Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Of Course It Was a Disaster

Did you know Washington DC has a professional soccer team?



It's true! and HOLYFUCK! I can't wait for March, but full disclosure: I'm not in Barra or Screaming Eagles. We STAND! behind Eagles (we're almost in that vid at 4 o'clock). I belong to no Supporters Club because I like standing with Mine in 232 and will only join a Supporters Club when Mine no longer have season tickets, which may be motherfucking soon if they don't mail me a motherfucking check.

Gah! arguing the merits of Buzzard Point v Florida Market. I'd vote Florida Market times a hundred, but I'll never get to fuck-me-jig.

O! Here's Benny on my weird obsession with who's the captain:
I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I hope we have more than one leader on this team. I hope we have a bunch of guys who collectively know what to do and we don't have to have one guy. I don't think that is necessary right now. We're trying to build our team right now and be together. I don't think we need to single anyone out at this point. We'll see how this thing evolves. We have plenty of time.



O! I'm told it's almost certain I will be spending ten days in England this late June/early July with Earthgirl, Planet, and Planet's three best friends. It's their high school graduation presents. We're meeting with the other parents this coming Saturday to discuss $$$$ and logistics. Yessiree, I'm going to be responsible for other peoples' eighteen year old daughters in London. Whee!







GOING THERE


Jack Gilbert

Of course it was a disaster.
The unbearable, dearest secret
has always been a disaster.
The danger when we try to leave.
Going over and over afterward
what we should have done
instead of what we did.
But for those short times
we seemed to be alive. Misled,
misused, lied to and cheated,
certainly. Still, for that
little while, we visited
our possible life.


18 comments:

  1. I'm having trouble comprehending that you didn't always know that Nader was a self-serving authoritarian asshole. I'm having trouble comprehending your surprise.

    Also. Been to Buzzards Point lately? I like it there.

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  2. Doh, my intent wasn't clear: I was laughing at the Balloon Juice idiot's moral outrage at Nader/Paul.

    My pro-Florida Market is it's better Metro access. I'd also hate to have to take a Green when the Natinals were playing at the same time.

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  3. Pandora is pretty cool. But it only looks at the musical characteristics of records that it adds to a playlist, not taste. If you start a Beach House radio station, you will probably get Arcade Fire songs too. Hey its all 2000s indie played mostly on acoustic instruments instead of synths, right (OK they use more criteria than that, but still...)?

    When that dreaded band's music starts to play, IIRC, you have two options: skip the song, which will provide temporary relief, but still leaves you vulnerable to more Arcade Fire in the future, or reject the song, in which case, you may not have to hear any more of it. By choosing the latter option, however, you run the risk of losing the opportunity to hear something that has the musical characteristics of Arcade Fire but is actually good. Enough rejections and your radio station will only play stuff you already know and like, which is sort of boring and misses the point of Pandora. Still, I have discovered cool stuff.

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  4. Pandora bites, I tried to make a French pop station once and I would say "Play Francoise Hardy" and they would say "OK, here's Fergie!" and I would say "No, play Brigitte Bardot" and they would say "OK, here's Fergie," I'm completely serious. And you can only skip or reject like five songs in an hour, which is not many when they insist on playing you shit constantly.

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  5. You sort of have to game it to make it work well. It's only looking at purely musical characteristics (as well as year, country of origin, etc.) for the most part so if you put in pop music it's going to spit pop music back. Pandora doesn't account for taste. If you want a Beatles station you have to pick a late work or else you will get Herman's Hermits.

    Still, I am surprised you got such crappy results as I have never had problems at least keeping Pandora within a reasonable chronological window. I created a station based on a few early 80s R&B songs once and I was never compelled to listen to Destiny's Child.

    Maybe things have changed? I haven't used it in years as it was connected to the sound system at a retail store I used to work in.

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  6. My theory is that as it got bigger there got to be more sponsored results. Would explain Fergie.

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  7. Payola? Oh, my virgin ears! I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I tend to believe everything and everyone corrupt AND give everything and everyone the benefit of the doubt too. But just once.

    It's like water that has evaporated from the ocean, only to become a drop of rain again. As that drop is falling through the sky, it is possible to imagine that it won't fall back into the ocean, yet there is no land for it to fall on.

    Comment section has been hijacked. Take me to Cuba.

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  8. I don't even know what Pandora is outside of owning a box.

    The best thing about games is that is where [insert downtrodden franchise here] can finally win a championship. Oh, and Nazi zombies.

    Here's hoping you get financially well compensated for your chaperone gig, & say hello to Tony Blair for us.

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  9. Flash response: There's a chance I and mine will be in Jolly Ole @ around the same time—either there or St. Pete. Let's keep in touch. One of us owes the other a pint or two (prolly me you). Oh, and Mantel's Wolf never arrived, and all the other stuff that was backlogged did.

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  10. Ha, I love that "we STAND!" is such an important qualifier. If you were a sitter, you'd have to hide it... or face the shame of able-bodied sitting, I suppose.

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  11. Gah, I was afraid of that - three other packages never got to their intended either. Last time I go cheap and try to ship via work. I'll work another one your way.

    Pints in England sounds excellent.

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  12. Tee Vee, if I was a sitter I'd be a hockey fan. Heh!

    You're in Seattle, yes? Ever go to Sounders games? I've a pal who's in their supporters club, and he STANDS! all game too.

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  13. I have enjoyed a few matches with the Emerald City Supporters. I was raised a sitter (baseball) but am enamored with the sway and sing crowd.

    I continue creeping away from indifference, this year I might find myself recast a fan. The vibe is thrilling, and the price is relatively right (atta bebe Drew Carey).

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  14. Total comment fail from work computer earlier. Briefly:

    -Less stadium parking equals less Landru.
    -Morsink for armband!
    -For those of you who are wondering, yes, I sent the check four minutes after I saw the post.
    -Ethan, Fergie has always said very nice things about you.
    -Tempting though it may be, I decline Naderwar, because I'm all about the kind. And yes, I believe that you were dogging the person in BJ.

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  15. Yup! Too bad about your team's kits.

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  16. Dogging the person in BJ? Not that there's anything wrong with that.

    I can't imagine any in District stadium (unless they build at RFK site) where parking won't be halved if not more.

    And LOUD SIDE! goes to an endzone.

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  17. I do accidentally turn a phrase now and again, you know.

    Of course we're going to an endzone.

    And I know I'm sworn not to blogsmash, but don't think I can't see the hypocycloids in your background, you fecking yinzer.

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  18. You da man!

    And Pandora? No obscure, unsigned—or very little. They keep mainstreamin' ya. Very little of the great unheard now and in the way back. Hell, a lot of the stuff I want to post isn't on the YouTubes either. But that's just me. No accounting for taste.

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