retroblog.net

There were a bunch of CDs that I intended to do full reviews for but as you might expect, TIME got the better of me. Rather than just let these releases slip by without a mention, I thought I’d post some quickies before the year is through. So here are some recent releases that have made the rotation in my car’s CD changer…
Charlie Haden – Family and Friends: Rambling Boy
An unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable bluegrass/country music album from jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Haden rounded up his talented family and a slew of famous friends (including Bruce Hornsby, Ricky Skaggs, Vince Gill and Elvis Costello) to put together a tribute to the songs he grew up with and still loves. highlights include: “He’s Gone Away”, “Is This America? (Katrina 2005)” and the very touching “Oh Shenandoah”.

Brad Paisley – Play
I suppose this was inevitable since Brad Paisley is such a strong lead guitar player but a lot of his humor is lost when the instrumentals kick in. The album feels a bit awkward trying to balance his “guitar lessons” with his signature country/pop songs but the man (along with his guitar buddies) sure can play! Check out “Cluster Pluck” for some major guitar hero overkill.

Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue
Another strong effort from Rilo Kiley’s front woman Jenny Lewis. The album has a neat retro sound and it’s impressive to learn that Lewis and company recorded the bulk of the tracks live in the studio with minimal overdubs. The nine minute “The Next Messiah” is one of the highlights especially for the band’s tight transitions linking the three parts together. nicely done! other highlights include: “See Fernando”, “Carpetbaggers” and “Jack Killed Mom”.

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So, how was your Christmas? Did you get all that you wanted? Me? I’m just thankful I still have a job and have supportive family and friends. Like most folks, we pared down the gift giving this holiday season due to the sad state of the economy. But even so, we still did our share of hitting the shopping malls and surfing the web for deals. We were even out and about doing some after-Christmas bargain hunting this morning. I did notice that the stores weren’t all that crowded like in years past but then again, I didn’t see that many mega-bargains that would attract a huge crowd either. I did end up purchasing some last minute gifts from Kmart for some relatives that we’ll be seeing in the coming week. They had a great selection of holiday related items on clearance today and they just slashed fall and winter apparel to 50% off. I recently broke the carafe for my trusty old coffee maker so I was also pleased to see a 5-cup coffee maker at Kmart for just 10 bucks. Now, that just made my day especially since I really can’t function without my morning cup o’ joe. So, don’t forget to check your local Kmart for some awesome after-Christmas deals that are absolutely worth seeking out.

Yes, I understand that Todd Rundgren doesn’t have a massive fanbase to significantly affect viewership on a late night talk show but did David Letterman really need to devote the bulk of the show to Dustin Hoffman and some old boring story from Hoffman’s Tootsie heyday? Did Letterman really think that his audience would rather listen to Hoffman’s old anecdotes than some cool new music by the legendary Todd Rundgren? Hoffman went on and on about nothing and barely left four minutes for Rundgren to get through a phenomenal version of his new song “Strike”. I guess I should be thankful Rundgren didn’t get bumped. whatever. Rundgren deserves better. anyway, the band rocked. and it was a hoot seeing Todd trying to remove Rachel’s hood right before the guitar solo. Check out the video on youtube. Thankfully it’s *Dustin Hoffman free*.

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It’s interesting to note how important our laptops have become in our lives. Not only do they contain important and vital information but laptops connect us to our friends and family and to the rest of the world. We can’t spend the rest of the day without these portable PCs so we lug them around to the local coffee shops, to work and even out to the park.
With something that plays such an integral part in our lives, shouldn’t we be protecting them with high quality laptop bags? Most folks may not take too much time to search for the right bag but the proper bag should have enough padding in the right places to protect your precious laptop from a fall off a chair or an accidental bump against a wall. You may not realize this but your laptop goes through a lot in the course of a day.
Take mine for instance. My trusty laptop, Blotchy, started off the day at the local Panera’s bakery to take advantage of their free high speed internet access. Blotchy then made a journey to the local mall where I did some work on it while the wife did some last minute Christmas shopping. There was a minor incident with a not so mindful shopper with an armful of shopping bags that bumped into my table and Blotchy but fortunately nothing major. Blotchy finally made it home after the shopping trip to be met by my younger son who was in the mood for some online games at NickJr.com. But no matter where Blotchy ends up, the laptop travels in style and is well protected in a Spire Endo laptop bag. The bag is well padded and the heavy duty construction will help it withstand daily use and abuse. Check out SpireUSA.com if you value your trusty ol’ laptop and want to keep it safe and sound while out and about.

OK, have you O.D.’d on all the saccharine sweet holiday muzak on the radio like I have? Please for the love of all that’s decent in the world, there is absolutely no need for anyone to hear another rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock” or “Winter Wonderland”… and oh Lord, don’t even get me started on describing to you which level of hell Celine Dion’s version of “Blue Christmas” is.

Yes, I’m in a “mood”. Let me express it with my very own Christmas mix tape. I’ve got the songs that are a little more in-line with reality. and don’t worry, there’s no Celine Dion here. I call this Retroblog’s moody Christmas music 2008. enjoy!

Broken Heart for Christmas by Steve Lukather
I’m all alone this Christmas, nothing’s merry ’bout today
Yeah, I’m all alone this Christmas
Nothing’s merry ’bout today
It’s quiet here this evening, it’s a lonely holiday..

That was the Worst Christmas Ever by Sufjan Stevens
Our father yells
Throwing gifts in the wood stove, wood stove
My sister runs away
Taking her books to the schoolyard, schoolyard..

Christmas, Baby Please Come Home by Death Cab for Cutie
They’re singing deck the halls
But it’s not like christmas at all
I remember when you were here
All the fun we had last year…

December Child by Cindy Lauper
Snuggle up and let me hold kiss
Your baby breath in the dark and cold
On a silent night long ago
Another mother held her babe and told him
Close your eyes December Child..

Sweet Secret Peace by Neil Finn
Beautiful are you, your hands are new
All you feel is real and right and true..

In the Bleak Mid-Winter by Shawn Colvin
In the bleak midwinter
Stormy winds may blow
Earth stood hard as iron
Water like a stone..

When I Get Home for Christmas by Snow Patrol
It’s funny how you misunderstand
I only wanna hold her hand
You’re so far from me all year long
I can’t seem to right my, right my wrong

The Christmas Song by Weezer
You told me you would bring presents and treats
Cheering my spirits with homemade sweet meats
Here I sit waiting beside the tree all by myself..

OK now, go have a moody Christmas!!
laterz!
Retroblog

For those that love tinkering with code and spend countless of hours in front of the desktop, programming simply for the fun of it, it’s time to step into the limelight and get recognized for your mad-skills! The folks over at IDUG, the International DB2 Users Group, are currently holding contests involving XML, XQuery and DB2. Contests like these bring out the best of the best showing innovation, ingenuity and creativeness in their work. It’s always amazing to see what people end up coming up with. The IDUG contest is a perfect opportunity for students, hobbyists and professionals alike. Not only do you get to display your expertise and programming skills for thousands of other like-minded individuals but you get a chance to win some fabulous prizes. And who knows, earning recognition for something like this may even lead to some interesting career opportunities. The XML Challenge consists of several different contests including a video contest, another involving widgets, a query contest as well as one to see who can develop the best application. The cool thing about the challenge is that it’s open to programmers and developers of all skill types, from beginners to long-time professionals. The contests are currently underway so head on over to the XML Challenge website and jump in on the action today!!

ugh. our house is falling apart. I can’t keep up with all the maintenance that’s needed. talk about a money pit. It’s more like, a bottomless black hole. The house is overdue for a paint job and there’s a bunch of rotted wood (mainly the trim) that needs replacing. And now we’ve been informed that our heat exchanger is cracked. and since our whole HVAC unit is approximately 11 years old, it’s recommended that we replace the whole unit instead of replacing just the heat exchanger. to make matters worse, they cut off the gas to the heat exchanger so we’ve got no heat right now.

so let’s see now…

exterior paint job
+ wood replacement
+ HVAC unit replacement
= I’m oh so screwed!

happy, happy, joy, joy!

As a fan of Ben Folds, I’ve become accustomed to “cherry-picking” songs off of his albums. With a multifaceted singer/songwriter like Folds, you pretty much have to. I personally prefer the sad, introspective side of Folds over the snarky, juvenile side. and unfortunately for those like me, we don’t get much introspection on Folds’ new album Way to Normal. What we DO get is a whole lot of sarcasm and cynicism in songs like “Dr. Yang”, “The Frown Song” and “Bitch Went Nuts”. And I’m all FOR variety in songwriting but the majority of these songs simply fall flat and just don’t measure up to his past achievements. Even the epic centerpiece of the album, “Before Cologne/Cologne” feels half-done and doesn’t resonant as strongly as it should. For me, things don’t click until the last three songs on the album – “Brainwascht”, “Effington” and “Kylie from Connecticut”. “Brainwascht”, a bitter yet humorous response to a once trusted friend, has a fantastic hook that just won’t quit. “Effington” features a nice balance of Folds’ humor and “grass is greener” longing. The album closes with “Kylie” a beautiful ballad with cinematic flare. The instrumental middle section of the song is very well done and successfully conveys the internal struggle of the lead character. But those three songs can’t save the album as a whole. Plus the modern mix/loud mastering doesn’t help matters much either.

retroGrade : C

Way to Normal
Artist: Ben Folds
Label: Epic/Sony
released: September 30, 2008
Produced by: Dennis Herring

TrackList:
1 Hiroshima (B B B Benny Hit His Head) 3:37
2 Dr. Yang 2:30
3 The Frown Song 3:37
4 You Don’t Know Me 3:11
5 Before Cologne 0:53
6 Cologne 5:02
7 Errant Dog 2:24
8 Free Coffee 4:01
9 Bitch Went Nuts 3:06
10 Brainwascht 3:48
11 Effington 3:32
12 Kylie from Connecticut 4:43
All songs written by Ben Folds

Watch Ben Folds and Regina Spektor performing “You Don’t Know Me” on Jimmy Kimmel Live via youtube:

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You know, it has been a while since I last fiddled around with the template on this blog. It’s a bit surprising to realize how much time has lapsed since the last time I changed the look of this blog. Especially since I’m the type of person that LOVES to customize things and mess with gadgets, widgets and plug-ins. But alas, life happens and stuff here on the blog tend to get placed lower and lower on the priority list. Hey, I’m just thankful that I’m able to simply post on this thing whenever I get the chance!! But Christmas break is coming and I’m bound and determined to use some of the down-time to spiffy up this blog. As a matter of fact, I thought I’d post my holiday wish list of things that would do this blog some good.
1. a new template – a no-brainer and a relatively easy thing to update.
2. a new logo – I definitely need to create better brand recognition for “RetroBlog”.
3. evaluate some of the numerous plugins available for wordpress – There are so many plugins to choose from. I’m like a kid in a candy store.
4. feature more interviews with my favorite musicians – I’ve enjoyed doing the few that I’ve posted so I’m hoping to continue to do so in the near future.
5. organize categories and tags – to help visitors find past articles a lot easier on this site.
6. improve stickiness – I get a good number of visitors through google searches but I’d love for them to stick around or come back more regularly.
7. online music jukebox – I might incorporate an online streaming jukebox on the sidebar to share some of my favorite tunes.
8. more original multimedia content – content is “King” so I might end up posting some original demos that I’ve recorded in the past. and, who knows, maybe some video podcasts?
9. more giveaways – a recent CD giveaway proved to be a good promotional tool so I’ll probably do more of those to help promote the blog in the coming year.
10. and lastly, I’m hoping to get a new copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred to help me post content on the blog faster and easier. The revolutionary speech recognition software would be able to get those thoughts out of my head and onto the screen faster than I could by typing. I’m not a great typist by any means so using something like Dragon naturally Speaking would making things way more efficient in RetroBlog-land. Check out the youtube video playlist put together by fellow blogger and Dragon Naturally Speaking user, Brett Bumeter. Watch how simple it is to convert recorded messages from a portable recording device into a blog post. Not only would it be perfect for bloggers but also for converting interviews into text, which happens to be related to #4 on my wish list.

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I like the way Brett’s video is one long shot with no edits which helps convey the off-the-cuff nature of the recording and how the speech recognition program needed virtually no prep work. Definitely a nice feature especially for bloggers like me who like to do things on-the-fly.

For those that are interested in purchasing their own copy of Dragon naturally Speaking, be sure to use the following coupon codes and links to get a discount:

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This song is dedicated to my close friends who recently lost their jobs. It feels awful to not be able to do anything to help their situation. All I can do is be supportive during this time of transition. I even feel a bit guilty for being able to keep my position while my close colleagues weren’t able to. But in the state our economy is in right now, I suppose nothing’s a sure thing. good luck, my friends. as a matter of fact, good luck to us all!

Walking, stumbling, on these shadowfeet
Toward home, a land that I’ve never seen
I am changing, less and less asleep
Made of different stuff than when I began
And I have sensed it all along, fast approaching is the day

When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in You, still standin’
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time and space are through I’ll be found in You
When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in You, still standin’
Every fear and accusation under my feet
When time and space are through, I’ll be found in You..

-Shadowfeet by Brooke Fraser

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