Yay My Day Off

I got my replacement Social Security card today. We tried to go to Comcast to get our digital converter for the bedroom (otherwise we get only channels 2-30). The line was out the door, so that's gonna wait till next Friday as soon as they open.

The Trader Joe's parking lot was a clusterfuck as always. They had this new fondue we're gonna try. I wish a Trader Joes would open downtown. I don't think they'd put the Kiva out of business. I can't imagine their clientele sidling over to Trader Joes. And I hate driving over to Oakway Center.

M picked up this crockpot we've been eyeballing for a year at True Value. It has three different inserts so you can make different size meals. We already have a crockpot, but it's too big. Now we have options. AND it was $20 off. How cool is that?

I got my xmas present from my brother, Jeff:

He also sent me the following CDs: 3Oh!3, GnR--Chinese Democracy, and two Martina Topley-Bird albums. Katie, you'll be getting a copy of the 3Oh!3 the next time I see you.

As soon as the garlic in the oven finishes roasting, I'll prepare the baked brie. Yum! Hopefully I will see the Blazers beat the Hornets tonight. Not sure if Roy will be playing.

Christmas on Mars

We're watching the Flaming Lips' "Christmas on Mars", and I think it's gonna be 86 minutes of my life that I can't get back. Sorry, Chad. But I did recognize Fred Armisen right off. I think I'll go take a nap now.

Picadilly!

We scored some vinyl finds at the Picadilly Flea Market. Actually, M found a bunch of stuff:

ZZ Top--Tres Hombres
a couple Joe Walsh albums (I'm too lazy to get up from the couch and see)
Joan Jett--Bad Reputation
a Johnnny Cash

I got: B-52s--Whammy and Billy Squier--Don't Say No. I love that Billy Squier album. When I still had Christine the Datsun, Eric and I would rock out to a badly warped cassette of it.

We're listening to the ZZ Top right now, and it's not half bad. They had some good stuff before they became an MTV era novelty act.

P.S. Karma's a bitch, isn't it, OJ?

Christmas Presents

I need to wrap the fam's presents and get them all boxed up to take to Hiron's tomorrow to ship. However, all I feel like doing is watching basketball and sitting on the couch.

I wish I had something good for dessert. I'm already in my pajamas and not going anywhere. At times like these, I think about getting DoCo, but all I want is cookies. I brought home French dips and chips, but neglected getting dessert.

This weekend I have some new music to check out. I bought a couple cds on the Fat Possum label, circa 1997. I've never heard of either artist, but the potential for greatness is high. And I picked up the Electric Apricot--Quest for Festeroo DVD. I knew if I waited long enough, the list price would go down--by twelve bucks!

Grr Cable TV!

Our digital cable is working again, and it turns out that we probably jostled one of the cables a bit loose when we were trying to make the VCR work Sunday night in order to tape the Britney Spears MTV documentary. Damn you Britney!

The only channel we'd been able to get was Comcast SportsNet, which luckily televises Blazer games. We probably would've called tech support sooner if our only channel had been HSN or something equally crappy.

Anyway, all is fixed. Right now I'm watching the Blazers/Knicks game. When they cut to commercial, they showed Jay-Z and Beyonce in the stands. That's so cool!

Two Additions to Best of 2008 List

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Dig Lazarus Dig

Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It

Not Much

It's halftime during the Blazers/Kings game. The Blazers are ahead by 4, but I'm not particularly interested since I could give a shit about Sacramento.

Threadless emailed me about their $5 holiday sale. The t-shirt I've been eyeballing was on sale, and now it's mine. Thank you, Gabe and Cory, for telling me about Threadless.

M is at the Immortal Technique show in Portland. I'm not sad that I'm missing it. I need a break from Portland. I prefer to kick it in my pajamas when it's cold outside.

Memory Foam Rocks

Friday we bought a memory foam mattress pad for the bed. M and I are orthopedicly challenged--he has a bad shoulder and back, I have lower back, sciatica, wrist and shoulder issues. Our chiropractor recommended the mattress pad. M has a memory foam pillow that he loves, so we figured we'd give it a try. Shop-Ko had them for 60% off.

It wasn't cheap, let me tell you. But it's up there with the best things ever. You truly melt into the bed like quicksand.

Today we went to the Picadilly Flea Market for the first time. I found AC/DC: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and the Watts/Stax soundrack on vinyl. Then I cleaned the house while M made chili.

Favorite CDs of 2008

So far and in no particular order:

Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III
TV on the Radio: Dear Science
The Verve: Forth
Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue
Foals: Antidotes
Immortal Technique: 3rd World
Death Cab For Cutie: Narrow Stairs
Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely

Biggest Disappointment: Kings of Leon: Only by the Night.

I tried, Katie, and it didn't work, and I'm too hungry to figure it out.

New TV On The Radio is a good thing

When you hear it, you know it's TVOTR, but they sound different. Not different bad or different good, but different. All the harmonizing is still there, but it has more danceable-ness. I dunno, check it out. I'm sure it will be on my Top 10.

As for the new Kings of Leon, not so much. I like track 10--it sounds like an outtake from "Because of the Times," but the rest of it sounds like they're not even trying. The second listen wasn't as disappointing as the first, but it was still mediocre. Mediocre is worse than sucking.