On the Matter of Tipping:

As I'm sure my faithful readers (*chuckle*) are aware of, I'm currently employed as a server at Olive Garden. It's through this vocation that I've become aware of the eccentricities that accompany working in a restaurant. Included in these is the forgotten art of tipping. Let me lay down a few points before I continue:

1 - Servers in restaurants like the one I work in typically earn an hourly pay that is far less than minimum wage.
2 - Thus, Servers depend on their tips for living.
3 - Therefore, servers don't necessarily care about you as much as they care about their tips.
4 - So, logically, any good service you receive is intended to be exchanged for a good tip.

Now that I have that out of the way, let me break down tipping for you. If everything goes good during your meal, then a tip that roughly equals 15 percent of the total bill is customary. Let me clarify what "everything goes good" means. If: your food arrives in a timely manner; your drinks are refilled (maybe you'll need to ask for it, but that happens. Cut us some slack.); and any unforseen problems are dealt with in a professional manner, then your server is worthy of that 15 percent tip.

If service is great then you'll want to tip 18 percent. You can usually tell great service by all things from the "good service" category being performed, accompanied with: a constant smile on the persons face; sounding thoroughly interested in anything you feel like you have to talk about; actually laughing at your jokes no matter how un-funny they are...though some may be funny, don't press your luck; and filling your drinks without you having to ask. That's great service. Most of the servers I work with (myself included) typically perform this kind of service with every party we are sat, but all-too-often do we deal with persons ignorant to the concept of tipping. Tipping me 4 dollars on a 30 dollar check when, on 3 occasions, I had the bread guy make you breadsticks without butter and garlic does not cut it.

If your server provides the absolute best dining experience you've ever had, do more than just tell them they're a great server. Plop a few extra bucks on top of the 18 percent they deserve. Money speaks louder than a comment we've heard many times before. Believe it or not, servers EXPECT to get a crappy tip when people compliment us. It happens to me almost every time someone compliments me. It's almost like a jinx, or a curse...

What people also need to be aware of is that they are not the only table we're waiting on. At OG, I'll serve you and two other tables. Depending on what part of the restaurant I'm in, and how the Hosts are seating me, I might not be able to rush out those breadsticks and salad refill as fast as you'd like. Believe me, though, I put your request in queue and I'll get to it when I can. This is a problem that most people don't know how to deal with. Apparently, I'm not supposed to be waiting on any other tables...Why not just castrate me now?

Every time I work, I never stop to do anything for myself. I never use the bathroom (seriously), I rarely get anything to drink, and I NEVER get anything to eat while I'm working. We don't get breaks when we work, because there's always the chance that we'll get sat. So, we have to be on our toes the entire time. Most of the people we serve are unaware of this. Like, today for instance (though this happens every time I work), I worked from 11:30 to 4:30 with no break. While that may not seem like much time to work (just 5 hours for those of you who don't feel like subtracting), you need to take into consideration that I was constantly walking (and sometimes running) without stopping to do anything besides give people their food.

While this post may sound like I'm ranting and raving about my job, believe me, it's FAR more than that. Serving is one of the most popular jobs among people my age, but it is also one that people are most ignorant about (and, no, I'm not calling people ignorant...simply un-informed). Sure, I may be biased, but I now realize this is something EVERYONE needs to know about. Not for my sake, but for the sake of any person involved in a tipped profession. Be they servers, pizza delivery guys, or bartenders. Tip them, and tip them well. When they know where the money is coming from, they will focus on ensuring your happiness.

Shpadoinkle...

So, what have I been up to lately?

Only playing the best frickin' game in the world!! Tribes is my new addiction. Please don't plan an intervention for me because I'll be too busy playing Tribes to show up. ;)

I have something else to post, but I wanted to get that out of the way first...

Amendments to the Top Five Lists

So I decided to stay up for another half hour so I could satisfy my rule of 3's for sleeping. If you're unfamiliar with my rule (introduced to me by someone I can't remember), I'll summarize: Always sleep in intervals of 3 hours. Be it 3, 6, 9, or (in extreme cases) 12 hours, you will find that you are capable of making it through the day with minimal tiredness. Perhaps it only works for certain people, but I've found that it works very well for me.

Anyway, the point of my post...I'm going to update some of the Top Five Lists I posted a little while back. You can expect these things to change almost constantly. I just like it that way. Anyway...The updated lists will only show the changes to the previous lists. If selections are left out, they have remained the same. If a new selection is listed, and the old selection that held that particular position is not listed, then the old selection was stricken from the list entirely. If I wish for the old selection to remain on the list, I will post it's new place on the list.

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Top Five Movies One Must See (and enjoy) Before I Can Consider Them "Properly Exposed:"

4. Cannibal! The Musical
2. Team America: World Police

Top Five Artists Everyone Must Be Familiar With: (the category itself is amended to only encompass artists)

5. Flogging Molly
4. Irish Rovers
3. DVDA
2. Group-X
1. Mr. Bungle

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Everything else remains the same. Time for sleep...After I listen to a few more DVDA songs.

You Guys Don't Even Know What It Means To Be A Trapper!

I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like I need to post something in here. Not like anyone reads this, right?

So, it's about 6:30 a.m. and I'm due in at Olive Garden in 5 hours. I've had no sleep, and I'm not tired. Through past experience, I can tell that I will become increasingly tired towards the 10 o'clock hour, and will thusly be unable to sleep because I'll be incapable of waking up when necessary. How fortunate...

Tonight was pleasant, though. I was scheduled to work, went in just a little late (as per usual), and was told that I didn't have to work. Apparenly scheduling got messed up and they put down one more person than they needed. Luckily, that person was me. How fortunate...again...

I've been listening to DVDA a lot lately (here I go with the style of comments typical for blogs...I hate that...). They really are a great band. Their versatility amazes me. Though, most of the songs I prefer to listen to were composed by Trey Parker (namely, songs from the "Cannibal! The Musical" soundtrack)...So, I suppose one could say that I've been listening to Trey Parker, and that HIS versatility amazes me. Oh well. Po-tay-toe, Po-tah-toe.

I've learned how to play the two songs that I find myself listening to over and over: "America, Fuck Yeah" and "The Trapper Song."

While reviewing this post before actually posting it, I've come to the conclusion that I need to actually think of something interesting to post before I post it. Sure, using this thing as a sort of journal is nice, but, let's be honest here...You don't want to read about the music I'm listening to. Seriously. The only person who cares about that is me...and maybe someone who's hanging out in my apartment or riding with me in my car. Not like those situations ever arise, but I wanted to cover my bases.

I'm starting to get tired, so I guess I'll squeeze in a few hours before work.

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P.S. - I apologize for how mundane this post is.

P.P.S. - It will never happen again.

P.P.P.S. - ...hopefully.

Fear and Loathing in Hanover

So, it's the day after a party-type atmosphere. At least, it seemed like a party. Though there were only 7 of us there, it was still ripe with laughter and enjoyment by most everyone.

At first, there were 8: the aforementioned 7, plus Dallas. We all gathered like the old days of high school. It seemed like nothing had changed. Though, I have to admit it was a bit strange to see Tim and Kasie with a baby. I guess it's just one of those "growing up" things I have to get used to. Anyway, we all set out to Hometown Pizza where we sat, ate, and talked. If memory serves (and it usually does), I had 6 cups of coffee, plus one glass of mountain dew. I was feeling pretty good. After an hour or so of reminiscing and catching-up, we all headed to the one place everyone is sure to have a good time. That's right...I'm talking about the one and only Bowling Alley.

Some dude I remember from high school was working the counter. I kind of felt sorry for him. While we were bowling, our lane kept fucking up. So, ol' dude at the counter had to jump on his walkie talkie so he could get his boys in the back to go to work on our lane. Five minutes later, we had a fully operational bowling lane...for about 10 minutes. All in all, bowling sucked, but it was all made much better by the kick ass game of Cut-throat played by Zach, Tim, and I. It was a good one.

After the game, it was "so, Eric, tell us what kind of alcohol you want so we can get it for you" time. I hadn't thought about it, but I knew I had to go all out tonight. For some reason, the only thing that could come to mind, and actually be agreed upon by myself, was vodka. I love the vodka...and it loves me back. I've never once been sick off vodka, but I have certainly been extremely EXTREMELY drunk off it. I believe last night was a testament to that.

Bearing in mind that I haven't really had a night of hardcore drinking in a while (I'd say a year or so), it might surprise you to know that I finished my pint of vodka in about 2 hours. Sure, in the past I could drink a fifth in one night, but all those fifths could not come close to the feeling of victory I had over my little Smirnoff tumbler bottle. It was one of those "Eric's BACK!" kind of feelings. Happiness abound.

That is, until the realization of "Hey...Me and Zach are the only single people here...That sucks..." came around.

I'm sure the negativity was amplified by the potato-based spirit, but I didn't really care. I just cared about being alone, and how completely shitty it was.

I was talking to Zach and he gave me one of the best pep-talks I've ever received from someone who locked themself in the bathroom so they could catch a mouse. He said something along the lines of:

"Man, what you're feeling right now is normal. It might take a few weeks, or a few months of being single, but eventually you're just gonna be happy to be single."

Word.

Now, while it really has nothing at all to do with anything, I feel I should relay one of the more interesting events from last night. There was a group of us outside on the landing (kind of like a small porch that's about 4 feet by 4 feet) by the back door. Leaning on the landing was a thick piece of wood. I don't remember exactly, but I'd guess it was something like 8 inches wide, and 2 or 3 inches thick. Anyway, it was leaning on the landing like a kind of ramp. I don't know who initiated it, but someone thought it would be a good idea to get a group of people on this piece of wood, and see if we could find the center of gravity (see...This is what happens when a bunch of geeks get drunk. We do physics experiments.). At one point, I recall Zach, Sarah, Brandon, and myself all on this piece of wood trying to not shift our weight too much as to throw the system off balance. Though not everyone was there everytime we did this, I do know for a fact that I partook in the experiment for about 45 minutes, total. It was fun, and I certainly laughed my ass off a lot. I think we kept the system in equilibrium for a few brief moments, but nothing long enough to actually say that we fully accomplished our goal. By the way, it gets MUCH more interesting if you're holding your drink in one hand, and trying to not spill it.

On a side note, Saturday Night Live is nothing like it used to be. There are too many new faces on the show, and the bad part is, when I see the faces, they're not funny. I see no future Mike Myers', Eddie Murphy's, or Chevy Chase's coming from this line-up. Also, if there's one thing that you must never EVER forget in life, it's that Bono is, and always will be, the main focus of the performance.

As the evening wound down, and the last drinks were taken, I found myself on in the living room with Zach watching Farenheit 9/11. I vaguely remember key parts of the movie, and I didn't catch all of it because I fell asleep, but I've made it MORE of a point to actually sit down and watch it sometime. I can never fully immerse myself in anything (aside from music...both listening to, and performing) when I'm drunk.

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Since this week brings about Thanksgiving, I don't think I'll post anything else until I get back from home. It's a sad state of affairs when you go home for Thanksgiving and intend to spend the majority of your time AWAY from home. Perhaps my sense of family values hasn't kicked in yet...

Until next time.

Three Dream Sequences and One Faded Memory

[pardon any grammatical errors...This is copied directly from the .txt file I wrote it in this morning.]

Me and Tabitha were driving to Muncie to see Beth. Tabitha was just along for the drive...to keep me company. On the drive up, I did my best to get ahold of beth by calling her on my cell phone, but every time I called, I would get a busy signal, or I would almost crash because I wasn't paying attention to the road. It seems like the drive lasted the whole 2 1/2 hours it takes to get up there.

When I arrived in Muncie, it was just me in the car. When I got on the off ramp from the interstate, all the directions I know now, were reversed. Instead of turning right off the ramp, I knew I had to turn left.

I got to Beth's and was able to get inside without anyone letting me in. The house itself looked more like Dallas' house with steps that greet you right as you come through the door. While in there, I realized that it's like 8 o'clock in the morning, and I have to be at work in a few hours...So I need to keep this visit quick.

I yelled for Beth, and someone appeared behind me suddenly. It was a young girl...late teens, early 20s...she had short brown curly hair. REALLY curly, like a tight perm. Her reactions were kind of creepy as she just sat there and stared just to the side of me. I told her "I'm not a burglar, I'm just looking for Beth."

RIGHT when I yelled "Beth" again I heard rustling behind me...The direction I was facing before the brown-haired girl appeared...and Beth surfaces from the kitchen. Her face was all red, as were her eyes, and she was extremely puffy. I want to think that she had dark blue rings around her eyes as well. She told me that she had stayed up all night talking with some guy and his kid. The kid fell asleep, so they were just up all night by themselves. She said "he's out front in his truck if you want to see him."

I looked outside, and the guy appeared to be an older lad...About mid-late 30's with a Burt Reynolds appearance. The hair, the moustache...

Parts after this are a bit fuzzy...

-I remember telling Beth I have to get to work, and heading back home. Tabitha was back in the car with me again. I don't know where she went, or where she came from.

-Tabitha and I felt like we needed to get alcohol at some point. We stopped at a shopping center type thing that consisted of two stores. The one on the left was an car parts shop (kinda like Pep Boys, or Auto-Zone), and the other was a HUGE liquor outlet. The buildings were roughly the same size, with the same designs on the walls, except a few disinguishing ones to let people know which store is which. On top of the buildings, they had orange christmas light going all the way around the building. One was darker orange, while the other was a lighter orange.

-This next one was before my Beth dream.

I had bought a jeep cherokee because I was tired of my other car, and the price was right. (this entire dream focused around the concept of money, and how it runs everything...capitalism.) The guy that sold me the car got really drunk one night and was so excited that I bought it from him, so he gave me DOUBLE my money back just because he was so happy.

At the time, I remember thinking "Is this car possessed or haunted or something?" Why I didn't just assume there was something mechanically wrong with it, I don't know.

I went into a shopping center that kind of resembles the grocery store just up the road from me, but they had items like you'd find at a wal mart or something...The inside was opened up like a wal mart or meijer.

While I was in there, I had some weird thoughts...Visuals that really stick with me...I was a small child, and I was playing in a field with two GIANT hills locking me in. kind of like a small valley. All I had in the field to play with was a slide. The memories are very shady, and very gray...I can't recall them that well.

Anyway, I approached this lady with my planned purchases, but she was taking every other customer but me. I figure I had enough time, so I went out into my car and counted my money. I can see why I did this because I really hate counting my money in front of people...especially if I have a lot in my wallet. Since I had just got something like 2000 dollars from that one guy in cold hard cash, I had to count my money in private. When I went back inside, the lady no longer occupied a check-out lane, but she was at a jewelry counter.

After that moment, I can't really distinguish between the money dream, and the beth dream.

There was another dream where I was at Olive Garden but it was a real fancy restaurant, and every person I served was being really difficult, or a total jackass. Not that magnificent of a dream, but I recall it anyway. I was serving a table of four. two guys and their respective girlfriends. The host of the group asked me if it would be okay if they paid part in cash, and the rest in credit. I told him yes. ...the only reason I can think of this as being interesting is that this is the only payment combination I have yet to receive. I have to work tonight, so I'll see if it comes up.

Yet Another Compilation Track-Listing

This time around, I composed two seperate CDs simultaneously. The first being a hodge podge of great songs, and the other consisting of dance tracks (though most of the songs fall into the "Trance" category).

CD 1

Mr Bungle - Retrovertigo

Radiohead - Pyramid Song

North Mississippi Allstars - Goin' Down South

Cake - Going the Distance

Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze

Madonna - Love Profusion

Flogging Molly - Devil's Dance Floor

Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out

The Doors - Love Her Madly

Sublime - Same in the End

Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

Pink Floyd - Goodbye Blue Sky

Umbra Et Imago - Lieber Gott (feat. Peter Heppner)

Jamiroquai - Alright

Cat Apple Williams - Aviso!

Alice in Chains - Would? (Unplugged)

Violent Femmes - Add it Up

White Stripes - Now Mary

Terrorgruppe - Namen Vergessen

Liam Lynch - We're All-Nighters

Steven Wright - Run to You (So Goes)

CD 2

Trance Opera - Oleantus

Darude - Touch Me, Feel Me

trance[]control - Göthenburg Sound

Kai Tracid - Trance and Acid

DJ Shadow - Organ

Earl of Locsley - Nature

Datura - Fade to Grey

Driftwood - Anything Goes

DJ Rap - Rhythm

Transa - Supernova

Trance Opera - Conquest of Paradise

Paul Oakenfold - Real Nightmare

Astral Projection - Chaos

I'll be back to post something more worthwhile later. If not later tonight, then tomorrow probably.

Wrapping My Head Around "Vanilla Sky"

For those of you who don't know, a little background:

I first saw Vanilla Sky roughly 3 years ago when it first came out on DVD. I had never seen the movie before I bought it, and it was basically an impulse buy. I had heard many comments on the movie prior to purchasing it, and they all weighed heavily on the Balance of Judgment that exists within my mind. Apparently, people either loved or hated the movie. When this is the case, I've found, my sentiments closely resemble the former. Vanilla Sky was no exception to the rule, as my first viewing left me in a universe of pondering and conclusion-drawing that I hadn't experienced in some time.

And now, a brief summary (from imdb.com) of the movie to perhaps give you an idea of what I'm working with (If you've seen the movie, ignore the next paragraph):

"During the week he turns 33, NYC magazine publisher David Aames, a playboy who has strange dreams, spends a night of passion with Julie, "a friend he sometimes sleeps with," and a night with Sofia, a witty, knowing dancer with a Spanish accent - a night with intimations of love. David is charming, rich (his mother's Monet, "Vanilla Sky" is in his bedroom), and feckless: he inherited the magazines and his minority partners want him out. Jump ahead: he's in jail, wearing a prosthetic mask, talking to a sympathetic psychologist to get at the truth behind a death. Who has died? How? And who's Ellie? Popping up often on TV is Benny, a dog who survived for months frozen in ice."

Now, while that is a "teaser" of sorts, I will practically give the story-line away with the rest of this post. So, if you've not seen the movie and/or you'd rather draw your own conclusions from the ending, please stop reading...or don't.

As Vanilla Sky comes to a close, and David has leapt from the building after (apparently) making his final decision, I'm STILL clogged with thoughts of "what about this..." and "maybe he just...." However, tonight's viewing (the first in almost a year) has shed quite a bit of light on the matter. While questions remain, I feel my conclusion is sound.

When Aames was standing atop the building with Sofia, you can sense that they are sharing a moment. Before, I interpreted this moment to be one of lovers reunited (remember, he thought he had killed her). I now see what this moment really is. It's a time for them to find closure. David knows he can no longer be with Sofia in reality, so he would rather cease this masturbation of mortality and, in is own words, "live a normal life." You can think of this as a happy or sad ending based on your views of romance. Personally, it is love in it's purest form. While David is fully aware that he could continue on with his lucid dream and lead a glorious "life" with Sofia, he is much more content knowing there were once exchanges of true love, and those can never be replicated by any means. Keeping in mind that it is 150 years in the future, and Sofia is long since dead, David is left with a choice. To perpetually dream about being with Sofia, or to wake up and live a life with the beautiful memories of a story-book love. While my personal convictions do come into play while drawing my conclusions, I feel it impossible to fathom this movie ending any other way. David accepts reality, and dares not disturb the memories by continuing the charade. Leaping from the building, David is set free from the stranglehold of the lucid dream, and awakens to his new life.

Prior to tonight, I had other thoughts concerning the outcome of David's liberation.

One ending left David in bed having only dreamt of the murder case, and tech support. We all know dreams can get pretty crazy, so why not THAT crazy.

The other ending comes as a result of David wanting to start anew. Everything goes right back to the beginning of the movie so he can have a fresh start. Perhaps the least favorable of my assumptions, but it has remained a strong player since I first saw Vanilla Sky.


All in all, Vanilla Sky has definitely proven itself to be a catalyst for introspection on numerous occasions. Though I have seen it many times, I am still forced to contemplate life on many levels after viewing it. This time, the question, and possible answers of "How real is reality?" have been thrown around my head like a ragdoll of the selfish. Each thought leads to a dead-end which, in turn, forces me to re-think my entire system of analysis.

Row, row, row, your boat
gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily.
Life is but a dream.

Post-Drunken Depression

I just arrived back from Zach's where, upon arrival, I was inundated with offerings of alcohol and musical outlet. The crave for making music was the first of the accruing pleasures to take hold. It began long before I arrived, and lasted until I got there. At first, it was good fun. People were around, so it kind of dragged along after a while (people talking in the background of a recording is not so pleasurable).

Then, there was the alcohol. First it was Elijah Craig, then two Budweisers, then several shots of the evil EVIL so-called "beverage," tequila. With my first drink containing half Vanilla Coke, half Elijah Craig, I was more-or-less thrust into drunken stupor without first attaining that beautiful state of mind often coined "buzzing." I was stumbling, I was singing, and, all the while, I continued drinking.

Budweiser is a foul, cruel, and watery beer. It lacks flavor, and has a tendency to bend you to it's will. Fortunate enough for me, I was able to partake in the tequila sampling before I could let the Budweiser grab me by the hand and lead me to the restroom.

Jose Cuervo: While he is typically a no-good fiend, I believe it was his presence that enabled me to uphold mannerisms that are becoming of a lad my age. While we were taking the shots, everyone left it all to three individuals. Craig, Zach, and myself. The group thinned out, and there we were. Pondering the boundaries of sentience, taking an unknown amount of shots, and cursing the lemon juice.

As the night progressed, I devloped a headache and had to lay down. Be it from the alcohol or sleep deprivation, I don't know. I do remember going to sleep around 7 a.m. with the sweet sounds of the history channel ushering me away to dreamland.


After Zach and I woke up around 3 p.m today, we sat around for a bit and went off to Waffle House for some late breakfast. I did a lot of thinking in-between talking and eating. Contemplative depths that I often reserve for late at night, when I'm certain to be alone for an extended period of time. I'm not sure what came over me, but I had this sinking feeling..."I need to get out." Not out of the situation I was in at the time; that was quite enjoyable. Rather, I have to get out of this situation I've transplanted myself into. It's unnecessary for me to go into depth here, as that's not the purpose of this post.

After we paid the kind lady at Waffle House, we headed off to some hippy shop...The name escapes me right now...something Bay...Botany Bay? I think that's it. Anyway, that place was quite interesting. Tie-dye as far as the eye could see, and quite a diverse selection of incense. So diverse, in fact, they even had "Pussy" scent. I was dumbfounded. Out of sheer curiosity, I grabbed a stick and took a whif. Needless to say, it wasn't the most pleasurable aroma I could imagine filling my room with, but, as they say, different strokes... Anyway, they were playing Led Zeppelin over the radio, and I recall one guy commenting "Man, Robert Plant always sounds like he's all: 'Listen how high I can get!' " Given the surroundings, I just couldn't help but notice the double meaning of the man's sentence. Mildly humorous.

We left the hippy shop for Wal-Mart. While there, we ended up in the candle section. I like to visit this area of stores when I go simply because I like to see what they have to offer. I make no secret of it that I burn candles almost every night, and I like to keep my mind open as to what I burn. My personal favorite, however, has always been "Rainforest." It has a crisp, sweet smell to it, and it doesn't smack you in the face if you're walking into the room for the first time after the candles have been lit. It's very welcoming. Anyway, I'm starting to think Wal Mart stopped carrying them. On more than one occasion (probably on the order of 4 or 5) I've gone into a Wal Mart specifically looking for these candles, and have been unable to find them. This is not a good thing, as Wal Mart was the only place I could find them. Sure, there may be other candles called "Rainforest" but they don't smell quite like the ones at Wal Mart. I believe the brand was Home-Stays or something like that...Whatever monopolized, store-brand candles they carry.

Moving along...

After we left Wal Mart, we headed back to Zach's. We recorded a few more songs, and I headed out. The drive back was cold and unnerving. I hate northern Kentucky. It's the devil's playground.

My Personal Collection of "Top Five..." Lists: Part 1

Nearly everything is linked. Click them to see things that aren't here.

Top Five Movies One Must See (and enjoy) Before I Can Consider Them "Properly Exposed:"

5. Kung Pow
4. Clerks
3. Contact
2. Glory Daze
1. Napoleon Dynamite

Top Five Artists/Songs Everyone Must Be Familiar With:

5. Mr. Bungle - The Girls Of Porn
4. Jamiroquai - Canned Heat
3. Traditional Irish Folk - Finnigan's Wake - listen to the song playing on that site.
2. Klaus Badelt - Barbossa is Hungry - There's a track listing to the left with audio samples.
1. The Doors - Hyacinth House

Top Five Websites To Visit Daily

5. ArsTechnica
4. MSNBC.com
3. memepool
2. Google - search for a new topic everyday, and learn something new goddamnit.
1. SomethingAwful

Top Five Non-Alcoholic Beverages

5. Wild Cherry Capri Sun
4. Bellini Iced Tea
3. Mountain Dew
2. Water
1. Mountain Dew again

Top Five Alcoholic Beverages

5. Samuel Adams Pale Ale
4. Power Drill (vodka and ruby red grape fruit juice)
3. Gin and Tonic
2. George Killian's Irish Red
1. Rain Vodka

Top Five Books Everyone Should Read

5. Hyperspace by Michio Kaku
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. Alpha and Omega by Charles Seife
2. Poetry of the Universe by Robert Osserman
1. The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Brian Warner aka Marilyn Manson



Well, chums, that's all for this installment. Come back next time when we try to submerge Saturn in a very Large bathtub.

Audioscrobbler

I just stumbled onto a site that may be of interest to anyone reading this.

Audioscrobbler is a site that tracks your mp3 playing stats. Now, rather than try to explain it myself, I'll just quote the description found on the front page...Which is kind of redundant when you consider I just gave you a link to their front page. Anyway:

"Audioscrobbler builds a profile of your musical taste using a plugin for your media player (Winamp, iTunes, XMMS etc..). Plugins send the name of every song you play to the Audioscrobbler server, which updates your musical profile with the new song. Every person with a plugin has their own page on this site which shows their listening statistics. The system automatically matches you to people with a similar music taste, and generates personalised recommendations."

Sounds pretty neat, huh? I thought so too. Go check it out.

You can find my Audioscrobbler profile here.

The Ultimate Irish Folk Collection

I initially started composing this collection for a friend of mine who has a mutual love for Irish folk music, then I began to realize that I was embarking on a quest that would lead me to the holy grail of Irish folk music collections. Allow me to preface my track listing with the following: While I know that a lot of these songs are "Traditional" irish tunes, I felt that the performances I feature are the best of the best. If you happen to know of a better performance for any song, please let me know.

Ladies and Germs, I now present to you the official track-listing of "The Ultimate Irish Folk Collection."

CD 1

Irish Rovers - If You're Irish Medley

Irish Rovers - The Moonshiner (Rambler, Gambler)

Clancy Brothers - Brennon on the Moor

The Crossing - The Hag and Humours

The Irish Ceili Band - Fiddler's Green

Irish Rovers - Pub with no beer

Dubliners - Tramps and Hawkers

Irish Rovers - Donald, Where's Your Trousers?

Clancy Brothers - The Wild Colonial Boy

Dubliners - Swallow's Tail Reel

The Blarney Lads - I'll Tell Me Ma

Irish Rovers - Drunk Scotsman

Dubliners - McAlpine's Fusiliers Behan

Irish Rovers - Rattlin' Bog

Irish Rovers - Drunken Sailor

Irish Rovers - Wild Rover

Irish Rovers - Whiskey on a Sunday

The Crossing - Endurance

Irish Rovers - Orange and the Green

Irish Rovers - Dublin Reel

CD 2

Irish Rovers - Come In

Clancy Brothers - Mountain Dew

The Blarney Lads - Muirsheen Durkin

Dubliners - High Reel

Irish Rovers - Blow the Man Down

Minstrels of Mayhem - Beer

Clancy Brothers - Old Maid in the Garrett

Minstrels of Mayhem - Queen of Argyle

The Irish Ceili Band - Scarce O'Tatties

Clancy Brothers - Jug of Punch

Clancy Brothers - All for me Grog

The Irish Ceili Band - Three Young Ladies Drinking Whiskey Before Breakfast

Dubliners - Home Boys Home

Waxies Dargle - Cod-Liver Oil/Coolies

Craftsmen - An Rince

Clancy Brothers - When We Were Under the King

Dubliners - Mrs. McGrath

The Crossing - Jiggle the Handle

Waxies Dargle - Docherty's Reel

Minstrels of Mayhem - Raggle Taggle Gypsy

Paddy's Irish Clan - Fuck the British Army

Minstrels of Mayhem - Rocky Road to Dublin

While some of those tunes may not be pure Irish (The Crossing, and Minstrels of Mayhem are from the states), they are worthy of being on this CD simply because I think they're kick-ass. So, don't ask questions. =)

Halloween Compilation

I compiled a CD for Halloween. Just finished it, actually. In making it, I wanted to stay away from the "norms" or halloween music (Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for example). I did the best I could, but there are a few obvious ones that were bound to find their way onto it.

TRACK LISTING:

1. Dio - Heaven And Hell (6:58)
2. Misfits - Dig Up Her Bones (3:01)
3. A.F.I. - The Lost Souls (2:43)
4. The Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings (4:17)
5. King Diamond - Family Ghost (4:05)
6. Rammstein - Halleluja (3:38)
7. Pantera - Cowboys From Hell (live) (4:35)
8. Rob Zombie - Spookshow Baby (3:38)
9. Bobby Prince - Demons On The Prey (2:39)
10. Liam Lynch - We're All Nighters (3:00)
11. Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time (2:54)
12. Mr. Bungle - Carousel (5:13)
13. Nirvana - Lake of Fire (2:55)
14. Violent femmes - Country death song (5:02)
15. Macabre Minstrels - The Geins (3:23)
16. Mr. Bungle - Ars Moriendi (4:10)
17. The Misfits - Where Eagles Dare (2:08)
18. Rob Zombie - Living Dead Girl (3:21)
19. Danzig - Possession (3:56)
20. Black Sabbath - Children of the Grave (5:17)

When you're making a CD like this, it gets to the point where you want to add every Rob Zombie, Danzig, Dio, or Misfits song you come across...It was hard not to.