TOP TEN LIST - iTunes (August 31, 2006)

So here's where we stand on August 31, 2006. The top ten most played songs on iTunes on my laptop.

Dig it.

1. Seven Days, Rose Polenzani (539 plays)
2. Bu De Bu Ai, Pan Wei Bo (355 plays)
3. Radio In My Head, Pu Shu (328 plays)
4. The Beast In Me, Nick Lowe (294 plays)
5. Here Comes The Flood, Peter Gabriel (256 plays)
6. Faithfully, Journey (245 plays)
7. You Belong To Me, Jason Wade (224 plays)
8. Feelin' Good Again, Robert Earl Keen (189 plays)
9. Fidelity, Regina Spektor (165 plays)
10. Nothing Compares To You, Sinead O'Connor (162 plays)

Radio Regina is really climbing my charts. I dig those poppy pianists with poppy little voices.

Q: "Do you know 'vat 've do in Russia to stay 'varm?"

A: Play Tchaikovsky?

On Mercury Visions (not a new Sting album) - Part 1

I love owning books. I love reading books. I love telling people about books I've read and own. And so it is that I am very well pleased to have this opportunity, friends, to recommend to you the splendid novel by my all-time favorite first-time novelist Dominic Smith. (Sorry, Erin; you know I love you like a toll free erotic fantasy phone number, but this guy is family.)

THE NOVELIST,
INKING A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

His novel is called The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre.

Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble
Buy it at Powell's Books
Buy it a Books-A-Million

(Amazon has it the cheapest.)

It comes highly recommended by three or four people at the Barnes & Noble website and also over at Amazon. Of course I'm joking; actually, Dominic was correctly honored to have this book chosen for special pimping by B&N -- he was part of their "Discover Great Young Writers" promotion.

But don't take my word for it (or theirs). Buy it and check it out for yourself. Like his protagonist, the author has serious business to transact. And he does a damn fine job of it.

My email congratulating the author is set out below for your amusement.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: Garrett
Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2006 11:04 AM
To: 'Dominic Smith'
Cc: Laura

Subject: Your Lewis Deguerra Book

Dom the Master, today, finally, Joy and I have each completed our review of your book about Lewis Deguera. (I actually read it months ago, but Joy just finished it.) We both really enjoyed it. However, I was surprised there wasn't a little more bullfighting in it, as I thought from some of the Heimlich books I've read that bullfighting was a pretty prominent amusement for the Spaniards.

But, that aside, I do want to compliment you absolutely sincerely. This is a real work of literature you have composed here, and I am so proud of myself that by a complete accident of fate I have the pleasure of knowing a real life artist of the written word. The story is fascinating. The perspective is enlightening. The dialogue (especially between Lewis and Isabella) is riveting and pure.

The depth and breadth of your collected knowledge is evident, and your ability to draw on the most ancient of wisdoms is enviable. I love books like this that have so much to say, so much to expose, so much to teach.

I am most in love with Lewis' outlook, especially given his experience in life. He could easily have gone the other way. What an excellent, appropriate attitude. What an encouraging way for a person to go through life. Despite decades of heartbreak and disappointment, Lewis never lost faith that life would reflect truth in the end.

For her part, Joy really enjoyed the love story, she deemed it satisfying. She says she really liked both the characters, and thought that although the relationship was clearly complicated, it was quite entertaining.

In short, way to go. You are a superstar.

Now, for some prognostications.

I predict your book is a sleeper destined for long-term fame. A larger number of people than expected have enjoyed it this first little while. But at some point in the years to come, someone will want to make this into a movie. The screenplay will be of such a high quality that the film industry folks who read it will recognize it as probably destined for Oscar nomination. As a result, skilled, highly-compensated actors will battle for the right to participate in the production. And it will be well-received, put out in the summertime across the northern hemisphere. The paperback edition celebrating the cinematic release will feature Juliette Binoche, clad in period costume but with more of her shoulder exposed than is customary. As a result, the Amazon.com sales rank of your book will skyrocket, ultimately achieving weeks in the top 20. You will be very pleased.

Q: How long will you have to wait for this result to obtain?

A: You don't know, but you are prepared to wait a long time.

I LOVE YOU!

garrett

On Distances, Scrutinized - Part 1

When I am thinking hard about something, I like to look out of a window. I like to stare into the distance. I like to scrutinize the distance. From an office on a floor numbered in the double digits is appreciated.


Of course, that may not be the right word. Scrutinize. Since when I'm thinking hard about something, I'm not really seeing what's out there in the distance. Too much of my brain is consumed on rolling over whatever it is I'm thinking hard about and trying to look at it from a bunch of different perspectives for the part of my brain that talks to my eyes and reports off what light in front of them is reflected to communicate effectively.

I am fairly proud of the immediately preceding sentence, by the way. I like its construction.

Comments?

Photo Credits: here.

On Bumbles, Typographical - Part 1

So yesterday I made a funny typo. A typo I considered amusing, that is.

Instead of typing "defend," I typed "defiend."

In a legal document.

And in case you were wondering, requesting that gas transportation companies perform exorcisms is not commercially reasonable. At least according to my unimaginative counterparts at our contractual counterparty.

On Deployments - Part 1

So "peacekeepers" sporting the imprimatur of the United Nations are heading to Lebanon.

Here's one article about it.

I was just thinking ... who are the human beings that get to wear the blue helmets? How much do they get paid? Are these people who volunteered for the armed forces of their various countries (France, Turkey, etc.)? Are these mercenaries?

Perhaps these folks were in the middle of an obligatory tour in their country's armed forces (think draft). Do the human beings being sent in as "peacekeepers" have a choice in whether they go?

Open Letter to Flamingo1

This is what you want for your life.

Please tell us about it.

We miss you.

P.S.
My blogpatrol shows more hits than your blogpatrol.

You suck.

On Salivary Associations - Part 1

When I eat pretzels, I crave apple juice.


KRAMER: These pretzels are making me thirsty.

EMERGENCY BULLETIN.

There are parrots living in Houston. Wild parrots.

I repeat ...

There are parrots living in Houston. Wild parrots.

As pictured.

On Victimhood - Part 1

Today a colleague at work totally betrayed me. Literally.

It was scandalous. It was outrageous. It was a complete breach of one of the most sacred of covenants of conduct among civilized men.

I was stabbed viciously in the bag.
Figuratively.

On Elusiveness - Part 1

I dodged a bullet today.

Figuratively speaking.

On Beeps and Boops - Part 1

I just realized that I have the tune of some of the phone numbers I frequently call memorized.

Can you tell whose phone number this is?

Beep

beep

beep

beep

beep

beep

beep

beep

beep

boop.

* * * *

Nope.

That's not it.

On the "Benefits" of Ethanol - Part 1

I've heard about a few people getting jobs at businesses producing ethanol lately (the plan is to take the businesses public and multi-billion dollar valuations). I've also heard of people in their grandparent years plotting investments in ethanol plants (get in "early"!). I'm also nominally aware that government is providing financial incentives and hand-holding to ethanol producers and that without these financial incentives and without this hand-holding, no business could produce ethanol for commercial sale as a long-term business strategy because it would not be profitable.

I am also aware that there is a body of science called physics.

I am skeptical of ethanol (and bio-diesel and similar "alternative fuel" products). Big government + public investors + questionable science makes me a non-believer.

Then I read this short refutation of the ethanol movement and this USA Today article.

Those two guys point out a reason for skepticism I had not yet considered -- producing ethanol and growing the raw materials that produce ethanol (corn) is very bad for the environment (think fertilizer and pesticides and deforestation). Based on my limited reading on the topic to date I'm convinced that in fact ethanol is WORSE for our environment than hydrocarbons.

Check it out.

Please help!