Let's see ... something zippy and not too complicated to get things going this week. The Jam's "That's Entertainment" fits nicely I think. The song is "a snapshot of England Paul Weller was seeing and hearing at the time." I have to admit I never truly appreciated The Jam, and I didn't encounter Paul Weller until his Style Council days. The way my friends raved about them (especially the ones from England) I always felt I was missing out on something.

Here's a quote from Rolling Stones on the song:

The Jam had a long run of U.K. hits with their mod guitar flash -- but they were too defiantly British for U.S. success. The lads hit hardest with this acoustic lament, with Weller brooding over the heartaches of everyday working-class life. His songwriting technique? "Coming home pissed from the pub and writing 'That's Entertainment' in ten minutes."

Hmmm ... well come to think of it maybe I should have gone with "A Town Called Malice." Oh well, enjoy!

"A police car and a screaming siren
Pneumatic drill and ripped up concrete
A baby wailing, stray dog howling
The screech of brakes and lamp light blinking

That's entertainment, that's entertainment

The smash of glass and the rumble of boots
An electric train and a ripped up phone booth
Paint splatters walls and the cry of a tomcat
Lights going out and a kick in the balls

I say that's entertainment, that's entertainment-Ahh! (la la la)

Days of speed and slow time Mondays
Pissing down with rain on a boring Wednesday
Watching the news and not eating your tea
A freezing cold flat, and damp on the walls

I say that's entertainment, that's entertainment

Waking up at 6am on a cool warm morning
Opening the windows and breathing in petrol
An amateur band rehearsing in a nearby yard
Watching the telly and thinking about your holidays

That's entertainment, that's entertainment-Ahh! (la la la)

Waking up from bad dreams and smoking cigarettes
Cuddling a warm girl and smelling stale perfume
A hot summer's day and sticky black tarmac
Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away

That's entertainment, that's entertainment

Two lovers kissing amongst the scream of midnight
Two lovers missing the tranquility of solitude
Getting a cab and travelling on buses
Reading the grafitti about slashed seat affairs

I say that's entertainment, that's entertainment-Ahh! (la la la)"

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Published: (2005-05-31 16:17:42.0)

Today is a special day of days, my fifth wedding anniversary. My wife remarked "5 years. That's a drop in the bucket. We have a long way to go." I find that very comforting.

Be mine! Be mine forever. Take my hand, my ring and my name, and let me call you my wife for the rest of my days. She smiled sweetly, and my breath caught and my heart skipped a beat. Alright she said. But the name part is out.

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Published: (2005-05-26 21:37:23.0)

I've been spending time researching Roller and slowly figuring out how to tweak the template. I'm constantly playing around with the style sheet, and seeing how much I can pull off there. So far it's been pretty simple - just tweaking values here and there. Initially the template used many styles that simply weren't defined, so it was a matter of adding them to the style sheet.

After reading gconf's blog, I was inspired to figure out how to add the category next to the entry title. Looking over Roller's macro documentation, I couldn't find the string I wanted. I was hoping there was a variation of showWeblogCategoryChooser, which is called in the beginning of the template:

<div id="Content">
<center>
<img src="http://blogs.sun.com/roller/resources/frosty/frostyland.title.v2.jpg"
width="435" height="120" border="0">
<p class="descrip">#showWebsiteDescription()</p>
#showWeblogCategoryChooser()<br>
</center>
#showWeblogEntries("_day" 15)
<hr />
#showReferers( 40 25 )
</div>

... but no such luck. Then I remembered reading that it is possible to subscribe to a blog's RSS feeds by category - so there had to be way then, right?. So off to the Roller Macro Reference to take a peek at the the rss velocimacro. And there it was in the template source:

<category>$entry.category.name</category>

So off to plug that in to my _day template file. And while I was at it, I made some other tweaks (spacing and alignment):

#foreach( $entry in $entries )
<a name="$entry.anchor" id="$entry.anchor"></a>
<b>$entry.title</b>
<span class="category"> ... <i>in</i> $entry.category.name</span>
$entry.text
<p align="right">
#showCommentsPageLink( $entry ) :
#showEntryPermalink( $entry ) :
<span class="dateStamp">($entry.pubTime)</span>
</p>
#end

I'm pleased with the results. It's not that hard, just takes a bit of persistence.

Next up is more style sheet tweaks and additions of classes, and to fix one of my biggest peaves, the <ul> tag. If you're a CSS hacker, you probably know about A List Apart. There's a great article about lists and how to customize the layout and appearance. You'd be surprised at what you can do with <ul>.

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Published: (2005-05-26 11:58:12.0)

in the sun, golden shimmering sun
spin the endless blue (ache!)
la joie de vivre hums in my bones
i'll tip my glasses
and wink at the passing memory
no time to reflect
only a moment to
breathe deeply of now
now! warm golden hues
flickering and sparkling
on those thoughts
that happen upon my landscape
barefoot, i'm off to find a little piece
of cavalier, where I can ignore the world
look for me when the stars and sister moon
make their return ...

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Published: (2005-05-25 14:14:24.0)

"She wanted to stop reading it- but she had nothing better to do! Produced by average people who seem to think their lives are interesting. Filmed in thrilling HTML-O-Scope with exciting new fonts!"

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Published: (2005-05-25 10:23:30.0)

Every once in awhile, the music gods smile down upon me and I discover something new and fantastic. That happened recently when I picked up VAST's Nude album. Amazing, simply amazing. My initial impression was Bono mixed with Remy Zero, and throw in a dash of Depeche Mode and The Cure. And then throw in some more random influences (i.e. the track "I Can't Say No (To You)" has a distinct Middle Eastern feel). Most reviews mention "lush" in their description of the album's sound, and criticize that the layering of sounds can be a bit much. Bah! on them. Nude is a masterpiece in my opinion, and the only complaint is that it leaves me wanting more. Well and that it could be a little stronger on the lyrics.

Here's a great quote about the group:

"Actually, VAST is little more than a one-man band. Jon Crosby was something of a boy-wonder when he was featured in Guitar Player magazine at age thirteen. At sixteen, he started his band, VAST (Visual Audio Sensory Theater) and soon got signed to the Elektra label, who released two of his albums. On this new CD, Charlie Benante and Thomas Froggatt play (some) drums and bass respectively, but VAST is really just Crosby. This is his music, his emotions, his soul that is being bared here."

Bonus points to the reviewer for mentioning Marillion. Nice.

It's hard to pick out only one song, but I'm going with "Japanese Fantasy." I love the layering of Jon Crosby's voice in the chorus.

"The rocket ship took me so far away
From the fields where I had lost my way
A million people with a million souls
On a rocket ship that lost control

All I ever wanted was to feel like I
Had done something with my life
All I found was you ..."

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Published: (2005-05-24 14:47:06.0)

Woohoo! Make 02 showed up in my mailbox yesterday. I haven't been this excited about magazines since the days of Epic Illustrated Magazine.

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Published: (2005-05-24 14:22:38.0)

Reading through the my latest issue of Sunset magazine, I caught a small article on the plan to bring Wi-Fi to the California State Park system. Initially this struck me as a tad bit odd, after all the purpose of going to park is to enjoy nature and forget about tapping keys and firing off emails. But then I thought, well, this is California after all.

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Published: (2005-05-23 14:09:08.0)

Dada splashed onto the music scene with their single "DizzKneeLand" from their Puzzle album in 1992. The song was a bit of a controversy, and Disney was none too happy. They had all the makings of being a one hit wonder. Thank goodnesss they crossed out that equal sign and continued to put out good music.

Skip forward to 1997 and their self titled release Dada. Today's song, "California Gold" comes from that album. It's a fun song, best listened too when the sun's out and your favorite pairs of shorts on. What's that you say? "How can it be fun if it seems to be a scathing commentary on the Southern California lifestye?" It's fun because you get to sing the phrase "melting in the California gold" over and over again as you head into work, windows rolled down, head bobbing, and sunglasses gleaming. Never mind the meaning! And bonus points if you think of War's "Low Rider" when you give it a spin.

"Roach coach Mexican horn
Singing "La Cucaracha"
Suede face beggin' for bones
Won't stop 'till he's got ya
Surfer boy skating to Hell
Be home by dinner
The rest of us trying to get
Richer and phatter and thinner, yeah

Crackers and the crack boys (mixin' it up)
Maria and the boy toys (mixin' it up)
.45's and jet noise (mixin' it up)
Crackers and the crack
Melting into California gold
Melting into California gold
Melting into California gold
Melting into California gold
Melting into California

Another long day on the floor
Of this desert oasis
That's alright, as long as
The man, he pays us
Gonna live forever
Just like Deepak Chopra
Cause we're cleansing our souls every
Night with a bar of soap opera
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ..."

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Published: (2005-05-23 13:21:48.0)

The Cowboy Junkies show (in support of their The Trinity Session album) at the Warfield in San Francisco was one of the best I've ever seen, and definitely one of the most mellow. People were lounging around, engaged in quiet conversation, and they were even people laying down in the mosh pit. The band arranged themselves on chairs in a semicircle facing the audience, and didn't move that much. A grooving atmosphere and the energy level was pleasantly expectant. The music was righteous, and clear. Margo's voice floated over us, haunting, soothing and beckoning at the same time

Today's song is "A Common Disaster" from their Lay It Down album. It's a bit rocking for them, but it is Friday after all.

A candle burning for everything I've ever wanted
A tattoo burned for everything I've ever wanted and lost
I had a long list of names that I kept in my back pocket,
but I've cut it down to one and your name's at the top

Won't you share a common disaster?
Share with me a common disaster
A common disaster

I found myself a friend, but he's crooked as a stick in water
So now I'm writing fairy tales to catch the spirit of revenge
He's got a plan to steal my little sister
but I'm not too concerned 'cause I will get him in the end

Won't you share a common disaster?
Share with me a common disaster
A common disaster

Going to find me someone to share a common disaster
Run away with me from a life so cramped and dull
Not worry too much about the happily-ever-after
Just keep the Caddy moving 'til we're well beyond that hill

Won't you share a common disaster?
Share with me a common disaster
A common disaster

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Published: (2005-05-20 15:07:16.0)

I recently went on a reading binge, going through a bunch of my favorites in rapid succession. In two weeks I had read through:

• Dune by Frank Herbert (plot summary)
• Armor by John Steakley (plot summary)
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (plot summary)
• Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (plot summary)
• Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson (plot summaries)

I've been looking around for more books, and came across Rich Burridge's review of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. So now that's on my wish list, thank you very much. Also I've been on the prowl for the Deryni Series by Katherine Kurtz. For now, I've been eyeing Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson, and so will probably read that again next.

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Published: (2005-05-19 14:33:08.0)

With the pending release of Star Wars (Episode III): Revenge of the Sith (review), there's been plenty of hype in the media. Here's a few stories and other related items I picked out:

• Anakin vs. Luke, nature vs. nurture: Was Darth born bad?
  An examination of why Anakin went bad.
• That dark side of Darth Vader cuts across generations
  Chicks dig the Vader.
• The Art of Ralph McQuarrie
  Best known for his unforgettable work on the Star Wars trilogy. The website has conceptual drawings and designs, all taken directly from Ralph McQuarrie's personal archives.
• The Darth Side: Memoirs of a Monster
  Journal of Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith and Servant to His Supreme Excellency the Emperor Palpatine. Funny stuff! There are entries with titles like "Does It Hurt When I Go Like This?" and "Keep On Darthin' In The Free World". Here's a quote:

  "His spirit danced and rained, his emotions farting out bright, flickering clouds of micro-causal flotsam in every direction. Lumbering arcs of probability swung around him in sick, drunken orbits, any one of them threatening to actualize at a sneeze. Quite a lightshow, really. People who cannot see the Force have no idea what they are missing."

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Published: (2005-05-17 12:14:41.0)

The landscape of music shook at the end of 1969 when the Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed. The review from Ink Blot magazine puts it best:

"Gimme Shelter" is the sound of a frantically braking freight train about to crush the '60s under its wheels. Along with the tragedy at Altamont, Let It Bleed's opening salvo came to signal the end of a decade's optimism.

The song starts with the Keith's probing guitar, almost asking us "are you ready? are you?" Anticipation builds with the haunting "oooooh"'s. Gently, gently ... then it shifts to a firm shove with the transition from Charlie Watts. It reaches down and takes a firm hold of your soul, shaking the memories awake of things you would rather forget. Bad things. You try to pull away, but you really don't want to. The pain is sweet and you need the release. Mick tells us of a storm and mad bull, but we're lost in our own shame. Then, almost, without warning, Mary Clayton bursts our ears with such passion, forcing those bottled up tears to come loose. Our heads are down, our eyes are closed, our cheeks streaked with tears of anger, shame, regret, fear - we sway back and forth and scream silently. Then at the end, Mick's words of love are like a gentle hand under our chin. Just a kiss away ...

"Oh, a storm is threat’ning
My very life today
If I don’t get some shelter
Oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away

War, children, it’s just a shot away
It’s just a shot away
War, children, it’s just a shot away
It’s just a shot away

Ooh, see the fire is sweepin’
Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet
Mad bull lost it’s way

War, children, it’s just a shot away
It’s just a shot away
War, children, it’s just a shot away
It’s just a shot away

Rape, murder!
It’s just a shot away
It’s just a shot away ...

... I tell you love, sister, it’s just a kiss away
It’s just a kiss away ..."

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Published: (2005-05-17 10:14:46.0)

So he mentions PJ Harvey ...

Before Alanis Morisette, there was PJ Harvey. Angry, definitely angry. Her lyrics cut, and left us of the male species looking around wildly asking "what? what the f**k did we do?" She ripped and thrashed and hurled her fury in all directions, catching us off guard. We had now idea what was going, but we liked it. We had a dim notion that maybe, just maybe, we were being insulted, but we really didn't care. It was good, so good.

But then she went into her glam phase, ala David Bowie and his Ziggy Stardust. She went, and we were there scratching our heads. Some say she got lost there. Maybe she's returned?

"Dry" from Rid of Me is the song of the day.

"Damn your chest-beating, just you stop your screaming
Your splitting through my head and swinging from the ceiling
Oh move it over Tarzan, can't you see I'm bleeding
I've called you by your first name, good lord it's
Me Jane I'm running
Split head I'm reeling
Me Jane me jane
Damn your chest-beating just you stop your screaming
All the time he hunting, swimming, fishing, breeding
Don't you ever stop and give me time to breathe - in
I've called you by your first name, good lord it's
Me Jane I'm running
Split head I'm reeling
Me Jane I'm trying
To make sense you're sceaming
Don't lord it on me
Don't lord it city
Don't it over me"

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Published: (2005-05-13 10:12:27.0)

Today is my daughter's Gotcha Day. Two years ago in China, she was placed into my wife's arms for the first time. I have to look back at the video to remember the details of that day, because I was overwhelmed and stunned, and I don't remember much. I pretty much just walked around in a daze taking pictures. What I do remember though is that she fell asleep in my arms on the bus trip back to the hotel. My wife kept asking me if my arms were tired and I responded "no way!"

We'll be going back to China in a few months to greet daughter #2. Last time we didn't get to do much because of SARS (we were one of the last groups allowed into China), but this time we should be able to visit the Fuling orphanage and do some other sight seeing. We haven't seen her picture yet, but I'm anxious, because I know she's there, waiting for us.

Love has no borders!

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Published: (2005-05-11 10:07:20.0)