Trying a new template for the ol' blog. Should be a little easier on the eyes, hope you like it. Now here's a few thoughts floating around my noggin. In list form.
1. Been watching the World Cup, and following Team USA. It's been a heckuva ride the last few games. Today's was super important as it was do or die time-either we go through to the first round of finals or go home. After yet another disallowed goal early in the game, it appeared as though we may go home as our main competitor, England, was leading in their match 1-0. If they won and we lost we'd go bye-bye. So the pressure and play continued with many goal attempts slipping through our hands...er, feet. So, in the four minutes of additional play, the winning goal was scored in a moment of pure joy for the US and their supporters. One of the best games I've seen for a long time and a good argument for soccer in a country that has never really embraced it.
Also, it was more exciting than the past 3 Rams seasons combined, so yay.
2. I've been listening to a lot of Rockabilly music the last few days. I mean, like an inordinate amount. Enough to wonder what I'd look like with a pompadour. The answer, of course, is like crap. Besides probably not having the hair for it, I'm not getting rid of the beard. And beards don't mix with pomps. Occasionally you'll see it, but it's never good. Yeesh.
Still, lots of good music though. Rockabilly, for those who might not know the term, is a distinctly American art form, created in the American South in the mid-late 50's. It's a blend of rock and roll, country, blues, hillbilly and R&B music by a bunch of troublemaker white youth with lots of time on their hands and little money in their pocket. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash all played rockabilly in their early careers. Other names you may know are Gene Vincent, Wanda Jackson (she rules!) and Eddie Cochran. The tradition survives with artists like Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats, The Reverend Horton Heat, and to a lesser extent Social Distortion. There is also the "Psychobilly" movement featuring bands like The Cramps, Tiger Army, Horrorprops and Sick City Daggers which combines the music form with punk rock and Gothic, horror movie lyrics, often graphic ones at that. I'm not 100% sure where this offshoot came from or why, but it can be fun if you're in the right mood.
I've come to like Rockabilly a lot in the last 5 years or so. and always thought we should throw in a little bit of that flavor into Blue Tattoo. With the previous line up it would've been hard, but it would have fit in with my original ideas for the band quite well.
3.Speaking of Blue Tattoo, my brother and I are just beginning to try and figure out what the next step will be. Obviously I've had some settling in to do with the twins, but it's about time we addressed the issue. Not sure if we'll reform the band with new guys and the same name or if we'll just do a Brink Brothers project or what. Anyway, I hope we'll start something here over the summer, so stay tuned.
4. I forgot how much I like cherries. Had some the other day-delicious.
5. June is "Grindhouse" month on IFC cable. No, they're not showing the Tarantino/Rodriguez film from a few years ago all month long (most people completely misunderstood that by the way, which is too bad 'cause it was awesome). What it means is they're showing lots of low budget movies from the late 60s-early 80s, also known as exploitation films. Most of them were made on a shoestring budget by the same pool of directors and talent(?), they made several a year in almost assembly line fashion for the drive ins and seedy small movie houses. In other words, they would grind them out, hence the name.
Most of these films tended to be horror, though there were a lot of motorcycle gang pictures, car chase films, drug based movies and sexual driven movies as well. Sometimes, it was all of these in one. They were trashy, silly, funny, scary, disgusting, often torturous to sit through...and I love them. Some of the most incredible things ever put on film were in these pictures. It's not stuff you'd necessarily discuss in front of your grandma, or the in-laws (hi there!), but if you're just warped enough...and I am...they can be the most fun you'll ever have at the movies.
Having said that, IFC is currently running a series of Brazilian director Jose Marines's movies. Last night's film was a horror/ sexploitaton/ drugsploitation/ pseudodocumentary in Portugese with English subtitles, and a poor translation at that. It made my brain hurt. I do not recommend these films to anyone. There's another one on tonight. At midnight. And that, friends, is why God made DV-Rs. Because I'm crazy enough to submit myself to this drivel. You shouldn't. Don't be a hero, just watch "Raymond" reruns and go to bed. Your brain will thank me.
Okay, that's it, I've rambled too long about nothing as is. Next time I'll try to have a point. But don't bet on it. See ya, hep cats! ...What?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
More Ramblin'
Okay, so I've been telling people for the last few weeks that having twins isn't necessarily harder than one...it's just that there are two of them.
I hereby retract that statement.
Having two babies is harder than one. Much harder. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and wouldn't trade them for the world...but it ain't easy.
Some of the difficulty is just the impact it makes upon your time. Throughout the day, the babies need to eat about every three hours or so. After the feeding, some play time and getting them back to sleep it's only about an hour or so with the kids asleep. If, that is, they sleep. These children seem to have it in their heads that they don't need to sleep, so since they're awake they might as well eat. Then they eat too much and puke.
Overnights are hard too. Any time a person sleeps in shifts it's difficult. On a good night, and there have been some, the twins go to sleep around 11:00, wake up about 1:30 and feed for an hour, then are back up at 5:30/6:00 for the day. On a bad night, and there have been some, the schedule goes right out of the window. Just a few days ago they woke up at 2:30. Patterson was asleep by 3:00. Melody cried and screamed and stayed awake until 5:30. That's all A.M., people.
If we're lucky only one is awake at a time. Often, though, both babies are awake at the same time. And they both want to be held. They want to eat. They need to be changed. All at the same time. And they will tell you this, oh yes. At the top of their lungs they will tell you, and for such little people they have huge voices (especially Patterson...he's got a future in hardcore metal/punk once his voice changes).
And that's when it happens. Sleep deprivation has set in, two babies are screaming in your ears and you're trying to satisfy them both, they've conveniently waited until you're on your own, the phone is ringing and the dog needs to go out. You've tried the binkies, the swing, the pack-n-play, the vibrating chair, singing, nothing works. Then you snap a little. Just a little, but enough.
I was literally holding my babies, saying comforting things, while screaming back at them. "YOU'RE FINE!!! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! YOU'RE NOT STARVING! NOW TAKE THE BINKY AND STOP CRYING!!! Daddy loves you."
Which, of course, works about as well as putting a band-aid over the gushing oil in the Gulf.
Speaking of, I guess this disaster closes the book on the whole offshore drilling debate, right?
Oh, and by the way, anybody out there who is boycotting BP has got the wrong idea. Well, the idea is okay but it's a flawed one. First of all, most BP stations are franchised and not actually owned by BP. This is especially true in Missouri where none of the BP stations are owned by BP, and their product doesn't come from BP wells. However, such is the convoluted nature of the oil business, other filling stations do use BP oil, so you could go to a Shell or QT or whatever, and still give BP your money.
Also, BP has accepted responsibility and set up a fund to help pay claims of affected families and businesses. If we stop giving them money they will run out of money (they're going to be hemorrhaging it soon with all this). So if they don't pay for it we will. So buy your gas wherever and just pray that this comes to an end quickly.
One more thing, I like that Obama said on national T.V. that he was going to kick somone's ass over this. I'd like to think John Wayne would have said the same thing. That's just a neat thought.
Alright, it's time to feed the kids and practice my vuvuzela. Bye.
I hereby retract that statement.
Having two babies is harder than one. Much harder. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and wouldn't trade them for the world...but it ain't easy.
Some of the difficulty is just the impact it makes upon your time. Throughout the day, the babies need to eat about every three hours or so. After the feeding, some play time and getting them back to sleep it's only about an hour or so with the kids asleep. If, that is, they sleep. These children seem to have it in their heads that they don't need to sleep, so since they're awake they might as well eat. Then they eat too much and puke.
Overnights are hard too. Any time a person sleeps in shifts it's difficult. On a good night, and there have been some, the twins go to sleep around 11:00, wake up about 1:30 and feed for an hour, then are back up at 5:30/6:00 for the day. On a bad night, and there have been some, the schedule goes right out of the window. Just a few days ago they woke up at 2:30. Patterson was asleep by 3:00. Melody cried and screamed and stayed awake until 5:30. That's all A.M., people.
If we're lucky only one is awake at a time. Often, though, both babies are awake at the same time. And they both want to be held. They want to eat. They need to be changed. All at the same time. And they will tell you this, oh yes. At the top of their lungs they will tell you, and for such little people they have huge voices (especially Patterson...he's got a future in hardcore metal/punk once his voice changes).
And that's when it happens. Sleep deprivation has set in, two babies are screaming in your ears and you're trying to satisfy them both, they've conveniently waited until you're on your own, the phone is ringing and the dog needs to go out. You've tried the binkies, the swing, the pack-n-play, the vibrating chair, singing, nothing works. Then you snap a little. Just a little, but enough.
I was literally holding my babies, saying comforting things, while screaming back at them. "YOU'RE FINE!!! THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! YOU'RE NOT STARVING! NOW TAKE THE BINKY AND STOP CRYING!!! Daddy loves you."
Which, of course, works about as well as putting a band-aid over the gushing oil in the Gulf.
Speaking of, I guess this disaster closes the book on the whole offshore drilling debate, right?
Oh, and by the way, anybody out there who is boycotting BP has got the wrong idea. Well, the idea is okay but it's a flawed one. First of all, most BP stations are franchised and not actually owned by BP. This is especially true in Missouri where none of the BP stations are owned by BP, and their product doesn't come from BP wells. However, such is the convoluted nature of the oil business, other filling stations do use BP oil, so you could go to a Shell or QT or whatever, and still give BP your money.
Also, BP has accepted responsibility and set up a fund to help pay claims of affected families and businesses. If we stop giving them money they will run out of money (they're going to be hemorrhaging it soon with all this). So if they don't pay for it we will. So buy your gas wherever and just pray that this comes to an end quickly.
One more thing, I like that Obama said on national T.V. that he was going to kick somone's ass over this. I'd like to think John Wayne would have said the same thing. That's just a neat thought.
Alright, it's time to feed the kids and practice my vuvuzela. Bye.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Ramblin' on and on
Haven't posted for a while so here's a bunch of stuff from my head to your eyes. No real rhyme or reason to this, just getting stuff down.
So the babies are home. It's been going pretty well, all things considered. They both have a little sickness, especially Melody with her double ear infection. Otherwise lots of sleeping, crying and pooping. Actually, the sleeping isn't quite where it needs to be. We're still trying to get the kids down to one feeding overnight, they currently get to bed about 11 and wake up at 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., or thereabouts. One of those has got to go-preferably the latter. At least they're basically on the same schedule, so it could be worse.
I'm currently watching a special on channel 9 on the "Great American Songbook". They just sang the song "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody". Caught my attention, but Melody slept through it. Earlier I watched a documentary on axes. Sunday T.V. is weird.
Valerie is looking quite good lately-giving birth is a fantastic weight loss program. I need to lose a lot of weight too. My lunch today was a braunschweiger and provolone sandwich with a side of Chips Ahoy. So I've clearly stopped caring what I put into my body, therefore the weight loss thing is a good idea. Too bad I hate exercise. Sooner or later I'll have to start chasing 3 kids around, I wonder if that counts.
Bought some new music recently. Here's some quick thoughts.
Stone Temple Pilots-self titled.
STP's first release in almost 10 years. Sounds good, great performances. Good songs, but not necessarily memorable ones. Scott Wieland's voice is chameleonic as ever-he does a great Bowie. It's been in constant rotation since I got it. Worth having, and grows on you a little each time you hear it. 4 out of 5 Daves.
Hank Williams III-The Rebel Within
I want to like this, I really do. There are some really good country songs here. So why does it put me to sleep? Seriously, I can't listen to this while I drive. This CD is the sound of a musician going through the motions. Not with the writing, but the performances. Everyone involved sounds like they were on quaaludes. Also, the metal screaming thing shows up here once or twice, and while it's worked for him in the past it sounds out of place here. This was made for i-tunes as the songs aren't bad, but the overall package is a bummer. 2 1/2 Daves.
The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys play music that combines delta blues, indie rock, R&B and pop all while sounding as if they're playing through six inches of mud. Oh, and there are only two guys in the band, so this is what the White Stripes would sound like if they didn't suck. Early contender for CD of the year, the only real flaw is it's a little too long, and there's some goofy falsetto on a few songs. 4/12 Daves.
Speaking of goofy, Patterson gets this big dumb goofy grin on his face when he is content. It's funny and super cute. The babies are starting to get personalities and we are starting to see them come out in little ways. Melody still mostly screams and Patterson still mostly sleeps but they're getting there.
Sorry for rambling. Sorry if this was awful but it's all I've got right now. Be good, be safe, and don't let the zombies get ya.
So the babies are home. It's been going pretty well, all things considered. They both have a little sickness, especially Melody with her double ear infection. Otherwise lots of sleeping, crying and pooping. Actually, the sleeping isn't quite where it needs to be. We're still trying to get the kids down to one feeding overnight, they currently get to bed about 11 and wake up at 2 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., or thereabouts. One of those has got to go-preferably the latter. At least they're basically on the same schedule, so it could be worse.
I'm currently watching a special on channel 9 on the "Great American Songbook". They just sang the song "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody". Caught my attention, but Melody slept through it. Earlier I watched a documentary on axes. Sunday T.V. is weird.
Valerie is looking quite good lately-giving birth is a fantastic weight loss program. I need to lose a lot of weight too. My lunch today was a braunschweiger and provolone sandwich with a side of Chips Ahoy. So I've clearly stopped caring what I put into my body, therefore the weight loss thing is a good idea. Too bad I hate exercise. Sooner or later I'll have to start chasing 3 kids around, I wonder if that counts.
Bought some new music recently. Here's some quick thoughts.
Stone Temple Pilots-self titled.
STP's first release in almost 10 years. Sounds good, great performances. Good songs, but not necessarily memorable ones. Scott Wieland's voice is chameleonic as ever-he does a great Bowie. It's been in constant rotation since I got it. Worth having, and grows on you a little each time you hear it. 4 out of 5 Daves.
Hank Williams III-The Rebel Within
I want to like this, I really do. There are some really good country songs here. So why does it put me to sleep? Seriously, I can't listen to this while I drive. This CD is the sound of a musician going through the motions. Not with the writing, but the performances. Everyone involved sounds like they were on quaaludes. Also, the metal screaming thing shows up here once or twice, and while it's worked for him in the past it sounds out of place here. This was made for i-tunes as the songs aren't bad, but the overall package is a bummer. 2 1/2 Daves.
The Black Keys-Brothers
The Black Keys play music that combines delta blues, indie rock, R&B and pop all while sounding as if they're playing through six inches of mud. Oh, and there are only two guys in the band, so this is what the White Stripes would sound like if they didn't suck. Early contender for CD of the year, the only real flaw is it's a little too long, and there's some goofy falsetto on a few songs. 4/12 Daves.
Speaking of goofy, Patterson gets this big dumb goofy grin on his face when he is content. It's funny and super cute. The babies are starting to get personalities and we are starting to see them come out in little ways. Melody still mostly screams and Patterson still mostly sleeps but they're getting there.
Sorry for rambling. Sorry if this was awful but it's all I've got right now. Be good, be safe, and don't let the zombies get ya.
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