'My Neighbors Cat', 'Back to School', or 'HD Tivo Rulez' I've been feeding my neighbor's cat Smuckers for past few days. It hates me. Hissing and scratching at me every time I walk in the door. I think she misses her owner. I was lucky to get through the experience alive. In other animal news, Lola got her staples out.

I'm starting the University of Florida MBA program this Friday, and will be gone for 10 days in Gainesville, FL for the orientation. It seems like there are a fews good shows to check out while I'm there, so that should be fun. Not to mention seeing some friends for the first time in a year. When I come back, Brigitta will already be gone to Paris and Milan for work for the next week, returning in time to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary before I am off to Dublin again the week after that. February should be somewhat back to normal.

Oh yeah, and HD Tivo rules. The pathetic thing was that we had to wait two weeks to have a technician come out and install the CableCards, which amounted to a guy coming in, inserting a card, calling a phone number and repeating two numbers to the person on the other end who flipped a switch. Voila, $15.99! You see, Comcast won't let you do the self install for CableCards, probably in some last ditch effort to squeeze a few extra nickels out of us or salvage what's left of a dying business model. When you upgrade to a TV or DVR that uses CableCards, the cable companies cannot charge more than $1.50 per card. This saves the on the box rental fees they usually make off of you, and gives you the ability to bypass the Comcast STB menu system. All Hail Tivo!

Labels: Life

  ¶ 8:50 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Best Albums of 2007 Happy New Year! This party animal was asleep by 10:30 last night. Today, it's been pretty much nonstop football, but I did manage to pull together my top 15 albums of 2007 while Brigitta played Super Mario Galaxy. Here they are:

1. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond :: They're Baaaack. One of my all time favorite bands. I've seen them twice already since the reunion. This album sounds like they never stopped.
2. Against Me! - New Wave :: Punks everywhere are mad that these guys grew up. I think its an innovative rock album.
   
3. Sweet Cobra - Forever :: Best album to come out of Chicago this year. These guys should start thinking about quitting their day jobs.
4. Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice :: What is this, their fourth album? Nothing is as good as the first, but this still beats most stuff out their this year (or any year).
5. The Black Lips - Good, Bad, Not Evil :: Something different. Picked this up based on reviews - they weren't wrong. Makes me feel like I'm in a time warp. I would expect the live shows to be good.
6. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin :: One of my new favorite mellow bands, though you should start with Everything All the Time (Thanks Nick). I could probably get my parents to listen to this.
7. Pet Genius - S/T :: The first four songs on here are the best, good enough to put this in the top ten. If you like Stephen Brodsky, this is for you. If you like Cave In, maybe.
8. Lifetime - Lifetime :: They're Baaaack. I also got to see them on their reunion tour. They are still awesome, though being on Fall Out Boy's record label is kinda weak.
9. Akimbo - Navigating the Bronze :: Seen these guys live a couple of times over the past 4 or 5 years, but never got past downloading a few songs. This is the first album of theirs I've actually purchased and, believe it or not, my first album from Alternative Tentacles.
10. Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris :: Another solid album. I got to see them once this year. Oh, and 3's & 7's is on Guitar Hero 3!
11. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank :: I wish I was listening to these guys back in the mid-nineties. I kinda feel like an indie rock poser. Oh well I'm on the bandwagon now, and that's all that matters I guess.
    
12. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away :: Another album of soundtrack music I could probably get my parents to like. Phantom Limb is so good.
13. The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour :: Good, but not as great as Reconstruction Site.
14. Tegan and Sara - The Con :: I tried not to like this, but sometimes it's the only CD my wife leaves in the car and it's catchy as hell. Go ahead, picture me singing along.
    
15. Bright Eyes - Cassadega :: A new Desaparecidos (Thanks Jonathan) would have made the top ten.

Labels: music

  ¶ 7:37 PM 0 Comments Links to this post