I almost forgot to mention that today I move into my new place:

I've got 1100 square feet up above Homer's. Should be plenty of fun.

I also picked up my cap and gown today. Man, I'm almost like an adult.

brett at 02:36 PM on July 31, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)

I know that paying attention to most of what's written on the Internet in the form of blog comments is an exercise in futility and frustration. Despite that, I have to share a few with you from the Journal Star's "Sound Off" blog. The question is Should the state employ a different method to execute condemned inmates? This question comes in the wake of a supreme court decision that leaves Nebraska as the only state with the electric chair as the sole means of execution.

Here's a smattering of knowledge from our citizenry:

-I hope their execution is cruel and unusual. They certainly didn't care what their victims went through. If it was up to me, I'd bring back public hangings. I'm sure that would make someone think twice before raping children, or going on a killing spree.

...

I think a better idea that would make people think twice and generate state revenue, would be to bring back stoning. I figure, take them down to 13th & O, and put them in the center. Then charge $50-$100 for stone and let people have at it.

...

I think if it were me, a bullet between the eyes would be preferable.

...

These people are not worth the air they breathe and are certainly not worth the resources we expend on them. Cut out the long and overcomplicated appeals process, put them to death on the date the judge assigns...and get it over with. Quit using my tax dollars to give these guys easy lives.

...

I would like to see them put in a space shuttle and ejected for unprotected re-entry.

...

Make the punishment as uncortable as possible and BRING BACK THE HANGINGS.

Great stuff here. I actually am not going to present an argument against any of this. Seems like common sense.

But, doesn't it sort of make you frightened that these people are actually walking around on the street, and that we probably encounter them on a daily basis? After reading these quotes, you have to wonder just where these kind of sadistic ideas come from, and what other thoughts these people have lurking in the back of their minds. Spooky.

brett at 09:50 AM on July 31, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Clipse just released another single off their forthcoming album, Hell Hath No Fury. Let's just say, I'm sold.

[The Clipse - Ain't Cha]

If Pharrell's production is this solid for the rest of the album (which I hear that it is) then we are truly in for a treat. This album has the potential to go down in history as one of the best of the decade.

My fingers are crossed.

Update: The Clipse's previous single found here (featuring Slim Thug).

brett at 09:15 AM on July 31, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kevin just arrived back in Japan to teach English, and from his blog it appears that he's having a reaction very similar to the one I had when I first returned to the country:

i miss nebraska already and i want to come back. why did i leave nebraska? i am so miserable here. [Via]

I don't think this is a bad thing, but rather, a normal thing. Anyone who doesn't have this type of reaction to leaving a place they love didn't belong to be there in the first place. I've felt this way leaving Japan, but also going to Japan.I've felt it leaving Lincoln, but also coming home to Lincoln.

We build travel up in our minds to be one thing, but with so much distance and difference, we often forget how hard it can really be.

I remember, when I was first writing this blog years ago I mentioned something to the effect of hating international flight, because I always leave someone that I love on one side of the Pacific or the other.

brett at 08:17 AM on July 31, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (3)

The best show on TV right now is Who Wants to be a Superhero? on the Sci-Fi channel. Absolutely magnificent.

brett at 12:20 PM on July 28, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was looking through the Six in the City website again today. As usual.

And though I already commented earlier that all of the bloggers are white, today I realized that so is everyone in the dating pool. That means that all 30 people involved in the Six in the City website are white.

Nice job, Journal Star! Way to not even try and feign diversity. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is. There should be at least a half-dozen minorities included in this, and not simply because they are black or latino, but because that would accurately reflect the proportion of our population that is. Six in the City is simply not the face of Nebraska.

Whatever.

Update: upon further reflection, what a fucking joke.

brett at 12:43 PM on July 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just came across this site, Tokyo-VR, which is just a bunch of Quicktime VR images of various locations in Tokyo. I particularly like the one taken in front of the JR Shibuya Station, but I am completely baffled as to why there are no people in the picture. Anyone who has been there knows that, well, it's one of the most crowded places in the city--to the point that walking is difficult.

brett at 08:56 AM on July 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few of the bloggers at Six in the City have updated, to my great delight. The first thing I noticed was the smattering of spelling errors.

I here the other SITC shoppers dropped a ton of there own money, as for the single Mom, it wasn’t in the budget, but I’ll be back!

I guess anyone could make that mistake, but this next one...

Everyone is asking, so here is the scope.

Uh, scoop, anyone?

Beyond these silly little errors, there wasn't much else of substance in today's posts. Apparently Jessica has two dates this week, which should make for some great prose. I mean really, how can someone who repeatedly uses "LOL" in their blog posts go wrong? Pure gold. Example:

I also have friends who want to strategically place themselves around the resteraunt and spy...LOL. Why not.

LOL guys this blog is so fun, can you believe I actually have one...??! I so cant, LOL. THis is grate. ANyway now i Have to go, TTYL

brett at 08:02 AM on July 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a few wedding photos:

And over the next few days I'll be steadily adding more to Flickr. Enjoy looking at all the fun I had!

brett at 07:51 AM on July 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

We are a bit more than halfway through the year, so I'm offering up my short list of candidates for album of the year. There's still a lot of 2006 left, but after 7 months I'm definitely pleased with a lot of the album releases and the creativity that has been going on in hip hop. One point of discontent is the lack of a clear summer anthem; granted, there's been some big hits, but I feel like we haven't really had a true summertime banger, an album that just screams backyard barbecue, swimming pools and sun.

So anyway, in no particular order, are albums that are in definite consideration for the crown come January 1st. If you haven't listened to these yet, do yourself a favor and get educated.

• T.I. - King :: It's just too easy to pick this album, but T.I. earned it. The lead single, "What You Know," is probably the best song of 2006, and the Atlanta native has shown his maturity with this, his third album.
• E-40 - My Ghetto Report Card :: The bay area's best teamed up with Lil Jon (on 9 tracks, at least) for a great party album that doesn't just repeat the crunk sound, it advances it
• Camron - Killa Season :: The guy can flow, and not only that, but he takes on Jay-Z in a five and a half minute long diss track. Great stuff here.
• DJ Khaled - Listennn... the Album :: Hard to pick a DJ album as best of the year, but Khaled cobbled together some extra-special production on this one, particularly on the Afrika Bambaataa inspired track "Holla At Me."
• Dr. Octagon - The Return of Dr. Octagon :: Kool Keith put out three albums so far this year, each one worthy of consideration for top album in 2006, but it just wouldn't be fair to include them all on such a short list, so I opted for the very experimental "Return of Dr. Octagon."
• D4L - Down For Life :: Not a crowd pleaser, but let's be honest, "Laffy Taffy" set the tone for rap music this year, and introduced everyone to a brand new sound, straight from Atlanta.
• Ghostface - Fishscale :: Ghost's best work to date. Hands down.

Close calls: Chamillionaire and Dem Franchize Boys.

These are by no means a lock, though, as Lil Jon is set to release his first solo album, The Game will be back with his sophmore LP (check the lead single here), and the best duo in rap, The Clipse, will be releasing a Pharrel produced album as well. Oh, and let's not forget Dr. Dre. He's preparing his third album--which he's been preparing for the past 5 years. I'm not the only one holding my breath here, am I?

Also, the big losers of 2006: Mobb Deep and Busta Rhymes. Two major mistakes here. Mobb Deep signed with G-Unit and Busta Rhymes cut off his deadlocks. No wonder their new albums were underwhelming (in the case of Busta) and unlistenable (in the case of Mobb Deep). Oh, and Pharrell's new album is wack. Anyone who actually enjoy's that needs to get a clue, all of his post "In Search Of" work has been trash. Was it any surprise his first single was with Kanye? I saw dude on MTV, Rap City, 106 & Park and Sucka Free yesterday; guess he's really pushin' that album hard.

Update - After looking back at my list, I have to ask myself, what the fuck happened to the underground hip hop movement? They haven't put out anything decent in forever. Anyone remember that Dilated People's album that dropped in the Spring? Yeah, me either.

brett at 12:53 PM on July 26, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, as I mentioned, I'm addicted to Six in the City, and today I was reading through the various dating pool candidates that will be going on dates with the bloggers. Some great stuff in there, particularly their answers to the question "How do you let a date know you are interested in them?"

If we're sitting across from each other at a table, I'd lean in closer when listening to her, hold her hand, or smile and gaze into her eyes ... or just flat out tell her.

Gaze into her eyes. Nice. But if that approach isn't working, you could try this guy's technique:

I take their hand look into their eyes and say 'I hope you know CPR, because you just stopped my heart,' if they laugh I know I found someone special.

Special indeed. I can't wait to see what his date has to say about this.

If none of these lines are appealing to you, perhaps a display of physical prowess would work:

Back flips... followed by a trip to the hospital.

And if things couldn't get any weirder, I was looking at Jessica Watson's dating pool, made up of four men, one of whom is former Nebraska football player Troy Hassebroek. So much for the whole stereotype about football players being constantly surrounded by women.

Good stuff, this Six in the City

brett at 09:40 AM on July 26, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

I recognize that I'm not the greatest blogger online, however, I definitely have one-up on the bozos over at the Lincoln Journal Star's Six in the City website. The basic premise is that six singles were selected to take part in something of a dating experiment where they will write--online--about their dating experiences with members of a dating pool chosen by none other than Journal Star readers.

Honeslty, I think this is a brilliant idea, because as poor as their writing is, I can't tear myself away from it.

Here's a few snippets from the bios, starting with Chad Peters:

This Cherry Coke fan likes contemporary Christian bands such as Third Day, and some classic rock, such as Van Halen.

Fun Chad trivia: he eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch everyday, and is left-handed but kicks with his right foot.

Six in the City, Chad hopes, will make him better at initiating conversations and a better interpreter of female body language.

...

We asked Chad: Where do you see your romantic life in three years? He said: "I've been around the block enough to know that only God knows the answer to that question."

Nothing against the participants in this foray into community blogging, but it could have been so much better had the reader's of the LJS selected some writers that were, well, a little less pedestrian. For example, from the bio of Ryan Kawata:

Favorite Drink: Non Alcoholic: Mt. Dew or Coke; Alcoholic: Bud Light

I have a feeling this guy is going to be writing a lot of thought provoking, profound stuff.

I really like this part of Cory Dorenbach's bio. She lists her second hobby as reading, but when asked what her favorite book is responds:

Favorite Book: I do like to read. I read random things mysteries, horror, love stories, self improvement. I usually have a topic I get hooked on, like education, religion, nutrition, yoga…depends on what is happening in my life at the time. Then, I read to learn as much as I can.

Very random! Looks like she's going for a defensive play on this one, staying ambiguous. How mysterious! And speaking of favorite books, the only Six in the City member who actually gave a specific book title for an answer was Perry Pirsch who named his own book, The River Lethe as his favorite. From the Amazon.com review:

The River Lethe was one of the five rivers of Hades. Souls on the way to Elysium passed through it, washing away their memories, hence their sorrows, as a condition of their new life. How many of us really know ourselves well - who we are and why - the experiences, events, people, and relationships that make us feel the way we do about ourselves? Have you ever wanted to run away and start a new life? Now, add up all of those story elements, throw in a keen sense of humor, and you've got the makings of funny, interesting, and maybe even educational book!

Anyway. Take a look at the Six in the City site. What it lacks in terms of creative casting it makes up for in a very visceral appeal at our basic vouyeristic instinct to watch bland people from the same city publicly dive headfirst into the dating meatgrinder.

I also love the fact that they are all white.

I'll be writing more about this.

brett at 11:21 AM on July 25, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

brett at 11:16 AM on July 25, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

If I had to choose somewhere besides Tokyo or Lincoln to live, it would most certainly be Chicago, Illinois.

I was just up there for a wedding this weekend and ate more free food and drank more free alcohol than I have in a long, long time. Highlights include: a Puerto Rican salsa band, meeting a plethora of great people including Junito and Jessie, signing along to a Rage Against the Machine cover band in downtown Chicago with Adrian, having our hotel room upgraded to a suite, passing out on Ella's parent's couch half-naked and waking up with my headphones still on, and of course who could forget Adrian and I breaking the window of the hotel's exercise room at 5 a.m. (It was an accident. We were only trying to engineer a backway into the locked pool!!)

I probably should have taken a camera along, but I was lazy.

What a great town, full of great people. Cheers to Ella for inviting me along on such a stellar weekend.

brett at 01:12 PM on July 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2)

I came across this link earlier today, which confirms the oft repeated phrase, "There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches in the world." Interesting stuff. [Via Google Answers]

brett at 08:57 AM on July 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

So yesterday at a barbeue, I was approached and scolded by a good friend for not updating my blog. I guess that no matter how hard I try I will never be able to discard this little experiment in expressing my private thoughts publicly-alas, -the blog is with me, wherever I go.

This means I will be making an effort to update things again, and now that the World Cup is over, I have no excuses (though I am moving into a new apartment next week, which will be consuming a lot of time).

brett at 07:42 AM on July 24, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)