuff. Fast.

His first name will be Samuel (we'll call him Sam) and, after considering many suggestions, I think we're going to settle on William as a middle name.

But that could change.

I still might be able to talk Melissa into any of the following middle names: Adams, Clemens, L. Jackson, L. Mankowitz, Hagar, Goldwyn-Mayer or "The Butcher."

I'll be posting an account of our recent vacation in the next day or so. Complete with pictures.

That is all. Good night.

Posted by colrus at 12:23 AM | TrackBack

August 08, 2006

Back from the Beach

In case you were wondering, oh four readers of BillColrus.com, I was, indeed, on vacation last week. I am now back. Blogging will ensue.

Posted by colrus at 12:24 AM | TrackBack

July 29, 2006

Josh and Ernie and Ken and Music

This one's all music...

Adrian Belew's engineer, Ken Latchney, passed away Friday. I saw Ken in at last two Belew shows I went to, and have enjoyed numerous projects he was a part of over the years. As a result of Ken's passing, Friday night's Robert Fripp/Adrian Belew ProjeKct 6 show in Nashville was postponed. My thoughts and prayers go out to Ken's family and friends.

So, the California Guitar Trio is coming back to Chattanooga. I interviewed Trio member Paul Richards this week, and we both agreed (though me a bit more forcefully) that it would be nice if more than 40 people (the amount that came to their Rhythm and Brews show last September) showed up this time -- especially considering the rapturous response they received at their Riverbend shows in 2005.

Catching up on Paul's online diary entries, I found this brief account of catching Wilco live that'll probably appeal to you hipster types:

I went to see Wilco. Touring with Wilco as their current guitarist is Nels Cline. This guy is amazing. I was so glad to be able to see him play, excellent sound and very creative playing.

The second installment of Joshua Daniels' PulseCast: Music Edition has been delivered into my eager little hands. This one is SO good, that I am going to post it on Monday, some two days early. Though you can probably find it before then if you do a little, um, digging.

Listening to the podcast, I think I've finally zeroed in on an accurate description of indie hero Sufjan Stevens: Elliott Smith in a good mood with a banjo, a horn section, friends and an obsession with geography. If that appeals to you, buy his record.

Having Josh join Ernie Paik and myself within the small group of music freaks at The Pulse has been nice. All three of us are fond of discovering and sharing new music, though when any of us has enough time to properly soak it all in is beyond me. It's gotten to a point for me that I will permanently discard a CD if I don't like in the first two minutes, because I know there's always something else to listen to just inches away -- and when most of the music that's foisted upon us is, let's face it, crap.

Two discs that I'm listening to that aren't crap: Illuminated Manuscript by Cale Parks and Kill Them With Kindness by Headlights. Oh, and Ernie's Spap Oop Compilation 4.

Posted by colrus at 01:12 AM | TrackBack

July 26, 2006

Lance Bass is Gay

It's official. Lance Bass is gay.

...which makes the following bit of satire I wrote for the Chattanooga Outlook back in 2000 all the more creepier:

Why I Love Lance from 'N Sync
From the Chattanooga Outlook, July 28, 2000

The "Boy Band" is alive and well. A terrible phenomena which seemed to disappear ten years ago with the not-quick-enough death of the New Kids On the Block, has once again spread like a plague, infecting every record store window, Billboard chart, and teenage girl's fantasies.

But as much as I despise the recurring "Boy Band" craze, I have to shamefully admit that this evil monster of pop music marketing has sucked me in, too. One day, while watching VH-1, I met my fate. And his name is Lance.

As I sat there in my T-shirt and boxers, it wasn't just the beautiful words or the sophisticated music of 'N Sync that appealed to me. It was the total package. When you watch one of their videos, you can tell that they've truly lived the lyrics to their songs. It's tough to find a band as sincere as this one. They literally jump off the screen with "good feeling" and encouragement. At one point, I put down my bag of Combos, got off the couch and started groovin' along. I threw my hands into the air, waved them like I just didn't care, and screamed, "Oh Yeah! This is the band that I've been looking for!"

And within this revelation that call themselves 'N Sync, there is one member who is the quintessential "Boy Band" pawn…uh, I mean…member. His name is Lance Bass (like the fish).

Lance's real name is Lanston, and he's a "team player." According to his official 'N SYNC web site profile, Lance doesn't try to grab the spotlight from the other members of 'N Sync, instead, he opts to stay in the background and fortify the music with his sweet bass voice. His moves on stage are perfect, and he drives the girls crazy with his glowing green eyes, angelic oval face, and beautifully styled golden locks. He's also very photogenic, pimple-free, and does everything his manager tells him to do.

After being blown away by Lance and the rest of 'N Sync, I expressed my newfound excitement to my wife, who, although being skeptical about my sincerity, suggested that I should write a letter to Lance. I took her up on the offer. Here's a copy of the actual letter:

Dear Lance,

My name is Bill. I'm a 26 year-old married man from Chattanooga, Tennessee. I love 'N Sync, and you're my favorite. "Tearin' Up My Heart" is my favorite song, and I have all your cd's. I had a dog named Taco, but we had to put him to sleep because he got hit by a van. I read an interview with you in Teen Beat, and I found out that we have a lot in common. You and I both HATE mushrooms and reincarnation, but we both LOVE pizza, french toast, apples, and horseback riding. We also both have innie belly buttons! I don't wear pajamas to bed like you do, though. I wear underwear. And I'm also not that crazy about Lucille Ball, like you are. But that's okay. You rock, anyway! What's your favorite kind of cereal? Mine is Golden Grahams. They taste good. Do you like to read? I do. It's fun. Sometimes when I read, I pretend that I'm the person in the story. Like, one time, I was reading Iacocca by Lee Iacocca, and I pretended that I was a mogul of a large automobile manufacturer. It was cool. I got to say things, like, "Hey, I think automatic safety belts are a great idea" or "I'm sorry, Bob, but we're gonna have to let you go." That's what's great about an imagination. You should try using yours sometime. I hope you're having a good summer, and I PROMISE that I'll see you guys in concert when I can. Until then, keep it real. And, oh yeah, you guys are WAY better than the Backstreet Boys.

Your Friend 4 ever,
Bill

I never received a reply from Lance. I didn't expect one. If you were a 20 year-old guy, and a 26 year-old guy wrote you a bizarre letter like that, would you respond? I wouldn't. Still, I'd love to meet Lance. We could hang out and do cool stuff like go to the Gap, rent Titanic, read some Harry Potter books, download some Limp Bizkit songs from Napster, and eat dinner at Chili's. And after I showed him my Beanie Baby collection, I could show him how to get a job. I figure he'll need one in about six months or so.

Well, I gotta go. The therapist says I can see him now.

Posted by colrus at 04:45 PM | TrackBack

July 24, 2006

Babyurethane

I applied five coats of polyurethane to the baby's dresser yesterday. I then woke up with a headache. I have about three more to go, so I'll probably wake up with 3/5 of a headache tomorrow. It will look nice when it's done. If I live long enough to see it.

The baby is kicking more and more. After one rather pronounced boot yesterday, thoughts of soccer excited me. Which is weird, as I've never much cared for the game.

My former boss' daughter was crowned Tennesee Junior Miss Saturday night. Here are some pictures.

Yes, I am still at the office. This week, we publish our election guide. It's 8,458 pages. Or at least it feels like it.

Posted by colrus at 07:03 PM | TrackBack

July 19, 2006

We Slept at Erlanger

Shortly after after 9 a.m. yesterday, upon getting to work at Erlanger, my wife (who is six months pregnant) fainted in the hospital's post office. Before doing so, she got the attention of a doctor she knew, who helped her to the floor and then brought her to the emergency room. A couple of her co-workers called me to let me know about the situation. I got to the hospital shortly afterwards, quite panicked but composed.

We're guessing that my wife's blood sugar had dipped (she didn't eat breakfast yesterday), causing her condition. After several (see: nine) hours in the ER, she was finally given a room on the seventh floor. After returning to the house to feed the cats and get some clothes, I joined Melissa in the hospital room. It was an oddly enjoyable experience, as it was nice and quiet and we both got a lot of much-needed rest. Melissa was discharged around 9 a.m. today and is doing fine.

My niece Joy has proposed "Alexander" as Sam's middle name. While I agree with her assessment that it "pretty much goes well with any and all first names," I think we're leaning towards using a family name if we can -- unless there's someone in the family with the name "Alexander." Joy?

The Red Sox swept the Royals, beating them 1-0 both of the last two nights behind great pitching performances by Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Jonathan Papelbon. Lester is on my Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball team (nicknamed the "Dinkin' Flickas") and has gone 5-0 since I picked him up. My team is creeping up the standings, overtaking many of the ol' Connecticut friends of mine that are also in the league.

Posted by colrus at 10:57 PM | TrackBack

July 18, 2006

There is Dust Everywhere

I'm halfway through the painting stage of the stripping/sanding/priming/painting/polyurethene-ing process on the dresser we're going to use for Sam. Right now, much of the office/soon to be baby's room is covered in dust, so this computer might explode. If it does, know I always loved all of you.

We're painting the dresser spa blue and ordering some clear knobs off the Web. We will also be hanging a painting my dad did of a tricycle (which has colors that are similar to the paint we're using) some 40 years ago and will be buying some wooden letters to spell Sam's name on the wall. We'll probably paint those, too.

In case you're keeping score, Sam's official name (as of today) is Samuel ___________ Colrus. We're taking suggestions for a middle name, as we're not quite sure we want to settle on the current front runner, William.

Our paper will have a new podcast this week. Josh Daniels (host of our only other podcast) will again take the reigns, rockin' C-Town with his biweekly, 60-minute music show, "The PulseCast: Music Edition." If all goes as planned, this podcast (as well as all future Pulse podcasts) will be available via all your favorite podcatchers, via Web streaming, and via plain ol' mp3 download.

I've heard it. You're gonna dig it.

Speaking of Podcasts. Tara Servatius, a writer for Charlotte's Creative Loafing, also hosts a GREAT talk show on WBT 1110 AM on Sundays, which is also available in podcast form. I first heard Tara when I was visiting my sister and have downloaded every one of her shows since. She's become a sort of personal journalistic hero of mine.

In other semi-related Web news: Our Web hits have been steadily increasing for quite some time, with last week's numbers being our best yet. People must really like to read about food.

I'm headin' back to the editing bay tomorrow. We're getting REALLY CLOSE to finishing the OTOH DVD. I spoke with Dan Lyons today, and he will be available for the commentary recording session. Microphones permitting, we won't be the only two cast members there.

Lack of writing. You've undoubtedly noticed that my editorial writing has basically, well, stopped over the last year or so. This is not good, nor particularly desired, on my part, and steps are being taken to revive this facet of my work. I'm looking forward to being openly despised once again. Maybe as soon as next week...

---

CURRENT DIVERSIONS:
LISTENING: Cornelius - Fantasma
READING: John Stossel - Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel--Why Everything You Know is Wrong
WATCHING: Get a Life episodes

Posted by colrus at 01:21 AM | TrackBack

July 11, 2006

Oh, Busy-ness

Let's see...

Went to a wedding reception last week for (former OTOH'er) Brad Reynolds and his new wife, Thiery. It was one of the most interesting weddings I've ever been to. In addition to chowing down on NINE COURSES of food, we watched Brad and Thiery circle the room to receive gift envelopes from those in attendance.

They are bowing and giving thanks in this picture.

In a bit of "it really is a small world" detail, local filmmaker Jim Burer was the photographer. (Well, not of THIS photo. This one's mine.)

Baby stuff. Well, we already had a crib, so we bought a stroller this week. (Babies 'R Us had it on clearance. Sweet!) We also bought a couple more baby books, clothes and registered for some things at Target.

We are currently stripping a dresser and repainting it for the baby, as well as clearing out a bunch of stuff so we can decorate the baby's room. Having decided that we are going to stay where we're currently living for at least a few months after the baby is born, new carpet has become a hot topic of discussion in the Colrus house.

Speaking of the baby, here's the mommy with our other "kids" -- From left: Winnie, Booger and Jack. (Click to enlarge.)

Spent the 4th of July up at the Baugh's on Lookout Mountain. Played some very intense Wiffle Ball in 90-degree heat. (We lost by a run.) Casey's dad, Jerry, has a nasty slider, effectively shutting down our longball in the late innings.

Casey's first instructional DVD is now available for purchase via Richard Schmid's site and publishing company, and Casey will have some work up for sale in Richard's auction in Colorado this fall. (I like "Lula Creek," myself.)

Casey plans to do two more videos, and has started making his own frames -- a BIG money-saving move for an up-and-coming artist. Casey and Linlee's baby is due in September, and they are going up to Vermont and New Hampshire in a couple of weeks to scout out housing options for a permanent move up there in October or November.

You can check out some of Casey's latest work here.

Posted by colrus at 09:44 AM | TrackBack

June 29, 2006

All Up On Da Blog

An early baby name favorite is Samuel. We'd call him Sam. Middle name? No idea.

I'm wondering how much MySpace affects potential Chattablogs traffic. Diversity and numbers seem lower than ever around here, and I'm wondering if the urge to cavort with 14 year-old girls is just too overwhelming. I have a MySpace page, but I don't do much with it.

11 in a row for the Red Sox. And they did it by pounding Pedro on his first trip back, no less.

My dad sent me another stack of New Haven Advocates. Thanks, dad.

Production on the OTOH DVD is nearing the homestretch. 99 percent of the clips for the main video are in place. All that's left is color/audio tweaking, menu creation and commentary recording. While it won't (obviously) be done this month as planned, it should be done in July with time to spare. Woo-hoo!

As I excise many of the VHS tapes from my house, I have no started making DVDs of the complete collection of taped episodes of Chris Elliott's Get a Life that I obtained from a guy on the Web a few years back. Yes, an acquired taste, I know, but I just flat-out love that show.

I hate the word "hipster." (Just thought I'd mention it.)

---

CURRENT DIVERSIONS:
LISTENING: Aloha - Some Echoes
READING: New Haven Advocate back issues
WATCHING: YouTube for clips like this...

Posted by colrus at 11:22 AM | TrackBack

June 15, 2006

It's (Gonna Be) a Boy!

(Click for bigger view.)

This is an ultrasound of our soon-to-be-born SON.
He is very healthy and we are VERY, VERY happy.

Of course, EVERYBODY expected a girl, so we haven't given much thought to any boy names.

So...

I am officially taking suggestions.
Feel free to post as many as you can think of below.

In case you're wondering, Melissa said no to Nat King Colrus.

Posted by colrus at 10:39 AM | TrackBack

June 09, 2006

Bush's Poll Numbers Might Be Low, But Bush Doesn't Care Because Bush Can't Run for President Again and other fun facts...

Zarqawi was killed. Call me old fashioned, but when a terrorist leader who murders innocent people (including his own countrymen) is taken out, my first instinct is to smile.

I know, I know... WE are the real terrorists, and I mustn't let my excitement on this occasion of our military's success cloud my moral outrage. I must be outraged at all times and, when I am not outraged, I must argue with others -- who are also outraged -- as to the best methods to show our collective outrage and take this country back from those who don't seem quite so outraged.

Politics. The upcoming elections should be interesting. While the Democrats are still trying to find themselves, the Republicans are looking for the lowest common denominator issue (gay marriage? dang, didn't work...) to rally their base -- a base that, obviously, isn't fooled by this manuever.

Both major political parties are perpetually guilty of this fakey tactic, a tactic which I firmly believe shows that both care far more about gaining/regaining/keeping power than they do -- despite their platitudes otherwise -- about the country as a whole.

If there was some kind of pledge I could sign vowing to never to join either as long as I live, I'd sign it today. I'll be polite (well, mostly), and am willing to listen to anybody's ideas, but I have NEVER, EVER so loved being politically independent in my entire life.

I don't know why you sent me the copy of Oxford American, but thank you. It's a good issue, and it's always nice to get surprises in the mail.

Work continues on the OTOH DVD. The next editing session at the Lazy Bear bunker will take place next Tuesday. I am working on a few segments at home in the meantime, including the music video for "The East Ridge Song." I'd offer it up to Bailes as a campaign theme, but I think it would prove counterproductive. I enhanced the audio (read: added slight reverb) yesterday, and may (due to repeated requests) make the mp3 available for download next week.

The idea of a viewing party to celebrate the DVD's "release" is being bandied about right now. Maybe just a "friends and family" of the show kind of thing. Maybe we can even get Megs to sing his Valentine's Day song. I'm still shooting for a late June completion date. We're getting close to completion.

Posted by colrus at 01:26 AM | TrackBack

June 06, 2006

Oh, the Fun!

It's so great to be back in the blogosphere. I've been so busy lately that I've been neglecting my carefully crafted Web persona. But no more! I -- of the overly dramatic blog header at the top of the page -- am back to reel off some more crazed thoughts before I forget them.

Bill Hobbs dug my citizen journalism piece. Though I'm not convinced he would have even read it if he wasn't quoted in it.

The new John Stossel book is quite good. Despite the opinions of the gentleman who E-mailed me (unsolicited) to tell me that Stossel is a pathological liar. To each his own, I suppose.

Did you know that hate speech is recognized as such in virtually every conceivable situation EXCEPT when the targets of said hate speech are conservative Christians? To hate them these days, you see, is socially acceptable. And often politically advantageous. It's also regularly viewed, in a sick way, as "tolerance." Wanna watch a diehard liberal's head explode? Accuse them of hate speech. Even better, call the ACLU on them.

The arrest of SEVENTEEN TERRORISTS (HELLO!!!) in Canada has led to investigations in seven other countries, including Great Britain, where "no fewer than 1,200 Islamist terrorists are biding their time within British suburbs." No comment. That's just a lot of terrorists.

All but one of my nieces and nephews are now over 21 years of age. My niece Joy turned 21 last week. (Happy Birthday, Girlfriend!!!) It's very odd being the uncle of more than person who can legally drink. What's even weirder is that I've been an uncle since 1980.

I just successfully, for the first time in my life, rearranged our linen closet. My wife will be thrilled, as my lack of talent in the "folding things" department is quite legendary. While it doesn't look perfect, it looks A LOT better than it did. Besides, I had to do SOMETHING while the Red Sox were getting pounded at Yankee Stadium.

I am in simplification mode these days. I'm wanting to sell, throw away or give away anything I don't really need. With the baby coming, I feel like it would be wise to have more room to breathe -- no matter where it is we wind up living.

Tonight, for example, I spent an hour going through ALL of my CDs and filled up yet ANOTHER bag of stuff to take to McKay's. I just don't need all this stuff. And we could use a few extra bucks in the vacation fund.

I don't know. This simplification process, I guess, is part of a bigger shift in my life. I've noticed that my interest in pop culture wanes more and more each day. My wants have changed. I'm sick of living for me. I'm not amused by the same things I once was, I don't laugh at the same jokes I used to and I find myself increasingly interested in taking creative risks. I need to take advantage of my willingness to be bold and seek out opportunities to rock the boat.

Posted by colrus at 01:13 AM | TrackBack

May 25, 2006

"The Generic Gospel Choir"

Tonight's rousing(?) finale of American Idol featured my NUMBER ONE, ALL-TIME MUSICAL PET PEEVE: The generic gospel choir.

Rising to prominence in the video for Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is," the generic gospel choir is an often-used tool that adds an annoyingly schmaltzy, fakey, non-offending bit of "soul" or "spirituality" to an otherwise godawful ballad or upbeat, soulfilled gospel-esque number. Often slowly appearing behind the performer during a key or tempo change, the generic gospel choir adds just the right amount of cheese to an already cheesy performance. The generic gospel choir that slunk out behind Taylor Hicks tonight was Grade A, primo cheese.

...and as far as Taylor winning goes, was ANYBODY surprised?

One thing that I might be the only one in the country to have noticed about Taylor thusfar: He sounds an awful lot like Lowell George and should be doing Little Feat songs. He might also want to look into a substance abuse problem. He's getting dangerously close to cruise ship level with all that quirky cuteness.

The baby is getting closer and closer to being with us. Last Saturday, we went to a baby fair at Erlanger's Women's East. Today, we received our packet for our free birthing classes. They start at Erlanger in September, and if we attend all six, we get a free car seat.

In related news: I love my wife more and more each day.

And so is the DVD... This week's AHOOTOH editing session at the Lazy Bear bunker was brief, but fun. I'm really getting excited about finishing this thing. (Current estimate: Late June.) Most bits don't need much tweaking, but I am working at home on a couple of key bits this week: the "Protesting" commercial and the "East Ridge Song" music video. I am shortening the commercial and re-recording the voiceover for it. I am also adding new music to it. As far as "East Ridge" goes, graphic embellishment and audio remixing is underway.

Writing. Much to do at work this week as I put the finishing touches on an essay about citizen journalism for next week's issue. It should elicit indifference, curiosity, mockery and anger, depending on the reader.

Tonight, while at a going away party for one of my wife's co-workers, I came up with a decent idea for a documentary film. It would be feature length, and devoted to a topic that I've been quite interested in for quite some time. (I'll not disclose the idea now, though. Maybe later...) In fact, I am SO interested in the pursuing this project, that I am about to E-mail Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound) to ask him some technical questions. My idea has nothing to do at all with Jeff's film, except for the style of it.

The vacation is booked. Our last by-ourselves-before-we-have-kids vacation will be spent in August at the Helmsley Sandcastle in Lido Key, Florida. The hotel is on the beach, and we will do some serious chillin'.

Posted by colrus at 01:22 AM | TrackBack

May 18, 2006

Before I Get Back to Work: May 18, 2006

Can somebody please tell me where I can watch a news piece discussing how church groups are upset about The Da Vinci Code? ...Oh wait, I found one. On every channel.

If I'm not mistaken, Matt Lauer was ON LOCATION IN ROME today discussing the film. I think the biggest question to ponder with the release of this movie is, what the dork is up with Tom Hanks' hair?

We heard the baby's heartbeat yesterday. It was 148 beats per minute and sounded like it. Next month, we will find out the sex of the baby and get a VHS copy of the ultrasound -- which I will undoubtedly post in streaming format for all to see.

My typical breakfast these days: Coffee, OJ, sunflower seeds and a banana. I also take a low-dose Tylenol and a multivitamin. It's quite a tasty mix.

For precautionary reasons, I am sitting out the rest of the spring/summer softball season. I overthrew a ball a few weeks back, and tweaked my elbow. I haven't had it looked at yet, and I don't want to do any further damage. Especially if I want to play this fall. Which I do.

Our yard sale last week was a success. We set up at Jenni and Pat Miles' house. Jenni's parents came, too, and we had quite a spread set up. We sold almost everything we wanted to sell -- including an ENTIRE box of old LP's -- and stashed the money in our vacation fund envelope.

Edit sessions for the "A Handful of On The Other Hand" DVD are now up to twice a week. 99.9% of the footage has been captured and initial edits are being made. A slightly altered opening sequence (including still shots of cast members) is complete and a tentative run order has been sketched out.

Some segments from the last version have been cut, most have been shortened and a few new ones have been added, most notably: an abridged version of "The Corrector Corrects the Hits" CD offer commercial, two "Very Special Episode" promos, the "Let Us Name Your Baby" commercial, two "Behind the Scenes" bits, J. Adam Price throwing a fit in a puddle outside a Favorite Market in Fort Oglethorpe, a longer version of Megs' Valentine's Day song and a couple other things. Short clips will break up the end credits.

Much of the exisiting footage, when tightened up for punchiness, comes off well. We are pushing for a June completion date and an accompanying premiere screening for cast, crew, friends and family. I've also unearthed a SMALL stack of original OTOH bumper stickers, which will be given away with the first few copies of the disc.

Posted by colrus at 10:45 AM | TrackBack

May 04, 2006

May 4, 2006

Tough loss tonight. Despite the second straight bad outing from Beckett, a vintage 2005 inning from Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon's first earned run of the year, the Sox were 90 feet from tying the ballgame. At least my fantasy team is winning this week. (Dork alert!)

Snacks. While I've long loved snacks like Doritos and Coke, as I sit here typing this, I notice that I am eating a bag of "Back to Nature" brand Raisin Granola and washing it down with a can of Diet Coke with Lime. AND I'm diggin' it. Tomorrow, I will eat some fresh-picked twigs with a homemade wheat germ reduction. Then, I will buy a Subaru Outback.

It doesn't officially come out until next month so I'll take my time reviewing it, but the Mike Keneally Band's Guitar Therapy Live album is pretty much off the chain. "Guitar Therapy" was an apt name for this tour, too, as I've just about had my fill of "important" chop-deprived indie shlock this year. Thank you, Mike. The RIDICULOUSLY GORGEOUS and CHALLENGING interplay between Keneally and band is quite soothing, giving me hope that virtuosity is not, in fact, dead despite a currently oft-embraced movement in the other direction. If you have ever had even a mild interest in playing the guitar, you should give this one a listen.

A streaming version of Neil Young's latest, Living With War is now available online. Listen to it. Question: Once the war is over, how will our creative counterculture elites earn a living if there is no longer a market for anti-war music, movies, plays, television programs and books? I guess they could produce a batch of "the war should've stopped sooner" songs, movies, plays, television programs and books. Doesn't have the same ring to it, though, does it?

Soooo... Why does Vincente Fox seem to care about the future of the Mexican people only AFTER they've crossed the border into our country? I dunno, either. (Well, I kinda do. No, wait, I'm positive I do. But anyway...) He also ALMOST signed off on legislation that would've allowed "the personal use of cocaine, LSD, heroin and other drugs." I propose that since he, himself, is on drugs, he felt guilty that his fellow countrymen couldn't be as well. But then the buzz wore off. Has anybody seen his pants? Check back with him tomorrow. He might change his mind back again.

Posted by colrus at 12:35 AM | TrackBack

April 30, 2006

April 30, 2006

If you get a chance, try to catch Independent Lens' A League of Ordinary Gentlemen the next time it airs. The film, a look at the rise and fall and semi-revival of professional bowling, premiered on PBS earlier this week. Good stuff.

I'm switching from BellSouth DSL to Comcast for my broadband service. Losing a connection 20-plus times per day is ridiculous. Plus, if memory serves from when I had a cable modem a few years back, Comcast is much faster. I have 48 hours to cancel, so if any of you want to advise me against the switch, go right ahead.

Melissa and I are planning a vacation for late July. It'll be our last trip together before the baby comes. We are searching for hotels in and around the Siesta Key/Bradenton area. Crescent Beach in Siesta Key is one of the most beautiful in the world, and we pretty much just wanna relax for three or four days.

The Red Sox vs. The Yankees on ESPN means I'll be skipping softball tomorrow night. We might have rain, too. And my elbow is still a little sore and could probably use another few days of rest. Especially considering, if healthy, I'll be playing softball all the way through October again this year.

Yard Sale! Saturday, May 13 is the date. We are pricing stuff now. More info later...

---

CURRENT DIVERSIONS:
LISTENING: The Mike Keneally Band - Guitar Therapy Live
WATCHING: Robert Mulligan's To Kill a Mockingbird
READING: Thomas Sowell - The Quest for Cosmic Justice

Posted by colrus at 11:16 PM | TrackBack

April 21, 2006

April 21, 2006

Need a diagram of the four fairly obvious proofs for some of the basic tenets of Christianity? Click here to see one created by Sugarplastic front man Ben Eshbach. Perhaps, as you peruse it, you'd like to listen (for mood's sake) to the rockin' "Jesus Is His Name" from their most recent album, Will.

Other recent and interesting Eshbach creations include: "In Walked the Captain" (a "scary" story in mp3 format) and videos of Ben noodling on the guitar, Ben ordering lunch, Ben jumping on his bed or a magic act by Ben's friend, Diego (Download recommended for this one).

Ahh... Rape. Particulars of the current Duke case aside, did you ever notice that you never hear many stories of men acquitted of rape countersuing their accusers? Especially in cases where the plaintiff has/has potentially committed perjury? In other words, where NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

It seems to me that, in cases of rape, defendants are more often than not considered "guilty until proven innocent" -- at least in unspoken terms -- and that when a defendant is acquitted, common opinion is that the acquittal should be enough for him, that he should be satisfied with it and only it. Regardless of whether he has a case to countersue or not, he's somehow overstepping his bounds by even daring to do so; even if he's found innocent, he's still perceived of as guilty in most cases. The stigma is that strong.

Rape is a horrible thing and rapists deserve to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But false accusations of rape are vile in their own right and, once leveled, follow the innocent around forever.

And then there's Al Sharpton.

---

Current Diversions:
LISTENING: The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
WATCHING: SCTV - Volume 2
READING: John Stossel - Give Me a Break

Posted by colrus at 11:46 PM | TrackBack

April 20, 2006

April 20, 2006

Oh, Glorious Day! We went to the doctor yesterday and saw our baby's heartbeat (175 beats per minute) via the Ultrasound machine. Though the image is much more real on the computer screen, these pictures ain't too shabby.

(Click on pics for bigger view.)

So, yes, Lazy Bear's Killing Elvis is the movie I'll be appearing in. While I was originally under the impression that this information was to be hush-hush, apparently it wasn't. Shooting will take place this summer with a fall premiere planned for Chattanooga. The film will also feature this guy, as well as 25 other actors. Check out the trailer here.

In Related News: After MANY false starts, post production work on the "A Handful of On the Other Hand" compilation DVD is finally under way. The rough cut of the video, orginally created in 2004, is being tweaked, cleaned up and re-worked to provide the most entertaining snapshot of the show possible. The disc will include at least one commentary track and I am also racking my brain for other possible bonus features. (Though let's face it, there really isn't a lot of extra footage sitting around.) The DVD should be ready by early summer.

13 years ago yesterday, while I was eating lunch in the cafeteria at Middlesex Community College, I was transfixed by live TV coverage of the burning down of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. At the time, public opinion favored the destruction of the compund (and its inhabitants) because the Branch Davidians were "a crazy cult" who stockpiled guns and who had killed ATF agents. The FBI, under the direction of Janet Reno, took over the siege and (though some will argue to the contrary) burned down the compound, killing all but a few of a few of the Branch Davidians still inside.

I've always been uneasy about this moment in history. It seems to just hang there, worthy of closer inspection. And while somewhat intense scrutiny and review of the stand-off has occurred in the years since, the public remains largely indifferent about it. Now, 13 years later, Americans seem to have come to two differing conclusions: The siege at Waco was either a case of justifiable cult extermination or a flagrant abuse of power by our government. (A third, smaller segment of the population claims it was a collective act of suicide.) The fact that most people tend to lean towards the first scenario is pretty scary. But so is the second. Bottom line: This was a horrific event all the way around.

There remains a great deal of debate as to what really happened at Waco. One of the better accounts is the 1997 documentary, Rules of Engagement. The film won awards upon its initial release, but I can't help but think that its Davidian-favoring slant has affected its appeal since. I recommend this film to anyone wanting a little more insight into (at least one opinion of) the events that transpired at Waco.

As an aside, it was announced yesterday that six Branch Davidians will soon be released from prison. The four were convicted for their roles in the deaths of four federal agents during the incident.

In two years, it'll be 15 years since the incident. Maybe I'll write something big about it then...

Posted by colrus at 11:38 PM | TrackBack

April 18, 2006

BILLet: April 18, 2006

Throughout the course of any given week, I think of -- and then soon forget --things I'd like to post. I've decided to jot down these thoughts down on a notepad throughout the week and post them in billet form when I can. According to Webster's Dictionary, a billet (pronounced BILL-it) is a "small paper; a note; a short letter" and a perfect word to describe these posts. It's also an obvious play on my name, which makes it all the more geekily appropriate.

Here we go:

Most important around the Colrus home is the fact that my brother-in-law is DEFINITELY going to Iraq. My sister recently posted the following on the comments thread of another post and I think it warrants reprinting here:

Roy, my husband got news yesterday that he is scheduled to leave for Iraq in September. His company has sent a couple of groups over since March and will continue shipping drill sergeants to Iraq until December. Roy's reserve unit is stationed at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. We (myself, son Ryan, daughter Jordan and, of course, Drill Sergeant Roy) could use all the prayers we can get for a safe tour of duty and return home!

I second her request for prayer.

Melissa continues to do well, now almost 11 weeks into her pregnancy. We have another doctor's appointment this week and will hopefully have a new Ultrasound photo to post. The anticipation we are feeling in advance of becoming parents is amazing and I love my wife so unbelievably much I can't stand it. Her? She puts up with me...

Rumor has it that my sister-in-law will be leaving her brand new Hummer H3 at my house for THREE DAYS later this week while she flies out of town. I'll admit it. The urge to shoot a rap video in it will be overwhelming. All up in the Signizzle Mountizzle, yo.

I have accepted a small role in a film. That's all I can say. It is a small and local project and should be fun. I play an informant and I die at the end of my scene.

My Borderline Improper First Thought Upon Reading About Bill Hobbs' Recent Islamic Cartoon Debacle: "If I had a nickel for every time somebody worried about offending Muslims..."

Here's what Instapundit had to say about it:

BILL HOBBS HAS LOST HIS JOB FOR BLOGGING: The Knoxville News-Sentinels' Michael Silence calls it "sickening" and "pathetic." He's right.

I call it a defining moment for Belmont University, in which that institution squandered all the goodwill and interest among bloggers that it spent the past couple of years building up.

I pretty much agree. Belmont has now tarnished all my fond memories of BlogNashville 2005. Just think, Tennessee bloggers might never get to see Dave Winer act like a fool in public ever again. What have you done, Belmont?!?

Though he takes long breaks from blogging, I have to say that Ron Ott is my number one, all-time favorite blogger. Why? Creativity. When he posted a picture of an impromptu sculpture he'd done of the head of disgraced former Worldcom CEO Bernard Eggers, I was hooked. His blogs have always been different and interesting, and his latest, Doodlepost (now featured each week in The Pulse), might be the best of all. Doodles on Post-It Notes. Brilliant. Check it out.

I recently watched a couple of episodes of the WWII-themed mystery series, Foyle's War. I am now hooked. This stuff is REALLY well done and Michael Kitchen is pretty much a monster of an actor.

In preparation for a large piece on illegal immigration, I have amassed an enormous file on the subject. And while recent protests have spurred my interest in finishing SOMETHING on the topic, I now have so much stuff that I almost don't know where to begin.

---

Current Diversions:
LISTENING: Mercury Rev - The Secret Migration
WATCHING: The Bob Newhart Show - Season Three DVD Set
READING: Consumer Reports - 2006 Buying Guide Issue

Posted by colrus at 11:04 AM | TrackBack