You know, I thought living without internet is bad. Living without a microwave, well, that's a whole nother story. It really sucks when you make a huge batch of spaghetti with meat sauce planning to eat it over the next two days, and on day two, you realize you cannot reheat any of your spaghetti. It's kind of a bummer. Hot spaghetti is a lot better than cold spaghetti. I guess I'll just have to warm the spaghetti on the stove. Lame ancient technology.

In other news, I test drove three cars today, for the hell of it. I drove an Infinity G37 (the coupe). It had plenty of power and was very luxurious. But it also had so much techno-wizardry that it felt like a space ship. And the salesmen told me that the aluminum trim in the interior wasn't just any old aluminum, it was special aluminum from Japan made from rice. Wow. I give a shit why?

Then I drove the new Volvo C30 which I have been lusting over forever. I was totally let down. It did not feel Volvo-ish at all. It felt very plasticky. It is being marketed as a sporty car and the handling was not sporty at all. Cornering in the C30 did not inspire confidence. Maybe getting the "sport" package would help. But by the time you add that package and some other col options, you're looking at a $30,000 car, and that's asking a bit much for a two-door "intro-level" car.

Then, for grins, I drove a Dodge Charger, with a V8 HEMI!!! If it's power you want, the Charger will not leave you wanting more. I barely tapped the pedal and the car growled at me and flew. It is big and heavy and fast as hell. Ironically, it is also very usable. The V8 cuts itself in half and runs on four cylinders when cruising over 60 to save gas. Very handy. The trunk was also huge, which is useful for people like me with bulky musical equipment. If you want a simple sedan that will blow anyone else away, yet still get good gas mileage, check out this car. Don't expect it to be nimble, though.

Despite all this, I was still reminiscing about Evil I's BMW, and I am sadly still jonesing for one myself. They are so typical and yuppie and costly to maintain, but the drive is worth it. I'll take the stigma.

I picked up my car from the insurance company today (the one whose wheel had flown off in a prior post) only to be disappointed.

1. The wheel that flew off was nowhere to be found, and the spare was still on the car (i.e. no spare wheel). I had to drive halfway across town to get these because I did not want to leave the car and come back tomorrow again.

2. There were 2 lug bolts (the things that hold wheels onto the car) missing.

3. There was a plastic cover that goes on the bumper to cover the towing hook missing.

4. There were 2 new grease stains inside my car.

I am thoroughly pissed off with this situation. I called the insurance company to complain and as soon as they suggested another shop I suggested I would take care of it myself and fax them bills for the parts. They seemed ok with it so I am a little appeased. They are also going to send me a mobile detailer to clean up the inside of my car.

Why can't Darwinism be a more efficient killer and just get rid of the dead weight?

Every fall, I take a vacation. This vacation takes place at a nice, open park in Austin, Texas while listening to really good music. This vacation makes me very happy. As of today, I am nine days away from ACL Fest 2007. I am very excited and I wanted to share my Day One (Friday) schedule:

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Peter Bjorn and John
Joss Stone/Big Sam's Funky Nation
Spoon
Gotan Project (Woo!)
The Killers (I know they are Top 40, but I like them)
Bjork

Stay tuned for Day Two and Three schedules. I would love to hear anyone's (does anyone read this blog anyway?) feedback.

-Pajama Grrl

I have a confession. I joined a band. It may or may not be a cover band, that may or may not be a Beatles cover band, that may or may not be fronted by a female vocalist who plays the flute and has a wonderful voice, and we may or may not be twisting the songs into our own interpretations of rock, jazz, funk, blues-rock, and folk numbers. We also may or may not have a name yet, and we may or may not still be in the formative stages of our existence.

However, no other details are available.

These are texts i've saved or have gotten in the past. I've been compiling this list for a while. NOTE: this post is kind of dirty... relatively speaking. I put an asterisk here and there to avoid getting too much of the wrong kind of traffic (and spam comments).

Idea stolen from Sara B.

Oh no too much cyber s*x?

Do you need it today or will tonight work?

Boot camp bitch.

You are awesome even in your jewish ness.

Am i google?

You bad boy.

I am on the plane stuck between some old lady that wont shut up and dumb jocks that wont stop giggling and my ipod broke last night. God hates me.

P*ssy.

You don't want your Israeli princess slutting out.

I dont want another gay friend. i have reached capacity. go team *** job!

Survived my first prick encounter.

I will pay you back in snobby beer.

What is the difference between a jewish woman and a christian woman? Christian women have real orgasms and fake jewelery.

It is madness here.

Thank you captain obvious.

Christ compels you!

I have perfected my ACL Day Two and Day Three Schedule:

Day Two
Raul Malo
Paulo Nutini (this kid can PAR-TAY)
Cold War Kids
Blue October and Damien Rice - its a toss up, I have seen Damien and he is great but I haven't ever seen BO and although some people hate them, I like a couple of their songs. hmmm...
Andrew Bird
Muse
Indigo Girls
White Stripes

*I am really disappointed that Amy Wino has to be such a crackhead and had to cancel her ACL Day Two appearance. At least she is sticking to her guns and staying out of rehab.

Day Three
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Ben Kweller
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Bloc Party
REGINA SPEKTOR
Wilco
Ghostland Observatory
The Bob

So there it is folks. My Fall Vacation Schedule. I will likely return to Dallas with tacky tan lines and less brain cells. When I return, perhaps I will discuss my thoughts and opinions of the bands and festival. Or I could discuss an even more boring subject, my love life.

-Pajama Grrl

For my last five birthdays I have thrown five large Halloween parties that were modeled after a fraternity party I went to years and years ago. They generally included costumes, beer, liquor, and every person I knew that I could get to come out. They also included silly things like my penis costume, my Jesus costume, my French maid costume, and the bottle of absinthe I got two years ago. For pictures feel free to look at www.isdaco.com.

This year Ive decided that I am getting too old to be throwing frat parties. The benefit of the party is completely overshadowed by the effort, stress, and cleanup involved. I still want to celebrate, but I need something different for this year. Any ideas anyone?

I am back and feeling crispy. ACL 2007 was a great success. Although I was disappointed that Rodrigo Y Gabriella cancelled, Common was their replacement and the guy rocked. He was engaging, interactive and entertaining. I will start with my Top 3 Favorite Shows:

1. Common
2. Ghostland Observatory (breath taking, awesome light show)
3. The Killers (Brandon Flowers rocked out)

Other Top Contenders: STS9, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Gotan Project, Andrew Bird

Top 3 Disappointments:
1. Regina Spektor (Was she nervous? she was definitely boring)
2. Blue October (nothing too exciting, but perhaps I should see them at a smaller venue)
3. Bob Dylan (I could have grumbled and moaned and made better music)

Overall, I had a great time in a beautiful city surrounded by beautiful people. I love the Festival Culture that thrives in these types on environments.

I would also like to give a shout out to all the hot, sweaty, shirtless men that graced me with their hot presence. How I love thee. I would love to take one of you home to Mom someday.

-Pajama Grrl

I'm still working on my official ACL recap. Until I'm done with it, here is something to hold you over. Can you guess what it is, besides a worn out Batman symbol?

Ah, ACL. Three days of music, sun, and walking. My story of ACL will sound kind of like Pajama Grrl's, but different, and longer, and more guy-oriented. Would you expect anything less?

First of all, I have to thank all of the beautiful women prancing around in minimal clothing. Thank you. You totally made the weekend. The music was great and all, but the scenery was what kept me going when I thought I just couldn't stand in a hot, sweaty crowd for one more minute. Because at that exact moment, some bikini-top wearing hottie would show up next to me and make everything ok.

Second of all, I must disagree with what Pajama Grrl said about Regina. She was very entertaining and certainly not boring. Though PG is entitled to her opinion (as misinformed as it may be), I think PG is forgetting that Regina is a solo pianist. There is no band. And she's not Ben Folds - ie, she will not pound on the piano (too much) and scream. I'm not sure if PG has seen performances like those of Tori Amos, but a solo-piano performance isn't necessarily designed to be exciting in the same way as a rock band. I thought Regina was great. Granted, I like her anyway. But I was excited to see her reproducing the songs, the vocal inflections, the emotion, and the vibe that she transmits on her records. She drew the audience into her world, and that is what makes a good performance. She also played some lesser-known songs, so I was glad to see her avoiding a set that consisted of only her pop singles.

One last thing about Regina. She held a one-hour autograph session that I got to 45 minutes early just to make sure I didn't have to wait in line forever. It was a good plan. The line was HUGE. It had to have been two hundred people. All I wanted was a picture with her, but since there were too many people, we were only allowed to give her one item to sign and then we had to move along. No posing for pictures with her, no conversations, no holding up the line. Because all i wanted was a picture, I did not have my album covers with me, and thus had nothing for her to sign. So I did what any self-respecting male would do. I took my clothes off. Before I got to the signing table, I took my shirt off for Regina to sign. It was my favorite shirt, and now it is now my extra-favorite shirt. You can check out the pic below. Thank you, Regina, for signing my sweaty Batman shirt. I guess I can't wash it ever again. And since I will be seeing Regina in Dallas in November, maybe I can get her to sign my chest too. But I'd have to shave a spot for her first. (Sorry, TMI).

The other highlights of the weekend included Muse, Ghostland Observatory, and Common. Muse, as usual, was jaw-droppingly awesome. They are so awesome that any effort at describing their awesomeness is utterly useless. I thought they were good ACL last year, but since the White Stripes canceled, Muse took over the top spot on Saturday night. Their show was intense and flawless. They gave it everything. I can't believe that the singer, who is not a big guy at all, can produce a voice like that. I don't know where it comes from.

The singer also switched between guitar and piano mid-song, showing us his mad piano skills. Their set spanned all of their records and each song was performed as if they had just written it and it was fresh on their minds. I really can't recall the last band that performed with such fury. Muse rocks. Comparisons to Radiohead are totally inaccurate. If any comparisons must be made, make one to Nirvana. This band rocks like no other band I've seen in a long time, and it's not a punk-rock rock or metal rock - there is no punk-rock frustration or metal negativity. It's the perfect kind of rock.

Ghostland Observatory was a total surprise. I didn't know what to expect. I still don't know what to expect. I'm speechless. It's a crazy mix of dance, electronica, disco, and hip hop. You have to hear to believe it. Better yet, you have to SEE it to believe. Their light show was ridiculous. Check out the vids below.

Common was a last minute sub for Rodrigo y Gabriela. They owned their time slot. The crowd went wild for them. They took a volunteer woman from the audience and basically serenaded her. She melted on stage. Literally, we saw her quiver in her sandals when the singer held her and sang to her. It was great.

On the not-so-cool side, The Killers were a total let down. I opted to see them instead of Bjork, and what a mistake that was. The Killers were all flash and no substance. The songs sounded mechanical and the musicians stood around and didn't move. I think the bass player might have been sleeping. Only the drummer showed signs of life, but that comes with the territory. And I reconfirmed my dislike of the new album. Verdict: if you're thinking of shelling out $30-40 for a Killers show, go see Muse instead. The Muse show (lighting, video screen, etc) was just as cool, and they rock so much more and the music is so much more intricate.

The National were also not impressive. The songs sounded the same, and the singer didn't sing so much as moan. But I can see where they found their niche, and I'm happy they found it. It's just not my niche.

And no, I did not see Bob Dylan. I know he changed the face of music and that skipping his show might be seen as sacrilegious by many musicians and music fans. But I don't like him. Never have, even though he influenced almost all of the bands I like from that era. I was tired, my feet hurt, my legs hurt, my head hurt. I had just come from an awesome Ghostland Observatory show, and I still had to make the three-hour drive back to Dallas. I decided to end the weekend on high note and skip out a little early. So off I drove, still shirtless from my Regina encounter, and covered in a lawyer of dirt and sweat. But happy. Very, very happy.

Pics are here. I only took my camera on the last day because I'm too lazy to take pictures, which means the only pics I got are of Regina Spektor and Ghostland Observatory.

Ghostland Observatory - video 1 (3.8 MB)
Ghostland Observatory - video 2 (5.4 MB)
Ghostland Observatory - video 3 (3.0 MB)

If you remember way back to when The Evil I was Dallas Guy, I posted an entry of an instant messenger chat I had with Evil I about his issues with Dallas, work, women, and life in general. It sounded to me like he really needed to move out of Dallas. So we threw around the usual ideas. Sell all your shit and move to Europe. Or hell, even Canada. It's not that far, yet is completely different than Dallas (or America, for that matter). Or you could always head for Central America, South America, or Asia. Maybe Australia? The options are endless. Evil I is an engineer and is fluent in two languages (besides English). He could probably get a job anywhere.

So where does he decide to go? Israel. Well, not quite decide, but he's been talking about it. His rationale is that he already speaks the language, he won't have any issues with finding Jewish women, the job market for someone in his field and his education is pretty welcoming, and it's generally a fun place. If you ask me, I think it's a bad idea. Of all the places he chooses, he chooses a country fraught with turmoil? A place where people blow themselves up? A place that Syria and Iran like pointing their missiles at? No thanks. I'd rather go to Canada. It's closer, safer, there are Jews (and thus Jewish women) there, and they probably have those cool accents too.

But another thing we should all keep in mind is that Evil I likes to talk. He gets lots of half-brained ideas, starts working on them, and then gets distracted with something else. I'm not putting too much stock in this Israel thing. Maybe it will pan out. Maybe it won't. Either way (if you ever meet him, his favorite thing to say is "Either way"), he'll get my full support with whatever he decides.

And hey man, if you do go to Israel and find a woman, can you make sure she has friends? Friends that like tall nerdy Americans? With blogs? That would be great. Thanks.

It's pretty good. I thought and thought and thought about the best way to describe it. Instead of writing some long, drawn-out album review like I usually do, I will say only this:

The new Interpol album sounds like Joy Division, The Cure, and Radiohead packed into one band, and then doused with a bucket of music comprised of The Doors’ The End and The Crystal Ship.

Whether that does anything for you is beyond me, but that's how I felt. I could say more from a technical standpoint (like "these guys are still addicted to reverb" and "all of the songs are in minor keys"), but I won't. And lucky me, I get to see Interpol tomorrow night. Report to follow...