Pithy Title Here

I have a shirt that reads "Keep Austin Weird." If you've never been to Austin, you have no idea what that means. If you have... well, this won't surprise you. Some kids in Austin hacked into those flashing construction-style traffic signs with great results (photo taken from Austin American Statesman, which credits nofearofthefuture.blogspot.com):

Frozen is in the title so that's where our headline comes from today. I dunno... I am obsessed with this song lately. I am cooling down to it at the gym and it's the song that has convinced me the new- ish singer for Shiny Toy Guns is OK. Anyhow, it closes their latest album: Frozen Oceans - Shiny Toy Guns

I'm getting excited for the Super Bowl and it had me thinking back to the last time the Steelers played in the game. It was not a particularly pretty game and there are Seahawks fans who still think the NFL tried to make them lose (get over it). Anyhow, there were maybe two highlight-worthy plays: a big TD run by Willie Parker to start the second half and a crazy TD pass off a reverse by Antwaan Randle -El. And that last play brings me to this blog. We are force-fed highlights by ESPN and any number of other outlets. The problem is that the moments that make me love sports RARELY match up with the oft-hyped highlights that are supposed to be so great. And it makes me mad. Sports are an escape and should be enjoyed, not taken too seriously. And why are they an escape? It's a rush. We like to be loud and we like to be hanging on the edge of a plot - the what's going to happen? feeling - except in sports (with rare scandalous exceptions), there's no script. It...

The scene outside security at Reagan-Washington National. Get here early if you're flying today.

On this day, we're told change is coming. And not a damn moment too soon, if you ask me. In fact, we need an executive order, stat. We need someone to rescue pop radio. And a good first step? Elimination of folks like Katy Perry with people we can put our trust in... or at least who have a track record of putting out pop songs we can really love. Take it away, Kelly: My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson

Today, we're starting a new category of posts called "Making My Readers Mad." This is reserved for posts I think will incite the furor of some fraction of the small audience reading this fine blog. I hate Counting Crows. I have never liked Counting Crows. They came to being at a time in my life where if it didn't involve heavy guitars I hated it. Even today, when I love all kinds of rootsy bands - a little bit of just about everything, really - I cannot bear this band. Why? Let's review: They are vastly overrated. In my high school, when they first came out, every kid who loved them was an ass. And they went on and on about how great Counting Crows is. And how I just don't understand. And how the bands I like aren't nearly the musicians that the members of Counting Crows are. And, how that even though I saw Pink Floyd, Beck, an entire flipping Lollapalooza , R.E.M. and many more before graduation, I had not yet seen a "good" concert bec...

This is the scene heading north on US 27 toward Belle Glade, FL where I had a meeting today. When you think of Florida, this probably isn't the scene you picture. These, though, are the Everglades. And the road, to quote a coworker, has more in common with Kansas then the Sunshine State. Long, flat... For miles. And aside from traffic, it's this or fields of sugarcane.

I loved The Knife's Silent Shout . So did Pitchfork , which made it 2006 album of the year. Well, one half of the Swedish electro outfit has done a solo album under the name Fever Ray. The album cover is kinda creepy. The video for first single "If I Had a Heart" is plain terrifying. And I love it.

It's as predictable as the Mets ' collapse each September: New year's Day passes and suddenly my gym is packed. Scores of people bound (bound?) by New year's resolutions come streaming into the gym. And take up MY elliptical machine. OK it's not mine, but it is annoying to have all these people crowding the place for the first three months of the year. I hear you. Sure, it's great that people have committed themselves to a healthier lifestyle. The thing is, the gym has a worse retention rate than the Branch Dividians . Most of these newbies will be gone by St. Patrick's Day. It's almost like training camp for a sports team and you're an established player. You know you've got your spot on the team. Now, all these rookies are taking up locker room space and you're curious who's actually going to be able to make the team. You can spot all these people a mile away, too. New workout clothes (nicer than mine) that are going to be used ...

The other night, I flew to Austin, TX to visit a friend. The flight was supposed to go at 6:20. You know the deal… flying on a Friday night is asking for trouble. Sure enough, even from the first mention of delay, folks at the gate were agitated. With all the travel I do, I find myself people-watching more than ever. And when a flight is delayed, I am often amazed by what I see. More than a few people went up to the hapless gate agent demanding answers for why the plane wasn’t going anywhere. Many of these people made several trips. The gate agent knows nothing, of course, which adds to the frustration of the folks who are coming up and asking what’s going on. Then there was the group who decided, “Eh, we’ll just go sit and do what we can.” And there they were, seated across the terminal. Now and then, they would come up to a group of us who were watching a maintenance crew attempt to fix our plane and ask if we heard anything. The whole time they were like me: wishing for the...

This morning, I wake up in the nation of Texas. Among items on tap today is Texas BBQ. This excites me greatly.

Getting divorced must suck. Custody arrangements, dividing up money... can't be fun. And, according to an Associated Press article , you can try to get your bodily organs back: GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – A Long Island surgeon embroiled in a nearly four-year divorce proceeding wants his estranged wife to return the kidney he donated to her, although he says he'll settle for $1.5 million in compensation. Dr. Richard Batista, a surgeon at Nassau University Medical Center , told reporters at his lawyer's Long Island office Wednesday that he decided to go public with his demand for kidney compensation because he has grown frustrated with the negotiations with his estranged wife. Apparently, though, he should have thought ahead. According to the article, judges won't assign value to those sorts of things, so he's out of luck. Perhaps he should have written up a contract with his wife before the donation. And lest we feel too bad for the guy, appare...

I'm one of those annoying people that always knows where I'm going. I mean this literally. I pick up directions very quickly and if I've driven someplace once, I can do it forever. I read maps well (and this is great since I have Google Maps on my Blackberry at any moment) and, when in doubt, I always go online to get directions someplace. I realize not everyone is like this. Today, though, a colleague of mine was going to the same event I was going to and ended up missing her turn. And she picked up on this 15 miles later. I'm not saying we should all judge her. This happens to people. A lot. I get calls from friends who are so far gone off the path they should be on (and they call me because they know I'm an atlas) that it amazes me. I guess what I really don't get in all this is that I know several people that get themselves more lost than they need to be when they're lost. Take my colleague from today. She knew she was lost. Why not stop? I kno...

Here in Charlotte today, it is a mess. Rain. Lots and lots of rain. So we need a pick me up, fun song. One thing we like here almost as much as sublime indie music is a perfect pop song. And, unlike last week's, which I still adore, this one won't annoy you all day: Phantom Limb - The Shins

Happy new year all! How are we ringing it in? By sitting the hell out of our couch. No joke, yesterday, it was 4 p.m. before we made ourselves presentable and here we are today, nearly 3 p.m. and we're both sitting here wearing pajamas. And, I'm not going to lie: it's awesome. Both of our offices are on holiday time today and I'm sitting here realizing just how flipping busy we've been for the past several months. Not just work... it's honestly been the out-of-work stuff that's really been keeping us extra busy. Choir rehearsals and concerts, Sarah's freelance writing, my local board position... all of this is stuff we enjoy. And that takes time. We will head to the gym in a few... we've still been pretty good about that. Plus, I am in the throes of a cold, so being sedentary is, I think, really helping me out. But makes me think... almost every weekend is a sprint of getting chores and errands done and squeezing in some social time... and som...